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

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

October 29, 2013 - The Big, Blue, Wet Thing!

FAMILY!!!

 

So last week for P-Day we went to the OCEAN. PEOPLE. IT IS HUGE. We went to these massive cliffs and resisted the temptation to jump in. It was beautiful! I live in the coolest place! SO that was a lovely P-Day activity. Definitely different from the Valley haha.

Speaking of lovely P-Day activities, I WENT TO THE TEMPLE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE APRIL AND IT IS THE BEST THING EVER!!!!  I cried the whole time. That new presentation is powerful. I just sat there smiling the whole time, I was so happy! I thought a lot about you guys and all I could think of was, "Man. Families are great. I am glad this place let's me be with them for eternity."

 

I can't get over how fast time is flying! Let it be announced that my birthday month is about to fall upon us. But in all seriousness I can't believe Thursday is Halloween!  I feel like it should be June. The weather here is beautiful-65 degrees and sunny. Not suffering.

 

This week flew and it seems like we were on our feet for all of it! I love being on a bike-which is a lot easier to ride in a skirt than it looks, let it be known. I'm starting to get a hang of where everything is in this area and how the ward works with the missionaries. I love this ward!! The bishop is hilarious and he gives a lot of support to the missionaries. Our ward mission leader, Hermano Espinosa, is on fire! He is super passionate about the work and is really on top of it. It's cool to work with someone who understands and is excited about the hastening and the urgency of the work. There are 8 missionaries serving in this one ward, and at first I was like "this is waaaay too many missionaries." But the more I am here, the more I realize how much they are needed! The ward is handing out referrals right and left and there is SO much work to be done!! It makes me so happy. We wake up every morning, study, and just go. We take 15 minutes for lunch and dinner and then we're out again. I am loving it. I love coming home completely whipped and exhausted. There are a lot of missionaries in Chula Vista (there are 2 zones, Chula Spanish and Chula English) so everywhere you look, you see black tags. It's so cool, the mutual support we feel from one another. I've always loved big groups of people, and here it definitely feels like an army.

 

Hermana Kelemen is awesome! It's really fun to be with someone from my MTC district. There wasn't an awkward "get to know you" week and we just jumped straight into the work. Our teaching styles are waaaaay different, but somehow it really works and we've taught some really cool lessons as a result. She's been in this area for 3 transfers so she really loves it and knows it well. I'm learning a whole new way of teaching from her and it's been a blast to see how our two styles of teaching can come together into something totally different. I love her a ton!

 

We are teaching a lot more investigators than I am used too, so that's been a blast. Antonio has a date set for next Thursday!!  He's super solid. He gave up coffee in 4 days and is so prepared. Teaching him is really interesting. For some reason, neither mine nor Hermana Kelemen's Spanish is super great in those lessons. We're always fumbling over words and teaching things really simply. But the spirit works through him so strong!! We explain a principle really simply, then he sits there and thinks about it, and then he says "so what you're saying is...."and then launches off for the next 5 minutes about the principle using details we never taught him!!! Watching the spirit work through him is incredible, I've never seen anything quite like it. It a huge testimony builder for me, knowing that we are simply the mouthpieces. And sometimes not even that. At times we are simply the people who presents the idea and then lets Heavenly Father take care of the rest. OH MY SHOOT DANG IT IS THE BEST THING EVER.

 

It was the primary program last Sunday. I cried the whole time. Being on a mission has turned me into a SAP.

 

Then Anna and Socorro are our other progressing investigators. Anna is the mom of the ward mission leader in another English ward, but would rather attend the Spanish ward so that's why we are teaching her. Anna doesn't realize how much she has changed and how much she has progressed. Actually, Soccoro and Antonio are the same. They don't realize how different their countenances are! I know I've only been here a short time, but man. They are different. I wish they could just see how much the Gospel has changed them. Antonio actually texted us the other night about his baptism. He said he had some doubts because he didn't feel like he was worthy to be baptized or start this journey. We talked about John the Baptist in the bible, and how he didn't feel worthy either to baptize Christ. But he did anyway-because he knew it was right. Then we talked about the tender mercy that followed-the Holy Ghost being manifested in the form of a dove. The Holy Ghost being present is significant in that event in the Bible, but I also think it was a small sign to John that said "You did good. You did what was right." We need to walk with faith, knowing that the way is right, never needing signs to encourage us, but rejoicing in the tender mercies that say "You're doing good. You're doing what is right.".

 

Pray for Antonio, that he will know that this is right, and that he will have the strength to take that leap of faith!!

 

I love you all so much. I hope you realize how incredibly important you are to me!! I feel your prayers daily!

 

Hermana Hess

October 22, 2013 - CHULA VISTA!

FAMILIA!!!

 

WOOF. This week was the absolutely craziest week of the mission thus far. Tuesday (the day we found out about transfers) was definitely the hardest day of my mission. We went around saying goodbye to investigators and some members and I just stood there and cried. Many, many tears were shed. The Valley became my home and the people became members of my family-I never expected it to hurt that bad to leave. A member family drove from El Centro to visit here to go shopping and they took me and my companion out to dinner yesterday and I was SO EXCITED  to see them again-even if it was just a week ago that I left. I feel like I changed and grew a lot there and it will forever occupy a huge part of me. So Tuesday and Wednesday morning were a little rough....I remember driving out of the Valley and feeling like I left my heart there. But more on that later.

 

So I went from the Desert, to the Promised Land!!! I'm serving here in Chula Vista, yet another border town (I just can't seem to get away from them...) so we are right next to Tijuana. When you think of what San Diego looks like, that's what Chula is. It's absolutely beautiful!! The ocean is RIGHT THERE. It's super green and there are trees everywhere and it's right on the coast (so completely opposite from my last area.). We are lucky that we are so close to the border that there are a lot of Spanish people to teach so it's really easy to find people. There are 4 companionships in my ward and it's split down the middle with elders and sisters-all of whom are incredible missionaries so I'm stoked to learn from them. Here is a fun fact for ya-did you know that this area is the only area in the mission that has sisters on bikes? Now you do! I'm using the bike of the sister who just left the area so no worries there. I LOVE IT!!! It's so much easier to contact people and talk to them! The knees are holding up beautifully, so I'm hoping that being on a bike will strengthen them instead of kill 'em. Chula is 100% different than the Valley. It just goes by a lot faster here and the work is more intense-we have more investigators and more people to visit. I think that's such a cool thing about being on a bike-we talk to so many more people. The challenge is discerning who is prepared to listen to the message, and it's a challenge that I do NOT mind having. The people are so kind here-we went up to a person outside their house who was working on the yard and asked her if there was anything we could do for her, and she started off being really negative and mean. When we drove off, she ran up and told us how sorry she was for being so rude and that she's just not used to people asking if there was anything we could do for her. All the people we've talked too have seemed really interested as well. It's the craziest...Our ward is so incredible! Every auxiliary position is filled! WE HAVE 5 WARD MISSIONARIES!! Where in the world am I?! I think the weirdest part is that I'm in one of the wards that "The District" (the training video for missionaries) was filmed in so I'm meeting all the families that they taught on the show. I can only think "OH MY GOSH YOU'RE FAMOUS" in those lessons....

 

Our apartment has hardwood floors, it's 70 degrees everyday, and we now get mail every week instead of 2 times a month. I am not suffering.

 

My companion's name is Hermana Kelemen-we were in the same district in the MTC!! It was a really smooth transition with her, probably because we knew each other before and had a good relationship. She is a rockstar missionary and I'm already learning a ton from her. She teaches a lot differently then I do and so it's good to blend our styles together and see how that works.

 

I mentioned before how I felt like I left my heart in the Valley. I still feel that way, but Heavenly Father works miracles on His missionaries. I can feel my heart getting bigger every day as I meet the people here. The love that I have for the Valley will never diminish and I'm glad it doesn't have to, because there isn't a limit for the love the Heavenly Father has for His children. It just gets bigger. I'm working on concentrating on this area, putting away the pictures and the memories of the Valley and focusing on why I am here. This is my area now and it deserves a lot of heart. Sometimes I still get sad when I think about how long it will be before I see "my" people again from there, but then I meet another investigator or member here, and I am reminded of why I am here in Chula. What a good life. Man, Heavenly Father is perfect.

 

I really do love you all, and I hope you can feel it. Be happy, know that I am well and my birthday is next month:) I'll send pictures next week!!!

 

Hermana Hess

October 15, 2013 - Transfer #6

Aaaaannnnddddddd......

 

She's leaving the Valley:(

 

We got the transfer call this morning and I cried haha. I guess when you're in an area for 7 months it kind of becomes your home. I wanted to leave so bad last transfer and now, when I want to stay so bad, I'm gone. I'm super excited though! I'm ready to be stretched in new ways and it's going to be a crazy new adventure. We leave for San Diego tomorrow morning where I'll meet my new comp and head out to wherever they'll send me! But today, I'm sad. One of our members took us out to breakfast and said "Whoa. I think I'm actually going to miss a sister missionary!" Cue the waterworks. I feel like I did what I needed to do here, and that above all is the most incredible feeling.

 

But this week was crazy! A member gave us a referral for her friend who is looking for a religion to join (her words...) so we went a few nights ago. We knocked on his door and some random lady opened it and there was a super intense bible study going on. People were wearing veils. And speaking in tongues.....haha so we were like "uhhhh, can we come back tomorrow?!". He invited us to come back the next day and it was such a cool lesson!! Easily one of my favorite lesson's we've ever taught. His name is Raoul and he definitely did his homework. He had a ton of really awesome questions and it was so cool to be able to answer every single one of them! The spirit was really strong. After a 45 minute question/answer sesh he just sits there for a minute and says "....ALRIGHT. I liked all these answers. You passed the test. Come see me next week!"....OK! It was awesome because this week we weren't able to see a lot of our investigators, for some reason no one was home and we got buffed a lot. So that lesson was a major tender mercy. Also, they fed us the best fish tacos I've ever had in my life. WHAT A BLESSING.

 

Wanna know what isn't a really good food? Goat. Goat isn't really delicious. Tongue is better than goat.

 

We were at the local community college the other day and we had a booth with a bunch of information about the church. One of the other sisters brought her ukulele so we just chilled and jammed on the uke to primary songs....it was bliss. We contacted a deaf guy! Thank you mom for teaching us the alphabet in sign language!! It was actually really cool. He poured over all of the pamphlets we gave him. There are only 2 ASL companionship's in the mission and they're all in San Diego but they have video chat so we set up a meeting with them!!

 

Our ward is doing alright...well. It's kind of falling apart. All of the auxiliary leaders have kinda given up and they're moving to the English wards in El Centro. We went to visit them this week and they said they're just tired, so it's been rough. They're having a meeting with the stake presidency this next week about putting missionaries in the auxiliary positions because there really are no members. It's been discouraging. These people have such intense testimonies, but there unfortunately isn't a lot of love in the ward. That's another reason why I'm sad to leave. I CAN LOVE YOU! We just got a new rule in the mission that we can't leave our area-which is interesting for us in the Valley. We live in El Centro but our ward is in Calexico. We have a ton of single ladies that the elders can't teach over there, so we don't know what to do. We went to a less active's house the other day, and when we told her we couldn't see her anymore she said that she refuses to have elders come to her home....So keep Damarys in your prayers.

 

Cool moment of the week: It was fast and testimony meeting last Sunday and our bishop stood up to bear his testimony. He had his 7 year old grandson with him who only speaks English, and when he bore his testimony he said "I want to bear my testimony in English so my grandson can understand". I cried the whole friggin time....I don't know where it came from, but since I've been on the mission I have never appreciated more the power and spirit that kids have. It was cool to see our very stern bishop soften up and look straight into his grandsons eyes and bear a simple yet powerful testimony.

Pictures: A member (Hector Martinez!) took us out for breakfast this morning. He calls me "Hermana Shout.". He's one of my favorite members! And the other is of the street where that cool investigator Raoul lives! 

 

I've said it once and I'll say it again. It feels good to be doing the Lord's work. It feels really, really good. I've learned so much these past 7 months in the Valley, but I think the biggest thing I've learned is how much I still need to learn haha. But that feels good, too. At times it's frustrating when you see the road ahead of you and you think "OOOOH man, I've got a loooong way to go." But then Heavenly Father gives you a little taste of who He needs you to be, and then you go "OK. I can do this. It's worth it.". It really is worth it. His plan is so much greater than what we understand-and when we realize that, it really does't matter what we don't understand.

 

I love you all, with all my heart!! Have a great week!!!! 

 

Hermana Hess