Hello friends and family!

A lot has happened this week, actually. When you're in the middle of a day it feels like you've been awake for three months straight and nothing has happened, but when you sit down to write an email you keep having moments where you think, "wait, did that really happen this week? Dang, a lot has been going on!"

Me with my MTC companions! We had a training follow-up meeting where our MTC district all got to see each other. I loved it!

First things first.

First exchange, complete! Whew! I admit, I was pretty stressed at the thought of leaving my trainer and going down to Oceanside with a stranger, but it was actually a great experience for me. The weather is a lot more breezy and pleasant in Oceanside, for starters, so walking around outside wasn't half as murderous as walking around in Temecula. I love Temecula, it can just get SO HOT sometimes.

Anyway, I was able to learn a lot from Sister Jones, the sister training leader for our companionship, and it was nice to finally have a comparison point to see what our companionship is doing well and what we can improve on. I was a little mad that I missed a lot of lessons (dang it!) with people that I haven't met yet, but I know that it's not a big deal. I still have 9 weeks of training to do here in French Valley! Plenty of time to meet them all.

Our area is getting split!

We have a lot of missionaries coming in next transfer, and there is a lot of work to do in French Valley, so President Kendrick decided to give us the reins on splitting our own area. It was so hard! We had to let go of a lot of investigators, ward members, and recent converts that we love, but we know it is all a part of the Lord's plan. So, come next transfer (about three weeks from now) our ward will have two sets of missionaries! We aren't sure if they're elders or sisters yet, but we know that whoever it is, they're just what the ward needs.

One of the investigators we'll be losing is Victor, who I think I mentioned in an earlier email. He's been investigating the church for 15 years, now. His wife and kids are all members, and his in-laws, who live with them. Sister Saxton and I were really upset about it, but we were determined to at least set up a soft baptismal date with him before we handed him over to the other missionaries.

We had a lesson with him on Sunday afternoon, right after church. President and Sister Kendrick, who are so awesome, told the entire mission that they'd be willing to come to teaching appointments with any companionship at nearly any time, as long as the appointment was really solid. We took them up on the offer and had them come to Victor's house with us on Sunday.

We read through verses in Alma 5 that Sister Saxton and I had picked out the night before, and all of us bore testimony to Victor about faith, repentance, and eternal families. I invited him to be baptized on July 27th, which was almost a joke, and he said YES!

VICTOR IS GETTING BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY!

I've never been so happy about anything in my life!

So, this week is a lot about preparing for Victor's baptism. I can't wait! I'll send pictures in next week's email.

Anyway, gotta scram! Love you all.

Sister B

I really need to get better at budgeting my email time!

 

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty.

 

This week, I will admit, has been hard. We've had a lot of dropped appointments and a lot of stagnation, which is hard compared to the success of last week. I promise, though, that I am working on my diligence and trying to stay excited about this wonderful work. All we do, all day, is meet with people! I love getting to know the people here in French Valley and helping them draw closer to Jesus Christ.

 

So, minor drama: I had to give an infamous last-second talk in church on Sunday! We got a call at 8:15 asking us to fill in for two speakers who had cancelled last minute. I had 45 minutes to prepare, which is a lot more than some missionaries, I'm sure, but I was panicking so much! The Spirit really helped me out, though. I know that most of the words I said weren't my own, and I'm so grateful for it. People told me that it was good, so I hope they weren't lying!

 

Anyway, we keep finding young people! We just met a 13 year old girl yesterday who took a Book of Mormon and was interested in hearing about the church, then her 11 year old brother pulled up on a scooter and took a Book of Mormon, too! It's SO COOL. I love finding new potential investigators!

Also, I'm going on my first exchange starting tonight. I'm going down to Oceanside, and I am SUPER nervous! It'll be my first time out in the field without Sister Saxton. But I know it'll be great! And maybe it's just what I need to find that strength to be diligent.

Love you all! Thanks for your love, support, and prayers! I am so happy to be a missionary, even if every day I am doing something hard or uncomfortable and some days feel like a literal eternity. I know that the more I work, the better it will get!

 

Sister B

Hey everybody-

 

So, hopefully I'll get better at budgeting my time online, but now I only have about 15 minutes to try and tell you about everything that has been happening lately.

 

If you want details you'll probably have to write me seperately from this, because I just have no time whatsoever.

 

Last Tuesday, I think I told you that I was waiting in the mission home, along with everybody else arriving in Carlsbad that day, basically waiting for the transfer meeting.

 

So, we went to the transfer meeting and I was assigned my trainer. Her name is Sister Saxton, and we are seriously two peas in a pod. I couldn't have asked for a better companion for these first few months! She's actually only just barely finished her own field training (it's a 12 week course), so there's still a lot that we are both learning as we go.

 

My ward/area is called French Valley. We're up in almost the northernmost part of the mission, right next to Temecula. It is so blazing hot every day, sometimes I think I'm going to melt into a puddle, but we always make it to the end of the day without dying. ;)

We are having incredible success here. I feel like every day, Sister Saxton is telling me how crazy it is that we are meeting so many people that are interested in the Gospel, especially youth. Right now we are teaching four youth, ages 12-17. It's crazy!

 

I wish I could tell you about all of the people that I've met. I love it here so much. One of our investigators, Victor, has been investigating the church for over 12 years. His wife and children are all members, but he is just having trouble finding the faith to make a committment to the church, even though he knows it's true. I am so determined to see him baptized, especially because I feel like we are similar in a lot of ways. Whenever he prays, he always pauses at parts just before he's about to say something about the truth of the Gospel, then changes the wording so he's not saying that it's true. For instance, at our lesson on Sunday he said "please bless the missionaries that they can find others and teach them about the Church and help them to know that the Gospel is.... right for them." I KNOW HE WAS GOING TO SAY TRUE! I KNOW IT! Hahahaha, it's a tiny bit frustrating when he knows, and we know that he knows, he just isn't willing to admit it.

 

Don't worry, we'll get him.

 

:)

 

We also had an incredible experience. We were going to stop by an investigator's house and see if we could teach her the Plan of Salvation, but she wasn't home. A woman who lives with her named Lashinae (she told us to call her LaLa) opened the door and let us come in to talk to her. We quickly realized that she has been in a really dark place lately. She's had an incredibly difficult past, and is feeling worthless, taken advantage of, and alone. We had a brother from the ward come and give her a priesthood blessing, and the Spirit was so strong. She was sobbing by the end of it. Today is her 27th birthday, so we're going over to her house to teach her the second lesson and just hang out with her on her birthday. I know that we were sent to her at that specific time in her life to help her turn everything around and put the past behind her. I hope that she sticks with us!

Anyway, I've gotta split! We live in a member's house (we have our own little section of the house with our own study room and bathroom, it's adorable) so I don't feel comfortable giving out the address. Unfortunately, that means I'll only get mail once a week, when we have a district/zone meeting, so I'm sorry if my responses are super delayed! I still love you!

 

Love,

 

Sister B

I wish I could tell you everything about my MTC experience and how incredible it has been, but I have no time. That's one thing that happens as a missionary: you don't have time for much of anything other than work. If you do, you're probably not doing something right.

I loved the MTC. It can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, if you go into it ready to work hard and let yourself be changed. I'll tell you for a fact that no matter how prepared you feel or want to be, you will NEVER be prepared. You just need to go with an open heart and wonderful things will happen.

Now I'm here in the mission field, about to be assigned to my trainer and start the work. I can't even believe that this is happening.

And the palm trees. They're unreal, too.

Anyway, I've got to go! I wish I could attach photos to this.... Next time. Just know that I'm having the greatest time and can't wait to get started!

Love,

Sister B

P.S. First meal in California was perfect: California burritos (there are FRENCH FRIES in the burrito!), homemade salsa and chips. I knew I was meant to be in Cali!

P.P.S. Make sure that if you send mail, you're not sending it to the MTC!