Tuesday, July 30, 2013

July 30, 2013 - Apparently Sister RM's have a "twinkle"?


Every single day for the past week our investigators, members, and senior missionaries have given me and my companion marriage advice. Elder Scott, the senior missionary in our area, told me that sisters have a "twinkle" and that he gives me 3 months before I am married. I chose to be offended. Only 6 months out, people. Chill. Then a member told me that he'll pay me a $1000 a month for the rest of my life if I stay and marry his son. I told him I would think about it.
 
HEY FAAAAAAAMMMMMMMIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLYYYYYYY!
SUCH  a crazy week!! Our air conditioning is still broken so we are living with the bishop and his wife so we don't die in our oven of our apartment. They are talkers. We go in every night and they proceed to tell us every thing going wrong in the ward that I don't think we are supposed to know. But they're super kind for letting us live with them and I have never been so grateful for air conditioning in my ENTIRE LIFE. Transfers were last week and we found out that they are adding Arabic, Laotian, and Mandarin speaking areas! We FREAKED OUT! One of the elders in our area went from a Spanish missionary to an Arabic missionary, which is nuts! In our small mission we have 7 languages now! English, Spanish, ASL, Arabic, Laotian, Mandarin, and Tagalog. Bananas.
Damian got baptized on Sunday! Baptisms are stressful haha. I prayed so hard that the ward would show up and show their support for Damian and the Garcia family (The Garcia family is a cute family who the elders are working with-yeah eternal families!!). The ENTIRE ward came-and brought a bunch of Mexican food:) The spirit was so strong and I will never forget the feeling of watching Damian get baptized. He came back up with the hugest smile on his face and I cried like a baby. (I will have you know that I sang "Our Saviors Love" at the baptism and I did not cry, which I consider a major accomplishment.). He insisted on wearing white skinny jeans in the baptismal font...I was so proud.
The best feeling in the world, though, was knowing that I had nothing to do with his conversion process. I'm learning that a lot. It's not my words, not my influence, not my lessons. I thank Heavenly Father every single night for letting me watch this amazing 21 year old go from smoking and drinking to wanting to get the priesthood and go on a mission. You know, every transfer I have learned a huge lesson. Right now I am in the process of humility haha and let me tell you-it's a looooooooooooong lesson that I need to learn. I never realized how selfish I am or how prideful I am! I was always "It's all about me" and I am realizing that nope, definitely not about me. DEFINITELY not about me. The weird thing is, is that happiness comes when you realize that it's not about you....
Our ward mission leader brought us donuts and diet cokes for coordination the other day and I almost wept with great joy.
We got a message from the AP's that Elder Ballard (aka "Grandpa" or "Elder Baller") is coming to the mission tomorrow!!! I am SO STOKED!! So tomorrow we are making another drive to the city. I'm excited to see some mission friends again. The mission president emailed everyone and said that we all had to "look good, and repent, because he shakes everyone's hand and stares into their soul". I'm not joking about that last part. My companion is freaking out because she doesn't know what to wear.
We were invited to talk with the youth in the ward about missionary work-man can I just say how much I LOVE the youth!? A lot of them come from families whose parents don't go to church, so they don't have a lot of support at home. I am constantly amazed by the strength and power that youth have and it makes me sad that they don't see their influence. They don't realize that people really do see their example, and are always curious. We talked a lot about standing as a witness, and doing so boldly-because the more the world mocks our standards, the bolder we must become. It was one of my favorite things I have done as a missionary!!
Favorite quote of the week said by our bishop directed towards me and my companion-"You two are the happiest white people I know. You are scaring away all the mopey Mexicans".
Hey, I love you all!! I hope all is well in the motherland:) I pray for you always!
With all my heart,
Hermana Hess

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

July 23, 2013 - I Love Air Conditioning!

This week was really hot. This week the air conditioning broke in our house and the members we stay with are on vacation. This week we broke into the pool house (with the consent of the members) and slept on bean bag chairs and I've never said a more fervent prayer of gratitude for worldy things like AC, cold showers, and refrigerators in my life. And then the water in the pool house stopped working so I brushed my teeth using a water bottle.
 
I love being on a mission!!!! And I mean that in the truest sense possible.
Today we found out if we are getting transferred and I'm staying!! THANK HEAVENS. I wanted to stay so bad. I'm definitely not done with the Valley and I'm just glad that it's not done with me. I'm glad I'm going to be here for Damian's baptism (BY THE WAY! That same day the elders are baptizing a family. 4 baptisms in one day-I can't even imagine a more incredible miracle.). WHAT A GOOD LIFE. It's not even weird that I prayed to stay even though I knew it was going to reach 128 degrees this month. Bring it.
This week my companion became a Spanish missionary. She ate so much that we had to pull the car over 4 times so she could get sick on the side of the road. I said "welcome to Spanish work!". I know it's gross, but I thought it was funny.
We got mail this week!! Thank you so much for the skirts and the letters! It was the best ever. They all fit and look saweeet and everyone was jealous cause my family is the best in the world. Thanks for all of that!!
Yesterday we had a really good day. We taught a bunch and added an investigator names Herminda who already has a testimony of The Book of Mormon. She only had it in English (which she doesn't speak a lick of) and when we asked her how she reads it she just said "I use the dictionary a lot!". Such a cool lady! We went and contacted 2 referrals and both of them had their husbands pass away very recently. My companion said that she didn't feel like she could console them so she turned it all over to me. Not gonna lie. It was hard. Talking about how you can and will be happy after something like that happens to you is awesome and I'm really glad that I can say those things having experienced it, but doing that for 2 and a half hours was mentally and emotionally draining. But we saw Damian right after and he picked me right up when he said that he "couldn't wait until he went to the temple and became a missionary because this gospel makes him so happy.". He also said he is handing out mormon.org cards like crazy. This kid is probably a better missionary than I am! He is so excited to be baptized on Sunday. I want our mansions to be right next to each other in the eternities.
I've said that I have the best district in the world before, but man. I HAVE THE BEST DISTRICT IN THE WORLD. We got super close this transfer. One of the is leaving tomorrow and all of us are super bummed. I thought hard goodbyes were going to be over! FUNNY JOKE. But we all made dinner on Sunday and took district pictures at the border. The other districts in the zone call us "The Family".
The spirit is a cool thing. I think sometimes we forget that he is the third member of the Godhead and as a result is an incredibly important aspect of the gospel. I'm so grateful that as a missionary, I have been able to feel the power of it running through my veins. But I think I (we) need to remember that huge manifestations of the spirit don't happen very often. It is manifest in the small things. The feelings of peace and happiness we feel throughout the day. It may not be the heart-pounding feeling we sometimes feel we have to experience. We as saints need to quiet down, and remember to recognize the little things. I've been focusing on that a lot lately (which is hard cause even the voice in my head is loud...) and I can feel a difference. The companionship of the spirit is incredible!
Welp, I love you all! Sorry for the boring letter. There are miracles happening over here in the desert and I am so grateful that not only do I have a family who I can constantly feel through their prayers, but a family that I can share these miracles with.
I hope we recognize these every day miracles that at times, we have a tendency to miss!
With all my heart,
Hermana Hess



Tuesday, July 16, 2013

July 16, 2013 - Mexican Water Balloons

 
This week I learned that here, they don't have water balloons. They fill up Ziplocs with water and then throw them at each other. When we asked a group of kids what they were doing they said, "They're Mexican water balloons!!" Almost died laughing. Also, yesterday I learned that the cross country teams at the high schools have to wear special pins when they run so that border patrol doesn't mistake them for an illegal running from the big brown fence. You learn the greatest things on missions....

I seriously think the weeks go by faster and faster as they go on. It's completely BUGGIN. This week was pretty normal! No drug deals, getting chased by dogs or finding lizards in our bathtub, so this may be a very boring letter. We've seen Damian every single day, he's come to church both weeks and he has his baptismal interview this Saturday at noon!!!! The kid is seriously on fire. We are teaching him the commandments and whenever we ask him questions he replies like he has Preach My Gospel memorized. The other day he came out with a laptop and after he closed it he said, "I should get used to not having this on all the time!" When we asked why he said, "Because I want to be a missionary like you. Missionaries don't use laptops, right?" Shoot freak dang this guy is a MIRACLE, PEOPLE. HE IS A MIRACLE. He asked me to sing at his baptism and I almost said no because I'm going to be an emotional wreck. The mission is changing me into a total girl.

This week we had a referral from a member, and when we went to go contact her she throws open the door, gives us a huge hug and says, "I've been waiting  for you missionaries! I haven't been to church in years and I am so ready to come back!!!" Turns out she has been a part of a super-strong LDS family for her whole life but she has never really been active. She just woke up one day and said, "I need the missionaries. I need to go back to Church!!" Since when did people start coming to US?! Definitely not complaining about that one. 
 
IF MY LITTLE BROTHER IS READING THIS YOU SHOULD EMAIL ME OR SOMETHING SO I KNOW YOU ARE ALIVE.

I can't get over how much I love the Valley and the ward. We have been seeing a member named Tanairi ever since I got here 4 months ago, and she has always been one of my favorite to see. Every time I go there I leave thinking "I want our mansions to be neighbors in Heaven". She means a lot to me and I love her a ton. She lives in a broken down trailer covered by a tarp with her husband, his two girls (whom she calls her own) and her mother and father in law. We went over there the other day and her mother in law told us that she moved to Bakersfield. I WAS DEVASTATED. But then a few days later she called and basically said "JUST KIDDING HERMANAS! FALSE ALARM!". We went over and ended up just talking for a while. She told us that she has had missionaries over at her place for years, but we were the first ones that she has really trusted. She ended up telling us a story about her past that really affected her and the way she lived her life and why the way she was (she's never told anyone before). And then she told us we were her best friends. I cried. I attached a picture!
 
This week, the guy who plays the piano for the ward wasn't going to be there, so the bishopric ended up asking us to play. You can't exactly say no to bishop...and it may or not have been the most terrifying moment of my life haha. Afterwards Bishop came up to me and my companion and said that he was grateful for our courage and our willingness to serve. He went on to say that it's when we are asked to do something that we may or may not be comfortable doing for the good of other people, that we are blessed. I guess that's  the whole point of a mission. To extend beyond the comfort zone into the miracle zone. It's when we "do things anyway" no matter how terrified we are, that miracles happen. 
 
This week, me and my comp have a goal to "do it anyway". No matter how scary it is. It's putting your faith in Heavenly Father that he will catch you-you just gotta make the initial leap. 

Sorry. Boring-as-junk letter. I'll do something crazy this week and tell you about it!
 
Love you all like crazy!
 
Hermana Hess 

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

July 9, 3013 - We Found Damian!!!!



Oh hey hey HEEEEEEEEEEEEY FAMILY!!!!!!!
 
So this has probably been the best week of my mission. Maybe my life. I don't even know.
 
Last week we got a referral from the elders about someone they met while they were doing laundry on P-day. When they called us they were super excited and told us to "commit him to baptism! This guy is awesome!!" so on Wednesday we tried to go contact him. There was a person walking out of his apartment and when we asked her if she knew a "Damian Noriega" she said she has never heard of him. So we were pretty bummed and started to walk away. Then we both stopped and decided to go back one more time. We walked back and saw a 21 year old outside of the apartment looking for something. When he saw us he pointed and said, "You two! I've been looking for you! I know I'm supposed to talk to you!"
I have never in my life met someone so prepared for the Gospel!! He is soaking everything in and is always saying, "This is right. This feels so right!!" We have seen him every single day since then and he is getting baptized on the 27th of this month!!!!!! I don't even have the words to describe this experience. He seems so familiar in so many ways and I feel like I've known him for years. Heavenly Father really puts prepared people in your path. He wants the priesthood, he wants to serve a mission. He has already said that this past week he's never felt happier. He says he can't go a day without reading the Book of Mormon. The first time we met him, when we invited him to pray to know if what we taught is true, he said "I'll pray, but what if I already know?"
 
I know that a lot of missionaries have experiences like this, finding the people they were supposed to find. But until I experienced it myself I didn't know the incredible joy that it brings to be the instrument. I seriously go to bed every night in tears thanking my Heavenly Father for allowing me to be the one to help bring him back. When you find the people you knew before, there is no greater feeling. This is joy, people. SO MUCH JOY. One of the best parts is that it was a group effort. The Elders in our district were the first people to talk to him, so they are a part of his story as much as we are. Our district is getting super, super, close. Evidence is in the pictures that I have attached! (....some pictures of the text messages they sent us after we told them about our first lesson with Damian.) It feels good to be a part of a family here in the Valley.
The best part is when he prays after our lessons and he says, "Thank you Heavenly Father, for my sisters." I CAN'T GET OVER IT.
 
So that's my life right now. Add to the fact that one of the families we teach (the Brillones family who never comes because they always to Mexicali) asked what they should wear to church when they come on Sunday makes for one verrrrry happy Hermana Hess. I cannot get over how many miracles are taking place here in the Valley. The Silva family (a less active family that we have been working with since I arrived) has been coming to church for the past 3 weeks and the teenage daughter even bore her testimony (I cried like a baby). Amazing things are happening and I seriously can't believe I am here witnessing it. It's 120 degrees here and I've never been happier.
This week was crazy busy. We had a meeting for trainers and trainees so we drove out to San Diego on Wednesday. It was strange haha. Last transfer I was at the trainee part of the meeting, this transfer I was with the "oldies". I was the youngest one there so it was WEIRD. On Thursday because it was the 4th of July we weren't allowed to be out past 7, so our mission president instructed us to use that time to study Jacob 5. I never really liked the Olive tree allegory before, but this time I spent hours pouring over it. It's easily one of the coolest chapters in the Book of Mormon!!! It is evidence that God loves us personally. I think He says "It grieveth me that I lose this tree" 8 times. We are significant. We are children of an Almighty Heavenly Father, who is the master and creator of all things, and yet His eye is on the sparrow. We are as dust, and yet we are everything to Him.
 
THERE WAS A LIZARD IN THE TUB THIS MORNING.
I love you all SO MUCH! I hope that all is well and that you are so happy. Mom and dad, remember that crayon-drawing I did of the house and put up on the living room wall? You should paint the house like that:)
Con amor,
Hermana Hess

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

July 2, 2013 - Gifts of the Spirit


 
 
Me and my companion decided that being able to eat all of the food that they put on our plate and not throw up is a gift of the Spirit.
 
HEY FAM!
This week I fulfulled a life-long dream of mine and cooked an egg on the sidewalk. You think I'm kidding. There is a picture to prove it. I live in an oven.
It's been a crazy-busy week. It's flown by and I can't believe that we are halfway done with the transfer. I can't believe that I hit 5 months this week. IT'S BUGGIN, PEOPLE. BUGGIN. Sister Oliver is growing leaps and bounds. She is exactly like I was when I first entered into the field, so it's super interesting to see how much I have personally changed. I realize that I'm a lot softer, and I listen a lot more. I don't jump into extending a commitment or starting a lesson like I used too (what?! SISTER HESS IS THINKING BEFORE SHE SPEAKS, PEOPLE. THE MISSION IS WORKING.). But I really love her a ton-it's nice to have someone to stand on tables and sing opera with. 
 
This week we taught the 2 guys we met on the street corner last week (the lesson we taught in the middle of a drug-deal...). One of them seemed super interested in the message, but the other one was really quiet. When we asked what his thoughts were, he told us that he didn't really want to visit with us because he liked and identified with the devil more. We got out of that lesson quickly and decided never to go back to that place again. Sketch-city.
I don't know what it is about this transfer but our district and zone is getting super close. Our district elders make us breakfast and we in turn write them poetry and recite said poetry at district meeting. We are lucky that we work closely with one another and there is always support there. I never thought that having the support of the other missionaries in your district would be so important!! So life is good in the Valley. It's hot, our investigators never come to church, and there are a lot of bugs in our house, but life is good. I seriously can't even imagine leaving the Valley! We are going to San Diego tomorrow for a trainer meeting and it's going to be so weird....
 
We are working with a returning less-active and her boyfriend (baby daddy...) who FINALLY GOT MARRIED YESTERDAY. Layla and Vinny are no longer living in sin. What a blessing. She is so cute-she said that she didn't want a big wedding or a big party because she wanted to save all that for when they all get sealed. Now all we gotta do is baptize the kid. (And when I say kid, I mean KID. She's 19 and he is 20). We will pray for them.....
 
New thing that I am terrified of: Translating. We had an English sister come to our ward on Sunday who was just passing through (she was a truck driver), so I translated for her during Relief Society. SCARIEST THING OF MY LIFE. Not gonna lie, made up about half of it. But it was about the plan of salvation so at least I had Preach My Gospel to back me up. But on Sunday I got to sing "Lead Kindly Light" In Spanish so that was basically the highlight of everything:) (Made the bishop cry. Whoops.). Speaking of bishop, he stood up in combined meeting and basically gave the entire ward a smackdown. He said that "you are destroying your families if you choose Mexicali, vacations, and work over church"....woof. But at the same time I wanted to yell out an "AMEN" accompanied by a fist-pump. Props to bishop for boldness! If he didn't like the missionaries so much, I would be sincerely afraid.
 
DAD HAPPY BAPTISMAL DAY ON THURSDAY. We aren't allowed to be outside after 7, so our mission president gave us homework. We have to read Jacob 5 for three hours and talk about it with our companions. There are few things that I....skip.....when I read the Book of Mormon. The Isaiah chapters in 2 Nefi and the Olive Tree Allegory.....someone needs to make me a study guide cause it's gonna be a struggle bus.
 
I'm in the middle of the New Testament right now in personal study. Currently in 2nd Corinthians, and I love the simplicity of it. Chapter 5 verse 7...."We must walk by faith rather than by sight". Isn't that the whole purpose of being here on the earth? To walk, not out of blindness, but by faith. Being here in the Valley is teaching me faith and patience, and sometimes I need to remember that we reap what we sow. There is a great talk by Elder Holland, and in it he says "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come till heaven. But for those who embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. There is help and happiness ahead."
 
We reap what we sow. If we sow bountifully, we will reap bountifully. But at times I think many people expect instant, bountiful results. That's the beauty of faith. Part of faith is having the confidence that the blessings (which have already been secured for us by a loving Heavenly Father) will come at the perfect moment. The Plan is perfect, we are not. Sometimes I need to remember this:)
 
DAD DO NOT BUY A COW. If I wasn't allowed to get a fish when I was in the 2nd grade you shouldn't be allowed to get a cow. Go get some ramen and pasta salad and put it in food storage if you're that worried.
 
Love you all the most. You have no idea!!
 
Con amor,
 
Hermana Baby Girl