May 27, 2014 - The Week Where we Didn't Eat Breakfast...Ever

I'm still trying to catch my breath from this week-it's flown and I feel like I've left a part of my brain in the 4 areas we coached in so this might not be the most eloquent letter that has ever been written. MTE season is full in force, so we haven't been in our area at all. But it's so cool to see how Heavenly Father has kept our area going. It's the most miraculous thing ever - seeing progression when we haven't even seen people. It's been pretty humbling to see God making up for the many, many things that I lack. This MTE was all about teaching simply, street contacting, and member-missionary work and it was a good reminder for things that I need to improve. Being a coach in the biggest blessing because we can get the lessons 5 or 6 times in a week - I need it. I think that's why I'm an STL, I need more reminders haha.

 

The coolest thing about MTE's is the sheer amount of miracles that we get to see in other people's areas! I went up to Poway with a companionship who has been struggling with adding investigators. We had a goal to apply every single little thing we learned that morning in the meeting in ALL the lessons with the faith that Heavenly Father would put people in our path. Those Hermana's ended up adding 4 new investigators in one day and they met 2 solid potentials. 3 of those 4 was a family:) They got another family with a baptismal date and we taught like crazy! Man, I love coming home on those days-you're totally whipped and your feet kill you but you're the happiest person in the world.

 

The next day we went to City Heights for another coaching day and we did my favorite thing I've ever done on my mission: We're doing this big promotion for the REAL Book of Mormon (the musical is coming to town this week) so literally all day we walked around downtown San Diego and talked to people on the streets by the theaters about the Book of Mormon. DANG it was so cool! I was in heaven being in the big city! The area where we were reminded me a lot of 16th street in Denver so I was trippin' out a little. We met the craziest people and it was a blast. It took us forever to find a parking spot so for an hour or so we literally did some drive-by contacting (tell the driver to pull over, open your window, and yell really loud.) I was loving every minute of it. Also, I learned how to contact people in Arabic. Missions are the best.

 

We were at a member's house the other day and all of a sudden she says, "Let's go walk around my trailer park and contact people!" SHE'S THE COOLEST!!! A young teenager walked by us and she straight up called her out and said "Hey! these two sisters have something for you! listen to them!". The girl said she was a Jehovah's Witness and so Hermana Solis just said "well, good luck.". She turned around, made a nasty face and said quietly, "Testigos de Jeovah! I hate them, They don't believe in Jesucristo. What is that??". Oh Hermana Solis....LOVE HER. We might have a lesson in charity sometime soon.

 

Jorge (our recent convert) is doing the same thing. He tells EVERYONE he's LDS and last night he literally yelled at the top of his lungs "COME JOIN MY CHURCH!!" on his street. I love it when people are converted!!!!

 

It was an interesting weekend. Some members of our zone had to get emergency transferred for a few different reasons. Sometimes, I just don't want to know the details and I wish people just wouldn't tell us.  Breaks your heart. The worst part is that these missionaries go home in a month...they were SO close and now run the risk of having to go home. I don't think I've ever prayed for a group of missionaries more.  Hermana Barnes and I were talking last night and I mentioned to her, "Why didn't they just FINISH??". I feel so awful for these missionaries that I looked up to so much. It was a rough reminder that Satan doesn't stop working on you, even if you wear a tag. It's the compilation of the little things that create big sins and it was a wake up call for a lot of us that Heavenly Father will ALWAYS uncover the things we keep secret. So just finish. Do the little things - don't fall into the trap of being obedient to just the BIG commandments. They're all big and they're all worth keeping. Endure to the end. Finish up. Be happy.

 

And while the mission is hard and you heart breaks on a daily basis, when Heavenly Father tells you "well done" at the end of the day, it's worth it.

 

This is a boring email....my bad! I'm going on an exchange with HERMANA OLIVER this week so next week's will have a lot more exclamation points haha.

 

I love you!

 

Hermana Hess

May 20, 2014 - Don't Worry - the Fire Didn't Get Us!

HEY FAM!!!

Dad, I was thinking of you all week as I saw the firetrucks zoom past our house! They got pretty close to a bunch to our members' houses but all is well! It was hotter than heck, and the immunity to heat I built up in the Valley apparently doesn't exist anymore, but we found a lot of new investigators by going up to random people's houses asking for water so I guess miracles can be found anywhere:)

SUPER SOLID WEEK! It's amazing what an attitude switch will do to ya. We've been able to recognize the hand of the Lord a lot more and as a result, we've been tons happier and better and more humble servants. There's been a LOT of faith-building experiences for sure. We were contacting a referral last Wednesday (one of the hottest days of the week) and she immediately invites us in so we were like, "Awwww yeah! This is gonna be good!". And then she tells us she's a Born-Again Christian and proceeds to bash us for the next 10 minutes. We just got raked across the coals. The scariest part was the look in her eyes-I swear if there was a look of just evil, she had it. She was particularly vehement about the Book of Mormon. We just stood there and said "Be a Representative of Jesus Christ. Do Not Fight Back" over and over again in our minds and got out of there as soon as we could. It was interesting. The adversary was definitely present in that room but both my companion and I felt the reassurance of the companionship of the Spirit so clearly and strongly.  As we walked back to our car we both said that the hardest part of that whole experience was what she said against the Book that we love so much. She could have gone off about us personally and neither of us would have minded, but our hearts hurt so much for what she said about the Book of Mormon. We left having such strengthened testimonies about it. Later that night we had a lesson with the Gonzalez family, who previously asked us never to use the Book of Mormon in the lessons. Our experience with the referral contact gave us the courage we needed to have a full-out Book of Mormon lesson with them, and both of us have never testified so strongly of it. The spirit was so strong  and they LISTENED. I am so grateful for those two experiences that we had - just in the space of three or so hours - that helped me realize that I am not ashamed of the Book of Mormon. Ask me about it. I'll tell ya. 

MTE season is upon us again so we wont have the chance to work in our area for the next two weeks or so. But we both know that Heavenly Father will take care of our area in our absence. Santee's was last week and there are no other Spanish sisters in our zone so we actually got the chance to go out and work in our own area for an MTE! President Clayton gave us such good training and we focused a lot on how to get members excited about the work. We had the chance to visit a few member that day and we asked all of them "if you were a full-time missionary, what would be your favorite thing to say to potential investigators?". It was cool to see their responses and testimonies and as we helped them understand that only THEY could share that with people, their faces totally lit up! ALL the members gave us the names of their friends to go visit and asked if they could go with us. After months of not having much success with member referrals, that was a major miracle. It's amazing what inspired questions can do. 

We had a Mission President's Fireside this last Sunday. It was in Spanish so basically it was the best thing ever. Actually, it was my favorite one I've attended. An elder in my district and I sang the same piece we did for Easter and it was another one of those "perfect moments" that come by every so often. We did a "There is a Green Hill Far Away" arrangement and we've had the chance to sing it at a few different activities, so it definitely wasn't the first time it was being performed. But when we got to the last verse both of us just started to cry (riiiight in front of president and his wife and a kajillion investigators....awesome.) and weren't able to finish it. The Spirit choked us both. There are a few moments where you feel the Spirit so strong that your heart almost hurts, and this was definitely one of those. It felt SO good to bear our testimony in that way, and we are so grateful for the chance to be conduits for the Spirit. We found out yesterday from a companionship that's serving in the city that their investigator leaned over after we ended the piece and said to them "If that's what the Spirit feels like, then I want to be baptized.". Perfect moments. God is Good. I am happy. 

The Gonzalez fam gave us a waffle maker! Miracles! 

I've learned much about faith this week. Instead of being worried about getting everything done, I've made a conscious effort to just take that leap of faith and put EVERYTHING into God's hand. Every day seems like a trend. From 12 to about 4:30 we knock and knock and no one is home or we get rejected. But from about 5 to 9, it's like God puts people directly in our path and we see tangible miracles. During the afternoon it's easy to get frustrated and question; "We're working so hard! Why aren't we seeing these people". This week I have learned that there is a very important principle to be learned in waiting. If we just wait patiently for Heavenly Father's plan to unfold, then we will be amazed at the things we see. God trusts us enough to wait and not get discouraged and LEARN. I have learned that yes, receiving a witness after a trial of your faith is wonderful and amazing, but sometimes knowing that you are doing the work of the Lord is enough. The witness will come....don't miss out on the miracles if you're too preoccupied with the lack of it:)

Life is good. There are so many good things and I love learning all the different "good things" there are. 

I LOVVVVE YOU!

Hermana Hess! 

May 13, 2014 - Vale la Pena!

It's the same in Italian!!

 

So it was the best thing ever to hear your voices!!! Everyone sounds so happy and well and even though it gave me a shoot dang heart attack to hear how LOW DAVID'S VOICE IS, it made me happy! Russell is the best!

 

It's week #1 of transfer #11 and Hermana Barnes and I are staying together! None of us were surprised. We think that we'll be here together until August. I think ours is the only companionship that stayed the same in the entire zone! So I am STOKED to see what happens this transfer. I've got some good feelings and high expectations. Our zone leader just went AP so even the ZL's got switched. I love it when zones get switched around like this....new faces bring new energies and new goals so I am one stoked missionary right here.

 

It was a good week full of learning experiences....which basically means it was long and hard yet worth it haha. We went on two exchanges and I brought 2 missionaries down here in Santee with me. One of them was probably the hardest exchange I've been on. She is a brand new missionary and is very much not happy. I think the hardest thing about it is the decision she made that while on her mission, she was not going to find joy. She is expecting to go home soon and is looking forward to that day. I don't know, but that whole day and the days since then I've had this heavy feeling with me. It broke our hearts to see the early decision that some missionaries make that their missions are more about "enduring" than "enjoying". No matter what I or my companion said, her mind was made up and we can only pray that she lets herself feel the joy that only a mission can bring. It was one of those rough moments where we sat there and I had no idea how to fix it. And you know how well I react to those situations.....:) But the Lord can, and I am confident that she will find the peace that comes from being in His service soon!

 

We had a lesson with an investigator named Lyanne, whom we have been teaching for a couple weeks! She is 20 and has two kids and whenever we go to their home, they're screaming and her little sister keeps interrupting and I can never feel the Spirit. We had one of those lessons haha and I was getting frustrated, but my companion asked her how she felt and she replied "You know, I feel good. Peace. Like I have the energy to do the things that I didn't think I could do. Whenever you come, I feel so much happier!". Hellooooo humbling moment. I wasn't paying enough attention to the Spirit, but she was and it was felt by all those who were listening.

 

We were teaching a woman named Diana my first few transfers here (she is a boss!!), but with the area change we had to give her over to the elders. We had a dinner appointment with a member last night, who took it upon herself to invite Diana without telling us!! BEST surprise ever!! It was so good to see her. The elders hadn't been able to come by because she is a single mom and her son is in juvie, so it was definitely a needed lesson. She told us that even though she hasn't been reading or going to church, she was always confident that we and Heavenly Father were there. She says she wants to start taking the lessons again!!!!! Major miracle!!

 

I love the opportunity at the beginning of a new transfer to do some goal-setting. It's like a chance to have a change of heart every six weeks. This last transfer was a stressful one, what with losing all our investigators to the elders (who are great and doing great things with them!!) and having to start all over with a new area. I found myself having the wrong motives (like numbers and meeting the expectations of the other missionaries'...I am not proud of it! I have repented!!). I kept thinking "I'm an STL, people are looking to us to have a flourishing area and high numbers and a ton of baptisms.". And because of that attitude I had, I was missing out on a lot of the miracles that were there, but not recognized. I attribute a lot of the problems we face to that attitude I had....SO I had a little re-commitment "Come to Jesus" moment a few days ago. I needed to change my desires! And then this morning I read Alma 29....and verses 3-6 were some more answers to prayers. My motive is now "Because I Love God" (which is what it has always been....just got a little lost this past week or so....) instead of "because everyone expects great things out of the STL's". And just because of that attitude switch I had, I have been able to see more miracles and have gotten so much more stoked about the work, even in just 24 hours. I am grateful for chances to struggle and change. I am so far from perfect, but at least He makes up for the many things I lack.

 

Sorry it's a boring one! MTE season is upon us so now we get to go figure out how many days we are going to be able to proselyte in our own area this next month....our estimate is 13. I love MTE's (where we go and do some coaching to all the other zones in the mission). Miracles, people, they're going to happen!

 

I LOVE YOU!!!!!

 

Hermana Hess

May 6, 2014 - Elder Ballard and I are BFFs!

Cinco de Mayo (Cinco de Michael!) is a good day when an apostle of the Lord comes to town. I'll talk about that more later but SHOOT it was SO COOL.

 

It was a solid week! We didn't have an exchange this week (which means that we'll be doing three this week...not sure who the heck planned that. OH WAIT. We did.) so it was weird to have a full work week in our own area, so we took advantage of it and just went full steam ahead. We had mission leadership council and a bunch of other meetings but it's still been a good work week. It's been a bit frustrating these past couple of weeks; every single person we have seen only has about five minutes of time and is running out the door. We do our best to teach the message of the restoration, and it's definitely possible and the Spirit is always there, but both of us were really missing the chances to sit down for 30 or 40 minutes and have a full-out LESSON. We did some major praying at the end of last week, that this week we would be given opportunities to share the first vision and HELLOOOOOO God answers prayers! A few days ago we went and visited our investigator, Priscilla. Whenever we go over she is usually running around chasing her insane children (i have never seen so much energy in a 2 year old in my LIFE) who are yelling and screaming....not exactly the easiest place to feel the Spirit. But, to our surprise and deLIGHT, when we came over she demanded that all of her kids go outside and play and "leave mommy alone for thirty minutes". We got to sit and have one of the most powerful lessons I've experienced on my mission! She had the EYES-they were completely riveted on us as we testified of the first vision and you could just tell that she was feeling the same things we were. I had a grateful heart as she accepted the invitation to be baptized with this huge smile on her face. I love the message of the Restoration, I love reciting the first vision, I love it when my companion says the things that never come to my mind but need to be said. Man, life is good.

 

I know I mention the Gonzalez family every email but I can't get over how miraculous they are to me. They were in Murietta (hour north of SD) all weekend and told us that they probably weren't going to be able to come to church. So we were bummed, but right before sacrament meeting starts we get a text from them that said "we're almost there!"! They drove straight from Murietta to the church building to come for the last hour. Oh man....so much joy! We loved sitting next to Cassandra and Arturo (8 and 9) and hearing that they wanted to go to the primary activity this week, we loved sitting next to Shayla when she said "I want to go to girls camp!", and we loved looking over and seeing Mayra singing along to the hymns that she sang 20 years ago with her family when she was little. She looked so peaceful and happy sitting there, with her daughter on her lap singing "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" (good song...) and Hermana Barnes and I just looked at each other smiling the whole time.

 

We aren't a tracting mission so all of our investigators either come from referrals or street contacts, but this week we had a day where we didn't have a whole lot of appointments planned so Hermana Barnes and I went and did some smart-tracting, which basically means we walked around a trailer park and knocked on all the doors that either had Christmas lights still up, a bunch of flowerpots, or a mop outside their door (all of which mean "SPANISH-SPEAKERS LIVE HERE".). Its cool how Heavenly Father blesses you with miracles by going out and sweating. We added a woman named Maria (the first door we knocked on!) and she told us that she was praying for help right before we knocked on the door. I love it when you follow the Spirit without even realizing it. We're stoked to keep teaching her and her family!

 

SO. Elder Ballard was here. Hermana Barnes played piano and I led the music so it was cool to sit on the stand and look at all of the missionaries. I don't know all of their names but I love them all. I can't even imagine how President and Sister Clayton must feel. The mission president from the Alabama mission and his wife were here, along with our area seventy so basically it was a slap-in-the-face-with-the-spirit meeting and all of us were in Heaven. They all took turns bearing their testimony. The president from Alabama was very intense, and talked a lot about how we are successful when we are baptizing-very much a "fire and brimstone" kind of guy. We were a little scared. It was and interesting comparison after he spoke, when both of the Claytons went up and simply told us how much they loved us. They focused on how we measure success here in the San Diego mission-by obedience. By feeling the Spirit and following its promptings. By giving ourselves over to the will of the Lord. I look at the Claytons and how much love we all felt from and FOR them, and I just kept thinking "They are mine. We needed them.". It was comforting when they told us that we will be theirs for the eternities (they're leaving in a month....). It's true. They're ours.

Elder Ballard brought it all home. I wish I could relate everything that he said but it was just cool to hear him say things that were meant specifically for our mission. We were all very proud missionaries when he said "I am so proud of my daughter and son-in-law". I think the coolest thing was seeing him a lot lighter than he is at general conference. He was crackin' jokes all over the place! We talked a lot about determining success and following the spirit. He ended his talk by talking about happiness- "If you are not happy here, doing the Lords work in the California San Diego mission, you have a few things to figure out. This is joy.". I testify to that.

 

Another fun quote from him- "You're gonna be doing it in the Spirit world, for heaven's sake, so you might as well get good at teaching here in the field!"

 

I love you all! I'll expand more when I TALK TO YOU THIS SUNDAY!

 

Hermana Hess