Updates On Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Living in Mesa!

Hi family and friends!

It's been another good week here. It was a pretty normal week. Nothing super exciting, nothing bad. So overall no complaints! We found out transfer news on Saturday! Hna Maughan and I are staying together in this area for another transfer! Yay!

We will have six full field missionaries in this one little branch.

They are changing our area a little bit because they are bringing a set of elders into our ward, so we will have a smaller area. (Just hopefully they don't steal Karen from us!) They actually made a lot of changes. They made 2 zones that are completely Spanish now. My new zone is called Sonora I think. Hermana Mayorca is leaving :( But Hna Demille is staying and her new companion is Hna Castillo. I did my day training with her on my first day and she seems really great! So new roommate! We will miss Hna Mayorca lots though! Hna Demille will be full field this transfer so we will have six full field missionaries in this one little branch. It is going to be great. We are going to be able to do so much good work this transfer. I am super excited.

Natalie (third from left) and the zone ready for zone  sports.

 

Me (second from right) and the sisters in my zone.

 It's nice to not have to switch companions again because it feels like at the 6 week mark is right when you start to get into the swing of things together, so having to split up is always a little hard. I am super excited though. I love this little branch so much. It is so good to see it progressing little by little each week.

Yay! I get to keep my companion, Hna. Maughan for at least another transfer!

Cooking Mexican Food.

Hmm this week... We did service with Hna Lopez (the branch president's wife) for a few hours. We peel dried peppers and dumped out all of the seeds for a few hours. It was really tedious. But it was fun! Mexicans have entire dinners at their wedding receptions so she had to cook dinner for 300 people for her son's wedding all by herself. I want to learn how to cook Mexican food so badly. I always tell everyone to teach me, but we never really have time.

 

Okay, so we have fun sometimes too!

Quincinera!!!

We had exchanges this week. Sisters exchanges are different, the training leader companionship splits up and one of them comes with a different companionship. So we had exchanges with Hna Watkins in our area. It was so fun! She was born in this area, so she showed us around and we visited some of the old people she used to teach, and I got invited to my first quincinera!!! I've been wanting to go to one so badly! I hope it’s still in our area, we are going to go check it out on Saturday. Seriously quincineras are the biggest deals here. They are like almost as big (maybe bigger?) than a wedding.

The Investigators

Karen

Karen is so converted (she watched all 4 sessions of conference and LOVED it) and ready to get baptized. She has received all of the lessons. She says she wants to get baptized very soon, hopefully by the end of this month! We want to focus more on the Atonement of Christ, healing, and forgiveness. I think that that will help a lot. She is so great. I love her so much!

Lupe

Lupe has been really hard to get a hold of this week. We had awesome lessons planned in her YW leader's house, but she didn't come. And then she is in Mexico for a week, so we are not sure what will happen with her and that baptismal date. She really wants to be baptized, but I don't think she really understands it and the commitment that it is. She is the sweetest girl and really wants to do what’s right. It’s just very hard to teach her in her home because it is such a distracting environment, and she is a typical 14 year old girl, so doesn't do a very good job of remembering to keep her commitments. I really hope that things can start changing there. She could really have such a wonderful, happy life if she can really apply the gospel to it. I love her, she is the best. 

 

More pictures of Zone lunch.

A new person to teach.

We found this guy in our ward that I guess isn't a member, but he has been coming to church with his brother for like 5 months. His name is Albero. We told him we were coming over and that we were going to start teaching him. He is a little apprehensive about it, but that’s okay :) His brother is super excited! Albero just doesn't like that we ask him questions and that we try to make him pray. But he will get used to it. I think a lot of people, when they realize that we have the truth, they get scared. But I really think, if we go slow and are really nice and loving, and help him to really feel God's love, then his heart will soften and he will want to change.

 

Me and Hna. Leon.  At least we still get to be roommates even if we aren't companions any more.

Angela, Marcos and Juana.

Angela, Marcos and Juana have been going well too. It's hard to teach them because they are very quiet and do not open up very much, but we have been diligently teaching them. Juana says that she wants to get baptized, but she isn't sure when! Yay! Except she is moving to Mexico soon, so who knows what will happen. Plus she hasn't gone to church because she has a newborn baby.Marcos really wants to get baptized, but Angela wants him to be older and to really understand the decision he is making. Angela has been getting a lot of help with her testimony from her friend, Elaine. Elaine is a great little missionary! She has asked us to have a Noche de Hogar with them every Wednesday. Last time she invited a lot of her non member friends and neighbors! She just wants to share with everybody and it is so great! We love her!

 

Okay, so I'm still excited about our new car!

The adversary is really taking control and his power is spreading.

Soo... General Conference??? Best thing ever? Yes, I think so. It was seriously the greatest. I loved every single talk. I don't think I can choose a favorite because they were all so good. I loved the focus on the family and on God's love and support. Seriously I learned something so great from each talk. I don't think I have ever had a greater conference experience (except maybe when they lowered the mission age of course :) ). I found myself just hoping for one more talk, completely soaking in every word. Of course I love the emphasis on missionary work. I have been realizing that we are running out of time, and the adversary is really taking control and his power is spreading. We are fighting against him every hour of every day. The only way we can overcome is through this gospel. Through living it, loving it, studying it, and applying it. Every person needs this. The world is not fair and they have no chance without the gospel. It is not fair for us to withhold this gospel from them. They are looking for it, and we are the only way they can learn about it. God has let us be born into/learn about this gospel because he trusts us to be the ones to share it with all of His other children. I can't wait for the conference talks to come out and to just study them up!

 

Zone lunch at Nici's Fry Bread!

It's like they are just pretending its Fall.

We had an awesome zone activity today! Tthat's why this email is late...) We had a pancake breakfast! It was super fun. We had the best zone & district this transfer. It will be sad to not be with them this transfer! We would go out to eat at Nikki's Fry Bread sometimes after ZTMs. And we have zone sports in the mornings every other day. We started doing them outside this week and I like that a lot more. It's finally starting to cool down! Yay! (when I say cool down, I mean 90 degrees in the afternoon instead of 110, but it really makes a difference!) It's so funny to see everyone putting out pumpkins and fall wreaths, when it still looks and feels exactly like summer. Always blue skies, shining sun, heat, and palm trees. It's the weirdest thing. It's like they are just pretending its Fall, but that's okay haha. 

But, yep I think that's about it! Can't believe 4 months and 2 transfers in the field have already flown by. The time goes way too fast. I love my mission so much. I love all that it does for me and the way it teaches me to be a better person and the way it prepares me for my future. I love the people that surround me. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. And I love you!

Have a great week!

Con amor,

Hermana Haynes