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

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

September 10, 2013 - El Centro is Flooded!

What's up family!!!!

First off, Talia sent me that pictures y'all took together at the football game and my heart swelled with pride. See dad?! You wore an Aggie hat and it didn't burn!! And they won! I love the Aggies...
Haha ok, so last week's email resembles that of a whiny teenage girl, so I need to full out apologize. Moment of weakness-the music major came out so it was a bit on the dramatic side. But it's ok, because I got a huge attitude adjustment and this week was awesome! I definitely know why I am here still, and every day I am here the more grateful I am. Heavenly Father has let me know pretty clearly what He needs out of me these next few weeks and I couldn't be more stoked! WHAT A GOOD LIFE!!!
 
This week was awesome! We have a really great group of investigators-probably the most solid that we've ever had. We've been teaching a woman named Herminda for a few weeks and she absolutely loves it when we come over and is super receptive! She's a miracle-she received the missionary lessons a few years ago from the English elders (she seriously speaks NO English) and she was reading the English Book of Mormon with a dictionary! She's super cool. We were talking about baptism the other day-she's very Catholic-and she just outright stood up and said "I think it's dumb that Catholics baptize babies. Why the heck do they need to be baptized?! They're babies!"-I was DYING haha. The only problem is that she is super busy and never has more than 15 minutes to have a lesson...It's hard to teach a good Plan of Salvation in 10 minutes... But she's awesome.

Oh my gosh Marbella Brillones FINALLY accepted to be baptized!!! She said she knows she is ready and that it's something she needs to do. We went a few weeks ago and she said that she wanted to wait until her son got out of jail to be baptized and she didn't know when that would be, but the other day we went back and she said her sons will be getting out on Friday! Hello, miracles. She is amazing-easily on of the most special people I have met on my mission and probably in my life.
 
We knocked on Teri and Yvonne's door for our appointment, and Yvonne opened the curtain, saw us, and never opened the door, so that was a bummer. We are planning on going back today:)

We have 2 new elders in our district and they're exactly what this area needs! One came out with me so I already knew him and both are great elders with a lot of energy. Our entire district is now full of energetic missionaries and it's THE BEST. 
On Sunday, the bishopric asked me to lead to music, which made me happy. We sang "Yo se que vive mi Senor" (I know that my redeemer lives) for the sacrament hymn, and on the third verse (the tear-jerker...) I watched as Damian stood up and went to join the other missionaries sit in front of the sacrament table and pass the sacrament for the first time. The entire ward watched me cry like a baby. Great. But man, I was so happy! Easily one of the most amazing moments of my mission, I was smiling the whole day.
 
This week I was talking to a member and we asked her who her favorite character in the Book of Mormon was. She replied "Me.". After we sat in confused silence for a few seconds, she expanded. "I sat beside Nephi as he made a bow, I listened to King Benjamin give his speech to the multitudes, I touched the hands and feet of the Savior with the Nephites, I wept with Christ as I watched them pray, I fought with the Stripling warriors, I sat with Mormon as he abridged the plates."
I just remember sitting there, listening to the testimony of someone my age, and knowing that she "knew" the Book of Mormon. She let it change her life, she let it become a part of her. I went home and read. And read and read and read. And then made goals. I want that Book to become as much a part of me as it was for Katya Angulo. When I asked her how she obtained such a strong testimony, she replied "I just read."
So, "Just Read." No matter how tired you are or how many times you've read that verse. Just read. Go hang out with Nephi or Moroni or Amulek. Can't think of a better way to spend your time.
What a good life. What a great life. I love you so much!!!!! I hope y'all are so dang happy!!

Love you more than y'all know,

Hermana Hess

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

September 3, 2013 - A Week of Miracles!




 
Check it, people. Transfer #5 in the desert. Same companion, same district!
 
Not gonna lie, when I found out that I was staying here for another transfer my heart about broke into a million pieces. I thought for sure that I had done the work that I needed to do here. It's been a rough past few weeks as we haven't seen progression, and I was sure that I gave it all I had, so I was looking forward to transfers because I honestly thought I was "done" here. (I'm repenting of that, ok, ok, I know. Lack of faith. Work in Progress). I would be lying if I said I wasn't freakin terrified about this next 6 weeks, but I do know that I am here for a reason, that Heavenly Father doesn't look people over and that there is a purpose for every single thing we are called to do as missionaries. I have learned that principle over and over again these past few weeks. Bring it on, transfer 5. I am expecting miracles and I'm ready to work with everything I have for em. I'm just glad that it's going to start cooling down because HOLY JUNK IT'S HOT.
 
 
This week was amazing!! We always see miracles the last week of the transfer and this week was chock full of them. Except for the moment when we had to drop our investigator with a date because he was tripping out on meth when we visited him. That was an interesting moment that'll go down in the history of all things weird.
 
We've had a lot of LARC and member lessons these past few weeks so we tried really hard to focus solely on our investigators and bringing member's to their lessons. It is AMAZING what miracles can happen when you have a righteous desire and a desire to just go and work. Heavenly Father literally rains blessings down! We found all of our investigators this week and had member's at 6 of their houses for their lessons. The spirit was so strong in all of them and everyone commented on the peaceful and happy feeling they felt!! Coolest thing ever. We may not have had as many lessons taught than some other weeks, but the quality of those lessons skyrocketed and I know that we were being guided. We took a less active (Tanairi) to visit Marbella Brillones and she said when she walked into the room she immediately felt like there was a connection between them. She bore the strongest testimony I've ever heard her say, and she came to church on Sunday with here whole family!!! I died. and We found 2 new investigators, Teri and Yvonne, who are so prepared and are so excited for us to teach them. They kept saying "we've been waiting for you!!!" whenever we go over. Hollaback for miracles!
I read "Why 1820?" and the King Follett discourse this week for personal study and it was the best. Go read them if you haven't.
 
Favorite moments of the week include having a member tell me I was the first "white missionary to become Mexican" in the ward, and having 4 sisters sing opera in our lessons. Have you ever heard a 60 year old Mexican grandma sing opera? I have!! Man, I love these people.
 
David is the teacher's quorum president?!? Aw yeah buddy! I am so proud!! THAT'S MY LITTLE BROTHER!! I'm sure you're killing it your sophomore year of high school. Go take choir cause it'll make you happy.
 
I hope that you are having a great week and that y'all are so happy!!! Love you like crazy!!

Hermana Hess