Wednesday, July 15, 2015

"Oh esta todo bien"

Well family...these weeks are going by super fast and I can't wrap my mind around it. But this past week was really good. Well I mean, all weeks are good. But we had a successful week and had some powerful lessons. 

Monday- We went to Goodwill and then ate some frozen yogurt with the other Hermanas'. And then we came back to the apt and hung out there until we went to dinner. After dinner we had an FHE with the Vargas and Garcia families. We read a talk from the July Ensign about the Pioneers called "Oh, esta todo bien" and we talked about how all is well in the end, in the end of this life, at the end of our trials, etc. God is always with us and we must have the mentality that all is well. We then passed by the Mercado family and had a small FHE with them. 

Tuesday- We did some contacting in the afternoon and everyone we talked too wasn't too fond of us, but at least we can go back in a few months and see if they are more ready to accept the gospel. We then had a lesson with Anahi and talked about our purpose here in the this life. We then passed by an older couple that we met a month or so ago and we sat and talked with them for a bit, but the lady has bad Alzheimers...so we probably won't teach them, but we gave them our card so we can come do service! That night we had a relief society activity for all the Hermanas' birthdays and we played some games and then ate fruit and ice cream. it was a lot of fun! And I didn't sit on a Hermana this time! After the activity we passed by the other Mercado family in our area and shared a small part from a talk about the Book of Mormon. 

Wednesday- We went out early to try and contact a potential named Olivia, but she was busy. So we tried by a couple other people and then met 2 Hermanas' from the ward to eat some lunch and I ate the biggest pupusa! And it was delicious! We then had a lesson with Marcos and finished teaching him the plan of salvation and then took him door knocking with us! He loved it and was amazed at what we did. We then passed by the Sarabia's and shared a scripture with them and Marcos helped out. He is already a great missionary! We then came to dinner a little bit early and took Sara, the Garcia's daughter out to knock some doors. We then headed with Hna. Garcia to an appt, but Rosa wasn't there so we passed by Olivia again and she invited us in! She had some great questions and told us she is very open to learning more. And later we passed by Abel and Kody and we taught them about the Armor of God. 

Thursday- We did our planning for week 6...! WHAT?! And then we went out contacting and passed by Rosa and had a short lesson with her about the importance of Church. And then we went by Hna. Miranda and shared a scripture and did an experiment having them think of a street that we can go knock while we pray. The members like it, it is different, but we get to see where they think we should go knock.

 (This is our district!)

Friday- We had district meeting and we did a training on the importance of being persistent with inviting to be baptized and then trying to set them with goals and dates to be baptized. After our meeting we went to the CALM zoo that is here in East Bakersfield and we got to rake some leaves and make all the walk ways clear and clean. They have some really cool animals! I am just glad we didn't have to clean up after the animals haha. We then had a lesson with Guillermina and taught the Plan of Salvation. We then decided to go walking around our area, and we got to talk to more people and then we found a lady named Emma sitting outside and we ended up teaching her! She is so cute and was so happy that we came to see her and talk with her about the gospel. And then on the way back to our car we saw the Utley family and we got to talk with them for a little bit!

((left) Our free slurpees! (right)  This is Francisco, the guy we were teaching a couple months ago.)
((left) Armor of God!  (right) FREE slurpees at 7/11 with Marcos)

Saturday- Our lesson in the morning with Emma got cancelled, so we tried by another lady with Hna. Alaniz and then went back to her house for a drink of water and we shared the same message that we did with Hna. Miranda and picking a street for us to knock. After that we had a lesson with Marcos and taught him about patriarchal blessings and he thought that is was pretty cool! We then walked to the 7/11 with Marcos and got free slurpees!! We then had a lesson with the Trejo family and talked about the temples and family history, they loved it and told us that they were so interested in learning more! We then had dinner and then passed by Emma again to see what happened in the morning and she told us that she left with her son. So we taught her a little lesson about faith and reminded her about church. 

Sunday- We did some morning visits to our investigators to invite them/remind them about church and we only got to talk to one of them. We then headed to church and guess what?!?! Marcos blessed the sacrament! It was so awesome to see him in a white shirt and tie! He was nervous, but Hna. Gonzalez and I both gave him the thumbs up and he did a great job! Then during sacrament meeting they mentioned me going home :( so they had me bare my testimony, so that was good. And it now just feels so natural to do it in Spanish. Not sure how hard it will be in English haha. After church we passed by the Rodriguez house and shared a message with all the grand-kids about the Armor of God. We got cardboard and everything and got them all dressed up! We then had a lesson with a potential named Eugenio and he was so cool! He loved what we shared and wants to learn more about the Book of Mormon. And then we contacted a little and then had a lesson with the Vargas family.

Well family, this coming week is my last week and I can't believe that it has come this fast. I wish you all a wonderful week and I will talk to you for the last time through email next week!

Adios, love you all!

Love, Hermana Aase 

Monday, July 6, 2015

Lets just say it was REALLY hot

HI FAMILY!!

So I am not dead...thank heavens. The weather this week was horrible!! We were talking with our ward mission leader and saying how some of the houses we walk into/outside felt like el inferno!! hahah. I'll let you google translate that if you want! But besides the heat, it was a good week. Nothing to complain about.

Monday- We did some contacting before our FHE. We had a referral, but she wasn't home. So we passed by the Miranda's but Hna. Miranda was sick, but we talked to her daughter for a little bit. We then headed to FHE with the Garcia's and the Hermosillo's. We talked about the Atonement and watched the Mormon message about the current bush and how sometimes we may be cut down, but it is so we can grow and become who the gardener wants us to become. 


Tuesday- We also did some contacting and knocked some doors on a street that we hadn't ever been to, and we found a new investigator! Her name is Carla. She is in her 20's (?) and is interested in reading from the Book of Mormon. So we taught her on her door step, and it was about 110 degrees outside...and we were sweating like NO OTHER..it was bad! haha. We then went to have a lesson with Melody, but she was asleep...so we passed by the Rodriguez house to fill our water bottles and we talked with them for a bit until dinner. After dinner we did ward visits and the less active's we had on our list weren't home, so we decided to pass by one of our less actives, Veronica. We shared the scripture in Moroni 7 about charity and shared some things we can do to show love and charity to others. 

Wednesday- We again did some more contacting, on the same street as we did on Tuesday, and we found another new investigator!! We really like this street now haha. But her name is Rosa, she is a mom of 5 kids. When we knocked on her door and starting talking to her we asked her if she had faith in Christ and she said "yes..but that her relationship wasn't very good". So we asked her if she wanted to increase that and she said, "well of course". So she let us in and we taught her and she was very receptive to the message and wants her family to be closer. We are hoping to teach her and her husband and kids next week!! We are really excited to teach her and see how she progresses. We then passed by the Trejo family and we read the "Safety for the Soul" talk, and we talked about the Book of Mormon and shared our testimonies of it. After that we had a lesson with Guillermina and read in the Book of Mormon. After that we had a lesson with Nelly and taught the 10 commandments with hand signs and the importance of following the prophet. We then did some contacting, but sadly all the people we talked to weren't interested. But then we went over to Abel and Kody's house and had a lesson with them. We talked about patriarchal blessings and how wonderful they are. 

Thursday- Planning day!...it was weird to plan for week 5...that can't be real. We contacted in the morning, but the lady that we talked to needed us to come earlier, so we will pass by her the following week. We then ate lunch with a less active, Guillermina, and Hno. Duran. It was tostadas and they were SOO good. (that is something I will be making when I get home) We then went home and planned until dinner time. Sadly Nelly wasn't at home for her lesson, so we knocked on some doors and then had a lesson with Marcos about the Book of Mormon and prayer. We invited him to share his testimony on fast Sunday and he said he would!

Friday- We had zone training meeting and we got the results of the number of baptisms we've had...we got 39 for the month. We didn't reach our goal, but we have some exciting things coming for the month of July. We talked about the difference of disappointment and discouragement. With disappointment, we get up again and we try even harder to make the new goal. And with discouragement, we look down on ourselves and don't have that motivation to keep going. That is the lesson to remember. We then headed out to south Bakes for our exchange with the STL's!! I was with Hna. Moore for the day, and I just love her to pieces! We did some contacting, and met some cool people...not interested, but nice to talk to! We had pupusas for dinner and then tried by the set lessons...sadly they weren't home. So we decided to go by a former investigator to see if we could talk to her dad more about baptism.  We began talking to him and he asked us questions like "what makes your church different than mine", so we talked about the restoration and the priesthood...and that wasn't getting into his brain and the thought kept coming to me to talk about temples, and the work that goes on inside them. It was random, but I acted upon the thought. He seemed to be interested and said he wanted to "ask his pastor"..of course we told him to pray about it as well. But he said that he would come visit the church to see what his daughter was getting into. Once Hna. Moore and I got back in to the car she told me that he had had that question before and could not find any scripture reference to it..until we shared the one in 1 Cor 15. It was such a wonderful experience and it made me a bit sad to think that this time is quickly coming to a close. 

((left) We ate lunch with Manuel!!  (right) Don't mind me...I am just holding the flag backwards haha)
((left) Exchanges! And the forth of July celebration!  (right)  Love these Hermanas'!)
((left) we made red, white and blue pancakes!  (right) I really wanted to watch the fireworks...we could only see a couple... :()

Saturday- 4th of JULY! Hna. Meacham and I went running in the morning...I was super slow haha. But I ran!! And then we made red, white and blue pancakes and did our studies. We then met Manuel Felix for lunch and that was awesome! I miss that man!! He is still slowly progressing, which is good to see. We then got back into our area, and Nelly again was gone...they left for vacation...ugh. But we contacted a bit and then passed by the Sarabia's house and shared the scripture about God giving us free agency. I thought it would go well with the freedom of our country that day!! After that we had a short lesson with Guillermina and read some more in the Book of Mormon, and then ran to Marcos house and talked about the pre-earth life and the importance of God's plan. We then ate dinner with the other Hermanas' at Abel and Kody's house. He made BBQ pork sandwiches and coleslaw and had cake. It was yummy! We then went home because we had to be in early. We watched a church movie and made the decorations for an activity we are having for the relief society next week and watched...a few...fireworks from our window. 

(Guess who came and visited me...Hno.Gutierrez and PEDRO!!!!! haha :) gotta love these two!)

Sunday- Church was good! We didn't have any investigators there, but Marcos and Guillermina, and some less active families came so that was great! I bore my testimony in sacrament meeting and so did Marcos and Guillermina!! Hna. Gonzalez and I were smiling so wide while they were up there. And then guess who came and visited me...?? PEDRO!!!! and Hno.Gutierrez. It was so funny. but so good to see them. Pedro and I talked and he is doing so good and progressing so well!! AHH it just makes me so happy to see those two :) After church we had a lesson with Marcos, since ours on Saturday was short, and we talked more about the plan of salvation and then we took him door knocking and we told us that he is thinking about doing what we do..!! How awesome would that be?!?! That night we visited Hna. Alaniz and shared a scripture with her and then we went home and broke our fast and ate dinner with the Hermanas'. 

It was a busy week and you can tell. But things are going great. They are going by really fast. But I love it, I love it, I love it! 

Thank you all for your love and your support!

Have a wonderful week!! And I'll talk to you next week!

Love, Hermana Aase

Monday, June 29, 2015

I Love to See the Temple

Hi family!

How can it be another Monday...they come up really fast. But! Onto the week!
It was a pretty good week. Not the worst, but not the best. But that can always change, right?!

Monday- Pday was nothing too special. Just relaxed around the house and wrote some letters. Sadly as the day went on, everybody cancelled...dinner and our FHE. So we decided to pick some streets we hadn't knocked on yet, and to knock them. We found a couple Spanish houses that we are going to return too. We then passed by the Rodriguez's and had a small FHE with them. We shared a Mormon message and talked about the need for trials and burdens in our lives. Without them, we don't learn or grow. 

Tuesday- We had a lesson with Marcos and taught the Restoration and read some scriptures and explained in detail more of the Gospel. He says that he feels different with the Holy Ghost, but that he now knows why we as missionaries go out and knock on doors and teach people. You can see him learning more and more everyday. We then had a lesson with Candy and taught her more about the Holy Ghost and the importance of the church. She is progressing...just very slowly. So we aren't quite sure if we are going to teach her much longer. We haven't been able to have another lesson with her dad, so we will see. After that we passed by the Morales' house to see if their granddaughter was there and she was! So we taught her and set her with a baptismal date for July 11th! So all we need is her parents to sign the permission form to be taught and baptized. She is a cutie and loves church and learning. That night we had ward visits and we passed by a few less actives' and then headed back to the Morales' because Hermana had a referral for us. So we met her and set a time for a lesson. 

((Left) And then we hit some really bad traffic, due to a brush fire on the mountain. (Right) Saw this sign and HAD to take a picture of it :) haha. "Bello?")

Wednesday- TEMPLE DAY! We left and traveled down to LA...but got stuck in some traffic, so when we got the temple we ran in and got dressed. Being inside the temple was so nice. Just peaceful and full of the spirit. I miss being able to go every week. After we got out, we took pictures, ran to the store and then headed back out into the traffic. Hna. Rodriguez told us that the ocean was 3 miles from the temple..! WHAT?! Why did NO one tell us. So we drove by it and I got some pictures of the water. We then headed into traffic and it was horrible, and plus there was a HUGE fire on the mountain, so that wasn't good. We made it to In-N-Out and ate dinner and then headed on our way again. By the time we got home it was 7pm. We had a lesson with one of our members and watched a couple bible videos and talked about the temple. We were so tired by the time we got home. Even though we didn't do much, being in the car for 5 hours makes you tired. And some news...Guillermina (our recent convert) and Hno. Duran got married!!!! 

 (All the Hermanas' from La Cresta!)
(​(Left) So no one told us the ocean was 3 miles from the temple, so we drove by it! I haven't seen water in 18 months! (Right) East Bakes..where people take napes on the side of the road...)

 ((Left) LA temple (Right) I love the temple!..and flowers!)

Thursday- We did our planning and then passed by the Hermosillo's to see if Candy and Alejandro were there, and they were, but Alejandro was busy. But we shared the story about the Good Samaritan. Our other lesson got canceled, so we decided to pass by a potential named Carmen and she let us in and we talked for a little bit. She now knows who we are and said she would come to church one of these days. Quickly before we headed home we passed by Guillermina and gave her a picture of us and her at her baptism and talked with her for little bit. 

Friday- Went to district meeting and learned some really awesome things. We did this role play on helping our investigators feel and recognize the spirit. It was one of the best role plays I've heard. When we share something that will invite the spirit and help our investigators recognize that that feeling is the spirit. It just makes the spirit even stronger. After that we did some service and got to wash some fruit and then cut cabbage. We then headed over and had a lesson with Nelly about the gospel of Jesus Christ and did a demonstration to help her understand it. And then that night we had a lesson with Guillermina about the Plan of Salvation. 

Saturday- In the morning we helped Hna. Rodriguez frost some cupcakes for her b-day dinner that night. And then we contacted a little bit before our lesson with Marcos. We taught Marcos about the armor of God and the spirit. He told us that while he was out teaching with the missionaries he was sharing what he knows about the Book of Mormon and he felt this overwhelming good feeling and told us that he got his answer that the Book of Mormon is true! It was so awesome! I just couldn't help but smile. We then passed by the Juarez family and invited them to church, and then passed by the Garcia family. Sadly our lesson with Ana the referral from Hna. Morales got cancelled. But we went out to contact and started talking to this young guy that was really interested, but he wanted to go to the YSA ward instead. But it was still cool to talk to him! We then passed by the Sarabia family and shared a scripture with them. We stopped by the b-day dinner and ate quickly and said happy birthday to Hna. Rodriguez and then went back to do studies. 

(Claudia, A recent convert in the ward. She is so awesome!)

Sunday- We had correlation in the morning then did some studies and headed to church. The music director wasn't at church...so guess who had to lead the music in sacrament meeting?...ME! haha. I didn't do too horribly. We had Marcos, Guillermina, Nelly and the Sarabias at church. After dinner we came back to the church for the baptism and then went back out to contact. We tried to teach this lady named Angela, but when we go to the Book of Mormon..she wasn't too happy. But we hope that one day she will think about what we shared and will invite the missionaries to her home. 

Well family, I love you all! 
These weeks are flying by...but I am trying to make the most of it :)

I'll talk to you next week!

Love, Hermana Aase

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

And under the water he goes!

Well family, Monday again! How do these come around so fast!?

This past week was good, it definitely got better throughout the week and ended wonderfully :)

Monday- Pday adventures, we went to the beehive store and looked at books and got a few things. And then we chilled at home until dinner time. Sadly I had a horrible headache, so we were inside for a little bit and then went out to contact a lady named Elvia, which she was busy, so we reschedule for another time. And then we passed by a less active's house, Hna Acosta, to see if she was there. And guess what?! SHE OPENED THE DOOR! We got the know her and then shared a scripture with her about being disciples of Christ. 

(Sunsets are the prettiest thing to look at here in desert Bakersfield!)

Tuesday- We did some service at the homeless shelter and helped mop the floor and clean the tables off. After that we went contacting and we found a new investigator named Maria! She didn't want to let us inside because her son is a Jehovah Witness, but she said that we could teach her outside so we proceeded to teach her. She said she would read and pray about the Book of Mormon. We then headed to dinner and after dinner we went to ward visits. I split and went with a few hermanas' while Hna Gonzalez went with a few others. We visited the Juarez and Sarabia family and shared scriptures with them. They were grateful for our visits. And it is nice to have some more time to see how they are and see if we can help them with anything. 

Wednesday- We contacted a little bit, not too successful. We then had lunch with Hno Rodriguez and Marcos and taught about temples and family history work. He thought that it was really cool! After that we ate dinner and had a lesson with our new member, Guillermina! We taught the restoration, but used more pictures this time :) haha. That night we passed by Able and Cody's house and shared a message from preach my gospel about the importance of new converts having friends in the church. 

(you know you have a wonderful companion when she takes apart your whole bed to kill a bug for you!)

Thursday- I headed to my last PT appt and the PT gave me some exercises to help my neck/headaches, so hopefully the more I do them the less my headaches will get. We then planned until dinner time. We passed by the Guido family because they weren't at church, so we stopped to check up on them and see if there was anything we could do. We then had dinner and a lesson with Marcos and the Garcia family. We taught about enduring to the end and getting all set for his baptism the next day! While we were there the brother of Hermana Garcia knows a lot about this Chinese acupuncture thing, so he did that to me and they are supposed to help me relax...they look kinda funny. So we will see how well they work! At this point I am willing to try anything haha. Ill send a picture of my ears with them on. We then headed home because Hermana Garcia said that they really relax you so I shouldn't be driving with them for the first day haha. 

(the weird acupuncture things!)

Friday- We had district meeting and got some awesome training on how to invite people to be baptized in a more loving, simple way! It was probably one of the best district meetings I've been to. Afterwards we had a pow-wow with Bishop to make sure we are all on the same page in the ward. We then headed out to contact and teach before Marco's baptism. We had a lesson with Candy and taught about repentance and baptism and then set her with  a date to get baptized on July 11th! So we are really gong to try and teach her and help her be ready. We then grabbed the program from the Rodriguez's house and then had a lesson with Guillermina. We asked her how she is feeling since she got baptized and she told us very good, and that she feels a lot more sure and safe :) that makes me so happy to hear!! We then ran home, frosted the cake, freshened up and then got to the church. We had to set everything up and all. The baptism started a little bit late, but all went well! We are happy and so is Marcos! 


Saturday- We contacted pretty much all day, but we found Art at home, finally! So we had a lesson with him and taught him about Faith, repentance and baptism. We re-invited him to be baptized, but he told us that it is something he will still consider. He wants to learn more and read more in the Book of Mormon. We passed by the Trejo's and had a good lesson with them. Talked about their testimonies of the gospel and the Church. After that we stopped by Anahi and shared about temples and invited her to the Father's Day activity. And then we made our way to the park where we were having the ward activity. A good amount of people came. We ate and they played soccer and we got to talk with Marcos some more as well as our less actives that came. 

Sunday- Church was great! Marcos got confirmed and I couldn't help but smile the whole time! After church we ate with the Rodriguez family and shared a message with them. We then tried by a few potentials but no one was home. So we passed by the Morales's and shared a message from preach my gospel about us as missionaries needed members to help us in this work. We really truly need the members! Without them we can do nothing in the work of the Lord. We also found a good looking potential. It is Hermana Morales granddaughter. She really wants to be baptized. So we are going to go back in the next week and hopefully teach her. We then had an almost new investigator...we started teaching him and then he didn't want a Book of Mormon and said he was going to Mexico...so yeah. So close, yet so far! haha. 

Well family, this next week should be good! We have a ton planned like going to the temple and a couple other baptisms for the other missionaries in the ward. 

I hope you have a wonderful week and we will talk soon!

Love and miss you tons!

Hermana Aase

Monday, June 15, 2015

happiest feeling IN THE WORLD!

Well family, how are you? Staying cooler than I am here in Bakersfield...? If you looked at what the temperature is going to be this next week you will see that everyday will be in the 100's...I am gonna fry!

Well onto what exciting things happened this past week!

Monday- Was Hna. Gonzalez birthday, so we got a cake and all ate it at our house with the other Hermanas'. We then had an FHE with Marcos and the Hermosillo's, Alejandro and Candy. We taught about developing Christlike attributes and then watched a Mormon message that exemplified a young boy who did things as Christ would. (Its called "Dayton's legs" if you would like to watch it.)

((Left) Hna Gonzalez Birthday!  (Right) FELICIDADES cake that we brought to the fiesta after the baptism.)

Tuesday- All our appts cancelled, so we went door knocking and then decided to go back to where our car was and there was a potential named Pedro outside getting his mail, so we ran over there and started talking to him and he let us share our message with him. At first he wasn't too into what we wanted to share, but then we began agreeing with the things he believes and he told us of a good co-worker who was Mormon, and we told him we were Mormon. After that he began asking what we did believe and the message we had to share. He told us he wanted to check out our church! We then visited a member and quickly ran home and ate before ward visits. That night we went out with a lady from the ward and she took us to all her friends house, who she has shared the gospel with. It was so cool. We ended up meeting this guy and talking to him for 45 minutes. It was a total "at the right place, at the right time" kind of moment. And I know that God puts people in our paths that truly need the gospel. 

Wednesday- We had a lesson with Marcos and went over the baptismal questions and did all that! After that we went over to the Rodriguez's to help them out with cleaning and repairing the bathroom. We then had a lesson with Guillermina and talked about missionary work and visiting teaching and the importance of both these things. That night we did some contacting, sadly none of those potentials were interested, but one day they will be. 

Thursday- we had a visit from the STL's and we talked about goals for this transfer. It was weird to make those, but honestly making goals has helped me a lot throughout my mission. They help me lessen stress and slowly improve. We then ran over to my PT appt and that was good...my neck was so sore afterwards. We came home and planned until dinner time. After dinner we had a lesson with Guillermina about temples, marriage and family history work. She had a couple questions, but they were more about what she can do after her baptism. We then had a lesson with Gabriel Arroyo, a less active about the restoration and it was such a powerful lesson. The spirit was so strong there. After that we had a lesson with the Ramirez family and we talked about the temples and showed them a Mormon Message about the blessing of temples and being sealed in the temple as families. 

((Left) yes, it is really actually that hot.  (Right) Saying goodbye to my first companion, Hna Usher)

Friday- In the morning we had district meeting and after that did some contacting. We talked to these two youth aged boys about the church and they seemed interested. It makes me happy to see youth that are involved in Church and want to be closer with God. We then had a lesson with Candy and talked about Faith. After that we stopped by a less active, Anahi, and shared a message about the lost sheep in Luke 15. Running around even more, we had a lesson with Guillermina about enduring to the End and what happens after she gets baptized. We then ate dinner and had Marcos there and then did a lesson about missionary work.  He keeps saying he would love to be the boys on the bikes haha. We then passed by Sara, the 14 year old, and sad, long story short, her aunt and uncle were like, "she is catholic and she will be until she is 18..." so pretty much they took her agency away, but there wasn't anything we could do but invite her to keep reading and praying. We told her we will try and stop in a couple months. 

Saturday- We contacted in the afternoon...and it was the hottest day ever...and everyone we talked to was being rude, but we kept going and just thought about the exciting things that were going to happen later that day. We passed by the Sarabia family and shared a scripture with them and also the Trejo family. We then stopped at home and freshened up and then met Marcos at the church for his baptismal interview...and HE PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Marcos is getting baptized on Friday! We are so excited! Guillermina then came and we got her set and ready to go for her baptism and then we had the baptism. Hna. Gonzalez and I watched from the inside door of the font while Guillermina got baptized, and then while all the people were getting changed we and the other hermanas had a group hug! It was so good. It seriously is the greatest feeling in the world when you get to see someone you love accept the gospel and make promises with God. After the baptism we had a fiesta at the Mercado's house.

(Guillermina's baptisim!!!!)

Sunday- Guillermina got confirmed!! She was just glowing! We were so happy :) After dinner we contacted and then stopped by the Morales family and talked with them for a bit, and then had a lesson with Marcos' friend Jose. He was quiet, but we think he understood what we were teaching. We will see where things go!

Well family, this week was busy and this coming week is going to be busy. I am so happy and things are going well. 

Have a wonderful week family and we will talk next week!

Love you!!

Herman Aase

...And then the tears came

HI FAMILY!!

So the whole week wasn't tear filled, just a couple days, and I will explain what made those tears.

Monday- For pday we played volleyball and that was a blast! After dinner we had FHE with the Garcia family and Marcos came to that. We watched Finding Faith in Christ and the spirit was so strong. Afterwards Marcos was like "can I get one of those!?" Haha. 

Tuesday- We did some service at the Rodriguez's and we were organizing, which is my favorite!! After that we had a lesson with Melody and read the talk from the April 2015 Ensign about "It Isn't a Sin to be Weak" and explained about how through the grace of Jesus Christ we can be strengthened. We then passed by a potential named Art and got to teach him! It will be interesting...he has some interesting ideas, but we can help him. Before dinner we decided to pass by Francisco, and long story short he told us that he cant do it...he can't be 100 percent at his church and 100 percent at this church and he loves learning and the Book of Mormon, but he said he is waiting for God to show him a sign or tell him to move churches...It is hard because he hasn't even gone to church, and God doesn't work like that. He wants us to make that first move and then He will show us that it is right. So...he dropped us. I cried the whole way home. He is the first investigator that I have cried about. He so needs to gospel, but there isn't much more that we can do. So later that night we did ward visits and saw some less actives. 

Wednesday- After lunch we contacted! We then had a lesson with Marcos and taught him about following the prophet and being obedient. He believes that prophets are essential! We then visited a less active and knocked some doors and then we ran to Guillermina's and had a lesson with her and taught her the same thing- Prophets and Obedience. 

Thursday- We planned during the day and then I had my physical therapy appt, finally. The PT said that he isn't quite sure what is causing the headaches, but he thinks that the muscle clumped at the base of my head are pinching the nerves, which can cause headaches. So he is going to work out my neck for the next couple of weeks and hopefully that should help for the last 6 weeks of my mission...if not, I have lasted a year with them, and what would 6 more weeks do? That night we had dinner with the Garcias and had Guillermina and Hno Duran there and afterwards we had a lesson and talked about the church auxiliaries and service. She is so ready and prepared for baptism! After then we had a lesson with the Hermosillo family and shared a scripture with them. 


(Like mother like daughter -- we did NOT plan this!)

Friday-We had ZTM in the morning and talked about finishing strong. Both for those that will be finishing their missions soon and for all of us with finishing the goal we set to have 75 baptism this month. It is so important to finish what we started because it shows us that we really can set high goals and with the help of the Lord, we can accomplish them! We then did a little bit of service at the homeless shelter and then visited the Morales family and got a BUNCH of ideas on missionary activities and how to help the ward get more involved. While walking outside and contacting, we met a lady named Angela and she was so sweet! She saw us walk by the first time when we were going to a members, but the member wasn't there so we walked back the same way and she was still outside, but as we were approaching she ran to her car and got 2 booklets about Jesus Christ and began to tell us about her faith in Jesus Christ. She was so happy to talk to us and we are definitely going back!! That night we had a lesson with Guillermina and went over the baptismal interview questions and she passed with flying colors!...now we just wait for the real deal interview.

Saturday-  After lunch we contacted and found a less active that we didn't know about, so that was cool! And then we had a lesson with Marcos and taught him about the church auxiliaries and the importance of service and something really cool that he shared with us, I wanted to share with all of you. He told us that he recently started going to church, but as he sat in his church he began to think "there has to be more out there," and "which church should I really be going to". About a week or so later we knocked on his door and taught him about the Restoration. He told us that while we were teaching him about Joseph Smith and his experience in asking God what he should do, he thought to himself, "that is me in that picture". And now he said that he really feels that God is there and he loves reading the Book of Mormon and coming to church. So yeah, that was what Marcos told us in our lesson! It was so cool! And I got goose bumps just thinking about it again :) I love the way God works. After that we did some contacted and then passed by Anahi's house and invited her to church and then we headed to Abel and Cody's and ate enchiladas and no bake cookies! And then ran to the church for Guillermina's baptismal interview...and guess what.. SHE PASSED!!! SHE IS GETTING BAPTIZED NEXT WEEK!!!!! It was so good!. And Hna Gonzalez and I shed a couple happy tears! We then stayed for the baptism for our ward and that was beautiful. Baptisms are just so peaceful and we can feel the love of God in that room. I love it, I love it, I love it!

Sunday- Church was great! We had 4 people come! Guillermina, Marcos, Alejandro and Candy. And it was fast and testimony meeting! After church we ate dinner at the Rodriguez's and some news...Hermana Usher is going home this transfer because of some medical issues she has been dealing with :( so at dinner we all shared what we love about her and EVERYONE was crying. So yeah. But we visited by Sara - the 14 year old that we found a couple weeks ago and she told us that she still wants us to come by, so that was wonderful to hear. And then visited the relief society president and talked about some ideas we have for the Hermanas' in the ward and asked her what we can do to help her and lastly we ran to Abel and Cody's house and shared a scripture with them. 

Well family, we got news about transfers.. WE ARE BOTH STAYING TOGETHER...which means I will be dying with my baby in La Cresta!! I am so excited to still be here. We have a lot planned and some exciting things coming up!

I love you all and I hope you have an amazing week!

Talk to you next week! And I promise I will have more pictures!

Love, Hermana Aase

Prayer list- Marcos, Guillermina, Sara, Art, and Pedro

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Here comes the sun...!

HOLA family!

Well first off this week was SOOO HOT!!! It was over 100 degrees for 3 or so days this week, and that isn't even "hot" weather...AHH! haha It's okay! I can make is through...I just have to think about the awkward tan line I am getting and the weight that I am losing by all the sweating we are doing. Also, I took extra showers every night because I felt so gross...haha. But on to the week! It was a pretty good week. We had good lessons with investigators and were able to find good potentials to return and teach, but sadly we didn't find anyone new to teach. But the next week will be rocking awesome!

Monday- After emailing we went to the park and played soccer and ate chocolate flan. We then had an FHE with the Garcia family and the Hermosillo family. Our new investigators were supposed to come, but then they couldn't, but we still had our FHE. We talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and did a demonstration to show the importance and gift that we have when we receive the gift of the holy ghost. We then tried to pass by a members house, but she wasn't there, but we met a former investigator that lives there and got an appt with him! So that was a miracle. We then passed by quick to the Ramirez family because Hna. Ramirez wasn't at church, so we were seeing how everything was. 

Tuesday- We headed over to our lesson with Guadalupe...and he sadly dropped us and told us that he is Apostolic and will be until he dies...so yeah. But we are going to return and try and talk with his son and see if he is interested in learning. We then contacted until dinner time because our other appt cancelled. And we found and talked to some really awesome people that want us to come back! We tried to teach them right then and there, but they were busy, so we told them we will return! We then passed by the Trejo family, and the first thing that Hno. Trejo said when we got in was -- 
Hno. Trejo: I have news
Us: What is that? Are you feeling better?
Hno. Trejo: we have decided to come back to church!
Us: WHAT!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh that is so exciting!!!!!!!!!!
Hno. Trejo: Yeah, it has been a long time since we haven't been and I think that it is time to go back.
Us: We are so excited and know that this will bless you and your family so much!
It was so awesome to hear him say that! (also all that was in Spanish...but it takes too long to think and type it all out..haha) But the spirit was really strong when we were there and we shared the message about the lost sheep and Christ being our Shepard and bringing us back to the fold. We then had dinner with the Mayberry family and then headed to visits with the ward. 

Wednesday- We had a lesson with Marcos and read the story in the Book of Mormon about the Tree of Life and explained how we shouldn't just "read" the scriptures to "read" them, but as we read them we should apply what it is teaching into our lives and listen to what the spirit is telling us. After that we did some more contacting and then passed by one of our investigators Juventino- and we had a lesson with him about the Book of Mormon...and then he told us that there was going to be an earthquake the next day and it was going to destroy all of California up to Oregon and Washington...When we left there, I told Hna Gonzalez that we shouldn't have stopped by his house..haha. But we kept moving and didn't believe what he told us. We then had a lesson with Guillermina and we taught her about the 10 Commandments, the Word of Wisdom, and the Law of Chastity. She had a few questions, but she was willing to keep these! It is so awesome to teach someone about the commandments and have them tell you that they will keep them, it just shows how much they are willing to love God by keeping his commandments. We then had dinner and afterwards contacted in the night. 

(This is our district! E. Vakalahi, E. Edwards, E. E. Wendel, E. Petterson, E. Geren, Me, Hna Gonzalez, Hna Warner, Hna Cartwright, Hna Usher and Hna Aguilar)

Thursday- We had planning for week 6! Can you believe that? And then it will be the beginning of week 1...AHH! We had clean checks in between that and then had our dinner cancel on us. After that we passed by a less active's house- Veronica and shared 3 Nephi 17:5-10 about how when we bring others to Christ, we are then brought to Christ as well. We contacted around the less active's house until our lesson with Francisco. We taught him about he 10 commandments, the Word of Wisdom, the Law of Chastity and the Law of Tithing. Francisco is progressing and still reading...but we are having trouble getting him to church...hmm. What to do, what to do? And then we had a lesson with the Ramirez family and shared the parable of the sower in Mark 5 about the 4 different seeds and where they landed and how they used the gospel they were given. I am loving that parable more and more as I apply it to those we are teaching and to my own life. 

Friday- We had district meeting and we talked a lot about how to work with members and help them see the importance they are to missionary work. And then we had to run to the physical therapy place to drop off the recommendation from the DR to help my headaches...so that took a while, but we had some time before our appt. and we stopped by the homeless shelter to do some service. We then had our lesson with Guillermina and brought her a calendar for her baptism and talked about the things we still need to teach her and what will happen up until her baptism. She still seems ready and wanting to get baptized, so that makes us REALLY happy! But we taught her about the law of tithing and about fasting and the blessings that come form following those are tremendous. Sadly our dinner was cancelled on us again, but that's okay! We found something to eat. Then after that we passed by a less active's house and had a lesson with him and shared 3 Nephi 5:14 about being a disciple of Christ and what that means to us. 

Saturday- We had a lesson with Marcos and also brought him a calendar for his baptism and explained the things we still need to teach and what will happen leading up to his baptism. He too is still striving to reach that date and be baptized. We then taught him about tithing and fasting and this is what he told us what we committed him to keep the law of tithing after his baptism--
Us: Marcos, will you keep the law of tithing after your baptism?
Marcos: YES! I cannot wait to be able to do this and see what God gives back
Us: WOW! haha yes, Marcos when you keep that God will give you back more than you can even imagine. 
We were explaining how tithing is like throwing to God one of our Oranges, and in return God throwing a whole orange tree back to us. He will always bless us as we follow him and his commandments. We then contacted some more until our lesson with Sarah, but sadly she wasn't there, so we passed by the Sarabia family and the Trejo family to invite them/remind them about church. We also passed by less active named Anahi and shared the scripture about being a disciple of Christ. That night we ate dinner with Able and Cody and then passed by Hna Alaniz and shared a quote from PMG about the importance of members and invited her to one of our lessons.

Sunday- Church was packed because it was a farewell of a guy in the ward, but we had Marcos and Guillermina come and they loved it! After church we ate dinner and then contacted the best week could in 105 degree weather and dirt blowing everywhere. It was a little rough, but we made it through!

Well here goes this last week of the transfer. I cant believe how fast it went by...and how fast the next one will go by. 

I love you all and I am so grateful for the prayers and letters and emails :)

Can you pray for- Marcos, Guillermina, Sara and Francisco, that would be great!

Have a great week! Talk to you next week!

Love, Hermana Aase

16 months...wait what?

HELLO HELLO!

Well family this past week was a great one! This area and the people we are working with and my companion can't get any better. I am in heaven and it makes me sad to know that it will be ending soon. BUT! On to the good things!

Monday- So after emailing, all the Hermanas' came and chilled at our appt. and we prepared the enchiladas...that we didn't end up eating because we got invited to dinner, but we made churros also for our FHE's later. So after dinner we ran to the Garcia's and had a great FHE with them and the Guido family. We talked about filling our spirits and used two cans to demonstrate how the can that is full is hard to crush (when we are filled with the spirit it is harder to cave) and the can that is empty is really easy to crush (when we don't have to spirit it is easier to fall into temptation). They really liked it. We then enjoyed some yummy churros and then ran to the other FHE we had planned with the Mercado family and a less active lady that is coming back to church more. We did the same lesson, but they also enjoyed it and then we ate more churros! By the end of the night we were churroed out!


Tuesday- We had a wonderful conference with Elder Bruce R. Carlson from the 70. He was amazing and I took like 6 pages of notes...no big deal or anything haha. But he talked about having the spirit and HOW crucial that is. And how we can teach more effectively and then being a more consecrated missionary. Something that I learned was that when we pray and ask for things from God, he doesn't always come at our first beckon, or even the fourth, but as we endure and trust the Lord and his timing, he will always answer. We ate lunch there and got to be with all the Spanish missionaries on this side of the mission. We got home around 5 and then quickly changed into some more movable clothes and then ran to dinner and had a lesson with the Hermosillo's and taught her boyfriend and his daughter. It was a good lesson and they really liked what we taught. 

Wednesday- We had a full day of contacting and we found this 94 year old man named Guadalupe. He was so adorable and loved what we were doing! He told us that he knew we came from a church of God and that he was grateful we were out doing what we were doing. And then we gave him a Christ Card and he put it to his heart and started to cry when we left. It was ADORABLE! We then had a lesson with Marcos and taught him the rest of the plan of salvation. He told us that is mind was blown...haha we just laughed! We then had a lesson with Guillermina about the gospel of Jesus Christ. She is a doll and just loves learning more and more. That night we had a lesson with Veronica and read 3 Nephi 11 and she told us how confused she was about what church to go to, so we talked about the importance of praying and then acting. If you pray but not act, then your answers won't come. We then had a quick visit with Able and Cody, he is a recent convert in the English ward, but is friends with all the Spanish members. 

Thursday- Planning day! We then did some contacting before dinner and afterwards we had a lesson with Francisco and taught a little bit about his purpose here and what things he must do and continue doing to receive those answers to his prayers. Francisco is progressing, we are just trying to get him to church. He told us that he is coming this week and going to bring his daughter!


Friday- 16 MONTHS...where has the time flown? I don't understand? haha. We did some service in the afternoon helping a lady cut fruit and veggies for her daughters wedding, and wedding reception. After that we decided to pass by Guadalupe (the 94 year old man we found on Wednesday) and we had a lesson with him and he understood all of it, and said that he thinks his son would be interested in listening as well. So hopefully when we see him next week we can have his son there too! After that we had a lesson with Guillermina and taught her more about the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. She is still set for her date on June 13th! That night we had a lesson with the Arroyo family and shared a scripture in Luke 15. And then we went by a referral and tried to talk to her, but she isn't interested... :( maybe in the future!

Saturday- We had a lesson with Marcos and taught the 10 commandments, Law of Chastity and the Word of Wisdom. It went well, and we didn't have to explain in detail all of it! haha. WIN! We then walked around the neighborhood and decided to knock on a house of a girl we found in the beginning of our time here and she opened the door and let us right in and we taught her the Restoration! It was awesome. She is 14 and her name is Sara. She is from Mexico and is living her with her aunt. She is wanting to know what church to go to and what one is right. She accepted a baptismal date for June 27th!! We then had a lesson with the Sarabia family and shared a Scripture about the importance of reading the scriptures. We then passed by the other Mercado family in our area and talked with them for  a little bit. We then had dinner with the Utley family (they are a recently reactivated family that moved from our ward to the English ward). They fed us Gumbo soup, and it was really good! I just burnt my tongue bad...We then had a lesson with Veronica, and it ended up being a drop lesson. She is confused, but hasn't done anything to find her answers. She isn't ready yet. One day she will be. I know that for sure. Lastly, we passed by the Juarez family to see how they were doing and talked with them!

(All the Spanish sisters on this side)

Sunday- CHURCH! It was really good. We had Guillermina and Marcos there! And Hna. Gonzalez and I gave talks in sacrament meeting!! She talked about service and I talked about sacrifice. They went really well :)...for it being all in Spanish! haha. I have come along way. After dinner we contacted and while we were walking around Hna Gonzalez show broke, well more like it was so hot that it melted all the glue and the whole sole of her shoe fell off. HA. So we went back to our ward mission leaders house and got it fixed...kinda. We then passed by Francisco because he couldn't come to church because his dad was in the hospital. He was happy we passed by. 

Well family. That was our week! It was good and it rained again, so it was a bit cooler, but this coming week is going to be HOT! Like 90's...and that isn't even what the normal summer is...I am going to die! haha

Love and miss you all!

Love, Hermana Aase