Hello everyone! This week was pretty interesting for us here in good ol Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua! First off it kept raining and we got soaked. Again. It has been raining so much here and I'm loving it! I finally escaped the heat a bit so that has been nice! We have been focusing on some of our investigators that we haven't been able to find recently and it has been going well! We are teaching really good lessons and are getting ready for some baptismal dates with our investigators. We are also finding some new investigators and progressing with them little by little!
Also this week there was a death in the branch. A member passed away Wednesday so that took up a lot of our time because my branch president asked us to help sing at the funeral home 2 days in a row and help prep for the funeral itself. We were helping for a total of 3 days with all of the stuff so we were really busy for that event! More than 400 people showed up and filled the whole place where the funeral was held! Most of the presidency of the branch spoke and President Montoya came and spoke as well. So that was good to hear their words of counsel to the family (a wife and 3 kids) to help them heal and remember the Hermano.
I didn't vlog very much this week either... but heres a little tour of a park by my area! and some pics of the cuauhtemoc sign!
This week was really good! We got really wet from the rain again, but that's not new! But the rain is fantastic! They say it's the most rain Cuauhtemoc has seen in years! We went and played soccer and did some sliding on slides in my area and I'm getting to know the area better!
I've been feeling really good lately about everything in general! Especially contacting, I'll have a feeling that I need to talk to someone even after I pass them so I go back and I talk to them. Sometimes they want to talk, sometimes no, but I feel good following the spirit! My favorite things about the mission so far: I would say each of the families that I've gotten to know. Being with them, baptizing some of them and just the times in each area that I have shared with some of my favorite people here. People I never ever would have known if I didn't come on a mission.
The food. Definitely the food!
Post it Notes instead of paper? I'm a confused mother?
My week was good! We found a lot of new investigators and didn't get too soaked from the rain this week! sorry I'm writing late they brought me to Chihuahua to do visa stuff so I can finally have a green card again!
Birthday attack on my comp
Week 60 - Chuahtemoc (I see green vegetation!!)
Corn Field Fun
St. David Apple Orchard, just like back home
Week 59 Transfer from Chihuahua to Chuahtemoc
Reunion with Elder Raquina Bryce's comp from Parral
Good-bye to Elder Harrison and the zone in Chihuahua
New Zone in Cuauhtemoc
First few hours in Cuauhtemoc
Week 58 Baptism
This week we had a baptism of our investigator Maria! Everything went great and she started crying after she came out of the water! It was so sweet and the spirit was so strong in that baptism. I honestly feel that when I go down into the water with investigators, I get cleansed as well from the special spirit that is there and I always feel great coming out of a baptism.
Elder Johnson and Maria
Pre-Baptism Preparations
Ok no I really didn't get run over by a Nissan, but I did have one stop on my foot in the street. I'm just going to leave it at that because I don't really remember how it happened jajaja. I'm fine though no damage done, just a bit of surprise that a car was on my foot.
It has also been raining nonstop this week so that was fun as well! It's starting to clear up a little, but I think there's a little kick left in the storm clouds. We'll see what happens there then. but thats it for this week!
Week 57 - Story Time
Hey everyone! So this week it rained a ton, and thanks to a poncho I found in the house I didn't get all that soaked! It was still really nice though and it was almost cold in the mornings when it was overcast!
We are prepping the baptism so that's what's going to be happening a lot this week. Asides from that it was all business as usual. My vlogs will definitely tell more, so you should watch them if you have a chance. but yeah short update but I'll have more to tell next week. Love you all! bye!!! have an excellent week!
The District
Zone Bowling
Week 56 Fardos, Mama Brick, Blessings
I wanted to share an experience from Sunday that I had. We were just coming out of our meetings, or finishing the third hour, and we were talking to someone, when someone taps me on the shoulder and asks if I'm busy. I told him no, and then he tells me a sister needs a blessing. I say ok and grab my comp to find her. We then went into a classroom and asked what was going on. She said her circulation isn't doing well and her veins were bursting in some places and she just ended up not feeling well at all. So my comp anointed and I sealed the blessing. I honestly don't even remember what I said apart from one line, which really impacted her too, which was something like the Lord will never give you anything too hard to handle (more or less because spanish). But after we finished the blessing, she had tears dripping down her face and the spirit was so strong in that room. She then said that it was right, that the Lord will never give us struggles too hard to bear. That was what really hit me this week and that was my experience of the week!
Elder Johnson and Elder Fardos finally got a pic together!
On our drive home from California, Savanna spotted this brick in the ground. We were happy to have little Bryce reminders in many places we visited.
Week 55 Meeting new Friends!!!
We were able to drive to Reno, Nevada to attend Elder Fowler's homecoming. It was such a sweet experience to finally meet him and his family. It felt like we were catching up with old friends instead of meeting friends for the first time. The visit was wonderful. Bryce was determined we made it there and I'm so glad we did.
Jenna, Mom(me), Elder Fowler, Dad, Savanna
We also were able to meet the Fardos Family. Their son Elder Fardos is currently in Chihuahua serving alongside Bryce. They were gracious enough to invite us into their home for a few days. They also took us on a lake trip. The company and weather were perfect!
Elder Fowler surprised each family with a gift from Bryce and Nick (Elder Fardos). He brought each of us back a nametag from our elder. Such a sweet moment. It was the best gift ever!
Dad Fardos, Dad Fowler, Dad Johnson These three were so cute when they put on their son's name tags. It was a moment to treasure. Fardos and Johnson are adult converts and this was their first opportunity to have a tag with their last name on it. They were all so proud to be wearing the tags. Friends connected by our sons choice to serve. I love that.
Dad Johnson, Elder Fowler, Dad Fardos
Week 54 Both my American comps
See you laters.....Saying goodbye to Elder Fowler as he gets ready to head back to the US. You will be so missed in the mission Fowler.
Saying goodbye to Elder Martinez at transfers. Another great companion for a short six weeks.
My week was alright. The
baptisms fell through from Sunday, we had 3
people in church, but none of the potential baptisms came. We ended up leaving
4 of the investigators because they aren’t progressing and don’t want to do
anything. The other investigator went to another city for 2 weeks so she’s
not going to be baptized for at least another month. But I’m not worried about
it at all! I told President in my letter that’s what happened and I’m not
stressing! We have a lot of other investigators
that we are excited to teach and bring to church so we will be working a lot this
week to help them a lot!
We won’t be baptizing
on the 17th though so that kind of stinks.
So we’ve been working
on finding more and on those we had found before but hadn’t followed up with a
lot. It has been pretty hot here, but that’s nothing new. I’m drinking tons of
water and keeping in the shade at all possible times too.
I’m feeling good all
around. Martinez and I get a long really well and that’s helped a lot with
things. We just always joke around and are goofing off in a good way and work
really hard and well together. Physically I haven’t felt better and emotionally
and spiritually I’m doing great! Oh and the paint people gave us each a statue
to paint so we chose Pokémon!
Apparently this is what happens when it's night and work for the day is complete :) These two had me cracking up. I cut 3 minutes out of the video so just their fire/water exchange is in this one.
Yep 1
year to the day on Wednesday! Someone
asked me about that and I said it absolutely flew by! My hump day was last week yes, but the official 1 is this week. Funny
how that works huh?
(I emailed
Bryce that Elder Fardos posted a picture of the rain last Monday. I told him it looked more like a flood than
just rain). Yeah I didn’t know it was that strong until we
actually left the cyber... because we then went to bail the water out of a member’s
house, then went across the street (where the pics are from) We did that for 3
houses too. The drainage got clogged from the rain so the sewer water got into
all of the houses and flooded them. Remember the flood we had? Take that, but add poop, garbage and
cockroaches and that’s what we were cleaning up. We made sure to scrub ourselves
off well after to make sure we got all of the crap (heh heh) off of us and that
we wouldn’t get infected for our service. It was pretty nasty though to be
honest.
The guy in bright
shoes is Michael Neumann, he served here 2 years ago and came back and married
a girl here, so he’s living here until he can take her back. Turns out he’s
from mesa, went to mesa high. They’re going back to mesa in August. We’re like
his best friends because he doesn’t really have any friends here or in the
ward.
(I asked Bryce to tell me two acts of service he gave this week - this was his response) Other service acts...
last week we were sitting at our contact park when a truck pulled up and
started unloading things to sell in the park. We didn’t know what they were but
went and helped. Turns out they were ceramics and they sell those and put out
tables and chairs and supplies to paint the ceramics. We helped them Friday,
Saturday, Sunday and then this weekend too. Turns out the lady in charge of the
business has a Book of Mormon from almost a year ago, and we talked to her
about religion and stuff yesterday. She told us our help has really impacted
her and her family. They’ve felt more peace and tranquility and have even
talked about how wave helped them. It was really amazing to me that they took
so much from our little example of kindness. She even wants to give us one
figure each to paint. We’re going to
take a pic with them on Friday in the park! That’s like 6 acts of
service counting the days that we served. We usually just set up and leave, or
contact the customers then leave, but yesterday we stayed and talked about the
Book of Mormon and religion in general. She seems really interested actually! The park is really close to our house and it’s
where we contact almost everyone we meet. They always come at the same time, so
we would always be there contacting and help them unload when they show up.
(I emailed this to Bryce along with photos) This week the Dominguez family drove from Chihuahua to Tucson
to go through the new Temple. I jokingly asked her to sneak me back to Chihuahua
in her car and she said she would lol. I told her I would sneak back in
her car if it wasn't against the rules!
The Dominguez family was one Bryce’s families away from home at the
beginning of his Mission.
Weird I was just thinking
about them the other day! Trying to remember the members that had made an
impact on me so far in the mission.
Elder Martinez is my new companion. He is from Utah. He had a baptism the week before I got here and we get along super well! He likes all of the things I do, like video games, sports, movies, tv, anime... we have a lot in common, and we teach really well together. I hope I can have this great a connection with all of my future comps too, because we are on fire right now.
NEW HOUSE IN CHIHUAHUA
MOTHER’S DAY SKYPE
Yeah I had so much fun
chatting with you guys and the time went so fast! Not just talking but from Christmas
to Mother’s day went so stinkin fast!
(Bryce said his testimony in spanish and one of the girls pulled out a phone and recorded it. We later had Juvenal translate it to English for us. Such a sweet message)
This time I have been
tried by many things but I have felt very strong the help of God in this
time. I have seen the Lord’s hand in my
life with miracles and many things that have happened. The times that I have felt alone, I have felt
that someone is always with me. Someone
who is very special and very important.
Is Jesus Christ our Heavenly Father.
I know that in a short time we will be in the middle of the mission, but
I have a lot or work yet. I feel good
right now. I feel we have acheived many
things well, and what we still have to achieve, we have to work to achieve
it. We must continue to strive hard. And
I know this time is going to happen very fast, so I have to enjoy this
time. I know that this is the true
church, the restored church. I know that
Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is the most true and
clearest book of all life. That we can
receive any response we want from this book and is the key to our
religion. I love you so much, more than you
know, although you do not understand me, but I love you so much, and this is my
testimony. In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
BAPTISM
So it was pretty stressful planning everything for the
baptism and finding the clothes and making sure that everyone was going to be
there to help with the program and everything. Everyone ended up showing late,
but it was ok it all turned out super nice and spiritual! The kids were so
happy after they were baptized they couldn’t stop smiling! It was such a spiritual experience and I’m going to love these
kids forever you have no idea! We are going to visit them tomorrow to read the
Book of Mormon and see how they are doing.
It
was a great day!
Waiting for everyone to arrive
We are more excited
and are working harder than before to make sure that our other investigators
with baptismal dates get ready for that day! we have about 6 people ready for
the 17th of June, and we want to find more people to get ready for that
day.
I am
so happy to finally have a baptism you have no idea! It was stressful, but
worth it in the end! I’m not very good
at expressing emotion through typing... but I’m super happy, super content and
ready to keep baptizing. We want to get at least 2-3 more before changes, because
I don’t think I’ll have another transfer with my companion, honestly.
I WOULDN’T WANT TO BE ANYWHERE ELSE
this week was a lot harder physically than most, because it is getting hotter,
so I learned a lot about 1. Sunscreen 2.
How to persevere 3. That it’s all worth it in the end. This has been one of the
sweatiest weeks I’ve ever had, and oh man I’m not looking forward to another
one! But it is raining right now so that’s nice! We have been working really hard to find new
investigators and make sure that the 6 we have are ready to be baptized the
17th, so that’s what we’ve done all week. In a lesson with one of them we
shared some powerful stuff from Acts 2, and Alma 32, and it was so powerful to
me the way it came out and the way the spirit guided us. Our testimonies finished
it and I haven’t felt power in a lesson like that in a while!
I’m definitely
enjoying my time here and making the most of it, every second! I wouldn’t want
to be anywhere else right now and I’m so glad I have you guys rooting for me back
home. Thank you for that and for always being there and praying for me. I love
you so much and am glad you are my mama :) Acts Chapter 2 Summary: The Spirit is poured out on the day of Pentecost—Peter testifies of Jesus’ resurrection—He tells how to gain salvation and speaks of the gift of the Holy Ghost—Many believe and are baptized.
Alma Chapter 32 Summary: Alma teaches the poor whose afflictions had humbled them—Faith is a hope in that which is not seen which is true—Alma testifies that angels minister to men, women, and children—Alma compares the word unto a seed—It must be planted and nourished—Then it grows into a tree from which the fruit of eternal life is picked.
