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