Buenos Dias a Todos!
This week has been crazy! Monday
we played sports with the district, then we had couple of citas, and at
night Hna Christensen packed. I just watched her and felt weird that I
wasn't the one packing. I haven't ever had a companion get transferred
away from me while I stayed in the area, so it was weird...
Tuesday
was transfer meeting. It was crazy because we had to help take up some
luggage for the YSA hermanas since they both got transferred so we
packed everything in super tight (thank you mom for the jigsaw packing
skill genes). Then we went up for the new trainer meeting for Hna
Christensen, and I ended up hanging out with a bunch of elders for an
hour or so since there weren't any other hermanas there. After transfers
were over Hna Christensen ended up with Hna Avila (the new missionary)
in El Camino! It's crazy because that's where she started her mission.
She's in a different area now, but the same ward! My new companion is
Hermana Jensen who was trained by Hermana Hall up in Santa Clarita, and
was companions with Hermana Winn in the MTC who was trained by Hermana
Carlin Hardy in the Ventura mission!
So many crazy connections. :)
Wednesday
we had an AMAZING MIRACLE!!!!! We had a dinner appointment with Hna
O, and she had invited a friend to dinner with us. That in and of
itself is amazing, but the crazier part is that Hna O only met
this friend the Saturday
before! They met at a yardsale, Hna O talked with her a little
bit about the church, they exchanged phone numbers, and then Hna O
invited her to dinner with us. The craziest part of all is that she
actually came to dinner! She even brought her daughter and little
granddaughter with her. After dinner we all gathered around and we
taught the Restoration. As we taught we found out that she had been
praying to know which church was true, and that God would put her on the
path that she needed to be on. We testified that this is the true
church and that she is on the right path now. Then she committed to be
baptized!!!! It was a truly incredible experience for me, and it really
strengthened my testimony that there ARE people that the Lord is
preparing who are ready and will accept the gospel. I was also so
grateful for Hermana O and her willingness and desire to share the
gospel, even with virtual strangers. Her friend actually lives in the
Elders' area, so they're the ones who will be teaching her, but it was
an amazing and miraculous experience none the less.
Thursday
was good, and we finished weekly planning in just three hours. We also
had a surprise cita with a man named O. He called us at 4:30
and told us he was on the way to the church for our lesson. We'd
planned on having the lesson the next day, but we made a ton of phone
calls and finally ended up just going by ourselves right then to have a
lesson in the parking lot. It was really short because we had another
appointment right after, but it was SO COOL!!! He has really made a huge
effort to be able to meet with us, and he really wants to learn. He
doesn't have a car, so he took the bus/walked all the way to the church
for our lesson.
Friday
was the 4th of July, and we had Zone Training Meeting that morning.
(Yes that was the most exciting part of the day. :) It was a pretty good
meeting, and I loved the focus on Enduring to the End. They've made
some changes in how missionary work is done so that missionaries are now
in charge of making sure that all of the lessons are taught again after
baptism and that we maintain much more contact with our recent
converts. I am so excited for this focus, and I think that it will help
so many more people to maintain themselves firmly in the faith and go to
the temple a year after their baptism.
Saturday
was a good day, and after planning Hermana Jensen and I made up a song
to summarize it. (We both love to sing, so we've been making up little
songs that don't make sense all week.) I don't guarantee that all of the
numbers are exactly accurate, but some of them are. :) It goes to the
tune of the 12 Days of Christmas.
"On the 5th day of Julio my good Lord gave to me...
12 Helpful scriptures (there were more than 12, but it was the best fit)
11 Dogs a barking (I didn't really count them, but there are a lot in Pacoima)
10 phone calls made (I'm sure we made more than just 10)
9 Harsh rejections (I don't count these either, but it fit the syllable count)
8 Berries thrown (We throw berries at our Zone Leaders window when we walk by)
7 Knocks on a door (I always knock on a door seven times)
6 Member cenas (we had 6 this week, not in one day)
5 NEW INVESTIGATORS (nough said!)
4 Colored eggs (this is a game we play with a group of kids sometimes)
3 Lessons taught (not super exciting, but it was the 3 that we needed)
2 English Elders (we caught the English Elders in our area that day)
And another night of fireworks!"
It was so fun that we called the District Leader, the Zone Leaders, and the Assistants to sing it to them. :)
Sunday we had church, and O impressed me again. He rode the bus/walked again, and he got there at 8:30
in the morning so that we could give him a church tour before church
started. He seemed to really enjoy the classes and sacrament meeting,
and the ward did and AMAZING job fellowshipping him. So many different
members came up to him and introduced themselves, the Elder's quorum
president invited him to sit with them during sacrament meeting, and our
recent convert E gave him a ride home!
I also made and achieved the goal of writing in my
journal every night this week if you couldn't tell. :) I am so grateful
for this time I have to serve as a missionary. I know that this gospel
really can bless the lives of those who follow it, and I'm grateful for
this time to dedicate to helping others recognize those blessings.
Love,
Hna Marin Hardy
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