Hey Fam!!
This past week has been NUTS. It flew by and I can't believe it's already P-Day. But man do I have some STUFF TO TELL Y'ALL.
I am now serving in Santee (I went from the beach to the mountains....BLISS!!! It's absolutely beautiful. Very different from my last 2 areas. It's the first time I haven't served on the border so finding people is a lot harder, but it's on fire so I'm so stoked to be here!), and companions with Hermana Hansen. I've been called to be a Sister Trainer here in the mission, and I'm incredibly humbled by that. Hermana Hansen and I get to go on exchanges once or twice a week with all of the Spanish sisters in the mission and provide coaching and get them excited about the work.....um, WHAT?! I think I've been called to this position because I need to get trained by every other sister in the mission haha. But nevertheless, I am extraordinarily humbled by this opportunity to learn from the sisters and work closer with President Clayton and mission leadership. We had Mission Leadership Council the other day (Surprise! Elder Ballard was there.....not bad having an apostle as your president's father in law.) and we discussed the hastening of the work and the state of our mission right now. I felt very inadequate being in that room haha....We discussed how the mission in general needs to become more consecrated and really "take up our cross for the Lord" and get lost in the work. The spirit was amazing in that lesson and I'm excited for what this transfer will bring!
Saying goodbye to Chula was hard, but Bertha is still getting baptized soon, so I will be able to go back for that, and we will be doing exchanges over there next month. Also, GUESS WHO IS GOING TO THE VALLEY THIS WEEKEND FOR AN EXCHANGE!? This one. No worries, it's not my area anymore and I'm not going to go and be all "Let's go see this person!! Let's go see this person!". It's their area now and all we are doing is going and providing support and counsel. (I have no counsel, by the way. Thank heavens for Hermana Hansen.)
Oh man, I love Hermana Hansen!!!! I've been on an MTE with her before and she is so solid! I've already learned so much from her. The day I got to Santee we just went out and worked our tails off and haven't stopped since. I really feel like I am getting lost in the work, because I have never been this happy on my mission! We both have a goal just to work-and both of us keep saying how happy we are. At the same time, we both feel like Satan knows how hard we are trying, and he is working hard to keep us from succeeding. We have had experiences this past week where we have just felt Satan's influence on some of the people we teach-so much that we literally had to get out of the houses asap and run to our car busting out hymns and praying like crazy. But we are NOT going to stop working as hard as we can. God protects His servants and I have felt His influence more than I ever have!
I love this area and I really feel like this is where I need to be. I didn't feel at all like I was going to leave Chula, but at the same time, I didn't feel like this the last week of the transfer over there. I'm already completely in love with the members! We are just a branch, but it is SO solid and they really have a huge fire for missionary work!!! I've been blown away by how much they want to help us! They love to feed us (I'm going to gain all the weight I lost by being on a bike...) and they are incredible teachers to our investigators. Ah, I am so stoked to be working with them!! We are teaching some really amazing people. The pool is a lot smaller than it was in Chula Vista but that ok because it just makes us work even harder finding the people that have been prepared for the message. We have one investigator who is getting baptized next month named Jorge, and you can tell how much the gospel has changed his life. I've only met him once, but he told me before how rough and hard and how big of a chip he had on his shoulder before the missionaries came over. He still looks physically...well...scary, but when you talk to him, his face lights up. Coolest thing ever.
At the transfer meeting, President Clayton said something really cool. He told us that if we aren't personally consecrated and working as hard as we can, the work will still continue, but WE lose out. Man, I have this huge fear of missing out. I am so afraid of missing someone that has been prepared for the Gospel just because I was too freaked to talk to them or bear my testimony. I am so stoked for this new opportunity to serve and learn and get more and more lost.
Life is so good! I hope everyone is happy, and that you know just how much I love you!!! I am so grateful that I can call you mine!
Hermana Hess
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