FAMILY, SOCCER, MISSIONARY WORK, AND TOMALES--WHAT ELSE IS THERE IN LIFE? NADA
What a wonderful week full of teaching, learning, and eating! BUT my favorite part was talking to you all:) It was the best to see your faces and, although it's been 8 months, it felt like no time had passed at all. I love family!
On Tuesday we woke up at 4:30 to go to Tucson for our mission wide Christmas Conference - early, but worth the sacrifice! We were spiritually (and physically) fed AND I got to see all my old companions/districts. President Killpack gave us the best Christmas present - in 2 weeks our entire mission is going to be bussed up to Phoenix to hear Elder Holland, the Lord's bulldog, speak! Obviously, we're stoked!! That night we went to a Christmas Eve party at the Quintana's and it's amazing the love these people so freely give and I'm so blessed to be on the receiving end! After we went to Midnight Mass and I counted it as my workout for the day - it was up, down, kneel, repeat. Then we spent the night sleeping underneath the Christmas lights:)
What a special Christmas we had! My heart is SO full of gratitude! Cinnamon rolls, family, soccer, and tomales - what more is there in life? Nada.
We have had a great week with our investigators too! Geovani set his own baptismal date (and I think this time he's ready) AND the Barajas kids have baptismal dates! Pray hard for these people - they are SO ready.
We taught the Renterias the Law of Tithing this week and I don't know why but before, we both felt really apprehensive. We taught and made sure to promise blessing all throughout the lesson and at the end I extended the commitment, "Will you pay your tithing once your baptized?" There were a couple seconds of silence and then Jose said, "Well, we already talked about it and decided that if we're going to get baptized, we're all in. So yes, of course we will pay our tithing." I almost started crying! It is such an example to me to see how much faith and determination these amazing people have!
Last night we went and taught the Duran's (family of 8) the Plan of Salvation. It's been neat because at the start of the transfer all we were doing is finding new investigators so we were teaching Lesson 1, The Restoration, a lot. But now, all these people are progressing and we've been teaching Lesson 2, Plan of Salvation. And just like all teaching situations, the teacher has to study and prepare to teach and therefore ends up learning so much more than the students. My love for the Plan of Salvation has grown so much! Heavenly Father is SO smart! haha Last night though we brought the Quintana's to the lesson with us and it was the most powerful Lesson 2 I have ever been present during. At the end, Hermano Quintana testified and then he choked up and expressed his love for missionaries. He told them how much we sacrifice to be here and how hard missionary work can be. But then I told them that maybe at times it is hard to be away from your family but in moments like this, when we're teaching a full family about how they can all return to God and live together forever, missionary work isn't hard at all. In moments like that, I wouldn't rather be anywhere else in the world. The spirit was strong and by the end we were all crying! haha It was a great way to end of the week.
Saturday we went on exchanges and my momma got to come here with me! Sister Jenkins got to come experience the magic of Deming and Columbus. By the end of the night she was saying how jealous she was of my area and it really made me realize how incredibly blessed we are! We have amazing FAMILIES we are teaching and it is amazing to be a part of the Lord's work.
I'm really excited for New Years! I am so grateful for the chance to start over, to set goals, and to become better. We are so blessed to have second chances! Henry David Thoreau said, "What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." Pray to know the goals you need to set and then set the goals that stretch you because, "There is no growing in a comfort zone and no comfort in a growing zone." 2014 is going to be a GREAT year full of missionary work and Mexican food:)
Family I love you so much and life is good, life is great, life is wonderful! :)
Hermana Stewart
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