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)
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