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
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