Week 17

oh my word. so i am already freezing cold. this morning was 45 degrees and i couldn't believe it because i was certain it was like 15 degrees. It seriously is so humid that you can feel the coldness in your bones. And everyone keeps saying this weather is NICE. sorry everyone but this colder than december in california! So this week was really good! We really saw miracle after miracle. Ive been in this area for almost 4 months now and we finally found this less active lady that we have never seen before! she was outside cleaning her car and i just love my companion because before we even say anything hermana detrinidad goes up and gives her the biggest hug and they are just talking about this mexican singer that shes listening too and im just like um.... should we ask what her name is first? because at first i had no idea who she was! after talking for a little bit outside she invited us to come in. We had a really great lesson with her and she totally opened up to us and started crying. That is something that I love about my companion. it doesn't matter who it is, she just loves them. its funny because im not a very like touchy walk up to strangers and hug them person but i am certainly becoming one hahahah that happened with two other less actives that we have been trying to get a hold of this week as well!! (we have a TON of less active). I remember before the mission thinking that I would feel accomplished by the number of people i baptize. but the fact is that right here in this area, that it not what is needed. This area that i am serving in use to be a ward but for the past seven years has been brought down to a branch. We are really trying to zero in our efforts on our less actives and inviting them to come back and we are definitely seeing a difference. 

Okay so Alfredo update. We had a good lesson with him and our ward mission leader hermano pinto was with us and alfredo ended up telling us that in order to come to church on sundays, he has to get sundays off and find someone to cover him. and so he still hasn't found someone but he is sure there are many people that would be willing. he then said that he wouldn't be able to come to church next sunday but the following sunday he can and thats his baptism. so yeah we will see what happens. he honestly could have been baptized over a month ago but esta bien also during that lesson Ricardo (his son who served a mission and would always come out with us as a team up during the summer) came home during the lesson from like maryland or something and told us that he wasn't going to church anymore because he was working. I couldn't believe it! Thats the biggest trial for me as a missionary. Just about everything is out of my control. And people like alfredo are very passive. and I am the opposite of that. Imagine how our heavenly father feels!! He has power to do anything he wants to. and yet he lets us make our own silly decisions and learn for ourselves what is right. the only thing i can control is whether or not i follow the spirit. I truly do feel like I am learning to recognize it more and more everyday. Hermano Pinto told us after the lesson that it was a blessing for him to see the spirit working through us and he felting stronger during that lesson than ever before. I think that was exactly what i needed to hear because honestly after that lesson i just wanted to cry a little thinking about how we were probably going to have to move alfredo's date again and how i didn't know what else to do and how ricardo, who was suppose to baptize alfredo isn't even going to church! But when hermano pinto said that, I felt so calm. Like I am doing everything i can do. And that's all I need to worry about. Because as long as I do everything I can do, the Lord does the rest. So this is probably all over the place but yeah. Thats all I can think of for this week! Love you all! 

background story on the pic. okay so we were in trenton this morning with a less active and this big eyes are on this old empty building so we were like oh thats cool lets take a pic... then we went to cvs and to flu shots right by and this guy was like, "oh hey those are the girls that were taking pictures with the eyes of trenton" yup. we're awesome. so embarrassing.