Adventures in Mesa: God Loves Her And Has a Plan For Her Life

Hi family! (Email from 5-12-14)

It was SO good to see you yesterday! A bit weird though haha, it’s been so long! I miss you all so much though. But I feel like as I have been away, I have grown to love you all even more, now I don't take you all so for granted anymore. But by the time I graduate BYU everyone better be living in Seattle again... You all look beautiful!

So this week has been so great. So, so great. Thanks for all the prayers for me, I have really felt them this week! I can't believe we just had transfers less than a week ago, it feels like I have already been with Hermana Hurd for a few weeks now. I loved training so much, I wouldn't have traded that opportunity for the world and I came to love those sisters sooo much. Not training is a completely different experience, and it is really great too. I feel like we can get so much work done together, and it is the best feeling. Hermana Hurd is really great. It’s funny we have very different personalities/interests, but we get along really well and work well together, so what more can I ask for?

So this week, has really been full of miracles. Where to start? Wow I just looked through my journal to read what happened, and it feels like what I wrote happened a month ago haha. Well, Tuesday we took Lupita and Jime to the Visitor’s Center and watched God's Plan for the Family with them. We have reallllly been trying to push with them how the gospel blesses families to help them have a vision of how important their family is and have more unity amongst them, and I am already starting to see changes. We pretty much visit them every single day. Lupita is hilarious. She is always telling us things like, “no one is ever going to treat you as well as I treat you.” She gets upset if we don't eat with her too haha so I am trying to come up with tactics because a girl can only eat so much... I have got her down that I will not drink soda though haha. Anyways, they are progressing really well. They talk a lot and sometimes get distracted in lessons, so it takes us a little more time to teach them, but we were also able to teach them the Plan of Salvation. And yesterday, we taught her brother Miguel the Restoration.

It's funny we were really hoping that we would be able to teach him without his sister there because they seem to distract each other, and we prayed that we would be able to teach the lesson and keep him focused, and Lupita stayed in the kitchen to cook (she already got that lesson). Miguel told us that he wanted to be baptized, so we invited him for the 31st. He said yes! Well, actually he said as long as it is before noon because that's when he will have to go to work, so we told him we could do that for him. Lupita is working towards that date too. Jime is thinking about it a little more, but Lupitaa said she asked him and it seemed like he wanted to, so we are going to invite him for the 31st this week. They are just the cutest little family. Jime is working on the house right now so we weren't sure if they would come to church, and when I called them Sunday morning they said hopefully for Sacrament meeting (which I thought would probably mean no), but we reminded them that church is an important part of preparing for their baptism, and at 11:30 we found them waiting in the foyer for sacrament! This week we are going to really try and get some more members involved, especially some hermanos to help with the house. Pray for them! Lupita and Miguel both say that they feel the spirit strong at church and they feel the spirit testifying that it's true.

On Wednesday we had a lesson with Amanda. We have been trying so hard to get members with us to her, but hadn't been able to come because they are always earlier in the day when people are working. We really wanted Hna Raymundo to come so we thought we would call and give it a chance, and she happened to get off early that day! I have seriously never seen an investigator and member hit it off so well. They were like instant best friends laughing and talking about kids, and Hna Raymundo gave such a powerful sincere testimony and told her to sincerely seek for herself. It was such a powerful lesson. Then on Saturday we went over the Sabbath day. amanda feels like church isn't necessary and that she shouldn't come until she is certain it is true, so we are trying to help her understand why church is important and that she will receive revelation while she's there, but she still wasn't up for it this week. Hopefully next week. I wish I could just show you how great her and her family is. I just have a vision of them getting sealed in the temple. I know it will happen one day. She really wants to know if it's true, so she is sincerely praying, and hopefully will put in more effort to read this week.

We met with the Ramirez family, and started going over the plan of salvation, but ended up as the importance of church. Natalia doesn't like to commit, but talked about the importance of committing and trying your best to do it. By the end she committed, but didn't end up coming. She did come to the party though, so that was great! We had about an hour until it started to find her a ride, so we called EVERYONE, and no one answered or couldn't, so we decided to pray and ask for help. Literally the first person we called after we prayed said yes. God is wonderful.

We had an appointment with someone, but they ended up not being home, but I looked down the street and this family was out in their yard. I realized that it was a family in our potentials list that Hna Brons and I had tried to contact but could never find them home. Each time we were there we had a good feeling about that home. We decided to walk by and just yelled buenos tardes to them and asked them how they were and what their names were, and then they invited us to come sit and talk in their yard. It was these cute little old couple with 4 of the grandchildren. Literally the sweetest family ever. They treated us like they had known us their whole lives. I guess they used to meet with missionaries in Mexico, so we were able to give them a Book of Mormon again and set up a return appointment. I really hope things go well with them!

We also had an appointment with Paula, and Hna Zavala, the RS Pres came. We showed a little Mormon message, then out of no where the member asks," por qué estás desanimada? El evangelio te ayudará. Bautizate!" And just was super bold telling her to get baptized, and that the devil was giving her all these trials, but that the gospel was what would help her. It was super bold, but I feel it was exactly what was needed to be said. Paula is not one of many words, but I really hope it touches her heart. She has her court this Wednesday so pray that goes well for her.

Yesterday the bishop gave us the names of 5 families in the ward he wants us to work with. He wants us to have 3 notches de hogar with each family, to have them give the lessons and to have them invite a specific family that we think will be good for them to come. He wants to strengthen the members and help them set goals and have the spirit more in their homes. So we are excited to start working on this.

This week has just been great. I have been so happy. We have seen lots of success, and our numbers improved drastically. I just feel so humbled and so blessed. I see Gods hand in my life every single day. So many miracles I couldn't begin to say them all if I wanted. It's just really hit me this week how much good is in the world if you open your eyes and look for it. Maybe it's not mountains moving, earth quaking differences happening, but so many little things coming together, changing, improving. I love all of these people so much, and feel like God puts the very best people on my path. I never knew I could love so many people so much and so quickly. It's like as soon as I meet someone I see what their life would look like with the gospel in it, and I want them to have it so badly. We were teaching this little lady whose husband passed away and she is just so sad about it. I started getting sad that she didn't have the gospel and it didn't seem like she was ready to accept it, so I asked God why she didn't have the comfort of the knowledge of the gospel. I got a very reassuring feeling that this little lady was His daughter. That He loved her very much, and that He had a plan for her life. He knew the experiences that she needed to have to prepare her for the gospel. One day everyone will have a chance.

I love you all so much and I am so grateful for each and every one of you!

Con amor,

Hermana Haynes

Ward Mother's Day & Cinco de Mayo Party

Wouldn't be a party without a pinata!

I had to sneak a picture of my favorite little boy in the ward hitting the pinata. He's SO cute!

We were talking with Marta and found out she does hair. We told her we wanted to learn so she told us to sit on the ground, she pulled out all her supplies and started doing our hair.