week 6

FAMILY!!!! How is everyone?? Welp...Im just hear at the begininning of week 6 (last week of transfer), and im TERRIFIED to leave this place. I mean I loved all my other areas but I really really don't want to leave. So yeah. BUT I really dont think we are going to change. YAY!

This week has been so crazy.

First off I would like to say that I am a mother. SUPRISE! Seriously though...being a missionary makes me feel like a mother because I am always worrying about the people we are teaching and the recent converts. (especially a certain few recent converts....mmm), Its ridiculous haha. So sorry Mom if I ever made you worry, because its not fun. I understand that.

Oh and question, Im really confused whats going on with Mariah...you said shes at training for a job, what kind of job? And then you said something about music...is it a music teaching/something of that sort job or is that have to do with school? What school is she planning on going to? ....Sorry for the confused questions from a really confused daughter/sister.

Well this week we had zone conference!!!!!! It was amazing (zone conference is when the President, his assistants, and wife come to a zone and do some training). So we had it wednesday and it lasted from 9 in the morning to 5 at night. Yeah...I totally felt like Joseph Smith and Lehi...i just wanted to pass out, it was so spiritually exhausting...BUT AMAZING. I learned so much about how I can better use the Book of Mormon in my teaching. Also we talked a lot about focusing on the temple and it really relight a fire in me to help these recent converts and less actives to get into the temple. I LOVE IT. I also just love President Castro and his family. Such amazing people.

At zone conference we found out that we are going to be doing exchanges (me and my companion with the other Hermanas in Bakersfield). So this Thursday I will be working with an Hna who has 6 weeks in the mission over in south bakes. Crazy. But I'm really excited. Normally Elders only do exchanges so we are really excited for this learning experience.

OH another news from zone conference....SISTERS DONT HAVE TO WEAR JACKETS ANY MORE TO ANYTHING!!!!!!!! WOOO HOOOO. I'm almost tempted to send mine home.
OH and we can play sports with members now so we are in a process of setting up a soccer night so people can come and invite their friends. YAY soccer.

So funny story. We have a family home evening every friday night in Lamont. So we were in Lamont last friday working and we were taking this member with us (Hna Migdi) to all of our appointments. Well we went to take her home to find out her daughter wasnt going to go to Family Home Evening so Hna Migdi didnt have a car to take...so we figured it was like 3 blocks or so, so we would just walk with her to make sure she went. Well after FHE we were getting ready to go and Hna Migdi comes running up and is like "im coming with you" (shes like 60 something) and we were like no Hna, Anastacio is going to give you a ride home...but she would NOT allow us to walk back in the dark with out her, she we let her and we were on our way. So we were walking and I was like Hna...really...what are you going to do if someone attacks us?? And she was like "this" and she totally just high kicked and then looked at me. Oh man...I seriously about died. DIED. I was laughing so hard in the middle of this dark Lamont street. I will never forget it. Hilarious and I love her sooo much.

SO MIRACLE. Remember last week how I told you about the two random people we met in the street who said they wanted to come to church? well we were out looking for one of their houses saturday and night and we get this call...IT WAs HER asking if she could come to church the next day. So Estela and Fidel both came to church and we have appointments with them this week! We are really excited about them.

Louis Angel. Hes a young man we met up in Tehachapi knocking doors (right after we had been told we were going to hell by some baptists), and we were super distracted but he agreed that we could come back, we gave him a book of mormon and invited him to read the introduction. Well we came back, he was home and had read the introduction...AND the testimonies of the 3 witnesses, the 8 witnesses, and of Joseph Smith. WOW. We were so excited and were able to teach him more about what the Book of Mormon is, Hes really really awesome.

Antonia, she is a friend of a recent convert here in Arvin. Carlos (the recent convert), told us we should stop by. We've now had 3 appointments with her and she has a baptismal date!!!! Shes amazing. We gave her Mosiah chapter 4 to read and gave her a question like "How can we find peace and happiness"...she read it all and totally understood everything. Shes changed how she prays and shes just amazing. I love her so much. She even wanted to go to church really bad but we only had one member that was going to church that had a car and it was only full. We were really sad....but NEXT WEEK!

Guadalupe...shes this amazing 19 year old girl that we found knocking a couple weeks ago who is really curious about religion and really wants to have a strong communication with God. Shes really humble and is really seeking the way God wants her to take.

Rodrigo hes still progressing towards a baptism date...hes having some problems but thats ok. Hes still trying.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this area. SO MUCH!

Oh and mom thank you so much for sharing more about your baptismal day with me. It really means a lot to me. You should share that with Grandpa, I really think it would touch his heart.

I challenge you all to invite a friend to learn about the gospel, or atleast bring the gospel up in a conversation with someone who is a nonmember!

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH.

Oh by the way I got a letter from Eryka yesterday, she is just so sweet. Tell her good luck with preschool!
Also you can tell Jed and Chrissy (and Jaden) I have them in my prayers for sure. Let me know how everything turns out.

Oh I sent Mariah a letter yesterday with my photocard. Could you maybe send it back as fast as possible, I was trying to take pictures last night at our FHE and the other card wasnt really working.

Thats really crazy Cody is going to be home, Im sure the Lehr's are super happy.


This work is amazing.

Love you all, HAVE A GOOD WEEK!