Mar 3 2014

Buenos Dias!

This has definitely been an interesting week. First off I got transferred to Santa Clarita! Mama will have my new address if you want it. My area is called Canyon country, and it is fitting because it seems like every street is Something Canyon. It's especially funny because I just asked Mama to send me a map of the San Fernando valley and got it at the end of last week, and now I'm not even serving in the valley! Second off we started the week with me unable to speak above a whisper for more than 1 or 2 sentences. Quite the adventure when you're a Spanish speaking missionary with a companion who's fresh from the MTC...

Tuesday was transfer day, and transfer meeting was amazing as usual. It was nice to be able to say hi to a lot of the missionaries I love, but it was also really sad to say goodbye to Hna Barnes. I'm going to miss her a lot. However, my new companion Hna Ellingson is AMAZING! Her Spanish is amazing already, and she is just a good missionary. We're taking over an area that had elders in it last transfer, and it will be interesting having us both be new to the area. It was especially interesting trying to get home from transfer meeting though. We live on the opposite side of the Santa Clarita Valley from where transfer meeting is, and somehow the map that the elders brought with them to transfer meeting got misplaced or someone else picked it up and took it. Long story short we didn't have a map to help us get home... They gave us step by step directions, but the missed one step, and we got SO LOST!!! Luckily we called the zone leaders, and they got us turned around and to our apartment.

Wednesday morning we found a map in our apartment which was a source of great joy and rejoicing, all in whispers and wild hand/arm gestures with some jumping and clapping as well since I still couldn't make any noise with my throat. Then we went to district meeting, and we even got there 15 minutes early because we didn't get even a little lost. :) After district meeting Elder Johnson (our district leader) and his companion (Elder Andersen) did a quick role play of the Restoration lesson with us since we had an appointment scheduled that day, and I still couldn't talk... Hna Ellingson did really well, and we felt pretty prepared, but unfortunately the appointment fell through. Instead we got to do some contacting (Hna Ellingson did AMAZING!). Then we got to go home and study before we had a dinner with the Paez family who live in our area. It was so good to get to know them, and they also agreed to let us bring one of the people we'd contacted that day to their house for a lesson the next Monday!

Thursday the Hermana Training Leaders came over during comp study and helped us do some roleplays since I still couldn't really talk. I was so grateful for their help! We also finished weekly planning, and then went out to work. We've been trying to contact all of the investigators that the Elders left us, but it's pretty hard to find them at home... It seems like most of the work here in Santa Clarita is in trailer parks... There are 5 or 6 in our area, and we spend almost all of our time there. This day we found our first new investigator together. His name is J, and we taught him the fastest version of the Restoration ever on his doorstep. It was somewhat awkward because he only had a towel around his waist (luckily he was also wearing a shirt), but it just goes to show that we'll teach everyone and anyone in every and any situation. :)

Friday was the beginning of The Rain. In my entire mission I've never had to actually go out and work in the rain because it only rained at night or during studies or meetings or we had appointments and just had to run in really quickly. (Thank you California weather!) However, this day it poured elephants and mammoths all day (no, not just cats and dogs) and all we had to do was contact... We got soaking wet, and my feet especially just filled up with water and stayed that way, but we had SO much fun. It was pouring, we were soaking wet and cold, and no one wanted to open the door and listen to us much less let us in, but both of us just felt like laughing and smiling because we felt so much joy within us. We talked a little about how we felt like "real" missionaries working in the rain, and how grateful we were for the knowledge that what we are doing is so important that we do it even in the pouring rain. It just felt so good! We also did have one couple that let us in. At first I think they just felt bad for us because we were very damp and droopy, but they let us teach them the Restoration, committed to read and pray, and set a return appointment. The biggest miracle... J (the husband) was only home because it was raining and he couldn't go to work!!!!

Saturday was another day of tracting in the rain, but we still felt that same joy as the day before, and we saw more miracles. We found another new investigator who's name is A who was also only home because it was raining! We taught him on his porch (covered porch), and it was so amazing to see how miraculously prepared he is, and how willing he is to read and pray to find out for himself if our message is true. I love it when people are willing to do that! Throughout the day we also found two other couples who were willing to let us in for 10 minutes to share the message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ! One couple has actually been taking the missionary lessons in a different area, but now that we've found them they said they'll start with us and also come to church!!! because this is so much closer to where they live.

Sunday was such a good Fast Sunday! It was great to go to church in our new branch (rama) and meet some of the members. I was able to play the piano for sacrament meeting, and we got to sit with the Paez family. I am really looking forward to working with this rama, and Presidente Mendez is AMAZING!!! He is so excited about the missionary work here.

I'm out of time, but I love you all!!!

Love,

Hna Marin Hardy