Tuesday, December 31, 2013

December 31, 2013 - Nos Vemos 2013!

FAMILY!
 
Hey! Remember that one time where we got to talk a couple of days ago and it was THE BEST THING EVER?! Man, it was so good to talk to you!!! I barely remember what we talked about jaja but all I know is that it felt really, really good to hear your voices! It was so fun to hear Russell and Jacob in the background (by the way Cory and Joe, thank you for training Russell to say "I love you, Kelsey" as it was the best thing of my life.). I'm so glad all is well and everyone is happy!! David's email filled me in on all of the hand and foot/falling Christmas tree/YouTube video/Neil Diamond/Canadian Christmas song adventures and I couldn't help but laugh out loud and say "MY FAMILY IS THE BEST".
 
Christmas was amazing. I think the biggest miracle, though, was how quickly we went back to work after the festivities ended. We all spent the day at our bishops house, eating (and eating and eating....) and opening presents, but we also sang at the veterans home and got the chance to talk to some of the bishop's family who weren't members. By the time dinner was over, all the missionaries cleared out, and were back on the streets finding people to teach. We didn't get the chance to teach anyone that day, but we felt that the Lord was pleased with the decision we made to go back to work and not linger, when it could've been really easy to do so.
 
Despite the fact that we had a lot less proselyting time as usual, this week was awesome! Hermana Kelemen and I worked really really hard teaching as many people as we could find. There weren't a ton of people home (Tijuana is probably overflowing with the residents of Chula Vista right about now...) so we got the chance to see people we don't normally see and teach a bunch of different people. We've really been pushing to get members out in lessons with us; those lessons are always the best and most spiritual! The members of our ward haven't really caught the "urgency" of the work, so Bishop Chavez asked us missionaries to teach a lesson on how they can become involved in the work for the fifth Sunday. We set a goal of having every family inviting another family to their house for an FHE or dinner with the missionaries, and we expanded on that goal the whole lesson. It was so cool! We talked about how the people around us (our friends) don't have something that they desperately need. Once the members realize the enormity of what they have (the gospel) they'll want to share it more. We introduced ways that they could start a gospel conversation with their friends or co-workers, and addressed some of their fears. It was really cool to be up there, looking at all of the nodding heads and smiles as you could see the spirit of missionary work start to enter into their hearts. By the end of church, all of the companionships had members running up to them, inviting them for an FHE or offering to come out with us. MIRACLE!!!!
 
Speaking of miracles, Bertha is doing amazing! We went over the other day to teach her, and we asked her how she first heard of the church. She told us her friends were LDS but they never said anything about the Church. She always wanted to learn more, but she just didn't know how to ask. She ended up asking her friends "hey! how can I learn more about your church!? I think I want to be baptized!", and so they referred her to us missionaries. My testimony of member missionary work skyrocketed! She told us she would've been baptized months ago if someone just told her how to do it. She even asked us if she could have some pass along cards and pamphlets so she could give them to her friends. MAN I can't get over how much I love her!! She is well on her way of being truly converted. We taught her the word of wisdom yesterday and when we told her about tea and coffee she goes, "I can't have tea or coffee???? I drink it every day!!!.....but ok. This law is true. I'll obey and be blessed." Our mouths literally dropped to the floor. Just when we picked them back up, she says "I can't wait to tell my kids all about this church, that way they'll see my example and want to get baptized because of how happy I am!". I would like to add in my testimony of how missionaries do nothing. 100% Spirit right there. I'm so grateful I got the chance to know her!!
 
We are teaching a woman and her mom (Perla and Araceli) who are also really, really prepared. Whenever we teach them, they look like they're hanging on to every word we say! (THE SPIRIT IS AWESOME.) We taught them the Plan of Salvation the other day and when we laid the visual aid out in front of them, they just stared and stared and smiled and said "This is SO COOL. This makes so much sense!". The first lesson we ever had with them, Perla asked us "Why do bad things happen to good people?" It was a sweet experience to lay out the plan of salvation and testify that all will be made right in the end. I think that was one of my favorite lessons we've ever taught!!
 
Yesterday, we taught a bunch of self-proclaimed atheists. They were actually really kind and really open and it was a really fun lesson! At the end, one of them told us "man, I would LOVE to serve an 18 month mission for Jesus!"....5 minutes before he told us he didn't believe in Christ. Again, the Spirit does all the work! He told us he is going to University of Utah and when I told him that I was an Aggie, he reminded me that they were playing in San Diego that afternoon for the Poinsettia Bowl. I had to hum "Nearer My God to Thee" in my head for the next 15 minutes so I could get that out of my head and focus.
 
I was never one for new years resolutions, but as a missionary our minds are continually filled with goals and how we go about accomplishing them. David in his email mentioned that with the new year, we have the chance to change. I guess these past 11 months have helped me realize that as children of God, our potential is far greater than we realize, and that if we follow the council that is stated in Ether 12:27, we can hand God our weaknesses and become stronger. We can slowly realize this great potential that we have. I love looking at the people we teach and seeing them for who they can become, but every once in a while I forget that I can do that for myself. When we ask, Heavenly Father will allow us a glimpse of who He sees in us. We get the strength and the power to change and become more as a result! When I started my mission, one thing I knew for certain was that I wanted to come back a lot different, and while it's hard to see personal progress, I know that God takes His time shaping us IF WE LET HIM. We are going to become polished. I'm grateful I still have 7 months on my mission and a lifetime afterward to become polished.
 
Well, know that I love you all and am so pleased to be serving in the greatest place in the world!
 
Hermana Hess

Monday, December 30, 2013

December 24, 2013 - FELIZ NAVIDAD


I just wanted to bear my testimony of the divinity of out Savior Jesus Christ. I love being a missionary at this time because it seems like a lot more people are open to hear about the Love that our Savior has for us. I love telling people they are loved, and we have gotten the chance to do that a lot these past couple of weeks. We had a mission Christmas party last Saturday and President Clayton promised us that if we forget ourselves, this will be the best Christmas of our lives. It's definitely been a different Christmas, but I have been loving feeling the Saviors love more and more. As we celebrate His birth, we can celebrate His life by sharing our love for people wherever we go. I think Heavenly Father needs more angels here on the earth, and as we lift those around us we become the hands of the Father, and we assist Him in His glorious work. I love being His representative at this time. He is real, He came into the world to do the will of the Father that we might come home again to Him. He is perfect. We are blessed.

K I'm done waxing poetic. Don't worry about me! I am happy-I can't believe I get the chance to serve here in Chula in this season, surrounded by the love and support of the members, investigators, and our Heavenly Father. I've been surrounded by music. Life is good.
 
my heart is yours!
 
Hermana Hess 

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

December 17, 2013 - There Once Was a Goat Named Hessey

OH HEY FAMILY!!
 
So one of the ward missionaries in our ward just moved to El Cajon (like an hour away) to be a goat herder (I'm not even joking.) and he called the other day and said that he named one of his goats after me. Hessey the goat. The family name is being well represented here in California.
 
This week was the BOMB!! Last Monday we went to go contact a referral from our zone leaders that they got from one of the other areas. His name is Victor and he is blind and lives with his family in a little apartment. So we started by just getting to know him and all of a sudden he goes "Oh by the way, I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the Book of Mormon was true. I want to be baptized. Is that ok?" Um, yes. Yes it is. It was so cool! We just asked him if he has any doubts or anything and he had a lot of questions about the Word of Wisdom. So we gave a lesson on that, invited him to commit to it and he said "Well, giving up tea will be really tough. But I know that God is going to give me the strength to do it because I want to be obedient to His commandments." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?! So Victor will be getting baptized on January 11th!!!! He listens to the Book of Mormon on CD all the time and loves it!! He's the coolest! It's a Christmas Miracle!!
 
Speaking of Christmas miracles, Hermana Kelemen and I have been praying for Bertha (our investigator getting baptized on the 28th) to attend our ward. She has a friend in one of the other wards in a different stake so she has been going with her the past couple of weeks. We tried explaining that it would be better to come to the one in the area that she lives in so she can meet the people and make friends and receive the fellowshipping that she needs, and every time she agrees to come to Chula, but when Sunday comes around she calls us and says "I'm sorry but I'm going to the church in Bonita today.". We went and saw her the other day and while we were chatting at the beginning, she told us that while she was at church with her friend she had a strong feeling that she shouldn't attend that ward anymore! She told us she is so excited to go to the ward she belongs in and knows that there are people there who she needs to meet. MIRACLE. We were so stoked!!!
 
Quote of the week: "It's kind of annoying being an atheist". Thank you, Roberto our newly added investigator! 
 
This week was full of Christmas activities haha. We had our ward party (I love Spanish wards....Dancing and tamales at every ward party is NOT A BAD THING AT ALL. The missionaries just sit back and watch the members dance with the investigators that we brought. If that's not the prime example of fellowshipping, I don't know what is.) which we sang at. Our stake choir concert, which we sang at, and our apartment complex (which we did not sing at, but at the beginning the apartment manager asked us missionaries if we would be willing to pray and bless the food!!!!!!!! Super cool moment. It's fun to have missionaries live in the same apartment complex.). A lot of the members have asked our district if we could accompany them as they go out and carol and give Christmas gifts to their friends. It's been so cool to see the members give out "Finding Faith In Christ" DVDs. We went out with a family last night and sang, and Hermana Escobar (the family who invited us) did such a good job just letting her friends know how important they were to her. It was so genuine that she made all of her friends cry. Sometime an "I love you" from a friend can be super powerful.
 
By the way, mom, the stake choir did the same Wilberg version of "Fum Fum Fum" as we did when I was in high school. Good memories.
 
Hey guess what! I GET TO TALK YOU Y'ALL IN A WEEK!!!!!
 
Cool moment of the week. A few weeks ago we were talking to one of our less active members about following the spirit and he asked "How do you know if it's the spirit and not just your thoughts?" That's something that I've been trying to figure out my whole mission haha. I told him. "You know, I still struggle with that. But know that every good thing comes  from God, even our thoughts". We went by their house the other day and as soon as we opened the door he said "Hermana Hess!!! I have something to tell you!!" He told us that that morning he had a thought pop into his head that he couldn't decide if it was a prompting or not. But it was good, so he said a prayer in his heart and told God "You know, I don't know if this is You or me, but I'm going to follow it. If it was the right thing, please help it to be a good day.". He told us that the rest of the day he felt happy, calm, and he had the most successful day of work of the week!. He told me "I couldn't wait to tell you, Hermana Hess. I know that sometimes you still don't know if it's you or the spirit, but if it's good, follow it immediately! I know you will be blessed." It was such a cool experience, HIM following up with ME, when usually it's the other way around. I left that lesson edified and feeling loved, and my testimony was strengthened about following up with commitments. You definitely feel a lot of love when other people follow up with you.
 
BORING LETTER. But guess what? Christmastime is here and life is good!! I love you all!! I sent a Christmas package home today, so it should come in the mail within these next few days. LOVE YOU TONS!!! Have a great week!
 
Hermana Hessey

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

December 10, 2013 - Virgin Mary Statues All Over the Place


HI FAM!
 
I have never in my life seen so many statues of the Virgin Mary covered in Christmas lights ever before in my life. Just so you all know, psychedelic dancing virgin Mary statues complete with flashing neon lights exist. Welcome to Chula Vista.
 
I feel like this week flew! We spent a lot of time together as a district this week, which I loved. Can I just tell you how much I love the group of missionaries that I'm serving with?! I feel like they've become my brothers and sisters, and I can't believe how blessed I am to be serving with them around Christmastime. Our bishop and his wife are equally incredible. We all watched the Christmas devotional together on Sunday at the bishop's house (complete with hot chocolate and cookies and the whole shebang....it was awesome.) and it felt good to be surrounded by people who you love. Fills the little hole in mah heart from being away from you guys in this season. Also, as a district, we invited a bunch of our investigators to all go up to the temple on Saturday night to see the Christmas lights on the grounds! All of us brought some of our investigators and the spirit was so strong as they felt the power that only being on the temple grounds brings. All of them, by the end of the night, told us "I want so bad to go inside!!". It was SUPER powerful! Every weekend they have a bunch of different choirs sing at night for all the people who come see the lights. The choir who was supposed to sing the night we came bailed, so our district got up on the stage they had and just sang Christmas hymns for everyone. (Side note-everyone in my district can sing all the different parts. I call that a CHRISTMAS MIRACLE.). Oh man, the spirit was so strong!! None of us had any books, so while we were singing we could look at the faces of everyone who was listening and just see the spirit working through them. Being on the temple grounds, listening to the music about Christ's birth, the spirit was undeniable. And I was in Heaven and cried the whole time because sometimes, it just feels good to sing. (Take that, dad, for dramatic effect!)
 
The whole week, we visited all of our investigators and got them really excited to come to church this Sunday. And then a horrible thing happened. It rained. Because of the rain (more of a light sprinkle), the temperature dropped to a frigid 50 degrees and everyone came to the conclusion that it was far too dangerous to step outside of the house. We were pretty bummed. That's why prayer and the Book of Mormon are so important! The spirit is there in the lessons, and everyone can feel it. But after the missionaries leave, if they don't read or pray they lose that feeling so fast, which makes the decision to come to church harder. Faith cannot be stagnant, it needs constant nourishing-which is something I have definitely learned since becoming a missionary. We can't afford to stop begging for Heavenly Father's presence. The natural man forgets way too fast!
 
This is a boring letter.
 
We are teaching a less active named Edgar who has the hugest testimony ever! He has such a big desire to be worthy to exercise his priesthood again and go to the temple and endure to the end....the problem is that he has been living with his girlfriend and their daughter for the past 4 years. He invited them to live with him in the hopes that they could have an eternal family one day and be the normal "happy Mormon family". Janelle (his girlfriend who we are teaching) is really cool, but in the past she has had no desire to learn about the gospel or anything because past missionaries were going to fast and "shoving" the lessons down her throat. She was really hesitant when Edgar invited us over a few weeks ago and at first she didn't say much. But as we've come over every week, her heart has really softened. She still is hesitant to make and keep commitments, but she did tell us that we were the first missionaries to actually listen to her and not try and change her from the get go by pointing out all the bad and wrong things she is doing. My district leader in my last area told me on day that we need to "Love the people enough to patiently wait with quiet expectation. Love them enough not to rush them.". As we've taught Janelle, I have come to have a testimony of that statement. Listening and being patient...two things I had major issues with before my mission haha. It's cool how Heavenly Father helps you get humbled.
 
We had a zone meeting the other day, and at the end of the meeting a missionary who is going home in a few weeks got up to bear his testimony and share some thoughts. He said "One of the greatest parts about being a missionary is the chance to change.". I think that that is one of the coolest parts about wearing the badge. You get the opportunity to have your weaknesses thrown in your face and have your heart break, but you also get the chance to choose if you want to let Heavenly Father make you into the person you need to become. I hope so bad that I have become someone different in these last 10 months. I definitely feel different haha. I feel like I have a clearer vision of my strengths and weaknesses and how much more I need to rely on Christ's Atonement. I still yell a lot, but I have a greater purpose for it now:)
 
I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! I hope you are the happiest you've ever been and that you can feel how much I love you!
 
Hermana Hess (or Herrrrrmana Hessey as my ward calls me)

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

December 3, 2013 - The week that the J-Dubs were running rampant



OH HEY FAM!
 
Woof. This week was crazy! I am not sure why, but for some strange reason I feel like all of the Jehovah's Witnesses in the entire San Diego area decided to congregate in Chula Vista, seek out all of the LDS missionaries and spend and inordinate amount of time bashing us to our faces. As we all know, I am not very good at keeping my mouth closed, so this week was the ultimate test of patience and self control haha. But you should be proud of me, as I displayed a level of patience that only came because I was set apart as a representative of Jesus Christ. If not, there would have been fireworks. So that was a blastyblast...
 
Happy week after Thanksgiving!!! I hope it was great! Thanksgiving over here was so much fun. Initially I was worried that I would be super homesick, but we had 2 meal appointments (I AM NEVER EATING AGAIN.) and at both there was a lot of love, so it felt like home. One family, the Gallegos fam, told us that for Thanksgiving they usually meet their whole family in Mexico and eat with them, but this year they decided to stay here and cook a traditional Thanksgiving meal for the missionaries. It was one of the hugest acts of service I've seen on my mission!! I may have cried. After we ate, our district went to go sing  Christmas carols outside of all the Black Friday lines at the mall-which was one of the most fun things I've done out here! The people loved it. We gave out a tons of pass along cards and even taught some people, so it was a really cool finding activity. So no worries, family, Thanksgiving was awesome!!
 
We have been working with 2 specific people for a while now, but they haven't been progressing these past few weeks. We decided that we definitely should not drop them, but give them a week to think and decided for themselves. So this week we have been seeing a lot of our new investigators a lot more frequently and we've seen so many miracles!!!! We had 3 of our brand new investigators come to church this Sunday, and they loved it! When it was over they came up to us and told us they never wanted to stop coming. George, Janelle, and Alijandra will get baptized SOON, I know it. Not only that, but we found quite a few families that are so prepared and so excited for us. We had an appointment with one of them yesterday, but they had to cancel so they called us up (which is evidence #1 that they want to learn more because they NEVER CALL!!) and told us, in tears, that they had to reschedule, but that they were "so so so sorry, we were looking forward to it all day!". Hello miracle!!!! Man we are so stoked for all these new investigators we have. I've never taught a group that has been so prepared before, and it makes me want to work even harder for them. I've never seen God's hand in the work more!! That's one of the goals that I have-to notice his hand more. It's everywhere and it deserved to be recognized and vocalized. Loudly. :)
 
We met a man on the street who said that this was the 875th time he's been on earth (as a reincarnated being) and that he was born in Atlantis....
 
But I think one of the biggest miracles this week was Bertha! She was a referral from the other Elders. We went over to her house last night to contact her and when she opened the door she just smiled so wide and said "I am so happy you are here!! I have been waiting!!!". She immediately told us that she wanted to be baptized, and within the first 5 minutes of us meeting her, we had her with a Baptismal date! December 28th is going to be a good day! It was a super powerful lesson. She told us she wanted us to come back everyday, and that she wanted to come to church every week for the rest of her life. We walked out of that lesson completely floored and very humbled. It was just another reminder that as missionaries, the only thing we do is invite and provide the conduit so that the people can feel the spirit. I know for a fact that it was nothing that we did that led her to her desire to be baptized. 100% the spirit, So both of us are walking on air right about now haha.
 
I love being a missionary. This week was such a good reminder that no matter how hard we think we are working, Heavenly Father is working so much harder preparing the hearts of the people who can't wait to hear the truth again. That's one of the perks of being a missionary-getting a front row seat and witnessing all that He is doing. I have the biggest testimony of the hastening of the work. He needs more missionaries to keep up with Him! It strengthens my faith a lot-we've met a lot of people on the street who have been so closed off and hard-hearted and who have bashed us so much. But instead of allowing us to be discouraged, Heavenly Father has put these prepared people in our path and has said "I've been working on Him. Here ya go!" . He is so good!
 
Just so you know, I love you all a lot. You've been on my mind a bunch and whenever I think of y'all, I just feel blessed to be a part of such a perfect family.
 
I love you! Have a great week!!!
 
Hermana Hess

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

November 26, 2013 - Birthday Presents on the Beach - Not Bad!



OH HEY FAM!
 
First of all, OH MY GOSH. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF THE BIRTHDAY SWAG! I got the packages last Tuesday and I couldn't wait till Friday....haha so I opened it right there, on the coast at Coronado Island at sunset. Not bad at all:) My birthday was awesome! I'm so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people. I felt a lot of love for sure. Members from my ward and from other wards in the stake came by to drop off gifts, my old district and members in the Valley sent me a care package, my zone surprised me and took me out to lunch (they gave us a fake referral and said to meet at the Chinese restaurant down the street....I should've known. My life dream of having a group of Chinese women sing "Happy Birthday" to me was fulfilled!!) and the Elders who live in our complex surprised me with Italian food. SUCH a good day! To top it off, we as a district spent 4 hours doing service for a lady in our ward, decorating her house for Christmas (which was HUGE). She had Christmas music playing throughout her house. Oh darn! Thank you so much for sending those packages, and for making sure I am being taken care of. I HAVE THE BEST FAMILY IN THE WORLD!!!!
 
Oh man what a good week! We got a referral from the Elders for a member named German (the guy in "The District")-they told us that he wanted a Book of Mormon at the hospital he was at. When we asked him which hospital, they said "the mental hospital right next to your apartment". That was a blastyblast haha. But no worries, he just had a bit of a mental breakdown and was back at church on Sunday! The weird part was the next day we got another referral for the same hospital. We shared Elder Holland's conference talk with him....IT WAS AWESOME! Journal worthy moments right there haha.
 
I think this week we've worked harder than we ever have. Last week the elders gave us 14 referrals so we've been trying to contact them as quickly as we can. We've met some really cool people and have added 9 new investigators just this week! 9 SOULS!! It's a Thanksgiving miracle. Sister Kelemen and I have a goal to add 25 this month and we need 5 more. Chula Vista really is the promised land. I am constantly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work that there is in this area-so I'm being stretched in so many ways. Transfers were today and our district found out that none of us are leaving, so we'll all be together for Christmas!! It's the ideal situation as a missionary serving in San Diego-serving in Chula for Christmas. Yep, life is pretty good right now! I can't believe that Thanksgiving is Thursday! We've gotten a lot of invitations for dinner, so no worries there. Can't get over how great and selfless these people are.
 
We had dinner at a member's house the other day (The Gallegos-they were the ones who really didn't like us, and then we cleaned their house and now they LOVE missionaries!! That was a HUGE miracles in and of itself.) and they served us this really good drink that both of us loved. When we asked what it was, they said "tea from Tijuana!!".....WHAT. Haha I find it ironic that the first time I drank tea was on my mission. Repentance is possible, people. They just laughed when we taught them the word of wisdom later that night and said "whoops. My bad!".
 
Teaching Freddy is fun. He has tattoos all over and dresses like a gang member, but whenever the spirit touches him, he smiles so wide that he looks like a little kid. I am grateful for moments where instead of seeing someone who looks like a thug, we see them as they really are.
 
Socorro, who we have been teaching for a while, has kindof stopped progressing. She has been cancelling appointments and when we DO go over, she gets really distracted. But last night we had a miracle lesson!! We had a simple faith lesson-and she sat. and Listened. The whole time. After we were done, she said simply, "I have things to work on. But I promise you, I will.". I think my time in the Valley taught me to appreciate and really rejoice in those little (more like HUGE) miracles!!
 
You know, these past few week's I've been having problems really feeling the spirit working powerfully through me. It's present during lessons, but for some reason I've been having problems really feeling it. (By the way mom, your last 2 letters were a complete answer to prayer in that aspect. You have no idea.). So for a while I've been praying and praying for moments where I could just feel that the words weren't mine, where I could feel it running through my veins. We went to a baptism for the other sisters in our district and they asked us to teach the Joseph Smith story while they were changing out of their wet clothes. In my head I just kept thinking "First Vision", so we got up and started teaching. When I went and recited Joseph Smith's recollection of his experience, the Spirit clenched my heart so hard that it was almost painful. It is the best feeling I've ever felt. I am learning that those intense spiritual experiences don't have to happen every moment of every day. Feeling the Spirit, and having spiritual experiences are two different things. I am grateful for those heart-pounding moments that happen every so often, but I am even more grateful for the calm and peaceful feelings that occur on a daily basis, when we are doing what we need to be doing. It is quiet, it is at times hard to discern, but it is there.
 
I love you all so much! I am so happy and so grateful to be serving my Savior. I was talking to a young adult in my ward who is about to go serve a mission, and she is really worried about leaving her family. I told her that "even though you will be apart for a short time, you will never love them more.". You are integral to this work. Have a great Thanksgiving (while you will be eating turkey, I will be eating tamales!) And be happy!!
 
Con amor,
 
Hermana Hess

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

November 19, 2013 - Oh Hey!

 
 




HI FAMILY!
 
 
Just to let you know, yesterday we did service at the yacht marina cleaning up the coast (hard life, right?) and a family came up to us and asked us if we wanted to go for a ride on their yacht and maybe take out the wakeboards. We said "thank you, but no" and I only cried a little bit!
 
Haha aside from that painful experience, it's been such a good week! We went on exchanges with the sister trainers and they were miracle-filled, as all exchanges are. A lot of missionaries don't really like going on exchanges for some reason, but they're my favorite things. It's really cool how it's all the same work but there are so many different ways to teach it. I love following along with the other sisters just soaking up their styles of teaching.
 
By the way, whenever I tell people that I am from Denver they get an offended look on their face....we have a lot of Charger fans. Aw yeah Broncos! I'm focused I promise.
 
One of the biggest miracles we have seen is in Freddy-the 19 year old that we are teaching. His countenance has changed so much this past week. He tells us that he reads and prays every single night and he knows it's true!! He is getting baptized December 7th! He's had a lot of problems finding a job and having a good relationship with his mom, but as he's read the Book of Mormon he keeps telling us that "I know good things are going to happen. Whenever I read this book. I just know that everything is going to be ok.". Man, The Book of Mormon is so dang powerful. I love holding it in my hands. Every once in a while I just stare at the copies that we hand out to people and think "Oh my gosh. Look at all of those. They are little books and at the same time they are one of the most important possessions that we can have and we are HANDING THEM OUT LIKE CANDY. DO PEOPLE REALIZE HOW INCREDIBLE THAT IS?!". Whether it's in English or Spanish, the spirit and absolute power that is has is the same. I still can't believe that we can hold that miracle in our hands.
 
Antonio is doing great! We are teaching him English and when he said his prayer he said "bless the families of my missionaries.". So cool!!!!
 
We teach a less-active family called the Morales'-the other day we went over and their son, Noe, was there. He used to be really hard into drugs but these past few weeks his countenance has completely changed. It's seriously one of the most miraculous thing I've seen. He doesn't know much about the gospel, even though he was baptized when he was 8 (he's 25 now). We've talked to him a few times and his desire just grows and grows and grows. When I first came to the area and met him, I knew that Heavenly Father was working with him. Seeing his progression makes me so happy! He told us he wants to get his patriarchal blessing!! I love Noe a lot. Actually, I love the whole dang city of Chula Vista a lot.
 
I got a testimony of the Rescue when I served in the Valley, but now more than ever I have this huge love for the less-active families that we teach. I feel that they get looked over. I just want so bad for them to feel love. we have seen so many miracles of the rescue once they realize how loved they are. We visited a family that hasn't been in years and took a member with us. The spirit was so strong in that room when that member got down in front of the mom, took her by the hand and said "Look at me. I love you. I want you to come back. I will do anything to have you come back to church.". I cried like a baby. Don't give up on the less-active families. Go tell them that you love them because they need to hear it. You are the miracles that they need.
 
Ok ok ok I am so sorry that this is such a short email. We have a shortened amount of time this week....but please know how much I love you all. I'm so grateful for you and i love you so much!!!!!!
 
Hermana Hess

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

November 12, 2013

Oh hey crowd!
 
So after much miscommunication and prayers, Antonio was baptized!! I don't have a connector thing anymore or else I would send pictures!!! Turns out, the divorce with his wife (who still lives with him) isn't final, so they are still married. ALL IS WELL. The baptism was absolutely amazing. We tried really hard to get as much member involvement as we could because we didn't want it to be a "missionary baptism". It turned out incredible. Between us and the other missionaries in our ward, we had so many investigators there! A family that was just barely baptized last month gave a few thoughts while Antonio was changing out of wet clothes, and they were amazing. They focused on how the gospel has blessed their family-it was the most sincere and powerful testimony I have ever heard!! At the end they challenged all the investigators to baptism....it was the bomb.
 
But Antonio was so happy. He was smiling all night and his countenance was so bright!! He's a musician (he plays the guitar) so he and I sang "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy" as a duet with him playing...that's going down as one of the coolest experiences of life! He got confirmed the next Sunday and received the priesthood as well. He invited me and Sister Kelemen to be in the room when he got set apart, so that was really incredible. The power in that room was palpable and there was no denying that there was a miracle happening. I felt so blessed to be a witness.
 
This week was awesome!! We have been talking as a district and made goals to find more investigators to teach. It was actually really, really cool. We've been having trouble as a district finding new people who have been prepared to hear the gospel. The people we contact on the street have been rude and coarse and we've gotten a lot of doors slammed in our faces. So we had a lesson about faith and how we need to work harder and call down miracles from Heaven. It's been amazing to see how much we can collectively push each other. Since that meeting Sister Kelemen and I have added 8 new people who we really feel have been prepared to listen to our message! One is a teenager named Freddy. He has these huge gauges in his ear and tattoos all up his arm, but when we stopped to talk to him he flat out told us, "I want to hear what you have to say. I want to change. I want to be a better example to my brothers and sisters." We talked about the Restoration and he said he knew it was true, and accepted to be baptized!!! Helloooooooo miracle!!! Man, it's always an incredible feeling, finding the people that Heavenly Father places in your path. It always comes at the perfect time, like moments of discouragement or exhaustion.Tender mercies are real, people!!
 
In the Valley, because we had a car and because it was 2387634 degrees outside, we never got to street contact a whole bunch. But here it the complete opposite. Being on a bike and having it be so nice outside, there are tons of people on the streets. Not gonna lie, street contacting is not my forte. It's been a struggle to open my mouth to EVERYone-not just the pleasant ones that already have smiles on their faces. I've learned a lot about faith...no matter how freaky or under the influence the person may seem, we have a message far too important. Exhibiting that faith has been an incredible blessing since coming to this area. It's helped me keep the eternal perspective more securely in my mind-they are all Sons and Daughters of a Heavenly Father who wants them back. Who am I not to open my mouth and help them to see the way home? Street contacting has (slowly) become one of my favorite things!  Plus, that's where all the funny things happen. We contacted a mom on the street who launched into a 25 minute story about how she was dying of pneumonia but it's okay because "Jesus is coming in a few hours." Awe yeah.
 
My ward mission leader calls donuts "Pan de los Lamanitas" (Lamanite bread).
 
I have discovered a beautiful thing!! They don't exist in the Valley because the area is too far away. They are called MISSION PRESIDENT'S FIRESIDES AND THEY ARE THE BEST THING EVER. Basically once a month, the whole mission, plus their investigators and recent converts and anyone else who wants to come, gets together and has a big fireside. The missionaries put on musical numbers and they ask the recent converts to come up and share their conversion story and their testimony. It was so cool! It's basically a big musical fireside. There was a choir that anyone could sing in, so basically that was the bomb, made me miss performing just a little bit.....but the Spirit was so strong and the whole congregation was in tears when all the missionaries stood up to sing "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go". They weren't the only ones.
 
We met an amazing family this week. The parents' names are David and Sandra and they were a referral from the Mormon Battalion museum. We basically just went to their apartment, sat down and answered the bajillion questions that they had. After about 30 minutes of that, they were silent and said "Wow, I honestly didn't expect you to have answers to all of them." Usually when people grill us with questions, they just want to prove us wrong, but the spirit was so strong in the room and we knew that they just had a sincere desire to know. I'm so stoked to teach them!! They had a lot of questions about tithing....after a long discussion about that David asked, "Ok, so if I give a tenth of what I earn, what can the Church do for me?"...I went home thinking about that question. "What can the Mormon Church do for me?". We left him bearing our testimonies of the joy and security we receive when we know that we are living right. What can the church do for us?  It brings us the greatest joy that we will ever experience. It allows us to feel God's love everyday. It let's us become best friends with our Savior. But it takes work. It takes every ounce of who we are. But it's worth it. It's always worth it. That is something I've learned on my mission-giving everything you have and consecrating yourself to the work, even though it's hard and it takes a lot of sweat and tears, is the best thing we can ever do.
 
I love you all so much!!! I'm so dang blessed to have you!
 
Hermana Hess

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

November 5, 2013 - It's 60 Degrees and I'm Freezing!

Being out in a desert where it's 120 degrees for the first 7 months of your mission messes with you. It's beautiful weather here in Chula all the time and I'm freezing my tail off.
 
OH HEY FAMILY!
 
This week I found out that if you attach mormon.org cards to candy and hand it out on Halloween, it's very well received by the parents, but abhorred by the kids. "WHAT IS THIS PIECE OF PAPER DOING ON MY SUCKER?!". Just trying to bring you the greatest joy you'll ever experience in this world thankyouverymuch.
But Halloween was really fun-we had district meeting where the bishopric all fed us and demanded that we show up in costume (I went as Elder Bone-another missionary in the district. we served in the valley for 3 transfers together!) and that night our apartment complex did the same, so all was well. We weren't allowed to be outside past 7 so President Clayton had us read D&C 84 and then gave us permission to "fall asleep as soon as we're done." So that combined with daylight savings, I am a happy camper this week!!
 
ANTONIO'S BAPTISM IS THIS THURSDAY!!! Well, we hope. He's giving us grief haha. He has these earrings that he refuses to take out because he says "they're a part of him". He can still get baptized, and we're hoping that the more he goes to church and after he receives the Holy Ghost he will feel like it's the right thing to do. So that was fun....and then yesterday we found out that he is living with his ex-wife (weirdest situation...he told us that he was still married like 28238 times, but when we were filling out the paperwork yesterday he said 'so, do you need to know the date of when the divorce was finalized?'...UM, WHAT?!?!). We don't know how he got passed that one in his baptismal interview, which he passed last week. So keep Antonio in your prayers, please!! He wants to get baptized so bad! That whole "Law of Chastity" is kind of a big one...
 
The more I'm here, the more I love it. Our ward is divided up into 4 areas and me and Hermana Kelemen cover the poorest part of Chula Vista. It's interesting, in the Valley there was no problem whatsoever finding Spanish speakers, but here we have to do a lot more digging. The majority of the people we contact on the street speak English. At times it's hard-we really have to focus on speaking the language wherever we go. It's really easy to slip into English conversations a lot, but we are really trying to discipline our minds to stay "Spanish". Every once in a while I think to myself, "This would be so much easier if we were in a different country where NO ONE spoke English." And then I promptly repent. It's training me to focus more when we're alone in the apartment or with other missionaries. It's hard and I have a headache all the time, but it's all part of the submission process. The people are really so kind and humble. We are trying as a ward council to help the ward welcome new people who are getting baptized. They kind of keep to themselves and don't open up to new people, but we've been really pushing this week for member presence so that they get to know and come to love the people we are teaching. Being in the city area is a blast-every once in a while (more like the majority of the days) we meet some of the craziest people on the street. But it's really cool-I've never once felt like I've been unsafe. We have English elders who live in the same complex and if we aren't back by 8:55 they text us and say "WHERE ARE YOU?! ARE YOU OK?!" Yes, elders. We're teaching the gospel. No se preocupen. DON'T WORRY MOM, WE ARE SAFE!
 
Anna and Socorro are doing great-they just need to realize their growth!! Both of them are so ready to be baptized. They come to church and know it's true, but their biggest holdup is themselves. Keep them in your prayers:) We started teaching a 15 year old names Jorge-he actually reminds me a lot of David! He's really smart and is a trumpet player. He's a thinker and he has some really deep questions-the other day he sat us down and said "Explain the Book of Revelation to me." Uhh...nope. With him we really focus on keeping it simple and stopping him from going off onto tangents. Every once in a while we'll tell him something and you can literally see it click in his head. THAT'S WHY I LOVE THE GOSPEL! It is SO simple-it's plain and precious and when we focus on the principles, it is only then that the Spirit can testify through us. If we try to explain with too much detail, it becomes more about the facts than the Spirit. As much as I love hearing other people talk about deeper doctrine, I love even more reading the Book of Mormon, in Alma 32. Basic. Perfect.
 
The other day we had the coolest miracle. There is a member in our area who reeeealy doesn't like missionaries for some reason. Whenever a set of missionaries goes and tries to see her, she slams the door. No one really knows why...Well the other day the old bishop gives us a call and says "Go grab the other sisters, bring cleaning supplies, demand to clean her house and don't take no for an answer." So we grabbed the other sisters and showed up at her door. We were kind of nervous as to what she would do, but when we opened the door and saw that we were there to serve her, she burst into tears. It turns out she and her husband are being sued for something they had no part in doing and they're really stressed. The house was in shambles and it took us the whole day to do it, but the entire time all 4 of us felt so good. She was so grateful! Service softens hearts-not only hers, but ours as well.
 
Sorry for the boring letter and the lack of pictures! The connector broke so I'll go get one today. But I really do love you so much. You have no idea how important you are to me!!
 
Hermana Hess

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

October 29, 2013 - The Big, Blue, Wet Thing!



FAMILY!!!
 
So last week for P-Day we went to the OCEAN. PEOPLE. IT IS HUGE. We went to these massive cliffs and resisted the temptation to jump in. It was beautiful! I live in the coolest place! SO that was a lovely P-Day activity. Definitely different from the Valley haha.
Speaking of lovely P-Day activities, I WENT TO THE TEMPLE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE APRIL AND IT IS THE BEST THING EVER!!!!  I cried the whole time. That new presentation is powerful. I just sat there smiling the whole time, I was so happy! I thought a lot about you guys and all I could think of was, "Man. Families are great. I am glad this place let's me be with them for eternity."
 
I can't get over how fast time is flying! Let it be announced that my birthday month is about to fall upon us. But in all seriousness I can't believe Thursday is Halloween!  I feel like it should be June. The weather here is beautiful-65 degrees and sunny. Not suffering.
 
This week flew and it seems like we were on our feet for all of it! I love being on a bike-which is a lot easier to ride in a skirt than it looks, let it be known. I'm starting to get a hang of where everything is in this area and how the ward works with the missionaries. I love this ward!! The bishop is hilarious and he gives a lot of support to the missionaries. Our ward mission leader, Hermano Espinosa, is on fire! He is super passionate about the work and is really on top of it. It's cool to work with someone who understands and is excited about the hastening and the urgency of the work. There are 8 missionaries serving in this one ward, and at first I was like "this is waaaay too many missionaries." But the more I am here, the more I realize how much they are needed! The ward is handing out referrals right and left and there is SO much work to be done!! It makes me so happy. We wake up every morning, study, and just go. We take 15 minutes for lunch and dinner and then we're out again. I am loving it. I love coming home completely whipped and exhausted. There are a lot of missionaries in Chula Vista (there are 2 zones, Chula Spanish and Chula English) so everywhere you look, you see black tags. It's so cool, the mutual support we feel from one another. I've always loved big groups of people, and here it definitely feels like an army.
 
Hermana Kelemen is awesome! It's really fun to be with someone from my MTC district. There wasn't an awkward "get to know you" week and we just jumped straight into the work. Our teaching styles are waaaaay different, but somehow it really works and we've taught some really cool lessons as a result. She's been in this area for 3 transfers so she really loves it and knows it well. I'm learning a whole new way of teaching from her and it's been a blast to see how our two styles of teaching can come together into something totally different. I love her a ton!
 
We are teaching a lot more investigators than I am used too, so that's been a blast. Antonio has a date set for next Thursday!!  He's super solid. He gave up coffee in 4 days and is so prepared. Teaching him is really interesting. For some reason, neither mine nor Hermana Kelemen's Spanish is super great in those lessons. We're always fumbling over words and teaching things really simply. But the spirit works through him so strong!! We explain a principle really simply, then he sits there and thinks about it, and then he says "so what you're saying is...."and then launches off for the next 5 minutes about the principle using details we never taught him!!! Watching the spirit work through him is incredible, I've never seen anything quite like it. It a huge testimony builder for me, knowing that we are simply the mouthpieces. And sometimes not even that. At times we are simply the people who presents the idea and then lets Heavenly Father take care of the rest. OH MY SHOOT DANG IT IS THE BEST THING EVER.
 
It was the primary program last Sunday. I cried the whole time. Being on a mission has turned me into a SAP.
 
Then Anna and Socorro are our other progressing investigators. Anna is the mom of the ward mission leader in another English ward, but would rather attend the Spanish ward so that's why we are teaching her. Anna doesn't realize how much she has changed and how much she has progressed. Actually, Soccoro and Antonio are the same. They don't realize how different their countenances are! I know I've only been here a short time, but man. They are different. I wish they could just see how much the Gospel has changed them. Antonio actually texted us the other night about his baptism. He said he had some doubts because he didn't feel like he was worthy to be baptized or start this journey. We talked about John the Baptist in the bible, and how he didn't feel worthy either to baptize Christ. But he did anyway-because he knew it was right. Then we talked about the tender mercy that followed-the Holy Ghost being manifested in the form of a dove. The Holy Ghost being present is significant in that event in the Bible, but I also think it was a small sign to John that said "You did good. You did what was right." We need to walk with faith, knowing that the way is right, never needing signs to encourage us, but rejoicing in the tender mercies that say "You're doing good. You're doing what is right.".
 
Pray for Antonio, that he will know that this is right, and that he will have the strength to take that leap of faith!!
 
I love you all so much. I hope you realize how incredibly important you are to me!! I feel your prayers daily!
 
Hermana Hess

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

October 22, 2013 - CHULA VISTA!

FAMILIA!!!
 
WOOF. This week was the absolutely craziest week of the mission thus far. Tuesday (the day we found out about transfers) was definitely the hardest day of my mission. We went around saying goodbye to investigators and some members and I just stood there and cried. Many, many tears were shed. The Valley became my home and the people became members of my family-I never expected it to hurt that bad to leave. A member family drove from El Centro to visit here to go shopping and they took me and my companion out to dinner yesterday and I was SO EXCITED  to see them again-even if it was just a week ago that I left. I feel like I changed and grew a lot there and it will forever occupy a huge part of me. So Tuesday and Wednesday morning were a little rough....I remember driving out of the Valley and feeling like I left my heart there. But more on that later.
 
So I went from the Desert, to the Promised Land!!! I'm serving here in Chula Vista, yet another border town (I just can't seem to get away from them...) so we are right next to Tijuana. When you think of what San Diego looks like, that's what Chula is. It's absolutely beautiful!! The ocean is RIGHT THERE. It's super green and there are trees everywhere and it's right on the coast (so completely opposite from my last area.). We are lucky that we are so close to the border that there are a lot of Spanish people to teach so it's really easy to find people. There are 4 companionships in my ward and it's split down the middle with elders and sisters-all of whom are incredible missionaries so I'm stoked to learn from them. Here is a fun fact for ya-did you know that this area is the only area in the mission that has sisters on bikes? Now you do! I'm using the bike of the sister who just left the area so no worries there. I LOVE IT!!! It's so much easier to contact people and talk to them! The knees are holding up beautifully, so I'm hoping that being on a bike will strengthen them instead of kill 'em. Chula is 100% different than the Valley. It just goes by a lot faster here and the work is more intense-we have more investigators and more people to visit. I think that's such a cool thing about being on a bike-we talk to so many more people. The challenge is discerning who is prepared to listen to the message, and it's a challenge that I do NOT mind having. The people are so kind here-we went up to a person outside their house who was working on the yard and asked her if there was anything we could do for her, and she started off being really negative and mean. When we drove off, she ran up and told us how sorry she was for being so rude and that she's just not used to people asking if there was anything we could do for her. All the people we've talked too have seemed really interested as well. It's the craziest...Our ward is so incredible! Every auxiliary position is filled! WE HAVE 5 WARD MISSIONARIES!! Where in the world am I?! I think the weirdest part is that I'm in one of the wards that "The District" (the training video for missionaries) was filmed in so I'm meeting all the families that they taught on the show. I can only think "OH MY GOSH YOU'RE FAMOUS" in those lessons....
 
Our apartment has hardwood floors, it's 70 degrees everyday, and we now get mail every week instead of 2 times a month. I am not suffering.
 
My companion's name is Hermana Kelemen-we were in the same district in the MTC!! It was a really smooth transition with her, probably because we knew each other before and had a good relationship. She is a rockstar missionary and I'm already learning a ton from her. She teaches a lot differently then I do and so it's good to blend our styles together and see how that works.
 
I mentioned before how I felt like I left my heart in the Valley. I still feel that way, but Heavenly Father works miracles on His missionaries. I can feel my heart getting bigger every day as I meet the people here. The love that I have for the Valley will never diminish and I'm glad it doesn't have to, because there isn't a limit for the love the Heavenly Father has for His children. It just gets bigger. I'm working on concentrating on this area, putting away the pictures and the memories of the Valley and focusing on why I am here. This is my area now and it deserves a lot of heart. Sometimes I still get sad when I think about how long it will be before I see "my" people again from there, but then I meet another investigator or member here, and I am reminded of why I am here in Chula. What a good life. Man, Heavenly Father is perfect.
 
I really do love you all, and I hope you can feel it. Be happy, know that I am well and my birthday is next month:) I'll send pictures next week!!!
 
Hermana Hess

October 15, 2013 - Transfer #6

Aaaaannnnddddddd......
 
She's leaving the Valley:(
 
We got the transfer call this morning and I cried haha. I guess when you're in an area for 7 months it kind of becomes your home. I wanted to leave so bad last transfer and now, when I want to stay so bad, I'm gone. I'm super excited though! I'm ready to be stretched in new ways and it's going to be a crazy new adventure. We leave for San Diego tomorrow morning where I'll meet my new comp and head out to wherever they'll send me! But today, I'm sad. One of our members took us out to breakfast and said "Whoa. I think I'm actually going to miss a sister missionary!" Cue the waterworks. I feel like I did what I needed to do here, and that above all is the most incredible feeling.
 
But this week was crazy! A member gave us a referral for her friend who is looking for a religion to join (her words...) so we went a few nights ago. We knocked on his door and some random lady opened it and there was a super intense bible study going on. People were wearing veils. And speaking in tongues.....haha so we were like "uhhhh, can we come back tomorrow?!". He invited us to come back the next day and it was such a cool lesson!! Easily one of my favorite lesson's we've ever taught. His name is Raoul and he definitely did his homework. He had a ton of really awesome questions and it was so cool to be able to answer every single one of them! The spirit was really strong. After a 45 minute question/answer sesh he just sits there for a minute and says "....ALRIGHT. I liked all these answers. You passed the test. Come see me next week!"....OK! It was awesome because this week we weren't able to see a lot of our investigators, for some reason no one was home and we got buffed a lot. So that lesson was a major tender mercy. Also, they fed us the best fish tacos I've ever had in my life. WHAT A BLESSING.
 
Wanna know what isn't a really good food? Goat. Goat isn't really delicious. Tongue is better than goat.
 
We were at the local community college the other day and we had a booth with a bunch of information about the church. One of the other sisters brought her ukulele so we just chilled and jammed on the uke to primary songs....it was bliss. We contacted a deaf guy! Thank you mom for teaching us the alphabet in sign language!! It was actually really cool. He poured over all of the pamphlets we gave him. There are only 2 ASL companionship's in the mission and they're all in San Diego but they have video chat so we set up a meeting with them!!
 
Our ward is doing alright...well. It's kind of falling apart. All of the auxiliary leaders have kinda given up and they're moving to the English wards in El Centro. We went to visit them this week and they said they're just tired, so it's been rough. They're having a meeting with the stake presidency this next week about putting missionaries in the auxiliary positions because there really are no members. It's been discouraging. These people have such intense testimonies, but there unfortunately isn't a lot of love in the ward. That's another reason why I'm sad to leave. I CAN LOVE YOU! We just got a new rule in the mission that we can't leave our area-which is interesting for us in the Valley. We live in El Centro but our ward is in Calexico. We have a ton of single ladies that the elders can't teach over there, so we don't know what to do. We went to a less active's house the other day, and when we told her we couldn't see her anymore she said that she refuses to have elders come to her home....So keep Damarys in your prayers.
 
Cool moment of the week: It was fast and testimony meeting last Sunday and our bishop stood up to bear his testimony. He had his 7 year old grandson with him who only speaks English, and when he bore his testimony he said "I want to bear my testimony in English so my grandson can understand". I cried the whole friggin time....I don't know where it came from, but since I've been on the mission I have never appreciated more the power and spirit that kids have. It was cool to see our very stern bishop soften up and look straight into his grandsons eyes and bear a simple yet powerful testimony.
Pictures: A member (Hector Martinez!) took us out for breakfast this morning. He calls me "Hermana Shout.". He's one of my favorite members! And the other is of the street where that cool investigator Raoul lives! 
 

I've said it once and I'll say it again. It feels good to be doing the Lord's work. It feels really, really good. I've learned so much these past 7 months in the Valley, but I think the biggest thing I've learned is how much I still need to learn haha. But that feels good, too. At times it's frustrating when you see the road ahead of you and you think "OOOOH man, I've got a loooong way to go." But then Heavenly Father gives you a little taste of who He needs you to be, and then you go "OK. I can do this. It's worth it.". It really is worth it. His plan is so much greater than what we understand-and when we realize that, it really does't matter what we don't understand.
 
I love you all, with all my heart!! Have a great week!!!! 
 
Hermana Hess 


Tuesday, October 8, 2013

October 8, 2013 - CONFERENCE!!!!

 
Let me just say that on behalf of all missionaries around the world that CONFERENCE IS AND WILL FOREVER BE AS MAGICAL AS CHRISTMAS.
 
 
MAN Conference was the best!! All the missionaries in my zone got together and watched it at the Family History Center in El Centro-it was super cool to be in a room with only missionaries listening to the words of a prophet. It was like the Superbowl-everyone brought snacks and drinks and we placed bets on how many times the Law of Chastity was going to be mentioned. I don't even know if I had a favorite. I loved Uchtdorf's and Eyring's and Dube's and Gifford's and Oak's and Bednar's...But in all reality, that conference was way inspired and powerful, probably one of the most powerful ones I've seen. I can't decide if that's because I'm a missionary or what haha.
 
 
This week was crazy fast-I can't believe it's already the last week of the transfer! It freaking FLEW. But it was a good one! At the beginning of last week me and Sister Oliver really wanted to teach more lessons focused on the Restoration-we concentrated our efforts in finding more people and having a lot more Restoration lessons with our members and Less-Actives. I've been on my mission 8 months and still the most powerful spirit I have ever felt is when we recite the first vision. There is seriously no denying the power and spirit in the room every time we recount Joseph Smith's words. It just feels good; feeling the spirit as a literal and physical force running through your veins. I love all the lessons we teach, but the Joseph Smith story will probably always be my favorite.
 
 
The other day we contacted and taught a Jehovah's witness! BUCKET LIST OF LIFE? CHECK. She was actually really nice and we had a good conversation. We shared the Restoration with her and after she just said "Well, y'all are nice girls, but I just disagree with all of it. Have a nice day! Don't come back!" SO that was a bit of a bummer, but the J-DUBS are all over the place here and I've always wanted to teach one. Aw yeah!
 
 
Oh  my gosh the Rocha boys are doing great!!! We taught them the first half of the Plan of Salvation and they were smiling the whole time!! The mom was there too and she was just beaming. We talked about prayer at the end and when we invited them to pray every night on their knees, the mom just goes "OH YES THEY WILL! I'll remind them every night. You can count on it!". I wanted to hug her. Man that family is so prepared! The boys just have an awesome desire to make the right choice, and they bring up baptism every time we go over. Christian, one of the twins, said the closing prayer and he said "Heavenly Father, this is breast cancer month. Please bless that they will find a cure before 2030 or twenty-one-zero-zero. Also, thanks for giving us the chance to make the choice to come down here to earth and I'm excited for what comes next". He's a champ!!
 
 
There is a less-active in our ward named Liliana and we are teaching her non-member husband. They're some of the coolest people we know! He at first was really hesitant to us coming over, but after a few weeks he really warmed up. The other day he just went on about the goodness of the people he met who belonged to this church. He had nothing bad to say. It made me really grateful for the good examples of other people. Too often we meet with people who say that they see Mormons drinking and smoking and using crude language, so it was really nice to meet someone who has noticed the good of others. People really do see the example of their LDS neighbors, whether they be good or bad. It's so hard when people don't want to meet with us because of one bad experience with another member. So I'm so grateful to those who are stalwart in their example, it's far more powerful than any words we can say.
 
 
Today we went to a place called Salvation Mountain-basically a huge man-made mountain that a religious zealot spent 20 years making. I seriously can't describe it-but it was way cool!! Also, the other picture is of me with a member who makes me call her "Abuelita" and then makes me swear that I will never call any other lady I meet on my mission that. She's hilarious.
 
 
Another quote of the week: "My wife is very angry with me....pray for her.". When we ask if "there's anything we can do for people" I never expect that....
 
 
 
I loved President Monson's last closing remarks...."Be kind." It's simple, but at the same time hard. I've seen a lot of families not go to church because someone said an unkind word. People don't come back to the Gospel because of one word. They are denied blessings of the church because they are hurt. If it's one thing I have come to really dislike on my mission, it's people being blatantly mean. Spirits have been broken as a result and it's heartbreaking to watch, and it unfortunately happens a lot. SO be kind. You're saving souls doing so.
 
 
I love you all incredibly! Have an awesome week!!
Hermana Hess


Tuesday, October 1, 2013

October 1, 2013 - Baby Goats

The family we live with decided to become the adoptive parents of a herd of goats, so on Wednesday we spent a few minutes playing with goats. Not sure why....Anyway they decided they didn't like them so they gave em back and now I have a rather large and unsettling hole in my heart from the absence of farm animals in my life.
 
 
This week was so good! We didn't teach as much as we ususally do but we did a ton of service which felt really good. I never thought mopping a floor or cleaning blinds would make me this happy. Missions do weird things to you haha. We've been talking as a district about how to help our ward become stronger and more supportive towards one another and we all felt that service was the way to go. I can't tell you how many miracles we have seen this week only because we decided to skip a dinner hour and bring food to another family. It's the simple things that really make the biggest impression, and I wish it didn't take me this long to realize that haha.
 
 
IS OUR HOUSE UNDERWATER?! Geez that's so crazy!! A member mentioned something about the flood and she said Colorado is falling apart "because you all smoke marijuana". I seriously could not stop laughing!!! When I told her that my family is from there she said "Good because I bet they are the only people who don't smoke the drugs. They are keeping Colorado alive". So way to go, family. You're saving the state.
 
 
We are teaching this part member family with a 16, 14, and two 12 year old boys. The 12 year olds absolutely love the gospel and whenever we go they say, "I want to be baptized!". The mom is a member but she hasn't been for years. It's been really cool to see the sons be an example to the mom and see her face light up whenever we talk about the Gospel. They were going to San Diego this weekend and when the kids found out they started to cry because "I wanted to go to church so bad!!!". Amazing!!! So keep the Rocha family in your prayers!!!!
 
 
Quote of the week. We were talking about prophets and general conference to the Silva family and when we asked the dad what is the difference between him and President Monson, he simply said "Nothing. We are children of God". Yep...
 
 
So we've been teaching these kids for about 3 weeks now and they're baptismal date is set for next week! In this mission it's a rule that investigators need to attend church 3 times before they can be baptized. Their parents don't have a car so we have to ask members to give them rides. The thing is, our bishop doesn't allow us missionaries to ask members for rides for investigators for fear of them becoming too dependent. We were super bummed...We had to call them on Sunday morning and say that they couldn't come to church because no one could give them a ride, which was the worst. So we were sitting in the chapel right before it starts, and all of a sudden the kids walk in! Their less-active cousin that they live with took it upon herself to call a friend and ask for a ride. I was speechless. It was a great lesson in faith...It's been so long without member support that I started to lose faith in the people, which I shouldn't have done. It was a good little "slap in the face" miracle that I needed. We need to have faith in our Savior, but we should also have faith in people and trust that Heavenly Father's hand is everywhere.
 
 
Man I love my mission. I was thinking about the past 8 months and I can't believe just how much they've impacted me. It's been the toughest yet happiest 8 months of my entire life, and I can't get over how blessed I am to be here! It feels so good to belong to something, knowing that you are a part of something that is led by a coach who can't lose. We just need to make sure that we are worthy to play the game and lose ourselves on the field. So read your scriptures. Go to church. Realize that seminary is the best thing to happen to 14-18 year olds. Pay attention. Don't be dumb:)
 
 
I'm praying for the Aggies this week with all that my soul possesses.
Love you all so much!!!!! More than you realize.
Hermana Hess

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

September 24, 2013 - It's all about the love, people!

Quote of the week: "Sister Hess, what is in the tupperware..." "I don't know but I am freaking scared outta my mind."....said moments before Hermana Leyva put said contents on our plate. We ate it and to this day we aren't sure what it is. We think there was rice in it. Not sure. But it's ok because she introduced us to her "friend" Rudy and he is progressing so well! We think they have a thing going on....gives a whole new meaning to the word "fellowship".
 
 
Side note about Rudy (more like a MIRACLE OF ALL MIRACLES) - we gave him a few verses to read in Alma 7 last week, and when we went back the other day he had half of Alma 7 marked up........and all the way to Alma 42. He read Alma 7-42. WHAT IN THE WORLD!!!
 
 
HEY FAMILY!
This week was suuuuper good! It went by really fast and I can't believe it's already P-day. This week was chock full of miracles, I can't even begin to describe it. We went from having 0 progressing investigators to 6, 3 of them came to church, and 3 of them have baptismal dates!!! So keep Marbella, Ashley, and Carmen in your prayers! Marbella really is a huge miracle. We found out her son has to stay in jail until November, but she told us she wanted to be the example for him when he gets back and be baptized now!! I almost died. We got all of the kids to come to church last Sunday and they loved it! Not gonna lie, it was weird to have kids sit on either side of me during church haha. We went over after to give them a lesson and the 8 year old names Jesus yelled out "I WANT TO GO TO CHURCH EVERY DAY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!". You go, Jesus. You do that.
September 18th was actually a really good day and it surprisingly wasn't hard at all. We had zone conference and the President came out (which he only does every 3 or 4 months) so it was a blast! We talked a lot about following the spirit and being deserving and trustworthy of the promptings, so that was incredible. Also, the 19th was the year mark of getting my mission call!!! That day seemed like yesterday and I can remember it so clearly. It's crazy how much you can change and how many things happen in the space of a year!

Sister Oliver and I got to teach the YSA family home evening on Sunday and it was one of my favorite experiences of my mission. We originally wanted to talk about blessings and tender mercies but as we tried to plan the lesson nothing was sticking. After a long conversation we decided to focus on WHY we do the things we do as members. Why? Because we love God. Sound familiar, mom? We sometimes have to stay home on weekends and avoid the crazy parties. We wear sleeves. We wake up at an unholy hour for seminary. We go to church for 3 hours. And sometimes these things are hard to do, but we do it because we love God. Yes, because we want to keep the commandments, and it makes us feel good, but first as foremost we do them because we Love God. When that is our foundation we are allowing our attitudes to change and become more Christlike-He came down yes, because He loves us, but first because He loves His Father.
And after all, "We love Him, because He first loved us."
At the end of the lesson I bore my testimony of God's love for us, and I have never felt the spirit so strong in my life. I've never felt my heart literally swell before and I know without a doubt that He wanted so bad for every single person in that room to feel how loved they are. Defining moments, people. Man, if we only knew how much He loves us.
They had a stake primary activity here and it was all about missionary work! They invited us in this area to come and help out. All of the kids had their own missionary tags and they were encouraged to bring friends of their own. At then end they all sang "Called to Serve" and I cried like a baby!

Sorry it's a boring letter. I'm the worst! I hope everything is awesome back home! When is the ward getting split?? Is mom getting the award for the "best primary president in the history of the world"? She should.
Go Aggies.
Hermana Hess!!

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

September 17, 2013 - Behold You Little Ones

GOOD NEWS, EVERYONE. I FINISHED "JESUS THE CHRIST". It only took me 7 months for heavens sake.
HEY FAM! I'm glad that all is well after the freak flood that apparently happened over there. I had no idea about it until the senior couple, the Scotts, told me that my house was lost in the flood and Colorado was the new Atlantis because it was under water. So I am glad to hear that all is well!

For some reason, we have been having incredible luck with KIDS. We went and visited a less-active who we never see, and the first thing that their 10 year old says when we came through the door was "I want to be baptized, please!!". Uh, ok! We can set that up for ya! And then a couple of days later we went to another less-active and we taught their 12 year old boys about prophets. Somewhere along the line they asked why we don't baptize babies, and when we told them about accountability and making the choice, one of them said "well, I think I just made the choice right now. I want to be baptized.". "Behold your little ones" just took the top spot on the "Best one-liners of the scriptures" list. We're so stoked! The only problem is that we really need the help of the ward with these kids, and our bishop is still in Alaska (2 months....). We set up a ride to help them get to church and told the kids and they got SUPER excited, but then the sister we asked to pick them up showed up at church without them. She said she "forgot". We went to go apologize  to the kids but they ended up going to another church. Bout broke our hearts. So if you could keep Ashley, Jesus, Ivy, Demarys, and Kimberly in your prayers, it would be muchly appreciated.
This week, we ate chicken soup with the feet (complete with talons) in the broth, and menudo. Menudo is never happening again. OH MY GOSH.
We have been really working on getting members coming with us to our lessons and it's been amazing to watch people connect with our investigators!! We have been taking less-actives and that has probably been the coolest thing to see on my mission-hearing them bear their testimonies and "remembering" why they joined in the first place. Now if they would come to church, thatwouldbegreat. But still, miracles! We took an older member to a lesson with Marbella (we taught her a simple "Lehi's dream") and when we asked her what the great and spacious building represented, she came out and said "THE CATHOLIC CHURCH" and went on a rant about it....uuuhh.....that was a fun one to clean up.....Might need to teach that one again.
I hit 6 months in the Valley tomorrow! It feels like I've been here for a week haha, time is going by so fast. It kindof hit when we started talking about general conference and I thought to myself-"i was here the last conference!" Weird. The members call me the "White Mexican" and it's basically the best compliment I've ever gotten haha. It's definitely been a hard 6 months, but it's been incredible at the same time. I couldn't have asked for a better way to start out my mission! The more I'm out, the more grateful I am that this is hard. It's made the sweet moments practically all-consuming. Little things like hearing a kid bear his testimony, or seeing a Less-active want to go on a mission, or just seeing the personal changes that are taking place is pretty cool. Missions are cool things, people .Go on one.
DAVID HESS WRITE ME A LETTER. WITH PICTURES. I love you.
We have been teaching Herminda (the Catholic woman who said that 'baptizing babies is stupid') and while we've been teaching her, her sister just sits in the back and listens but never wants to participate. We went over the other day and Herminda wasn't home, but Carmen was, so we taught her the restoration and invited her to be baptized (which freaked us out, because she never seemed to like us). She said "as long as you keep teaching me, of course!" It was so cool! She said that she never really wanted to listen but "just couldn't help it" whenever we came. It's a major testament to me that you really never know who is listening, who is ready. We always just thought she didn't like us, and it turns out she just needed to listen. She needed to find out for herself without the influence of anyone else. It's amazing how Heavenly Father works. You really never know who He is putting in your path. I need to be better at paying more attention to that and I am so grateful that God didn't let Carmen slip though our fingers. 
My thoughts and prayers are with you mom and dad, as the Cougs and the Utes meet together. I pray there will be good feelings all around. I will be wearing my aggie gear in support.
Sorry that this is a boring email! I hope all is well on the home front and I hope you know that I'm forever thinking about you and praying for you! Be happy!!
LOVE YOU TONS AND TONS
Hermana yells-a-lot