OH HEY FAM!
I feel like I haven't slept or stop moving for 24682 years. Three exchanges in 5 days and I am ready for a nap, but it won't happen because who in the world has time for that?
SUCH a good week! It went by way too fast! Our investigators are doing so well-the Gonzalez family came to all three hours of church for the first time! It was pretty cool- I sang "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" in church and Mayra just cried the whole time. Turns out that it's the hymn that she remembers the most from when she went to church when she was a kid, and she's loved it ever since. It was cool to share my testimony through that song, and I'm grateful I was able to share it with my branch-I love them SO much. It's the best being able to look at their faces and know all their names and most of their stories-that's one of the billion benefits of staying in an area for a longer time. Elena went to church in Imperial Beach with her brother and told us that she wanted to start coming to our branch instead. I was in City Heights yesterday when Hermana Barnes went to teach her, but she told me that it was an incredible lesson and that she is preparing more seriously for baptism. Aw yeah!!
We weren't in our area a lot this week because of exchanges, but it was an incredible week. Last Friday we went to the Valley:) Oh man, that place. I don't know why it still has a huge hold on my heart but I don't think it will go away any time soon, at least I hope it doesn't. It's so familiar, but at the same time so much has changed in the past year. The sisters now cover more parts of Calexico and they've had so much success! The ward has had 5 baptisms this year already (which is a full out major MIRACLE!!!!) and they have so much work to do. I went with Hermana Squire, who came out with Hermana Oliver and we just went out and worked out tails off in the heat. Felt so good. We saw Layla Barrera and Hermana Acosta, both of whom have made so many changes this past year that I almost didn't recognize them because their countenances are so different. I am SO blessed that I've been given opportunities to go back and see the progression that area has made-it makes me SO happy. It still has it's little quirks that comes with being a border town, but this past year away from that area has given me more perspective and I look back now and see more of the potential it has. It's cool to be able to share it with those serving down there. Leaving was hard-I don't know the next time I will see "my" families down there. That part was not fun.
The missionaries over there have been trying to find Damian for the past several months- he basically fell off the face of the planet. Heartbreak. We went into that apartment complex and knocked and knocked but no one answered. The sisters had started to give up hope that they were ever going to find him, but as we left the complex we saw an advertisement for a woman named Sna. Noriega who cleans carpets. That's Damian's last name, and both of the numbers were one's we haven't seen before. We both felt that those phone numbers would lead us to him, so we left on Cloud 9. No one answered while I was on the exchange, but I know that Hermana Squire will find him soon. Tender mercy/incredible miracle!
I went on another exchange with Hermana DeAngelo (the MTC comp) and it's been cool to see how she has grown these past 17 months! We had an interesting exchange-usually I am "let's get to WORK" and we spend all day hitting the pavement. Exchange days are the only days of the week where we don't do administration stuff or we don't have meetings, so we like taking advantage of those days. But as I picked up Hermana DeAngelo, I felt like I needed to stop the car and LISTEN. She's going through a rough time and she needed someone who would listen to her and help her see things clearly. At the beginning, I was having the "we need to get out of this car and see people this is driving me crazy" heart palpitations, but as I listened to her I realized that this was more important. It was a cool experience and we still saw people, and I realized that our purpose is to invite EVERYONE to Christ. That includes our companions. Actually, if we don't invite out companions to come unto Him, how are we supposed to invite others? It was a good reminder. It was a great exchange!
Then yesterday I went up to City Heights (love that place-the night I was there there was a gang fight in front of our complex and we contacted-accidentally-during a drug deal. It was awesome!!!) and I went up with a sister named Hermana Shumway. We started our missions together as well, and she's one of my mission heroes. She gave me a lot of council and just put things into words so clearly. I asked her what was one of the things she had learned on her mission, and she said "I have learned how to learn the will of the Lord". It was a powerful statement-and she so easily put into words the thoughts that I've been having the past few weeks as I've tried to piece together the lessons I've learned as a missionary. She's a fighter and she has a lot of stuff going on back home, yet she is the most peaceful and strongest missionary I know. That is how the Atonement works-I have seen it in her.
I sang at my last Mission President's Fireside on Sunday. Me and the other departing sisters sang "One Voice". I didn't cry. Much.
But it's ok, because Antonio was there! He said he heard I was singing and came because he wanted to say goodbye and thank us for helping him find the gospel. I cried then.
I have been asked by so many people "how do you think you have changed?". To be honest, I don't feel like there has been this huge mighty change. I just feel like there's more of me. Not different, just MORE. More heart, more understanding, more testimony. I don't really know how to describe 17 months of sacred experiences, but they shape you into something more. And it's a good feeling, feeling your heart getting bigger. I'm grateful that my mission has taught me how to do that, so I can continue becoming "more" for the rest of my life.
I love you all. Have a great week-you better be happy!!
Hermana Hess
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