Last Email

Hola amigos!!

I can't believe its my last email I will be sending out. This week has been pretty normal missionary life haha! I am so grateful for the past 18 months and all the ups and downs that have come with it. I feel very same same but different ;)

This week we had an exchange and I was in the sketchy part of Richmond with a missionary that is in her first transfer. It was so much fun and we were able to talk to a lot of people and we saw some weird police action in an apartment complex called "la mancha" (the stain) . But we wen to this one place and everywhere we knocked someone answered. One lady let us in her house and she ws so so nice and Hermana Ulloa was so excited. It was so much fun:)

This week Hermana Clark met some guy on exchanges who seemed pretty interested in church. Well Sunday comes along and he came to church!  He was sitting down with some members when we walked into the chapel. When we sat down he told us that he was baptized in his country!  I don't know why this happens to me all the time but the people come and say they are members haha! We are in the process of trying to get his records from El Salvador.

On saturday night we had a video call with this guy that Hermana Clark had met on Facebook. It went for 45 minutes and we taught him the restoration. He seems to have some social anxiety but we talked to him about coming to church and he didn't really want to. Sunday comes and we get a message and he said there are too many people at your church. I can't come in. but we went out and got him and he came to church. He even stayed for priesthood and made some friends and we had a potluck afterwards and he came to that as well.

In the news of transfers,Hermana Clark is also leaving the area so new hermanas will come in and take over. I will be transferred to a new area.. I think in Utah? haha!

Tonight and tomorrow I will continue working in my area and then on Wednesday we go to transfer meeting and I think on Wednesday I go contacting in downtown Richmond and then we have a night at the mission home with a testimony meeting or something. I am excited :)

Press forward saints would be cool. If Brandt wanted to play a song that would be cool or if Heidi wants to sing. Either way. I would love it if my siblings participated in some way. I will talk more about that on Thursday.

your week sounds exciting. I am excited to come be with you guys. Definitely some bittersweet feelings. I love you guys so much and I am excited to be there with y'all.

Its so unreal that this is the last week  of my mission. I have loved my mission. There has been hard parts but also some of the most joyful moments of my life. I know that Jesus Christ lives and he will come again. I know that the atonement of Jesus Christ is the most important thing that happened on the earth. Repentance is a joyful choice and it helps us to progress. I came on my mission to change the lives of the people here in Virginia but I have been impacted more then anyone that I have talked to. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the church that Christ leads. The Book of Mormon is true. I know it with all of my heart.

I love you all so much. Thank you to everyone who has supported me in one way or another on my mission. I have felt the prayers and support! I will be speaking February 17th. Contact me if you want the information!

Fresh Dead Chicken Head

Hola amigos!

This week we had some cool experiences. One of them being with a girl named Stephani who apparently wants to get baptized and we are going to start teaching her this week! So we are super excited about that. She is the ex daughter in law of a recent convert so its kind of weird but it works haha!

We went to dinner on Friday and this lady brings a dead chicken that she just killed in her backyard into the kitchen. She chops the head off and puts it directly on the stove then proceeds to pluck the chicken and put it in a bag and then she sold it while we were there hahaha. It smelt horrible but it was cool to watch!

On an exchange we met with a member to try and get him involved in  member missionary work and he told us how he always talks with his coworkers and was so excited to try and give out a Book of Mormon!

Yesterday we had a cool experience with a member and her non member husband. So he has been super against the church and whenever the missionaries are there he will talk to them but as soon as they start talking about the gospel he leaves. Well unfortunately his sister in law passed away over the weekend unexpectedly so we decided to go over and try and share a message. It went really well and he stayed for the message and the prayer. I was able to relate with him and help  him feel not alone. We testified of the atonement of Jesus Christ and its power and then he said once they get back from Texas that we could come back. It was an awesome experience and the Spirit was super strong.

I know that God has a plan and He is all knowing. I have felt peace since being back and I know that it has only come through the atonement of Jesus Christ. I have also felt the strength of so many prayers and I felt very strongly that  I am functioning because of the people that are praying for me. This gospel is real.

I love you lots!

Crazy Week Back in Virginia

Hola amigos!

It has been hard but good being back. I find when I am out doing the work I am pretty good but mornings and evenings in the apartment are rough. Part of me feels like I am putting off my grieving by being out here because I don't think about it often. I know talking about it would be good but I just don't know what to say. But I am doing okay and will survive.

This week has felt soooo long. We did a lot this week so I guess that is good. We did get to go to Angel's baptism on Wednesday! It was so great. I have never seen him so happy. He didn't want a big baptism or a program or anything like that. So we got there, took some pictures, sang a song and said a prayer and then he was baptized. He was so so happy and it was awesome.

On Thursday we went and helped a recent convert move some furniture in her trailer and that was an adventure haha. There is so much stuff inside one trailer. One of the rooms you can hardly open the door because there is just so much stuff. But after that we both felt like we should go try this referral and we did and she let us right in. We taught her the restoration and she was excited to read the Book of Mormon!

We also had exchanges with some hermanas and I got to go to the more sketchy part of Richmond so that was exciting :)

We also found this super cool lady in our apartment complex this week and we went back for the return appointment on Saturday and she wasn't there and we were pretty sad but we decided to  try again on Sunday and we ended up teaching her and her husband the entire restoration!! It was super powerful and the spirit was super strong. She had tears rolling down her cheeks after the opening prayer. They were super attentive the entire time and are going to study the Book of Mormon and we have a lesson with them on Wednesday :) We are so so excited! 

That's the cool stuff that happened this week haha! This next week we will be pretty busy too so i am excited about that. It still feels like I won't be home again for 33 years haha. Its also weird because I feel like I was just home but at the same time I never came home. Its hard to deal with this on a mission. I love you guys and miss you even though I just saw you haha!