1 week June 24, 2013

So I survived my first week! Are you so proud of me!! haha let me tell you all about it really quick. Oh and by the way, save these emails for my journal! because they are going to be awesome!

So monday we got here to the beautiful San Fernando Valley. Okay it's actually not as beautiful as everyone led me to believe. Well at least my area isn't. But that's okay it's great. We met president Hall and his family. They are all great. Tuesday we got our new companions. I am in a trio with two lovely Hermanas. let me tell you a bit about them. Hermana Hall is from Idaho. She is a little strange... but super nice. She was on the ballroom team in high school. She is younger than I am, and I can definitely see that. And get this... She is a boy scout. Yeah what! I didn't think that was a real thing! But yes I guess girls can be boy scouts, who knew?! Anyways, my second companion is from Utah, but she is half Brazilian. So she is slightly crazy! but she is so so so fun. And she sings with the voice of an angel. At first being in a trio was hard. But I love both of my Hermanas a lot. I am learning a lot about how I can't be in control all the time. It's kind of hard to be being trained, because I want to be the leader, but that's mallo of me! Anyways, so lets tell you a bit about the days. On tuesday we went and read scriptures with this member (less active, basically an investigator) named Hugo. He is super adorable. He reminds me of brad barnes. I think he is a little odd. But I love him. Then I can't really remember what we did. I think we went to the store. Oh yes we did. And then we had dinner at the bishops. I just love the bishop and his family. and then we had correlation, or pretty much ward council. Yes that was an okay day. I don't know why wednesday was worse, it just was. I was feeling so overwhelmed, and so not used to everything about the mission! Seriously, we spend four hours of our morning inside studying. It drives me crazy! I want to get out and go find people! But no we have to be prepared so we can teach well. We taught this woman named Teresa wednesday afternoon, and the lesson just went aweful! I think she is confused about the reason we are there, and she just isn't being receptive to our message at all! She is super nice, but the lesson went on for almost two hours, and we didn't get anywhere with her. It was rough. The saving grace of that day though, would have to have been English class. We teach some of the Spanish member how to speak English wednesday nights. It was SOOO fun!! oh my word I got a little glimpse into the members of our ward, and I just love them! My favorite would have to be Hermana Soliz. She is so sweet. I told all the Hermanas that I don't like watermelon, or any kind of melon, and now they all laugh at me and we all make jokes about it. But it's so cute because they all remember how much I don't like it:)

Anyways, so thursday we had what they call weekly planning. It's crazy we seriously plan out like every hour of our next week. It's nuts. And it takes like 7 hours!! also, in the middle of our planning our elders brought us treats!! I seriously love tem!! (i sent a picture don't worry) So we didn't finish it all the way. We had to leave to go read scriptures with the DeGantes. They are this family that can't come to church because the wife is paralyzed, so we read scriptures with them. I love them so much! Then we went to plan some more, and then we went to visit the Aguillons, who are a member family, but they have cousins that aren't that my comp. has been teaching the lessons to. The investigators weren't there, so we just shared a spiritual thought. Then we went to visit a less active member, Hermano Chan. Oh my gosh he is my favorite. He is so shy and quiet, and so humble. He lives in this tiny little trailor all by himself. he is only like 24 or 25, but he is so great. We brought Luz with us, who is a member, and she is wanting to go on a mission. She is seriously so great. She has such a powerful testimony! Oh my word I LOVE HER!! anyway that lesson was just so so powerful. It was awesome fo feel the spirit so strong, and made me really greatful for coming out here and being a missionary.

Friday was way way good. We had our studies a bit in the morning, and then we had district meeting. I seriously love our district so so so much! District meeting went good, and then afterwards, Elder Jossie was carrying a big bowl of fruit, and he had a little pepper in the bowl, and he dared me to bite it, so I did, and then my mouth was on fire for two hours. Sorry for that random story, just thought you'd enjoy my little stupid moments that I have. Well After district meeting we went to district lunch at TACO BELL!!! yay i love taco bell so so much! Miracle of the day! haha then we had more studies, and then we went out finding! We stopped and talked to a black lady about the gospel, it was super awesome. She was english, but super cool. We went to stop by some old investigators, but they didn't have time. No here was the best part of the day. We got to meet Renee y Violeta. They are recent converts, and they are so awesome!! they seriously have the strongest testimonies I have ever seen! We are having dinner with them today. anyways, they made my day so happy. I love them.

On Saturday we got to go out finding again after language studies. We didn't really have any success, but it's always super fun. We had lunch with Hermana Hortado, she is so sweet. Her grandson isn't a member, and so I talked to him a lot about the gospel. Anyways, the real best part of the day was at night we had an appointment with Armando. He is an investigator that has been investigating the chuirch for two years. He is seriously so awesome!!! I love him!!

Sunday church was so great! i love latinos. I am pretty sure they are tone deaf, and that makes them even better! But I am almost out of time! So sorry! I will make my next letter shorter, and just add the most important stuff!! Ah I lobve you all so much!

Ah I seriously have to go! But Write me a letter and I will write you letters, because I just don't have enough time!!! I love you all so much! Don't forget that the church is so true, and if you ever get down, just look for the miracles you see. God's hand is everywhere!

Love Ness:)

1 month

So here is the deal, I super have to go to the bathroom, but I am in the middle of this letter! Ah it's the worst ever! anyways, let me tell you about my week.

last p-day we got to go to the universal studios city walk!! Like all the little shops and the restaurants and stuff they have outside of universal! It was super fun. But oh my goodness it was different! I felt so worldly! They were playing music and I was like oh my goodness I don't know some of these songs! but i still knew most of them, I haven't been out of the world too long! It reminded me a lot of our family trip there a couple of years ago! I miss you all a lot. we passed things like the hard rock and bubba gump where we ate. All that super fun stuff! AH don't worry we will for sure have to go when you come to pick me up:) also, here is the funny thing. On the way home from universal we got lost (Like usual) hopefully we didn't accidentally go out of the mission again like the naughty missionaries that we are! But we were definitely lost. Yeah I'm pretty sure we were somehwere near Justin Beibers house, so if you see any tabloids with some crazy missionaries with Justin, yeah we're pretty much famous! haha just kidding. But back to missions!

This week has been kind of the same missionary stuff, visiting people, going by less active members, going finding, and stuff like that. But it's been kind of sad! A lot of our appointments have fallen through. We only taught two lessons this week (well to investigators)  we teach a lot of lessons to less actives, and recent converts. But here is what we spent a lot of time doing this week. So one of the elders in our zone likes to write plays. Like theater plays. So he wrote this play, about the restoration. In spanish. with like 20 different parts. and it's like 35 pages. And guess who were the stars of that play? yeah that's right the missionaries! haha guess what I was?! an atheist librarian! and also spirit #2. so we spent like all of our language studies all week learning this play, and then I friday we spent most of the day rehearsing it. we performed it on saturday and it was basically the best thing in the whole world! I totally killed my atheist librarian part. (don't worry I sent a picture). But the play actually went really good. For the lack of planning, and the fact that all we had to work with was 18 missionaries and a church, I think it went pretty good! I wouldn't be suprised if they took it to broadway. I can see it now The Restoration the Musical! (only available in spanish). Basically, I am going to be famous! I knew they had great things in store for me here in the valley! haha but because we are working on latina time, the play that was supposed to start at 7 started at 8:30, and so we didn't get home until 10:30 when we were supposed to be sleeping!! ah we are naughty missionaries! First we get lost at universal, then we stay out all night, and then! okay you're going to die with this one, this one was really naughty. So they want us to take members with us to lessons, so yesterday we asked a member if we could take her grandaughter with us. Her name is Adrianna. She is 11. And it was TOTALLY against the rules. So basically, we went proselyting with a small child and we are the naughtiest missionaries ever!!! Ah! We try so hard to be good, but we just do the dumbest naughty things on accident! But it's okay heavenly father still loves us, and he gave us great miracles! Let me tell you about them.

So I told you we only had two lessons with investigators right? well it's the truth. But we had one with Armando, and it was amazing!! So Armando has been investigating the church for 2 years yeah? and he won't commit to baptism. If you ask me, it's because he is waiting for his wife. So i've been working on her. Me and her are going to have a pedicure party one day, but that is beside the point. So for Armando we prepared this killer lesson about the atonement. and it was obvious that satan didn't want us to give it, because there were tons of distractions, and all that. But we had our lesson and it was killer. So we invited him to our play and to church like we always do. But he didn't come to the play because it was his grandsons birthday, and then we didn't see him at church! and he always comes to church. So I was devastated!! but then in Sacrament meeting (because we have sacrament last) he was there. And do you wanna know who came in halfway through sacrament meeting?!?! HIS WIFE!! Victoria!! Yeah she came to church isn't that the best news you ever heard?! I think that if we can get her, we can get both of them! it's so exciting! also, we had another investigator come to church. His name is Nicolas, and I am pretty sure he is handicap, so I don't know how much he is receiving. But it was so cute we went to get him for church and he was totally ready with his Book of Mormon and pamphlet. He was shaking everyones hands, and he was wearing a basketball jersey! ha I love him! I think you could probaly compare him with that boy from Radio... the handicapped one. Well so anyways, I am running out of time because this man sitting next to me started talking to me about the devil stealing his stuff and homeless people. But he was nice. His name is richard.

Okay last thing. We got to go out finding with the sister training leaders on saturday afternoon. I went with Hermana Arguello. And people were SO MEAN TO US!! here is the deal. There are a ton of Jehovas Witnesses around here, and sometimes people think we're JW's. So they hide from us. It's the saddest. So we would knock on peoples doors, and we knew they were home, and they would hide from us. People avoided us like the plague, and it was the saddest! Well the other problem was too, that most of them were white. And everyone knows white people just aren't nice. So moral of the story, be nice to people. And I am not a JW!! Well, technically am, JW like janessa watts, but no! I'm a mormon!! anyways, this week was super great. I hope you are all doing well and are seeing miracles in your life. And also, I hope you are sharing the gospel with everyone you come in contact with. Because they need it. I hope you know that I pray for you everyday! Love you all so so much! Don't miss me too much, and be good!



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