Week 7

I dont know what it is about the first week of the transfer but I'm pretty sure that the best stuff happens then. This week has been so good and we have been so busy! At one point last night when we were adding up our numbers to send into our district leaders, sister boudesocque and I looked at each other and were like, "wait a second. how did we get 8 new investigators?" It just goes to show that when we get just go to work and not think about anything else, we arent focusing on numbers, we are focusing on souls, real people. Seriously good week. Okay so I dont really know where to start.... i should have thought out my email more before sitting here now typing aimlessly. The bruise count on my legs is definitely going up. I am forever grateful for shin guards. Soccer is brutal without them. but still so so so fun. So last sunday was fast sunday, and since sister boudescoque is almost done with her mission, she told me that she was going to do a 40 day fast. She explained to me that she was gonna pray and think about things that she could do better to become a fully more consecrated missionary and do or not do these things for the next 40 days. So I thought, well I might as well do it too! So we both prayed that sunday and when we came together, we found that almost all of our things were the same! And WOW what a difference I have seen in myself. I decided to give up saying "I'm tired" because, lets be real, did Jesus ever say he was tired when we was busy teaching the gospel? nope. he did not. I also decided that at every appt, I was going to knock on and walk up to two people around the house or something. During planning, we felt like we had to be at that place for a reason, so if the person isnt home, we might as well find out who is in that area that is prepared for us. Another thing is I took down a lot of my pictures. I would be easy for me to look of during my personal study and think, "I wonder what my friends or my family is doing right now!" (also my life before the mission all feels like a dream... like did I really go to BYU? I dont even know hahahah) Now, I just have a ton of these quotes or scriptures about missionary work that really motivate me and help me stay super focused. 

So something cool that happened this week was on tuesday night we went over to try and meet with this less active woman who lives in an apartment complex next to where we live! She has never answered or been home since we have been here. Before we left the car we prayed super hard that we could finally just meet her already! we were walking up the steps and we heard this girl say "Las misioneras!" Thats not a common reaction hahah she ran up the stairs and told us that she had been waiting for us! I thought for sure she was like 14 or 15 but nope she was 11. Reminded me of Paige! and she let us in the house and I just adore her and her little sister! They are so cute. They are dominican and their mom is the one who is inactive. It was so good to finally meet them and turns out they had been in the dominican republic for a month! Emely told me that she had been waiting for us to come! She said that she really wants to get baptized and that she had met with the missionaries before. So we are working with them now So amazing to see how the Lord puts us exactly where we need to be at the exact time. 

Oh my okay so fun fact about why I love sister boudescoque. So hispanics do not ask you how much food you would like on your plate. I think that they just assume that we are malnurished or something. So they feed us the equal amount of the men. actually sometimes more. Well that day, I just simply could not eat all of it. Like the more rice I ate, the sicker I felt. I looked over at sister b and was just like sister literamente no puedo. when they werent looking, she swapped our plates and finished mine for me. If thats not true love I dont know what is. 

Oh one other miracle that happened! So we take turns leading out planning and so this night was my night and I remember during planning having this little thought pop into my mind that we need to visit this less active lady over in princeton. I was like... ehhh she probably wont even be home but we wrote it down anyway. So we went over to her apartment and knocked and no answer so we tried a couple doors around there not knowing if they would even be hispanic or not. And then someone answered! and she was hispanic! We were talking to her and she invited us in right away! We were talking and she was so receptive and it was just so obvious that she is prepared for this message! She has 2 kids and a husband and they are from guatamala. We left her to read the intro of the book of mormon and when we went back this morning, she had the book right out on the table and said, "I read it and I loved it! My favorite part is when that man, jose smith, says that this is the most correct books of all books" Im sure i was smiling so big. She was like, "could you tell me more about him?" POR SUPUESTO (of course!!) It truly was one of the most powerful lessons we have ever taught (I probably feel that way about alot of the lessons but yeah its true hahah) 

Okay so one more thing! all these things are just popping into my mind so sorry if this makes like zero sense. Yesterday, in sunday school, the lesson was on the nature of god. So we were talking about how as children of good we have a responsibility to bring others to the knowledge of god because all of us are his children! Someone mentioned how they are super afraid to ever bring up God or anything because they dont wanna offend anyone are feel awkward. And then I raised my hand against my own will (I dont know how these things happen, ever since I was little I would subconsciously volunteer myself for commentary or answers hahah) I talked about how before my mission I would also be afraid to open my mouth and bring up religious topics in casual conversation but I just didnt now what it truly meant to be a child of god. In the Bible, in 1 John chapter 4, we learn the God is love. And perfect love casteth out all fear. I promised them that when we truly know who we are, we will never fear and will desire to call up our heavenly father to help us bring His children back. After I had said my 2 cents, the ward mission leader raised his hand and said, "I testify that what this misionera said is true and I know this because I have seen her grow in the language and teach with power" He said other things but I cant really remember because I just started tearing up and what not hahah I love our ward mision leader hermano pinto. For him to say that meant SO much to me. the language is coming and i love the mission. Until next week!