Monday, April 18, 2016

Week Fifteen: A Week of Stretching

Area: Littlerock Spanish Branch
Companion: Hermana Gonzalez

This week was strangely long and probably one of the weeks that has stretched me the most so far on my mission, but I feel like I have come out of it a better person and more able to share the gospel with everyone!

This week, I had my first Zone Conference. It was super good. I love listening to President and Sister Wilson. They are both so inspired and I can feel the spirit so strongly when I listen to them. I feel like every time that we speak, I want to be a better missionary. During the Conference, we received a talk about having the faith to reap. It talked about how we need to have more than the faith to try and the faith to start doing something. We need to have the faith that the lord will help us to accomplish all of our righteous goals when it is something that we need in our lives. I really liked the talk and it has helped me to improve.

One of the other things that happened at the Zone Conference was that all of the mission cars received the infamous TiWi units. They are little devices that are attached to the windshield and monitor anything and everything that we do when we are driving. We are not allowed to stop too  fast or make sharp turns or speed. I am generally a super cautious driver, so none of those things really affected me that much, but the thought of the TiWi has made me even more of a granny driver. The day after we had them installed, I found myself going 35 mph in a 55 mph zone because I was so afraid of speeding. Nothing has happened so far, so hopefully I will be able to go back to being my normal terrible driving self soon.

Things are super busy here, but I know that the work that I am doing is super good. It is really strange because nothing that we do is extremely physically taxing, but every night that we get home, I am absolutely exhausted. 

I don't know if Hermana Gonzalez has a blog, but I don't think that she does. Hermana Gonzalez says that she doesn't have a facebook, but she is cool. Funny story. When we introduce ourselves and say where we are from, she always says Mexico and when people ask what part, she says del D. F. (said como el de efe). For about a week, I thought that she was saying that she from de jefe. I thought that it was super weird that Mexicans called their capital the boss, but I didn't question it until a little bit ago. Then I realized that she was saying that she was from the Districto Federal. We have been laughing about that for a couple of days.


This week, we stopped at a Starbucks because Hermana Gonzalez had to use the bathroom. It all went well (we didn't buy any coffee!) and we went to walk out. When we were on the way to our car, this lady stopped us. She asked us, "Are you Mormons? Can you give my one of your Mormon books?" We told her that we could definitely give her one of our books. After we gave her one, she started talking to us about how she used to be homeless and how she just recently got a house off of the streets. It was super nice. I just realized how much the Lord directs his work. We got her information and gave it to the English missionaries. I don't know how much she will progress (I'm pretty sure she has schizophrenia. She kept talking to us about voices that she hears and that she is a prophet.), but I am sure that the missionaries can help her out, at least a little. I am convinced that there are no coincidences!

The Sister Training Leader came over to our area and did exchanges with us this week. I went out with Hermana Cartwright. It was super fun. She is super nice and supportive! While we were out, we were talking to this lady who had already talked to the missionaries before. Her one problem with the Book of Mormon was that it was not a part of the Bible. She kept telling us that she couldn't believe in the Book of Mormon because it was not in the same physical book as the Bible, it was always separate. We kept trying to tell her that you can buy copies of the scriptures with the Book of Mormon and the Bible included, but that we didn't carry them because they are more expensive and heavier, but she would not listen to us at all. We must have tried to explain at least 15 times, but we finally just invited her to read the Book of Mormon and to pray about it.

Things are going well here. We have investigators who are progressing and moving forward. I have faith that the work will progress because the Lord wants it to. Nothing can stop the work of the Lord! I love missionary work and I feel like it has been helping me to become a better person each day.

It is kind of hard to believe that spring is just coming in some places in the world. Here, it is starting to get REALLY hot. Every day it is over 80 degrees. People are really nice though, and everyone always gives us bottled water even if they don't really want to listen to what we have to say. The trees had just lost their leaves when I came in February and they grew back about two weeks later. This is a really strange place. This week, I saw someone watering a cactus.

Thank you all for your support and your prayers. I can feel the difference that it makes and I love being able to know that I am receiving support and help from the home front. I pray for you all as well! Have a good week!

Hermana Blau

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