Earthquake!

Hey Dearest Family! Happy St. Patricks day! fun story of today, as I was happily sleeping and dreaming of all the great people that are going to be baptized (because those are missionary dreams you know..) I was woken up at 6:24 by our house shaking!! We had an earthquake! aaaaah! okay lets be real it wasn't big or anything, and it only lasted about 15 seconds, but it was AWESOME! and now I can say I have lived through an earthquake;) haha

This week was awesome. We did so many things, I can't even remember them! I feel like life is flying a million miles a minute! probably because it is. I feel like it has become a nightly routine that we are running to our car at 8:55 every night trying to make it home on time. There is just so much to be done, and so little time! but here is a really cool story you might like

Hermana Barnes and I go running three times a week. Trying to be healthy or something.. well anyways, we decided to take out temple cards to pass out to people as we ran. One morning we ran passed this woman, gave her a card, got her name (Linda) and pet her dog for a few seconds, and went on our way. The next day as we were out running, we passed her again. She stopped us and said "are you LDS?!" and we said yes! and she said "oh I have seen your temple their in LA it's so pretty and I just think that the LDS people are so great" and she went off to talk about Elizabeth Smart and how amazing her family is and how all LDS people are just amazing, and how we were so kind, and then she said she wanted to come to church so we gave her the address and she hugged us and left. What the! That was one of the coolest things ever! I have talked to a TON of people on my mission, but I think Linda has been one of my favorites. Just seeing how talking to everyone really does matter. Our little decision to give her a temple card and invite her to go visit it one day just brightened her whole day and made her so happy. That was such a tender mercy to be a part of.

I know that the Lord really is preparing people to receive us. Sometimes, we just don't know who they are. So that is why we have to talk to everyone. Because you never know when you are going to pass by a Linda.

lots of other great things, we taught this man named Lorenzo who is basically golden. Asked us a million questions about the book of Mormon, and he is SO interested, and I am SO excited to teach him more. also, I am just in love with one of our investigators named Mayra. She is the sweetest thing I ever did know. She is 63 and just my favorite thing. She talks for days though, but we just love her lots. She says she wants to be baptized, but she is waiting for her son to come home from his mission to baptize her. How awesome is she!!

And lastly, I love my calling as sister training leader so so so much. We did some studies with our hermanas, and they are all so awesome. it is so much fun learning from them, and teaching them things that I know. It's the best. There is another new Hermana in our zone, Hermana Simpson is now with Hermana Evans and Rodriguez. They are going to have a stellar Trio I just know it. Next week we are going on exhanges with all the hermanas, so I just know we are going to see miracles. Be ready for a great email next week!

Well Lovers, I have to go now, but I love you all oh so much! Don't forget that no act of kindness is ever wasted. Just think about Linda! So the invite of the week, say hi to one new person this week, and see what happens! Love you all with all my heart!

Love Ness

picture: cute Mayra Martin:)

Exchanges

Dearest familia of mine,

 

This week has been awesome. Just stellar I tell you. We got to go on two exchanges this week, and both of them were really amazing. I went with Hermana Cable for my very first exchange ever! (well as a sister training leader) and we learned a lot together. We were able to contact like a million people, and find all of these crazy less active people! She really helped me on my exchange to remember the Why of missionary work. Why are we even out here? Why am I even talking to this person? Why do I even want you to read in the book of Mormon? learned a lot about how these people are never going to change if they don't understand the WHY. so that was a tender mercy. It was also super fun to be back in my old area for a day. Oh man I tell you what, Burbank is where it's at. That area is stellar!

 

For the second exchange Hermana Rodriguez she was just having a hard time in her companionship. She is in a trio, which is rough. Trust me I know a thing or two about trio life. So I was really able to help her lead in my area. At the end of the exchange she said Hermana thank you for letting me lead. We had a lot of fun, but on that exchange we saw this amazing miracle. Carlos. Ready for his story?

 

So we had planned to visit a street called corteen. Well I don't know anyone in this area or on this street, so I look at a list of people who are potential investigators who live on corteen and I write about 5 people down. So we were having a super unsuccessful day up to this moment. So we get to Corteen and we are knocking doors, and then I see this building and I say oh we have a potential who lives here, Carlos. So we went and knocked his door, and his friend said no he's not home come back like at 6. Well we were like dang. It's only 5, what are we going to do now. So after knocking a few more doors with no luck, and having no direction whatsoever I look to Hermana Rodriguez and say "Hermana I am lost. I have no idea what to do." So we decided to pray to see what to do. After the pray I asked her if she felt prompted to go anywhere. She said "well maybe we can try that brown building. brown people live in brown buildings right?" ha okay! so we go to the brown building, look at the directory, it's totally all AMERICANS!! so dang. Well then she says "maybe the lord is leading us in the direction he wants us to go." we turn around to keep walking, and run right into a LATINO! guess who? CARLOS! so we taught him right there and then on the street, he was super awesome, and want to know the best part?? he came to church yesterday!!!!!!!! That never happens! He is so cool!

 

I think my favorite part of exchanges is all the little miracles we see. I know the lord is in the details of our lives, and whatever the miracles, big or small, he is mindful of us.

 

in other news on Monday we went to the zoo. I love the zoo!

other things, Lorenzo, from last week, he is super awesome! we took him on a church tour and he loved it! I am pretty sure he is going to be stellar. Just wait. and lastly, we are going to have interviews with president hall this week, so next weeks email is going to be exceptionally amazing.

 

But I love you all oh so much! you are all my inspiration. But my invite to you is when you just cant figure out what the heck to do, ask the lord. Because he will always lead us in the direction he wants us to go.

 

Love Ness