tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84925201557769046932024-03-13T12:30:02.033-05:00Livin' La Vida LocaThe life of a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints serving in Bakersfield, California.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-10749963439179782622017-07-12T10:20:00.001-05:002017-07-12T10:20:34.156-05:00Leaving the Mission <b>This is an essay that was included in the last Bakersfield Mission newsletter Savannah received before heading home. They included an essay from an elder who had just arrived in the mission field and from Savannah who was getting ready to leave.</b><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Hermana Blau arrived in the Bakersfield Mission February 15, 2016.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As I have </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">neared the close of my </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">mission, I have </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">been given plenty of opportunities to look back on </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">my time here and how I have changed. When I first </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">got off the plane at the Bakersfield Airport, I had </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">no idea that I was in for 18 months of learning and </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">growing. I had never experienced an afternoon of </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">walking in scorching heat, and I had no idea how to </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">speak to random people who I had never met </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">before. I was more than a little bit overwhelmed. I </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">have experienced some of the greatest spiritual </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">moments of my entire life as I have taught people </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">who are now friends. I have also faced moments of </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">trial where I have questioned what I was doing on a </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">mission and if I would ever be able to be a good </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">missionary. I feel that the mission is a roller-coaster </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">of emotions, but through it all, I have had my faith </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">strengthened. I learned that it is actually possible </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">for a human being to survive walking on days </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">when it is more that 115 degrees outside. I learned </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">that even if you cannot fully speak to people, all </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">people speak the language of the Spirit. I have </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">prayed harder than I ever had in my entire life and </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">seen real answers come from those prayers. I have </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">felt joy as I have seen investigators who I have </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">been working with for weeks finally come to </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">church or finally start keeping commitments and </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">making changes in their lives. More than anything, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have learned to apply the counsel found in </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Proverbs 3:5-6: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Trust in the Lord with all thine </i></span><i style="font-family: inherit;">heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.</i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall </i></span><i style="font-family: inherit;">direct thy paths.</i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">—Sister Blau</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-71538303932163484842017-07-10T08:49:00.000-05:002017-07-12T08:52:04.688-05:00Week Seventy-Nine: I'm Coming Home!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
Area: Delano Ward<br />
Companions: Hermana Galvez and Hermana Ruiz<br />
<br />
WOW! This week was an amazing week to end off the mission. I can't
believe that it has already been eighteen months. We have seen some
AMAZING miracles this week!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We celebrated the fourth
of July this week in typical missionary fashion -- we went into our
apartments early to avoid all of the drunk drivers and did our studies.
It was okay though, because we were able to eat a festive dinner with a
member before hand and to watch the fireworks through the window of our
apartment. The only downside was that the air conditioning in our
apartment has been really flaky this entire week and it was out on
Tuesday night. . . it was a really sweaty time!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The
biggest thing that happened this week was the marriage of our
investigators, Victoriano and Luisa. It was one of the most exciting
things that has happened to me on my mission. When we first came here to
Delano, the elder that was leaving the area told us that Victoriano and
Luisa needed sisters. Victoriano had been learning with the
missionaries for a couple of transfers, but had not been able to be
baptized because he was living with Luisa and they weren't married.
Luisa had never talked with the elders and she told them that she only
spoke Mixteco The first time that we talked to Luisa, she told us that
she wouldn't get married until they were able to go back to Oaxaca and
have a big Catholic wedding <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1008034000" tabindex="0">in three years</span>.
Over the course of the last couple of months, we have been working with
them and have seen a ton of miracles with the family. Ever since they
decided to get married, they have been super excited!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This
week, we spent a lot of time working with the family. One day, we were
in talking to Victoriano's brother, Gabino, and teaching him about
tithing. Right in the middle of the lesson, Victoriano and Luisa drove
up in their car. They hopped out and and ran to the trunk and pulled out
five or six live chickens. They had driven all the way from Bakersfield
to get chickens for the mole they were going to make for the wedding
and on the way back, the chickens had started to get heat stroke and to
die. Victoriano started putting them in the kiddie pool to cool them
off, but it wasn't working. They had to kill the chickens before they
died so that they could cook them, so they started stringing them up
right in the yard and cutting off their heads. The entire time, we were
just watching them. Needless to say, we needed to invite the spirit
again after that! :) It was super funny!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Speaking of Gabino, we have been working with him a lot and he was able to get his baptismal interview <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1008034001" tabindex="0">this Saturday</span>. He passed! I am super excited for him. He is going to be baptized <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1008034002" tabindex="0">this Saturday</span> (a couple of days after I leave, but it is okay!) He is going to be a really good member of the church.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1008034003" tabindex="0">On Friday</span>,
we woke up really early to go down to the departing temple trip in Los
Angeles. It was really nice. I was with Hermana Perry again. It was a
bizarre experience to be living what we talked about a year ago when we
were companions. I learned a lot as I went to the temple and I am super
excited to go back when I get home.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Biggest
moment of the week was the wedding. We were running around all morning
long helping them to set up. It was pretty sweet. Right before the
wedding, we were at Victoriano and Luisa's house and they told us that
they wouldn't have time to fill up balloons, so they asked us to go and
get them filled with helium. We figured that we would have enough time,
so we went to the flower shop. When they gave us the balloons, we pretty
quickly realized that we didn't really have any space for them in our
car . We ended up squishing them all in the back seat with Hermana Ruiz.
It was a fun ride!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The wedding was so cute!
Our stake president here drove all the way from Bakersfield to preform
the ceremony because Bishop was out of town. It was really nice! He
doesn't speak Spanish and they don't speak English, but they were able
to have some headsets and someone to translate for them during the
ceremony! It was so beautiful. I am so excited for them to continue to
learn so that they can go to get sealed in the temple some day.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This
has been a really strange week, but I am so happy! I have loved my
experience as a missionary and I am sad that it is over, but I am also
happy with all that I have done. I know that I have served the Lord and I
don't regret my decision to serve a mission one bit. I love the work
and I love the gospel and all of the blessings that it has given me and
everyone that I have shared it with! I hope that you have a good couple
of days. I will see you soon!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-37505918598211022442017-07-03T14:34:00.000-05:002017-07-03T14:34:27.767-05:00Week Seventy-Eight: My Last Full Week!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Area: Delano Ward<br />
Companions: Hermana Galvez and Hermana Ruiz<br />
<br />
Where do I even start. I feel like the time is flying by so fast and I
can't believe that I am in the last full week of my mission. This week
was pretty good!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We had a pretty good week for
finding and teaching. I feel like all of our investigators are doing
really well. A couple of months ago, when we first came to Delano, the
elders had been teaching a lady named Laura. She is super cool and she
loves to read the Book of Mormon. She had been learning for a while and
we were able to teach her about three times before she told us that she
had to go to Mexico to help her husband finalize his visa to come to the
United States. When she left, we helped her to refer herself to the
missionaries over in Mexico. This last week, she came back with her
husband and we started teaching them again. They are a super cute family
and they love learning about the gospel. The missionaries in Mexico
didn't go to visit them, so we have started teaching them all over again
as a family. They know a lot about the scriptures and they really want
to change their lives.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While we were walking
around this week, we met some interesting people. One day, right before
we were about to head back to our apartment for dinner, we met a lady
and her husband working on their car. We started talking to them and the
next thing I knew, we were sitting in their back yard drinking
home-made blueberry juice, eating chips covered in hot sauce, and
listening to her tell us about some little smurf houses that she had
made for her garden. I found myself looking around and wondering how I
had even gotten into that situation in the first place. It was bizarre,
but nice. :)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNuGlB6zTk8/WVqbboLyn-I/AAAAAAAAA0w/Xo5XA8Dm4-YF-7jRHiFvRUR17ladkHDSwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNuGlB6zTk8/WVqbboLyn-I/AAAAAAAAA0w/Xo5XA8Dm4-YF-7jRHiFvRUR17ladkHDSwCEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_3726.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with a member of the ward named Brother Morales. He is super funny!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Also, this week we have continued to teach the Luisa and Victoriano. They are super excited for their wedding <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1061436607" tabindex="0">on Saturday</span>.
When we went over the other day, Luisa was telling us about all of the
food she was going to make: tamales, posole, mole, things like that. It
sounds like it is going to be great! We have continued to teach Gabino
and he is super excited about learning. He loves to read the scriptures
and he is really good at keeping commitments. He is pretty much a golden
investigator.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week, we had a missionary
activity in the park. We decided to have a little picnic and to draw the
Plan of Salvation on the sidewalks. It was really fun. Gabino was able
to come and he really liked it. It was fun seeing all of the little kids
playing with the sidewalk chalk and learning together. It wasn't a
really big activity, but it was effective!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1061436608" tabindex="0">On Wednesday</span>,
we went to the temple! It was so nice. Because the temple day replaced
our p-day, we decided that we would go to the earliest session possible
so that we could come back and have time to do our laundry and to go to
the store. We wanted to go to the <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1061436609" tabindex="0">8:00</span> session. The only problem is that Delano is about three hours away from Los Angeles, so we had to leave at <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1061436610" tabindex="0">4:30</span>.
It was so early! We got a ride down with one of the members from our
ward, Sister Intok. She is Filipino and she brought one of her Filipino
non-member friends with her. It was fun listening to them speak Tagalog
while we were on our way. Sister Intok is a lot more of a defensive
driver than I am and she was weaving through the LA traffic like no one I
have ever seen. It was an adventure.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While we
were at the temple, we had a great time. There weren't a lot of people
in the session that we were in. I think there were only three other
women who were there, apart from us. It was nice because it kind of felt
like we were in our own personal session. :) After we were done, we
were able to go and do initiatories. I love the temple so much. I was
able to feel the spirit really strongly and to find answers to some of
my questions. I am super excited to go back next week for my departing
temple trip!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Things are going well and I am
looking forward to working really hard for the last week of my mission.
It is strange to think about, but I know that I have done my best and
that my mission has shaped me so much. I love the mission and I love my
Savior. I know that this church is true. I hope that you all have a good
week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-32978161486896711712017-06-26T14:06:00.000-05:002017-07-03T14:13:44.704-05:00Week Seventy-Seven: Sooooo hot!Area: Delano Ward<br />
Companions: Hermana Galvez and Hermana Ruiz<br />
<br />
This week was a really long and really hot, but by the end of it all, I
have felt spiritually uplifted and fulfilled. I have been seeing a lot
of miracles during the past couple of weeks and this week they continued
to come. We have been seeing a lot of progress with our investigators.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I
guess to start it all out, I must talk about the heat. This week was
insane! I think that it was around 115 degrees every single day for the
entire week. I didn't know that it was possible for a human being to
handle the extremes of the heat for so long. I don't think that I have
sweated as much in my entire life! Luckily, our bishop told us a tip
from his mission. If your face is super sweaty before you talk to
someone, you can take your name badge off and use it as a squidgy and
wipe your face with a handkerchief while you are speaking. That has made
us a little more presentable! Even with all of that, I have been trying
to take some precautions to stay out of the sun. We dash in between
patches of shade to find people who are outside who we can talk to. It
is like a game.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week, we started out with
exchanges. They were super fun! We went back down to South Bakersfield
in Buena Vista and we were able to work out there. It was super fun
being there and seeing the Sister Training Leader's area. I love getting
to learn on exchanges. The first person that we talked to on exchanges
was a lady sitting in her car. When we went up to her, we asked her how
she was doing and she said, "I am fighting with my boyfriend." I heard,
"I am finding my boyfriend" and so I said, "That's great!" That lead to a
pretty awkward silence. After that, we were able to talk to her about
how she can find comfort through Jesus Christ and how the gospel could
help her. We gave her a Book of Mormon and she was crying of happiness
by the end. It was super sweet. I was glad to have that experience.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This
week, we also had interviews with President Layton. It was a really
nice experience. I was able to talk to him about some of the things that
are going on in our area and about how we can better work with the ward
and he gave me some great advice. He was talking to me about how there
was a reason that we (Spanish speaking sisters) were put in the ward and
about how we can do a lot of good. That really made me think. I feel
that we are fulfilling our purpose here in this part of the vineyard.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On
Saturday night, we had the pleasure of eating dinner at the house of
one of the Filipino members of the ward. They were having a birthday
party, so they invited all of the missionaries to come and eat the
Filipino food that they had made. I don't think that I have ever eaten
food that was more delicious in my entire life! I was so full of rice
and shrimp when I left, but I wish that I could have eaten more.
Luckily, we were able to take some to-go boxes with some food that we
ate today for lunch.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week at church was
really good for us. On Saturday night and Sunday morning, we invited a
lot of people to come to church and they all said that they would be
there. We thought that it was just like it always is when people say
that they will come to church, so we didn't really know what was going
to happen. Then, during church, all of the people who said that they
would come to church did come! Even the brother-in-law of one of our
recent converts came to church. We had met him yesterday and he didn't
have time to talk to us, but we asked him if he would come to church and
he said that he would. By the time that they were saying the sacrament
prayers, we had seven investigators in church. It was a miracle!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We
have been seeing the hand for the Lord so much recently and we have
been seeing a lot of progress in our investigators. I know that this is
the work of the Lord and that we are doing his will as missionaries. I
am so glad for this opportunity and I know that the church is true. I
hope that you all have a good week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-47959506942679902542017-06-19T13:33:00.000-05:002017-07-03T14:05:59.863-05:00Week Seventy-Six: Marriage Prep<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br />
Area: Delano Ward<br />
Companions: Hermana Galvez and Hermana Ruiz<br />
<br />
This week has been a doozy! It has been about a million degrees every
day and I feel like we are about to melt into the pavement. I take
comfort in the fact that when it is 112 degrees here in Bakersfield, it
is 117 degrees in Las Vegas! :) We are drinking a lot of water and we
are trying to stay in the shade during the day. Luckily, we have been
able to be in a lot of lessons, so we are generally inside for those.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Biggest
news of the week is that we were able to help the Victoriano and Luisa
to get their marriage license. We got permission from President Layton
to go down to Bakersfield with them and to help them through the
application. It was so cute to be in the marriage license office and to
see all of the people going through and so excited to be married.
Victoriano and Luisa were super cute together and they are excited to be
getting married! We went with Luisa during the week to help her get
some wedding invitations made. She asked us for advise on her dress. The
only problem is that she is SUPER short. I would say that she can't be
taller that five feet, so any dress that she could buy would be way too big. We were thinking about just looking in the First Communion dresses
because they were closer to her size, but in the end, she decided to buy
a dress and get all of the bottom part cut off. We are super excited
for their wedding!</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QQkaruEw-Pg/WVqUaWJE8II/AAAAAAAAA0g/AdonfxLxSQEURU1ajS7HEdEm1CHksuINwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QQkaruEw-Pg/WVqUaWJE8II/AAAAAAAAA0g/AdonfxLxSQEURU1ajS7HEdEm1CHksuINwCEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_3713.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aren't they cute?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
This week, something truly
tragic happened. I was getting in the car to back it up and Hermana
Galvez and I saw a little kitten run underneath the car. I thought
nothing more of it and got in to back up. As we were driving out, I felt
a little bump. I thought that the front of the car had scraped up
against the cement block. Hermana Galvez joked and said, "I think you
ran over the cat Hermana Blau." I was sure that I hadn't. Then, right
when Hermana Ruiz was getting into the car, Hermana Galvez said,
"Hermana Blau, you really did run over the cat!!!!" It was lying on the
ground, dying. There was nothing that we could do, so we just left. When
we got to where we were going, I got out to check the wheel and found
that the cat guts had gotten all over, so we had to go up to a lady that
was watering her garden and ask her if we could borrow her hose. It was
super sad! The worst part was that it was right outside of our parking
spot and they didn't get around to picking it up for the next two days.
Every time we came home or left, I had a reminder of the terrible deed.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We
have also been teaching a couple of other people. One of them is the
grandson of a less active that we have been helping to come back to
church. He has returned to activity and he started taking his grand
children to church with him. They are super cute and super excited to
learn. They all came to church this week and had a wonderful time!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We
also had Zone Conference this week. It was really nice. It was combined
with all of the Zones here in Bakersfield, so we traveled down south
and got to see everyone. We learned about faith and how we can overcome
our struggles in the work. It gave me a renewed sense of purpose and
helped me to know how I can help some of our investigators. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On
Saturday, there was a baptism here in the ward and we invited all of
our investigators to come. Last minute, we decided to invite one of our
investigators who likes us coming by but who has been really scared of
coming to church. He was able to come and he really liked the service.
After it was over, we were able to take him around the church building
and show him all of the pictures. We ended up in the chapel and talked
to him about the sacrament. He was able to feel the spirit and even
asked us if we could meet in the church building for our regular
appointments. He had a work commitment the next day, but he said that he
would be there at church the next week.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Things
have been going well for us here and I know that I am where I need to
be. I am so happy to be a missionary and I am glad that I have the
opportunity to serve. I am excited for what the last few weeks will
bring and I am happy to work hard right until the end. I love being a
missionary! I hope that you all have a good week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z3TGJCBCc34/WVqUQPl19mI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/m_MAZxa__IgVDUJTtpdWuNAKwCYiozJKQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z3TGJCBCc34/WVqUQPl19mI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/m_MAZxa__IgVDUJTtpdWuNAKwCYiozJKQCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_3709.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-21731099073195709092017-06-12T13:29:00.000-05:002017-07-03T13:32:13.769-05:00Week Seventy-Five: One Month to Go!Area: Delano Ward<br />
Companions: Hermana Galvez and Hermana Ruiz<br />
<br />
This week was a good one. It seems like the time is going by faster and
faster, but things have been good and we have been seeing a lot of
success in the area. I am really happy to be here, where I am right now,
sharing the gospel with people.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We have been looking
for a lot of service opportunities lately and we didn't have anything
to do on Tuesday morning, so we decided to call one of the members who
recently broke her wrist. Last minute, we asked her if she needed any
help with anything and she told us that we could come over and help her
to pull up some weeds from her yard and to trim down her rose bushes. It
was nice to be able to help her out a little bit and to be able to do
some yard work. I love serving people. It is one of my favorite parts of
being a missionary!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We have been trying to
work with our members more recently and we have been seeing some success
with that. We decided to take one of our members, Hermana Perez, to a
lesson, but it ended up falling through. We decided to try and visit a
couple of people that we have been teaching, but no one was home. As a
last resort, we decided to visit the mother of one of the recent
converts in the area. When we went to her house, the mother wasn't
there, but the brother was. He has never learned from the missionaries
before, even though we have seen him a couple of times. He told us that
he was Catholic and that he wasn't interested and Hermana Perez was able
to bear her testimony about how her life has changed since joining the
church. It was a powerful testimony. After that, the brother said, "If I
go to your church, can I still go to the rodeo?" I guess he had never
wanted to learn before because he thought that he wouldn't be able to do
that. After we told him that he could, he was excited to learn and he
let us teach him.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I guess that the biggest news
of the week is that one of the families that we have been working with,
Victoriano and Luisa, have started to make a lot of progress all of the
sudden. We have been teaching the main couple for a while and all they
need to do in order to be baptized is to get married. When we first got
here, Luisa didn't want to get married until they moved back to Mexico <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1061436602" tabindex="0">in three years</span>.
When we went over this week, we were talking to her and she said that
she wanted to get married at the beginning of next month. We were a
little shocked by the sudden change of feelings, so we asked her why she
wanted to get married so soon. She told us that the night before, she
had a dream that she was getting married dressed in white. We were happy
for her. Then she told us that when you dream that in her culture, it
means that you are going to die soon. I hope that that isn't true! In
any case, I guess the Lord works in mysterious ways to help accomplish
his work! We have been praying for miracles with that family and they
are finally coming. We are planning to go down with them this Tuesday to
Bakersfield so we can help them to purchase a marriage license and she
told us that we could come with her to pick out a dress.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We
have also recently started to teach some other members of the family.
We started teaching Gabino, the brother of Victoriano last week and he
is super cool! He is about 21 years old and he really wants to learn
more about God. We invited all of the family to come to church this week
and they all came! After the sacrament meeting, Victoriano and Luisa
had to leave to go visit some family out of town, but Gabino and the
tia, Fransisca, were able to stay for all three hours. They were the
only ones in the Spanish Gospel Principles class, but they really seemed
to like it and they said that they would come back next week. The past
couple of times that we have taught Gabino, he has asked us where he
could get a name tag like us and he says that he wants to be a
missionary, too!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Last night, we were just about
to head in when we stopped to talk with one last person in the park. He
was sitting on one of the benches, listening to music. We started
talking to him and we soon discovered that he was a famous DJ, just
chilling in the park. He talked to us about all of the music festivals
that he has played at and all of the things that he has done in his
life. He even taught us a couple of dance moves. I don't know if he
really is a famous DJ, but in any case, it was a fun way to end out the
week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Things have been well and we have been
seeing miracles. I know that we are in the Lord's work and that I am
doing what I need to be doing. I am so glad that I am a missionary right
now! I know that the gospel is true and I have really seen its
blessings in my life! I hope that you all have a good week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-88658983589944594452017-06-05T11:04:00.000-05:002017-06-06T11:04:54.680-05:00Week Seventy-Four: Tremendous Trio<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lJOR0eYTr5I/WTbRPOZ2f9I/AAAAAAAAAz4/s7vUmxAZBcQhL6vxB2AKiOhcedh4dZEZwCLcB/s1600/P1000583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lJOR0eYTr5I/WTbRPOZ2f9I/AAAAAAAAAz4/s7vUmxAZBcQhL6vxB2AKiOhcedh4dZEZwCLcB/s640/P1000583.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our new district</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Area: Delano Ward<br />
Companions: Hermana Galvez and Hermana Ruiz<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
This week was pretty exciting and we have been
working hard throughout the whole time. We have been able to see some
really cool things as I have started to work in my first trio of the
mission. Things are good here in Delano!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I guess to start out, I should talk a little bit about Hermana Ruiz, our new companion. She is really nice! <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1527889101" tabindex="0">On Tuesday</span>
morning, we headed out to Bakersfield and the entire time, we were
wondering what she was going to be like. When we got to the training
meeting, it wasn't hard to know who we were going to train because she
was the only Spanish-speaking sister there. We knew that she was going
to be a good companion the moment that we saw her! She is from Utah and
has some Mexican heritage, but she is a language learner. It has been
super fun to help her to learn a little bit of Spanish during the first
week, especially because we have Hermana Galvez to help us both! :) It
reminds me of my first couple of weeks in the mission. She is super
excited to work and to learn, so it has been fun to go out and work hard
during this week!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pesTekO0bpc/WTbRDLxzrmI/AAAAAAAAAzw/ShSjrU-MWlweqZ5juIaBxexKS2uj1iYCgCEw/s1600/IMG_3696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pesTekO0bpc/WTbRDLxzrmI/AAAAAAAAAzw/ShSjrU-MWlweqZ5juIaBxexKS2uj1iYCgCEw/s400/IMG_3696.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I got to see Hermana Luqette at the transfer point!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
It is a little strange being
in a trio. I never thought that I was going to have the chance to be in
one, but now that I am here, it is super fun! It if really nice to be
able to have three testimonies instead of just two and we are always
talking and laughing. I already liked working with Hermana Galvez and
like working with Hermana Ruiz. Sometimes, it is a little weird because
there is never enough space on doorsteps for us all, but we manage to
make it work. The other night, we were teaching one of our investigators
and there was only one love seat for all of us. We just all squished in
like sardines and sat really close together for the entire lesson (even
though it was super hot in the house and we were all sweating). It has
been fun!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We have still been teaching Eliseo
(our eccentric investigator). This week, he invited us to come over to
his house to eat carnitas. When we came, it turned out that he was
having a giant family party. When we knocked on the door, they said that
we couldn't come in and that we should come back later. When we said
that Eliseo invited us, they let us right in and put us to work turning
tortillas. It was all worth it because we had some bomb carnitas!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This
week, we have been able to teach a lot of people. One person that we
started teaching this week was a little old man named Gonzalo. He was a
referral from the English elders and we talked to him a little bit last
Saturday, but he was really busy and said that we could come back on
Monday night. We only had a Plan of Salvation pamphlet, so we left that
with him and didn't think anything else about it. When we came back on
Monday night, he was waiting for us outside and said that he had read
the pamphlet and told us about all of the questions that he had and the
things that he understood. Then, he told us that he feels that he needs
to be baptized and that he wants to come to church. It was really fun to
teach him and he was super nice.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We have also
still been working with Victoriano and things are going well with him
and his family. This week, we invited him to come to church again and he
said that he wouldn't be able to because he was going to work in the
morning and later he was going to go up to Santa Maria in the afternoon
to go to an Amway conference. We were really sad and when we went to
church, we were praying for a miracle. When the service started, he
wasn't there and we were sad. After the Sacrament was over, the
priesthood opened up the doors to the chapel and Victoriano, his
daughter, and his aunt were outside! It was an answer to prayer.
Victoriano wasn't able to stay after the first hour, but his daughter
and his aunt stayed for all three hours. We had never really talked to
the aunt, but during the second hour there weren't enough people to do a
Spanish Gospel Principles, so we decided to teach her the first lesson
instead and then to take her on a tour of the church. It was super sweet
and she told us that she liked the service.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This
week was really good. We had a lot of fun and we saw some miracles.
Things are going well here in Delano and I love being a missionary here.
It was super strange starting my last transfer, but I am still working
hard and it is good to have Hermana Ruiz here to instill us all with her
greenie fire! I know that the gospel is true and that the gospel brings
blessings! I hope that you have a good week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bc9_lbO8lXI/WTbRPC0UvPI/AAAAAAAAAz0/5S9yJSfcSJcwsPgv6gux0TDu6te82ivZACEw/s1600/P1000584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bc9_lbO8lXI/WTbRPC0UvPI/AAAAAAAAAz0/5S9yJSfcSJcwsPgv6gux0TDu6te82ivZACEw/s640/P1000584.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This last one is a little funny. President told us recently to stop
making signs in our pictures. The Zone Leaders and the District Leader
were trying to demonstrate to us what we shouldn't do and Hermana
Galvez's camera accidentally went off. This is the candid photo. :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-58072150907648942642017-05-29T21:02:00.002-05:002017-05-29T21:02:25.394-05:00Week Seventy-Three: Last Transfer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cf9IMa8gimU/WSzOwl3zaqI/AAAAAAAAAy0/iOxwRBPNm1oNNxLZCYIz5r_ybpEmyTPdACLcB/s1600/P1000527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cf9IMa8gimU/WSzOwl3zaqI/AAAAAAAAAy0/iOxwRBPNm1oNNxLZCYIz5r_ybpEmyTPdACLcB/s640/P1000527.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Area: Delano Ward<br />
Companion: Hermana Galvez<br />
<br />
This week was really good. We have been seeing a lot of miracles in our
area and we have really been enjoying our time here in Delano. I can't
believe our first transfer here in Delano has already come and gone! It
has been a blast and things are going great. Big news of the week:
Hermana Galvez and I are still going to be serving here. . . but we are
also going to get a new companion. We don't know her name yet because I
am going to be training again! It was super weird to get the call to
train for my last six weeks, but I am super excited and I am grateful
that I am going to be able to stay with Hermana Galvez, too!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This
week was so hot! It has just been starting to get SUPER hot in the
mission. I feel like I am sweating all of the time, but it it all okay! I
am wearing sunscreen and trying to keep in the shade when I can.</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div>
This
week, we have seen a lot of miracles with our investigators this week.
For one, we had a missionary activity with the ward. We have been
planning it within our district for the entire transfer, but we did a
really bad job with the publicity because we had Stake Conference last
week and we couldn't announce it over the pulpit. We have been working
with word of mouth to try and get everyone to come. When the activity
started, there wasn't anybody there and I thought that we were going to
be sitting around all night long. We had decided to do a "Minute to Win
It" type thing and all of the missionary companionships were in charge
of a little game. We had all of our stuff set up and it wasn't until
about <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_63708166" tabindex="0">15 minutes later</span>
that people showed up. After that, it was a really fun activity. We
were able to have a lot of people from the ward come and two of the
families that we are teaching came as well. They had a lot of fun and it
was really nice to see!</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H-DL2Bv3pXM/WSzNmC73_kI/AAAAAAAAAys/jZ-ro-ljb4APIoDJGSxXCmL3V_uB7lq9QCEw/s1600/P1000509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H-DL2Bv3pXM/WSzNmC73_kI/AAAAAAAAAys/jZ-ro-ljb4APIoDJGSxXCmL3V_uB7lq9QCEw/s400/P1000509.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_63708167" tabindex="0">On Saturday</span>,
we learned that one of our investigators that we have been working
with, Eliceo, just came back into town. He told us a couple of weeks ago
that he was going to go to Los Angeles for a day or two to get some
stuff taken care of with the court. We called him on the first day that
he was down there and he said that he was staying with his sister and
that he would probably be back in the next couple of days and that we
should call him the next day to see when he was coming back. Thus began
the phone chase that continued until <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_63708168" tabindex="0">Saturday</span>.
Every single day he told us that he was coming back in the next couple
of days. We got so desperate to teach him again that we started teaching
him over the phone some days. When we finally saw him <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_63708169" tabindex="0">on Saturday</span>,
I could hardly believe that he was actually there! We were able to
teach him a little lesson and invite him to a baptism that was happening
in the area.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The baptism <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_63708170" tabindex="0">on Saturday</span>
was really nice because there were a lot of people there. We invited
one of the families that we have been working with and they came and
enjoyed it. It was nice to see them there and to help them to learn
about the importance of baptism. We have been seeing a lot of progress
in the area and we are super excited about all of the people that we are
working with.</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div>
I can't believe that I am
getting ready to start my last transfer in the mission. It seems almost
unreal that the time has gone by so fast! I am super excited that I am
getting to stay here in Delano during my last couple of weeks in the
mission and that I get to see the end of all of our work here! I am
super hyped to be out here in California and to see everything that is
going on. I love being a missionary and serving the Lord!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-21912378774656259252017-05-22T20:07:00.000-05:002017-05-29T20:18:55.275-05:00Week Seventy-Two: A Doozy of a WeekArea: Delano Ward<br />
Companion: Hermana Galvez<br />
<br />
Oh boy! This week was a doozy. We worked really hard and we were able to
see some miracles as a result. It was really cool (even though it is
starting to get really hot here!). Things are going well and we are
having some success here in Delano.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Like I said, it
has been getting really hot the past couple of days. We have been
spoiled by an unseasonably wet and cool spring, but summer is now coming
on with a vengeance and it has been really, really hot! For some
reason, a lot of people here in Delano don't have air conditioning. It
has been the struggle of life. Every time we step outside of the door,
we start to sweat and we don't stop until we get back in our house at
night. Even with all of the sweat, the heat is nice because everyone is
outside their houses and we are able to talk to a lot of people!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Last
week, we had exchanges and one of the things that they suggested that
we could do in our area was to look for more opportunities to do
service. We have been wondering for a while what we can do to help out
the community, so we set aside a morning to go on a service hunt. We
went to the city hall and the Chamber of Commerce to get some ideas for
places that we could help out at. They gave us a long list of phone
numbers to call and we made every attempt possible and we were still not
having any success. In the end, we decided to go to funeral homes and
hospitals in the area and put our names down as clergy that people could
call on if they needed help. Hopefully, all of our hard work will pay
off and someone will call us back to let us come and help them! :)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We
have been working with a family that the elders were teaching for a
while. The husband has been taught everything and the only thing that he
needs to be able to get baptized is to be married. We have been working
on that for the entire transfer and we have finally been having some
success with getting the wife on board. This Wednesday, we went with
them to talk to the Bishop about what they needed to do to get a
marriage license and how the marriage ceremony is going to be.
Hopefully, they will be able to get the license this week and they can
get married soon after. It has been really cool to see them working
towards their goal!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Something a little creepy
has been happening to us recently here. A lot of the people that we have
been talking to on the street have been saying that they have talked to
missionaries in the past couple of weeks. They are tall and have white
shirts, ties, our name tags. They also say that they speak Spanish and
they ride on bikes. All of the people that we have talked to have been
super specific about all of the details and they all match up. The only
problem is that there haven't been any missionaries that match that
description for the past couple of months. We have talked to the other
missionaries in the area, and they also say that they have heard people
talking about the same missionaries in their areas. We don't know what
has been going on, but we are conducting a low key investigation.
Mission drama!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week at church was really
nice. A couple of the families that we have been working with were able
to come to church and afterwards, we were able to do a small church
tour. It was really spiritual and I feel like it helped our
investigators have a renewed desire to come to church and feel the
spirit there!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That is just about it for the
week! It has been a really good one! I love being a missionary and
seeing all of the miracles that the Lord gives in the work out here in
California. I know that the church is true and that this truly is the
gospel of Jesus Christ! I love teaching and learning all the time! I
hope that you all have a good week and that all goes well for you!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-86238009990162310742017-05-15T21:09:00.000-05:002017-05-29T20:19:43.905-05:00Week Seventy-One: Blast from the PastArea: Delano Ward<br />
Companion: Hermana Galvez<br />
<br />
This week was really good! We were able to see lots of miracles and we
had a lot of fun! To top it all off, we got to call home, which always
such a joy! I love my family and I love that I can be with them forever!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We
started out the week with a surprise. . . facials with a less-active
member of the ward. We have been going over to see her for a while and
she loves that there are sister missionaries here in Delano. She always
calls us the "Mormon Girls" and she told us that she wanted us to feel
at home here. She owns a spa in town and she told us to come by last
p-day. When we did, she told us that she was going to give us free
facials. I guess she saw that our skin was terrible (at least on my part
haha). She gave us super intense, hour-long facials and now my skin
feels super soft!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On Monday night, we had a
nice experience where we were in an area and a couple of our
appointments fell through in a row. We were wondering what we should do
and we decided to say a prayer and to follow the spirit. When we did, we
felt like we needed to go and visit the house of a family that we have
been teaching for a while. When we got to the house, it was already <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1651434672" tabindex="0">8:45</span>,
but we felt like we needed to be there and so we went in. The father of
the family started talking to us really openly about all of his doubts
and how he wanted to be baptized, but that he wanted to be sure before
he took the step. We were able to talk to him and share some scriptures
that helped him to work through his feelings an we felt the spirit
testify. It was a really nice experience and it helped me to learn that
if I follow the promptings of the spirit, I will be led to where I
really need to be!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On Tuesday to Wednesday, we
had exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders. It was super fun! They
are now in Buena Vista in my old area, so it was also fun to take a trip
down memory lane and visit some my old stomping grounds. :) I was with
Hermana Dye. She is super cute and a wonderful missionary. It was a
little strange going on an exchange and not being the one leading it,
but I really liked it! I was able to get a lot of feedback on my
missionary work and some tips about how I can improve. The most exciting
part of the exchange happened on Tuesday night. Hermana Dye had planned
to visit an family of formers that I had taught when I was there last
year. I wasn't sure if they would remember me, but when the mother
opened the door, she was super surprised that I was there and gave me a
big hug. She invited us in and gave us dinner and dessert! It was really
nice to see them again and to get to help them to start learning from
the missionaries one more time!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On Monday
night, we got a call from a member of the ward saying that her daughter
and her daughter's friend had just gotten back from BYU and that they
wanted to go out with us. We planned to go out with them on Wednesday
night and we had a couple of adventures. We had a lot of appointments,
so we planned to go out in splits. I went with Elise, the daughter of
the member. It was super fun to go out and work with her. Our
appointment for the night wasn't home, so we tried to visit another
investigator that we hadn't seen in a little while. We were able to talk
to her family. When we were heading back to the car, there was a man
watering his lawn while his son was playing with a go-kart in the yard.
We talked to the man for a while when we heard a giant crash, a car
alarm, and a little kid crying. The dad ran off and we saw him walking
back with his son, who had crashed his go-kart into a car. They went off
to the hospital. Don't worry, we saw the little kid the next day and he
had a little bandage on his eye, but he seemed happy and healthy!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We
are still working with our investigators and we have been making
breakthroughs with a couple of them. We have been working with a couple
who is only needs to get married so that they can be baptized. We have
been having good lessons with them and they are just about to get the
marriage license. We don't know if they will be married right now
because they only have a week or two before they temporarily move up
north to work in the strawberries, but they are working on it!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I love being a missionary and being here on my mission! I hope that you all have a good week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-54729117450977159602017-05-08T20:50:00.000-05:002017-05-21T21:09:49.860-05:00Week Seventy: Mission ChismosaArea: Delano Ward<br />
Companion: Hermana Galvez<br />
<br />
This week was really fast and we were able to work hard and teach a lot
of people. It was a pretty normal week, but we were able to see some
miracles.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week, the weather was super crazy. At
the beginning of the week, it was SUPER hot. Hermana Galvez has been
trying to teach my how to read the temperature in Celsius, so this week I
learned that 44 degrees is really hot. Later in the week, it was super
cold. I don't know why the weather has been going through such strange
changes, but it is always a exciting surprise to see what the next day
has in store!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The other week, I was spending some
time snooping through the area book and I found a name that was
recurring through a lot of the records, a man named Eliseo. On a lot of
the progress reports, it said that he was preparing for baptism, so I
thought that he had been baptized and I hadn't seen him in the ward.
However, I was looking through the ward directory and I couldn't find
his name. To my further surprise, when we went to the baptism last
Saturday, I found a baptismal program that had his name on it, but
nobody knew who he was. Over the course of my mission, I have become a
chismosa on the mission and so I decided to do some more investigating
and I found his phone number. When we went over to his house, he was a
cute little old man who talked and talked to us about the corruption in
the fields and how he loves to learn about psychology and read people's
body language. We came back, and he had studied the pamphlet that we
left him and took extensive notes about it. He is so funny. He says that
he didn't get baptized the last time because he didn't like his
fellowshipper and thought that he was running the Delano mafia. We told
him that the member moved away from Delano and that he didn't come to
church with us anymore. Then, he said that we are his only friends in
the entire town and that he trusted us. He even took us out to eat at
McDonalds the other day. He is a super strange, but super cute, old man!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It
was Cinco de Mayo this weekend and the people here in Delano go all
out! There was a giant parade and everyone was having parties. There was
also a huge fair that came to town. We went outside of the gate one day
to hand out cards to people as they were going to and from the fair
grounds. That was pretty cool. As we were leaving, I felt something go
into my ear. It sounded like a giant fly had gone inside and I could
feel the little wings flying around, but we were already late to the
dinner with our member, so I couldn't do anything about it. Hermana
Galvez tried to see if she could see the fly, but she couldn't and there
was no way to get it out. The entire way to the dinner, I am pretty
sure that I looked like a crazy person because anytime that the fly
started buzzing, I started twitching. It was one of the most
uncomfortable car rides of my life! When we got to the member's house,
Hermana Galvez and I flushed the fly out with some water. It sounded
giant, but it was actually super tiny. I am pretty sure that the member
was a little freaked out.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On Sunday, we were
walking around trying to talk to people and everyone was pretty
uninterested. Hermana Galvez asked me where all of the prepared people
in the city were and how we could find them and I jokingly replied that
we were going to find a prepared family of three that afternoon. After
that, the first person we talked to let us into her house. She told us
that she had been to our church that morning. We thought that she was a
member and felt super bad for not knowing who she was. She told us that
she and her three children (two baptismal age) had never been baptized
but had been attending church off and on for the last three years. We
were able to talk to her for a little bit and she gave us some lemonade
and let us sit inside her cool house. It was really nice. We aren't sure
if she is being taught by the English elders or not, but it was a
really nice surprise to be able to see that there really are prepared
people waiting in all places and at all times.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Also,
all week long, we have been thinking about going to a little place in
our area named Richgrove. We didn't know anything about it, but we have
heard that there were a lot of Spanish speaking people there. In the
past, I have been disappointed by the little places that I have gone to
on the outskirts of my areas, but I was determined to go and see this
one. We went last night, and it was the cutest place that I have ever
been to! It was just a little place in the middle of the grape fields.
Everyone that we talked to there was so cute and we were able to teach
some people! I love little towns!</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That is
pretty much it for the week. We have been able to teach some cool
people and I know that I am serving the Lord in his way. I am so happy
to be a missionary and I love the gospel! I hope that you all have a
good week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-20863319981380369352017-05-01T19:51:00.000-05:002017-05-21T20:49:56.291-05:00Week Sixty-Nine: The Work Goes On!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XKkdjdXNiW4/WSI_CYoN88I/AAAAAAAAAyE/quZvwL_a8tYikshHlUP9-6xFaOKp8Fg4QCLcB/s1600/P1000499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XKkdjdXNiW4/WSI_CYoN88I/AAAAAAAAAyE/quZvwL_a8tYikshHlUP9-6xFaOKp8Fg4QCLcB/s640/P1000499.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Area: Delano Ward<br />
Companion: Hermana Galvez<br />
<br />
This week was super cool! We were able to see so many miracles and to
have so many adventures! I love being a missionary here and being able
to share the gospel to the people of this area. It feels like such a
blessing.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We had one of our adventures on Tuesday
afternoon. We were going to go check on one of our investigators when we
noticed that someone had cut down a giant palm tree and was trying to
get it out of the road. We decided to ask if they needed any help. When
we got near, the man who was cleaning up the tree told us that he was
okay and didn't need any help. Then, he warned us to watch out for the
baby owl that was under a nearby car. We went to look and there really
was a poor, helpless owl that had fallen out from it's nest in the palm
tree when they cut it down. We were worried for the owl and asked the
man if we could use his phone to find the number for animal control. We
tried to call them, but they were closed for the night. We didn't know
what to do, so we tried to ask the man for help. He didn't really know
what to do either. We had an appointment, so we had to go, but as we
were walking away the man asked us if we were from the area. We said
that we weren't. Then, he asked us if we had seen McFarland USA. We said
that we had. He told us that he was one of the real life runners from
the movie. I should have known that I would been meeting film stars when
I got my mission call to southern California! :)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bA3i12pQugQ/WSI9m65jcGI/AAAAAAAAAx0/y7OKkVIZDSc112UiPK810nDCLxIdftJ_QCEw/s1600/P1000481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bA3i12pQugQ/WSI9m65jcGI/AAAAAAAAAx0/y7OKkVIZDSc112UiPK810nDCLxIdftJ_QCEw/s400/P1000481.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">McFarland USA!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
We
came back later that night to see another investigator who lived on the
street and we checked to see if the baby owl was still there. It was,
so we decided to attempt to move it to the bushes so it would have a
better chance of not being eaten by cats. After a couple of minutes, we
were able to trap it under my jacket and safely move it to the bushes on
the side of the street. What an adventure!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We
had Zone Conference on Wednesday with all of the zones in all of
Bakersfield. It was really fun to be able to go and see everyone! I saw
Hermana Luquette and she told me about all that was going on in Arvin.
Also, we were able to learn a lot about the Book of Mormon and how to be
more effective missionaries. I love learning from President Layton. He
is truly an inspired man! When I go to conferences like that, it makes
me realize how much I have left to learn even as I near the end of my
mission.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vafCq6J_edw/WSI9enlRiUI/AAAAAAAAAx0/8cqV4VJZ5NM7lytmwgpwRAPWJvUXRFzXACEw/s1600/IMG_3683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vafCq6J_edw/WSI9enlRiUI/AAAAAAAAAx0/8cqV4VJZ5NM7lytmwgpwRAPWJvUXRFzXACEw/s400/IMG_3683.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our district</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
When we came back from Zone
Conference, we went to a lesson with a part-member family. The only
member in the family is the less-active mother and they have been
visited by missionaries off and on for the past sixteen years. We have
had a couple of lessons with the husband since we have been here, but we
weren't really expecting for anything exciting to happen. When we went
over the lesson, we talked to the husband. Really, he talked to us for
about an hour of all the things that have happened in his life. His son
recently died and the family has been through a lot of trials in the
past couple of years. By the end of the lesson, he was telling us that
he wanted all of his family to get baptized and to go to the temple to
get baptized for his son. The spirit was super strong! On Sunday, him
and his entire family came to church! It was amazing to see. We are
super excited to keep teaching them in the future.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B-eh0iZmiQI/WSI--GpFkiI/AAAAAAAAAyI/ojoGG0b9z7k7TSb-JF1QGnxlaSwb43WiwCEw/s1600/P1000479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B-eh0iZmiQI/WSI--GpFkiI/AAAAAAAAAyI/ojoGG0b9z7k7TSb-JF1QGnxlaSwb43WiwCEw/s400/P1000479.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The halo factory. Everyone in Delano works here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
This
weekend, there was a baptism in the ward and all of the missionaries
did a special musical number. I always love seeing baptisms and there
was a sweet spirit there. I know that this church is true and that it
does bless individuals and families. There is such a special spirit in
missionary work and I love seeing how we can bless people's lives.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That
is pretty much it for the week. We have been keeping busy and trying to
keep cool. The summer is coming and it is starting to heat up a lot. I
love talking to the people and getting to know their needs. The work
goes on! I hope that you all have a good week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6v0_j_62kyE/WSI-9y4dLGI/AAAAAAAAAyI/hgo4kiDIk6kgOOtPjvmDKRhLmQ_KhDVDgCEw/s1600/P1000485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6v0_j_62kyE/WSI-9y4dLGI/AAAAAAAAAyI/hgo4kiDIk6kgOOtPjvmDKRhLmQ_KhDVDgCEw/s640/P1000485.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving to Zone Conference</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-37842941835930932272017-04-24T19:29:00.000-05:002017-05-21T19:49:42.647-05:00Week Sixty-Eight: Welcome to Delano!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QjT0BohBiaw/WSIym-eYaGI/AAAAAAAAAxY/gjZed43rCZkn5OApyiRQlo4rf1gNeurAACLcB/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="435" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QjT0BohBiaw/WSIym-eYaGI/AAAAAAAAAxY/gjZed43rCZkn5OApyiRQlo4rf1gNeurAACLcB/s640/unnamed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How I feel about being in Delano. (just kidding). Hermana Galvez gave it to me. :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Area: Delano Ward</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Companion: Hermana Galvez</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well, this week has been a big one full of BIG changes, but I have been
having a great time here in Delano. It really is a wonderful area and I
feel so blessed that I get to be here. I can hardly believe that it has
only been a week and we have already seen so many miracles.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Tuesday
morning was when we had transfer meeting. After saying goodbye to the
cockroach-filled apartment in Arvin, we headed off to Bakersfield and to
transfers. The only problem was that it started raining really hard
while we were on the way. When we got to the building where we were
meeting up, it was pouring. To make it all worse, Hermana Galvez
sprained her ankle a couple of weeks ago, so she was in a boot and
couldn't walk very fast. We ended up getting soaked, but we eventually
made it to Delano.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It has been so fun working
with Hermana Galvez. She only has a couple of months on the mission, but
she is a really good missionary and we have been working really hard
these past couple of days. Delano is a wonderful area. The elders who
left the area when we came in were doing a wonderful job and there are
actually quite a few people that we are working with who are preparing
for baptism. It has been so fun coming into the area because there
haven't been sister missionaries in the ward for at least a couple of
years and there haven't been hermanas for longer than that. All of the
people who we talk to on the streets say, "I didn't know that there were
girl missionaries" and we have been able to talk to a lot of people
that way. It is great!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There have been so many
miracles this week. Some of them have been small, but they are still
good ones! For example, when we got to the apartment, we realized that
we needed some new bathroom supplies like body wash and toothbrushes. We
didn't know where we were going to find the time to go to the store and
buy them, so we were going to find some time on Thursday. Then, on
Wednesday night, we visited the home of a less active member. She joined
the church a long time ago and hasn't been back in a while, but she
loves the missionaries. She was super excited to learn that there were
sister missionaries and she invited us over. When we went by, she gave
us tons of stuff, including body wash and new toothbrushes. It was a
tender mercy!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We also saw a couple of miracles
with the people that we are working with. When we got into the area, we
learned about an investigator of the elders named Victoriano. He had
been taught all of the missionary lessons and really wanted to be
baptized, but he is not married to his girlfriend, Luisa. The paper that
the elders left us told us that they had barely been able to talk to
Luisa while they had been teaching Victoriano and that she had been
really closed off to the missionaries. When we stopped by their house,
we started talking to Luisa and she was super nice to us. We were able
to share a message with their entire family and they all came to church
this week. It was nice to see!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Also, we got a
referral from the elders on Tuesday. They had talked to a lady while she
was walking out of her house and she was interested in learning more
about the church. When they asked if they could come back, she said that
she was only comfortable learning from the sisters. It was really lucky
because we just came into the area. We went over on Saturday and had a
really spiritual lesson. She told us about some things that were going
on in her life and we were able to teach her about how she could find
comfort through the Book of Mormon and coming closer to Jesus Christ.
After the lesson, we invited her to come to church and she was a little
worried because she didn't know how her children would behave. We told
her that it would be okay, no matter how her children were and we told
her that she was welcome to come. We didn't really expect that she would
be able to make it, but when we called her on Sunday morning, she said
that she was coming. She was able to make it and she really liked it!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Being
in the Delano ward is really fun! All of the leaders here are great!
The Ward Mission Leader here is wonderful and I think that I felt the
spirit for the first time in Coordination Meeting on my mission. The
ward council was also really good and we were able to get a lot of help
from the ward. The sacrament meeting itself is really interesting as
well. There are English speakers, Spanish speakers, and Tagalog speakers
in the ward and we all just sit in sacrament meeting together. It was
super fun to hear everyone singing the hymns because they just sing in
whatever language they want. I loved being in the ward!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That
is pretty much it for the week. It has been really good and we have
been able to see so many good things happening. I was a little sad to
leave Arvin, but I am so happy to be here in Delano. We even got to see
the legendary McFarland USA (one of the members owns a pizza place there
and we were able to get some for free!). I am so glad to be a
missionary and to feel the love of the Lord so much! I hope that you all
have a good week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vATwRVlRDUg/WSIywWeLmsI/AAAAAAAAAxc/UORhlkNQzTI9qDr06F2F_Yy77uD61FuHgCLcB/s1600/IMG_3676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vATwRVlRDUg/WSIywWeLmsI/AAAAAAAAAxc/UORhlkNQzTI9qDr06F2F_Yy77uD61FuHgCLcB/s400/IMG_3676.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last night in Arvin with Hermana Luquette</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-17591581554392061262017-04-17T13:03:00.000-05:002017-04-21T14:49:02.475-05:00Week Sixty-Seven: Change<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bI4I6MZb6KE/WPpW0Mc7T4I/AAAAAAAAAwA/95Laumkk62sb4V9DO_NvMTG1EJ0DbWsMwCEw/s1600/DSCN1481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bI4I6MZb6KE/WPpW0Mc7T4I/AAAAAAAAAwA/95Laumkk62sb4V9DO_NvMTG1EJ0DbWsMwCEw/s640/DSCN1481.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the Arvin building. I'm going to miss that place!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Area: Arvin Spanish Group</div>
<div>
Companion: Hermana Luquette</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week was crazy. We spent a lot of time talking to people on
the streets and meeting cool folks and at the end of the week, we got
transfer calls. I will be LEAVING ARVIN! It was the saddest transfer
call of my life, but I am super excited for moving on into the last
couple of months of my mission. More on that later.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z58CfkRLvGw/WPpXuuxgvVI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/GtMvncwdX3URUzRWfTSqyeWaMit0PHajACEw/s1600/DSCN1487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z58CfkRLvGw/WPpXuuxgvVI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/GtMvncwdX3URUzRWfTSqyeWaMit0PHajACEw/s400/DSCN1487.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Lucas. He is such a cute man, and I'm glad I had the chance to teach him!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i9NmX7aUUyw/WPpWn1UZwzI/AAAAAAAAAwA/TYq9y4jqcGkhhZtLludJDKwE7V60zAmcQCEw/s1600/DSCN1491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i9NmX7aUUyw/WPpWn1UZwzI/AAAAAAAAAwA/TYq9y4jqcGkhhZtLludJDKwE7V60zAmcQCEw/s400/DSCN1491.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Refugio. He is so cute!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EJgYgrQ3uC4/WPpVldXJTEI/AAAAAAAAAvw/RjJF4HiGkBoeh3wlpzARCT2pW9D7jQfHwCEw/s1600/DSCN1474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EJgYgrQ3uC4/WPpVldXJTEI/AAAAAAAAAvw/RjJF4HiGkBoeh3wlpzARCT2pW9D7jQfHwCEw/s400/DSCN1474.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We tried to take a selfie with Julio.<br />I don't know if he understood what was going on. haha</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IzTxJO6UJ24/WPpVopEc3VI/AAAAAAAAAvw/bQpI6ibdy-AHV705zOApSA7xu4RHjLoNwCEw/s1600/DSCN1478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IzTxJO6UJ24/WPpVopEc3VI/AAAAAAAAAvw/bQpI6ibdy-AHV705zOApSA7xu4RHjLoNwCEw/s400/DSCN1478.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One
morning, we were walking down the street and we saw a young mother
outside. She was sitting with her two-month-old daughter and we stopped
to talk to her. She just talked about how much her family meant to her
and how much she felt like her young baby was a gift from God. We were
able to talk to her about how the gospel really does bless families and
how she could feel more of God's love in her life. It really made me
grateful for the family that I have and for all of the blessings that I
have experienced from the gospel. I know that my family will be together
forever and I am so happy for that! The gospel gives me hope and
courage!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We are still teaching Guadalupe and
Rafael. It has been really fun to see them growing and changing as we
have been teaching them. Every time that we go over, there are seven or
eight people who are wandering through the house and Guadalupe always
invites them to come and sit in as well. Rafael always gives us fruits. I
think that there are about 50 oranges and at least 1.5 watermelons
sitting in our apartment right now. :) That is the benefit of being in
this area of California right now. All of the fruit is starting to grow,
so people give it to us. Everyone here is so nice and they always help
us to feel comfortable, even if they do not want to hear about our
message.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yiXlc_pCrNE/WPpTa6nzkcI/AAAAAAAAAvI/L3QHkqRtc5MJcSiE5reHOlH03-yx0iY3gCEw/s1600/DSCN1464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yiXlc_pCrNE/WPpTa6nzkcI/AAAAAAAAAvI/L3QHkqRtc5MJcSiE5reHOlH03-yx0iY3gCEw/s400/DSCN1464.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the Familia Ocampo. I love them so much!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-paPHObbHEp0/WPpUg8OlFUI/AAAAAAAAAvc/cJtA2G7bhi44YazUvBpCZqOPpGDRjCHtwCEw/s1600/DSCN1468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-paPHObbHEp0/WPpUg8OlFUI/AAAAAAAAAvc/cJtA2G7bhi44YazUvBpCZqOPpGDRjCHtwCEw/s400/DSCN1468.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Juanita. She is the daughter of a less active family.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WiRxjWeUGzg/WPpVn8GFqLI/AAAAAAAAAvw/_XS2HlAdVCw4e3CgNHTqgsQamkS8rVosACEw/s400/DSCN1471.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfies with Herman Navarro. She is a super cute lady!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WiRxjWeUGzg/WPpVn8GFqLI/AAAAAAAAAvw/_XS2HlAdVCw4e3CgNHTqgsQamkS8rVosACEw/s1600/DSCN1471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WiRxjWeUGzg/WPpVn8GFqLI/AAAAAAAAAvw/_XS2HlAdVCw4e3CgNHTqgsQamkS8rVosACEw/s1600/DSCN1471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dwr_trv2or4/WPpUh0bV0iI/AAAAAAAAAvc/nhnm8bGggfMCQ56I0MopaRI9aym9dBQkwCEw/s1600/DSCN1469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dwr_trv2or4/WPpUh0bV0iI/AAAAAAAAAvc/nhnm8bGggfMCQ56I0MopaRI9aym9dBQkwCEw/s400/DSCN1469.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the Familia Navarro.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week, we got transfer calls <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_169408846" tabindex="0">on Saturday</span>
night. I was really hoping that I would stay in Arvin for another
transfer with Hermana Luquette, but when we got the calls, we learned
that I would be going with Hermana Galvez to open up an area called
Delano for sisters. There has been Spanish speaking elders there for a
long time, but we are the first sisters to serve there in the mission's
history, as far as I know. It is going to be an adventure. Delano covers
the now famous McFarland, USA, so we are pretty much living in a I am
super excited to serve with Hermana Galvez. She is from Guatemala and
she is one of the nicest people that I have ever met. She only has a
couple of transfers in the mission, but she has a lot of excitement for
the work and I feel like we are going to have a good transfer. I am
super sad to be leaving Hermana Luquette, but she is going to be doing a
good job in Arvin.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QwL5WstC5k0/WPpUguoSKwI/AAAAAAAAAvc/6VogWfE1ihwnLeKZygwy-KP8elIWhs_lwCEw/s1600/DSCN1465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QwL5WstC5k0/WPpUguoSKwI/AAAAAAAAAvc/6VogWfE1ihwnLeKZygwy-KP8elIWhs_lwCEw/s400/DSCN1465.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After church on Sunday.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v4RNMUQ-s_Q/WPpSVvoMCDI/AAAAAAAAAu4/UDUnU8zibXQguv2gbR4PfeLv3l5elw7XwCEw/s1600/DSCN1445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v4RNMUQ-s_Q/WPpSVvoMCDI/AAAAAAAAAu4/UDUnU8zibXQguv2gbR4PfeLv3l5elw7XwCEw/s400/DSCN1445.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2psw7HDey68/WPpTbylIWvI/AAAAAAAAAvI/RKBwdAAOOXoGQx1Z4n1cFha3pD62ja_mQCEw/s1600/DSCN1456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2psw7HDey68/WPpTbylIWvI/AAAAAAAAAvI/RKBwdAAOOXoGQx1Z4n1cFha3pD62ja_mQCEw/s400/DSCN1456.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got a watermelon from Rafael.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GaVDjs9W_xg/WPpTX9zJ-5I/AAAAAAAAAvI/oTbBlYsnJ8grmvC-3r6hBOMur8pQorP1wCEw/s1600/DSCN1452.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GaVDjs9W_xg/WPpTX9zJ-5I/AAAAAAAAAvI/oTbBlYsnJ8grmvC-3r6hBOMur8pQorP1wCEw/s400/DSCN1452.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lrysd8HGGT8/WPpSZGuclpI/AAAAAAAAAu4/90Qc-YPj0EUPHZXJ5W22nfeZ7zmBcLBJgCEw/s1600/DSCN1450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lrysd8HGGT8/WPpSZGuclpI/AAAAAAAAAu4/90Qc-YPj0EUPHZXJ5W22nfeZ7zmBcLBJgCEw/s400/DSCN1450.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Being Watermelon goofy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_169408847" tabindex="0">Sunday</span>
was one of the saddest days that I have had so far on my mission. I had
to say goodbye to everyone in the Arvin group and it was so depressing.
They are some of my favorite people in the world. During the meeting,
we sat with Refugio and Julio. I was conducting the music and while I
was leading, I looked out over the congregation and thought about how
much I loved all of the people in the group. They are so precious and I
feel blessed that I have been able to serve around them for as long as I
did. During Sacrament Meeting, one of the members gave a talk, but she
started out by talking about how much missionaries have blessed her life
and how much her life had changed because of the gospel. It made me
grateful to be part of such a great work and to be out on a mission.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2rI0Vqetyls/WPpWl826hGI/AAAAAAAAAwA/8gMZafdmJmorKOrCwNyO0r9l4HvD6tJkgCEw/s1600/IMG_0221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2rI0Vqetyls/WPpWl826hGI/AAAAAAAAAwA/8gMZafdmJmorKOrCwNyO0r9l4HvD6tJkgCEw/s400/IMG_0221.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our district.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2XvrdLmUNWM/WPpXdxcYQhI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/mltQGWqO4osLLikM_Gsp7_sl9ndU_e_jwCEw/s1600/IMG_0222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2XvrdLmUNWM/WPpXdxcYQhI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/mltQGWqO4osLLikM_Gsp7_sl9ndU_e_jwCEw/s400/IMG_0222.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of the hermanas in our district.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GAOk8vxeqMg/WPpXsu-Q76I/AAAAAAAAAwQ/JML98wInTmcKp3cZa2yp9u0OZQzoD_rMACEw/s1600/DSCN1486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GAOk8vxeqMg/WPpXsu-Q76I/AAAAAAAAAwQ/JML98wInTmcKp3cZa2yp9u0OZQzoD_rMACEw/s400/DSCN1486.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hermana Luquette after our district meeting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br />That
is about it for the week. I am super excited for the changes that are
ahead and I know that I will be helped in all of the surprises as I rely
on the Lord. This week, I was able to study the last week of Christ's
life in preparation for Easter and I really do know that he died for all
of us and that through his sacrifice, we can be happy and whole! I love
the gospel and I am so happy to be a missionary! I hope that you have a
good week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VVYu8n7dffo/WPpSYwlD_hI/AAAAAAAAAu4/-O7a4J5SlkU1NpPu4lLsR3s2yWNLdl_9ACEw/s1600/DSCN1432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VVYu8n7dffo/WPpSYwlD_hI/AAAAAAAAAu4/-O7a4J5SlkU1NpPu4lLsR3s2yWNLdl_9ACEw/s640/DSCN1432.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me sleeping after a hard day of work. Fun times!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-16346455062735125192017-04-10T12:29:00.000-05:002017-04-21T13:01:46.060-05:00Week Sixty-Six: Time is Flying!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hwa-AflGy-E/WPpGWQOrLOI/AAAAAAAAAt4/lCFOY6eWsYQOxlEG53WZfyr_6CdVTp9VwCLcB/s1600/DSCN1367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hwa-AflGy-E/WPpGWQOrLOI/AAAAAAAAAt4/lCFOY6eWsYQOxlEG53WZfyr_6CdVTp9VwCLcB/s640/DSCN1367.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Area: Arvin Spanish Group<br />
Companion: Hermana Luquette<br />
<br />
This week was a blur! I feel like time has been flying the past couple
of weeks and I can hardly remember what has been going on, but I will do
my best to give you the highlights! Things are going well for us here
in Arvin.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One of the biggest events of the week was
that we finished out all of our exchanges for the transfer! We had our
last exchanges with the Hermanas from Experanza (Hermana Badger and
Hermana Perry). I was with Hermana Perry and we had a blast! It was so
fun to be back together with Hermana Perry and to work in Arvin. We
taught a couple of our investigators during the night time. The next
day, we were walking down the street and we met the cutest old man in
the world. He was 92 years old and he told us about all of his stories
of fighting in World War II (turns out he goes to the Veteran's Post
where we have our church on Sundays). He was super nice and had lived a
really interesting life. I want to be able to have such wonderful
stories when I am as old as he was!</div>
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<div>
We closed
out our exchanges by eating dinner with Julio. It is always an adventure
to eat with him. He takes a lot of pride in the fact that his new
apartment has a full kitchen, so he always makes us food, but he is
almost blind. He is going to get surgery to fix his eyes soon, but in
the meantime, he makes us the strangest food that I have ever eaten.
This week, he gave us full chickens that he had bought from the corner
store and fried up himself. All of his food is as salty as the Dead Sea
and cooked just enough so that is can't be called raw. I love Julio so
much, though, and it is always a pleasure to hear him tell us his
stories of living in Chiapas and working as a bus driver through Mexico
and Central America.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After exchanges ended,
things got back to normal. It has been nice being able to work full-time
with Hermana Luquette. I really love her and she is so fun to serve
with. I feel like during exchange season, we barely even see each other,
but she is a good friend!</div>
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<div>
This week, we had
Mission Leadership Conference and Zone Training Meeting. It was
wonderful. We focused mostly on President Monson's Conference talk about
the Book of Mormon and how it is our most powerful tool for conversion
in our lives. We learned new ways that we can help people to learn how
to read in the Book of Mormon and how we can better apply the power of
the Book of Mormon in our own personal lives. I really love reading the
Book of Mormon and I know that it is true. I have learned so much in my
mission the power that the Book of Mormon has and I know that it has
shaped me a lot during the past couple of months. I am glad to be a
missionary so I can help other people to learn about that same power.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This
week, we had breakfast with one of the recent converts in Arvin,
Hermana Sigala. She is a super cute old lady and she loves to tell us
all about her experiences that she has had with ghosts and spirits. When
we went over for breakfast, she made us a traditional Mexican meal that
people eat around Easter, cactus and shrimp cakes. It was a little
strange, but overall it was really enjoyable. I never had tried cactus
before my mission, but people eat it down here all the time and I
actually really like it!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hermana Luquette curled my hair one day. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
This week, we
witnessed the cutest event that I have ever seen in my life. There is a
less active family here in Arvin that joined the church in Idaho and
have only been to the church here in California a couple of times. We go
over to visit them pretty often, but they do not have a lot of contact
with the ward. The mother of the family is really pregnant and she is
due to have her baby in a couple of weeks. When the hermanas in the
group heard about the pregnancy, they decided to have a surprise baby
shower. It was the sweetest thing ever to see when Hermana Moreno walked
in to the room when the baby shower was happening and started crying
from happiness to see all of the decorations and gifts. It made her feel
more ready for her baby to come and it was so cute to see everyone come
together to help her out. I love all of the members here in the Arvin
group! It was so cute to see all of the people from the group playing
baby shower games. I was fed jello by another hermana and Hermana
Luquette had to race to drink a baby bottle filled with soda. It was the
most precious thing that I have ever seen in my life!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That
is about it for the week! I love being here on the mission and I have
really felt the hand of the Lord every day. I love being able to be here
and to serve the people with all that I can and I have seen so many
blessings through it. I hope that you all have a good week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
[In response to Mom's question about Easter traditions there] </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Easter traditions in Mexico are hardcore. We were actually talking to
Refugio about it the other night. I guess that they choose from a couple
of people who volunteer and they take them into the center of the town.
Then they scourge the volunteer and parade him through the town,
carrying his cross. When they get to the end of the walk, they literally
crucify him in the public square. I guess that they take them down
before they actually die, but it sounded pretty intense. After Refugio
told us about his traditions, we told him that we look for colored eggs
full of candy. There was a bit of a contrast! :) I don't think that I
would want to do the Mexican version of any of the holidays that
Catholics celebrate. They are pretty hard core!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-90024049075454223362017-04-03T12:19:00.000-05:002017-04-21T12:22:29.637-05:00Week Sixty-Five: Conference is the Best!<div dir="ltr">
<div>
Area: Arvin Spanish Group</div>
<div>
Companion: Hermana Luquette</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week was pretty fun! I can't even really
remember what happened because it all went by so fast. We did some more
exchanges and had General Conference. It was so nice to be able to
listen to the words of the living prophets. It really strengthened my
testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We
started out this week with another session of back-to-back exchanges.
That is always a fun time! We started out the week with the Hermanas who
are serving in Buena Vista, Hermanas Torres and Arceo. I went with
Hermana Arceo and I had a ton of fun! During the night time, we had a
lot of appointments set up, but they all ended up falling through. As a
backup, we had planned to go and see a less active that we hadn't seen
for a long time. We went to the apartment complex where he lived and I
realized that I didn't really know which apartment he lived in. We
decided to go by the Spirit to find the apartment. I knocked on the door
where I thought it was and a lady opened the door. It turned out that
the less active man didn't live there, but a lady who used to listen to
the missionaries a couple of years ago and who had recently moved did.
We were able to teach her.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The next day with
Hermana Arceo, we spent some time talking to people in the streets and
had some good time to meet people. Right as we were finishing up
exchanges with them, the Hermanas from Little Rock came down for their
exchanges with us. I was with Hermana Latimer. She is a really purpose
driven missionary and it was super fun to go around with her. During the
day, we spent a lot of time walking around in the sun. The summer has
finally started to arrive here in Arvin (right when spring normally
comes around in other parts of the country), so it was hot and sunny. I
am starting to get a little tan from my shoes! We were able to talk to
some cool people and to contact some referrals, so it was a pretty
productive day.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week, we also had
interviews with President Layton. The talk in General Conference about
beholding and loving people really reminded me of him. Every time I see
him, he shakes my hand and stares into my soul. He is a wonderful
mission president and I love being able to serve with him. He always
inspires me to do my best!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We have still been
teaching Guadalupe and Rafael. She is super sweet and loves to learn
about Jesus Christ. Every time that we go over to teach her, her husband
waits for us in the parking lot of the apartment complex and they give
us giant bags of fruit. This week, they gave us a ton of oranges and
cantaloupe. The perks of living in a place with so much produce!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On
Friday morning, we got a call from our District Leader. Hermana Galvez,
one of the hermanas who works in La Cresta, sprained her ankle on
Friday morning and so the other hermanas were not able to make it to the
District Meeting. Normally, we have District Meeting in Bakersfield,
but both us and the District Leader's companionship live in Arvin. We
decided to stay in Arvin for the meeting instead of driving into
Bakersfield, but there wasn't any building where we could meet. We ended
up meeting in the park next to our apartments. We actually had a pretty
good District Meeting, even though we were surrounded by drunk men
playing cards and cool kids at the skate park.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The
highlight of the week was definitely General Conference. I always love
listening to the words of the prophets, especially here on the mission. I
was able to go into Conference with a lot of questions that I had and I
was able to receive some specific answers. It was the best! I love the
church and I know that it is true. I am so glad that I get to be here on
a mission. I love you all and I hope that you have a good week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-74667599726798232722017-03-27T12:17:00.000-05:002017-04-21T12:19:18.175-05:00Week Sixty-Four: Refugio!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GjWYmUBkdmA/WN6NalfujnI/AAAAAAAAAs0/YGTeZH-VIZwPkrgQOBcjvNAvM8D3VwAZACLcB/s1600/DSCN1354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GjWYmUBkdmA/WN6NalfujnI/AAAAAAAAAs0/YGTeZH-VIZwPkrgQOBcjvNAvM8D3VwAZACLcB/s640/DSCN1354.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are pictures of the baptism. We didn't get any while he was in his
suit. (They all came out super strange too. He looks like we just
told him to go to his execution instead of his baptism). He was happy, I
swear!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Area: Arvin Spanish Group<br />
Companion: Hermana Luquette<br />
<br />
This week was pretty fun! We were able to see a lot of cool things. We
had a couple of exchanges, the Women's Conference, and a baptism! Things
are going well in the area and we have been seeing miracles!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week started out with exchanges! Due to the fact that we had our baptism <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1588944210" tabindex="0">on Friday</span> night and the Woman's Conference <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1588944211" tabindex="0">on Saturday</span>,
we weren't able to have exchanges over the weekend. Instead, we chose
to do back-to-back exchanges from Monday night until Wednesday night! I
had never done exchanges that way, but it was a lot of fun. We started
out with the other Hermanas in our district who work down in La Cresta:
Hermana Zambrano, Hermana Weaver, and Hermana Galvez. I was with Hermana
Zambrano and Hermana Weaver. It was a reunion of three mission
generations. We were able to find a couple of people to teach and we
were able to teach a couple of our investigators. Also, Hermana Galvez
knows how to thread eyebrows, so she threaded our eyebrows when we came
in for night. Now, they are on fleek!</div>
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<div>
Right as
the Hermanas from La Cresta were leaving, we started our exchanges with
the Hermanas from Buena Vista, Hermana Melendez and Hermana Wright. I
was with Hermana Melendez. It was a little bit of a miracle when they
came over because we were a little out of food after our last exchanges.
When the Hermanas walked in, they told us that they had some food that
they wanted to give to us. We didn't starve this week! Exchanges with
Hermana Melendez were really fun! I don't know why, but every person
that we talked to was someone that I had already met before. It was
strange. . . I guess that is what happens when you work in such a small
place. Halfway through the exchange, it got really cold. It had been
really warm and sunny, then we started talking to a man on the street
(who I had met a couple of weeks ago :) ). Halfway through our five
minute conversation, the temperature rapidly dropped 10 degrees. It was
freezing. Then, it started to rain. Neither of us had brought a jacket
and we didn't have any solid plans. We tried to visit a couple of less
actives and recent converts, but they were either busy or not home. We
spent a couple of miserable hours in the rain, but we were able to be
led by the spirit and I felt like it was a good experience. Hermana
Melendez told me that she wanted to work on being more persistent during
the exchange, so I think that we were blessed with rain to help us to
learn. We were able to talk to some cool people and we have gone back to
visit a couple of them.</div>
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<div>
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<div>
This week, we spent a
lot of time working with Refugio to prepare him for his baptism. It was
really fun to be able to see how excited he was for everything. Now that
he knows about the church, he wants to share it with all of his
friends. He lives in a house with a couple of his family members and
other people from Guerrero that he has met here in California. He
started inviting them to come and sit in with us. One of them, Filemon,
has been listening almost every night and told us that he would like to
be baptized as well. He told us that he would like to come to Refugio's
baptism and that he would drive them both there in his car.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On
the day of the baptism, we decided to meet up with Refugio and Filemon
at their house and drive them into Bakersfield to show them where the
church building was. We went over about and hour before the baptism was
scheduled to start so that there would be enough time for us to drive
thirty minutes to Bakersfield and give him time to change before the
baptism started. When we got to his house, however, Refugio told us that
he had had to work a late at his job that afternoon and that he had
just gotten home. Filemon wasn't even there yet. We ended up heading out
about thirty minutes late and we got to Bakersfield about ten minutes
after the baptism was scheduled to start. There were three baptisms
happening in the ward on the same day, so we had a big group baptism
scheduled and we were worried that everyone there would be a little mad
that we were holding everything up. However, when we walked in, everyone
was sitting quietly and waiting for Refugio. It was sweet. It was a
great service and Refugio was so excited and happy to be baptized. He
has been such a joy to teach!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He really was happy. Really!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1588944212" tabindex="0">On Saturday</span>
night, we went down to the General Woman's Broadcast. It was great! I
love the fact that we are able to listen to the words of the living
prophets and the general authorities twice a year. What a blessing! I
felt the spirit so much and everyone was speaking.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Church
was great this week, too. We started teaching a lady named Guadalupe
and her husband, Rafael. We went over for a quick lesson with them
before church started and they came to church. The group members here in
Arvin are great at fellowshipping and they said that they really liked
it. Also, Refugio was able to be confirmed. He was a little late coming
the meeting because he got called in last minute to work that morning,
but he came in about 15 minutes late and they were able to do the
confirmation.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week was really nice. It
strengthened my testimony that we are here for a specific reason and
that the Lord directs this missionary work. I love the gospel and I love
being a missionary. I know that this is the true church of Jesus
Christ! I hope that you all have a good week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-34445900722519197002017-03-20T21:23:00.001-05:002017-03-20T21:23:21.947-05:00Week Sixty-Three: Where I Need to Be<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Area: Arvin Spanish Group<br />
Companion: Hermana Luquette<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
This week has been good. We have been able to work a
lot with our investigators and we have been able to see a lot of
miracles in the work. Exchanges have started up again this week and it
has been great to be able to learn from the other Hermanas in the
mission. Things have been going great!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Starting
with something a little mundane: Last Monday, we discovered a hidden
treasure of the East Bakersfield Zone -- Mercado Latino. We heard a
couple of months ago that there was a place here in the city that you
could buy a ton of Mexican things. We had been asking and asking people
all around if they knew where the Mercado Latino was and they said that
they didn't. Finally, the other week, one of our investigators was able
to tell us where it was (and also told us that he could take us there
for dinner at a future point!). Last Monday, we were finally able to go.
It was magical. One of my dreams when I heard that I was coming to this
mission was to get a poncho and it was finally realized!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1667826504" tabindex="0">On Wednesday</span>,
we had a combined Zone Conference with the South Bakersfield Zone. It
was really spiritual and I was able to find new direction for our area.
It was also really fun to be able to see all of the other Hermanas on
this side of the mission. I love all of the people that I am serving
around right now! We learned about spiritual power and how we can be
better channels of the spirit in the work. I am so excited that we are
able to share the gospel with everyone and to help them to change their
lives.</div>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Speaking of helping people to change
their lives, we have still been teaching Refugio and he is so excited to
be learning about the gospel and coming to church. Every time we go
over to talk to him, he is always so excited about reading in the Book
of Mormon and all of the things that he is learning. He passed his
baptismal interview and he should have his baptism <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1667826505" tabindex="0">on Friday</span>,
with all luck. It has been a pleasure to be able to help him through
the learning process. Whenever we go over, he always tells us about all
of his friends that he knows and how much he wants to share about the
Book of Mormon with them. He has already given us the names of a couple
of friends that he has and he wants us to teach all of his family that
is in town. He is the cutest man! He is going to be a great member of
the Arvin group!</div>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week, we started
exchanges! Due to the Zone Conference on in the middle of the week, we
were only able to have exchanges with one set of hermanas. <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1667826506" tabindex="0">On Friday</span>,
we started our exchanges with the hermanas from Lancaster, Hermana
Martineau and Hermana Perdomo. I was with Hermana Martineau. It was a
fun time and we were both able to learn a lot from each other. She is a
wonderful missionary and we went out and worked hard! It is finally
starting to get a little hotter outside and we spent a little bit of
time walking in the morning, so I am starting to get a little bit of a
tan and my freckles are getting a little darker. The winter has made me
such a baby. It was only 85 degrees outside and I was starting to sweat.
I thought I would leave the mission before the summer came back, but I
think that I am still going to experience the most of it!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We went over to see out investigator, Luis, <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1667826507" tabindex="0">on Tuesday</span>
night. When we went over for the lesson, we were talking to him a
little bit about his life and everything that was going on. He recently
started working as a bee keeper and has been pretty excited about that
job. As we were talking, he told us that he was going to be leaving in
the morning for two months to go work on a bee farm in Missouri. We were
so sad that he was going to be away for such a long time, but we left
him with a pretty good lesson and we told him to text us when he got to
where he was going so we could send missionaries by his house. I was
secretly hoping that he was going to move to Waynesville and go to
church with my family. We didn't hear from him for a couple of days and
we thought that he was avoiding us when we got a text from him <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1667826508" tabindex="0">on Friday</span>
during exchanges. He told us that they hadn't actually sent him out of
town and that he was still at his house. It was a pleasant surprise!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That
is pretty much it for the week! I love being a missionary and being
able to share the gospel with the world. I know that I am where I need
to be and I am doing what I need to be doing. Teaching the people is so
rewarding. I hope that you all have a good week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-75174954805144131472017-03-13T20:38:00.000-05:002017-03-20T21:07:53.963-05:00Week Sixty-Two: People Are Great!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Area: Arvin Spanish Group<br />
Companion: Hermana Luquette<br />
<br />
This was a pretty good week. We have been working hard and seeing
success from all of our efforts. It has been starting to heat up here. I
must have been spending too much time in the cold because I am getting
super uncomfortable in the heat. That is bad news because it is supposed
to be in the high eighties this week.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week has
been a good start to the new transfer. Hermana Luquette and I are still
together here in Arvin, so we are having a lot of fun down here. I am
excited to be able to serve in this part of the Lord's Vineyard for the
next couple of weeks. Everyone has been staying outside recently because
of the pleasant weather, so we have been able to talk to tons of
people.<br /><div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Early on this week, we were walking down
the road when we saw a man standing in his yard. We started talking to
him and we noticed right from the start that he was a little strange. We
told him that we were missionaries and he asked us if we had ever heard
of Asaroth, the Angel of Death. We told him that we hadn't and he said,
"Of course you haven't. They don't want you to know about him. But I
got a picture of him on my phone." He proceeded to tell us that he
stands outside of the retirement home and waits for people to die and
then takes pictures of their windows. He showed us the picture that he
took and it was just static. We told him that we couldn't see anything
and he said that we must not be pure in heart. Awkward. . . Then, he
showed us a picture that he took of God. It was another picture of
static. After Hermana Luquette saw the picture, she said that even
though she hasn't seen God, she knows that He is there. The man then
said, "What do you mean that you haven't seen God? You just saw a
picture of him!" It was super funny! You see and learn something new
every day!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Early one morning, we were parked in
an area and got out of the car to talk to people. There was a lady on
the phone next to where we were parked, so we asked her if we could just
give her our card. She said that we could. As we were writing out our
information, we started to notice that there were tire marks all over
the yard. The yard was completely destroyed and there was glass and
broken car parts all over the yard. We found out that a car had been
doing donuts in the street when it lost control and crashed into a
parked car. We were able to help out a little bit and later, we were
able to take advantage of the fact that everyone had come out to see the
rubble in the street.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We were walking down the
street on Saturday when we saw a man destroying a plastic rake with a
hammer and a chisel. He never made it clear to us why he was doing that.
We started talking to us and he started rambling about the Bible. He
talked to us nonstop for about ten minutes. While he was talking to us,
another man came up and interrupted our conversation. I started talking
to that man and Hermana Luquette was left to talk to the man with the
rake. While I was talking, I heard the man talking to Hermana Luquette.
He said that he was looking for a wife and then he asked her if she
would marry him. It was super awkward. We made a quick retreat!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This
week, we started teaching a lady named Josephina. She is the friend of a
member in the ward and has been to church a lot of times already. She
is super sweet! The first time we went over to teach her, she was making
lunch. She told us to sit down at the table and made some for us as
well. It was sweet. We dined on sauteed cactus and scrambled eggs. Que
rico! To top it all off, she gave us a stack of homemade tortillas to
take home with us in a beautiful hand-embroidered towel. It was
beautiful.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We are still teaching Refugio and he
is doing wonderfully. It was nice to see him at church yesterday. We
went over and taught him afterwards and he said that he was able to feel
a special spirit there and that he knows that going to church is a
responsibility and a blessing. He is so cool! I love teaching him.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
I
love being a missionary! I have been able to see the hand of the Lord
in so many ways this week. I know that I am in the place I need to be
right now! I love the gospel and I know that it is true! Have a good
week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-7183519043520057112017-03-06T20:24:00.000-06:002017-03-20T20:38:08.399-05:00Week Sixty-One: Fourteen Months Down!<div dir="ltr">
<div>
Area: Arvin Spanish Group</div>
<div>
Companion: Hermana Luquette</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week was busy. We have been teaching a lot of
people recently and we have been having back to back lessons most days.
It is really fun to have so many people that we are working with and to
be able to see everyone progress in their own little ways. Things have
been going well and we have been seeing miracles everyday.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One
of the people that we are teaching is named Luis. He is a young man and
he works in the fields. He told us that his New Year's resolution this
year was to hold down a job and that he felt like we have been helping
him with that, so we are always excited to ask him how work is going.
The other night, we had just gotten out of dinner when Luis sent us a
text asking us to pray for him to get a new job. We assumed that he had
lost his old job, so we told him that we would go over to his house and
pray for him. When we got to his house, he opened the door and we said,
"We are sorry to hear about what happened." Then he looked really
confused and asked us what we were talking about. After some initial
confusion, we discovered that he hadn't lost his old job, he was just
looking for a better job working with the honey bees. We were able to
say a prayer with him and he told us in our lesson yesterday that he got
the job! Prayer works.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We also have started to
teach another man named Ricardo. He likes to sit around his house and
whittle old table legs into baseball bats. He also has about a million
chickens. The other day, he let us hold a couple of his newly hatched
chicks. So cute! We have been teaching him for about a week and a half
and he has a real desire to learn about Jesus Christ and to change his
life. The other night, we went over for our lesson and a lot of his
friends were also sitting outside of his house. We started talking to
the group, but a couple of the people were wanting to Bible Bash. We
were trying to bear our testimonies and Ricardo started bearing his
testimony as well and quoting from the parts of the Book of Mormon that
he had read to answer his friends' questions. It was neat to see!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Also,
we started teaching a woman named Maria this week. The other week, I
wrote about receiving a phone call from someone that wanted us to come
over and about how we couldn't find their house. We thought that it was
just a fluke and that the house didn't exist. Later, I was looking down
at what I had written in my agenda and I found the address for Maria. It
turned out that we had been looking for the wrong house all along. When
we went over to her real address, we found Maria at home. She had a
stroke a couple of years ago and as a result, she hasn't been able to
walk for a long time. We went over and were able to share some
scriptures with her that helped her to find a little bit of comfort.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Things
have also been going well in teaching Refugio. He gave us dinner the
other day. He doesn't have a lot of cooking skills, so he took us out to
eat at the local Mexican Restaurant. It was super nice. He told us
during the dinner that about his wife and children who are still down in
Mexico. I guess he came here to the United States to make money and
that after a couple of years, they will be able to come up here and join
him. Then he told us about how we helped him to find peace and that we
helped him to feel better about being away from his family. It was
sweet!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We had Mission Leadership Conference,
Zone Training Meeting, and Stake Conference this week. That all added up
to be a lot of time in meetings, but it was nice to be able to learn
from the spirit and to receive direction about the things that we need
to be doing in our area of the mission and in life in general. I love
this gospel and all of the things that it gives me. I know that I have
so much happiness now because of the things that I have learned and the
ways that I have come closer to Christ! I love being a missionary!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I love you all! I hope that you have a good week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-9119407704958064892017-02-27T20:08:00.000-06:002017-03-20T20:23:22.301-05:00Week Sixty: Teaching, Teaching, Teaching<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Area: Arvin Spanish Group<br />
Companion: Hermana Luquette<br />
<br />
This week was really busy, but we were able to do a lot of stuff and
talk to a lot of people. I can hardly even believe that it has been a
whole week since last p day, but things have been good! Time is really
flying by!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We started out the week on p day by going
up to Tehachapi and meeting together with all of the Hermanas from the
entire mission. It was so fun! Hermana Luquette and I were in charge of
planning it, but we didn't really have many ideas, so in the end we
decided to tell everyone to bring their favorite snacks and to bring a
white t-shirt to decorate. We decorated the t-shirts, ate the snacks,
and talked to each other for a couple of hours. It was a really fun
activity and it was nice for everyone to get to meet each other.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We
taught a TON of lessons this week. I felt like we were either in a
lesson with one of our current investigators or we were finding someone
new to teach all week long. It was nice to be able to be able to see all
of our investigators so much. I feel like we have been teaching a lot
of people with a lot of potential this week.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This
week, we got a lot of food from people. We were in dinner with a family
from our ward on Tuesday and we were just about finished up when the
husband came in from the backyard with a ton of cabbages in his hands. I
guess he just started working in the cabbage fields and he sent us home
with a ton of it. Later, one of our investigators, Luis, gave us a
giant bag filled with elote. A couple of days later, we met a lady on
the street. She talked to us for a long time about the benefits that
come from working in the Grimmway carrot packing plant. I guess it is a
pretty good place to work. The best part about the contact was that she
let us teach her and after the lesson was over, she gave us a giant bag
of carrots. I don't know how we are going to use all of the produce that
we have been receiving. Maybe we will make some sort of stew!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We
had interviews with President Layton on Wednesday. They are always a
really spiritual experience for me. I love to be able to talk to him and
to share my thoughts about the work in our area. He really is an
inspired man!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We are still teaching Refugio and
he is doing really well. He is a really nice man and he is really
accepting of everything that we teach. We talked to him about all of the
commandments and he was a champ while we were teaching. We asked him if
he was going to have a problem with anything and he said that if we
told him that was what we believed, that would be what he believed as
well. It was really cool to see! It is really fun to teach him. On
Saturday, we went over for our lesson and he limped out to see us. I
guess that he sprained his ankle really badly. He wasn't able to come to
church because of that, but he is really excited to learn more and to
come next week.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
During church, we were able to
help one of the less active members of the ward to come to church with
her younger brother. We have been working with their family for a long
time and we are finally starting to see them putting their faith into
action. We we called on last minute to teach the youth and we were able
to share a message about the Gospel with them. It was pretty fun! I
remember really stressing out about teaching lessons to the youth when I
was in Young Women's, but I guess being a missionary teaches you how to
teach on the fly.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week was great! I love
being out here on my mission. I can't believe that it is almost March
and that I only have about four months left. I just want to work as hard
as I can and to help everyone to accept the gospel! I love this church
and that it helps me to come closer to Jesus Christ. I hope that you all
have a good week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-71257192491722450102017-02-20T11:00:00.000-06:002017-02-21T11:00:29.976-06:00Week Fifty-Nine: Rain, Rain, Go Away!Area: Arvin Spanish Group<br />
Companion: Hermana Luquette<br />
<br />
This week was really good. We have been working hard down here in Arvin
and we have been seeing lots of miracles through it all. I feel like
everything has been going pretty well for us and we have been able to
see some of our investigators really start to progress. Life is good!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This
week was the last of our exchanges with the Hermanas. They are all
really fun and I have been able to learn so much! Early on in this week,
we went on exchanges with Hermana Martineau and Hermana Arceo. I was
with Hermana Arceo, who is just finishing up with training. It was
really fun to work with her and to spend some time talking to the people
on the streets. We didn't really have very many plans for the last half
of the exchanges, so we decided to head out and see what happened. In
the morning, we knocked a couple of doors before we knocked on the door
of a really old lady. She wasn't very interested in listening to us and
said that she was busy. We offered to help her out with anything that
she needed and she accepted. We ended up helping her to organize some
things for a garage sale that she was having the next day. While we were
working, she told us that her husband of fifty years had just passed
away and that she was moving out of the house where she had lived for
most of her married life to be closer to her children. After we finished
helping her, we offered to share a message with her and she accepted.
It was really nice to see how service softens the hearts of the people.
We were able to talk with her and help her to find Heavenly Father's
comfort. Charity really is the true love of Christ! Also, she let us
pick out anything she wanted from her garage sale, so I got a sweet
proselyting bag out of it! :)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Later, while I
was still with Hermana Arceo, we went to go visit a couple that we had
talked to a couple of weeks ago. We had a couple of hours, so we decided
to park a couple of streets away so we could talk to the people who we
met on the streets. We started out walking and working our way towards
our original purpose, but we kept meeting people who were walking. They
told us that we could talk to them while they were walking, so we would
follow them all the way across town. We were able to meet a couple of
cool people that way. It was really fun. We started walking up an alley
to get back to the main road and we discovered that the alley was full
of houses as well. We found whole neighborhoods that we had never seen
before. Arvin is always full of surprises. I think that I could walk
around for three years and not talk to all of the people who live here!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It
has been raining a ton! I never thought that I would have to deal with
quite so much rain when I learned that I was going to Bakersfield.
Everyone on the streets tells us that all of the dams in California are
breaking. Here in Arvin, there is a ton of flooding. The other night, we
had an appointment with someone that we met on the street. We parked
next to where we thought her house was and prepared ourselves to get out
of the car. It was raining as hard as I have ever seen it rain out here
and it was really cold. We figured that we would run to her house and
run back to the car, so we got up the courage and got out of the car.
When we started looking for her house number, we realized that we were
on the wrong street. I figured that it wouldn't be that far of a walk,
so we decided to start walking instead of getting back in the car. It
turns out that it was a little ways away from where we were. It wouldn't
have been that bad if we hadn't have been trudging through the rain.
When we got to the lady's house, she told us that she was getting ready
to get in the shower and that she couldn't meet with us. We thought that
it was all for nothing that we got all wet and we started walking back
to the car. On our way back, one of the people who works in the Subway
that we go to all the time pulled up beside us in her car and offered us
a ride. We were close to our car by that point, so we told her that we
were fine, but we took a little time to share a little bit of the
message and to give her our card. She told us that she had met with
missionaries before and that we could come by her house. We went back to
the apartment cold, but happy!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We also went on
exchanges with Hermana Zambrano and Hermana Weaver during the later
part of the week. I was with Hermana Weaver, who is just starting out on
her mission. It was really nice to be able to work with her. She is a
super sweet hermana and she likes to work hard. We were able to teach a
couple of our investigators and we had a really good time!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The
other day, we got a call from a random number. It was a lady who told
us that she had learned from missionaries before and that she wanted us
to come by. We didn't know her, but we decided that it couldn't hurt. We
were a little late and we were having a hard time finding her house,
but we finally found the address that she had told us. We knocked on the
door and a woman answered. She told us to come in and she gathered all
of the family around. We asked her how long ago it was that she learned
from missionaries and she told us that she had never seen missionaries
before. It turned out that it wasn't the person that we had talked to on
the phone and that no one with that name lived in that house. The lady
was super nice and pretty interested. Later, we tried to call the person
who called us and she never answered us back.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Things
have been going well for us here and I have been able to see many
miracles. I know that the Lord is in charge of this work and that he
leads us to where we need to be. I am so glad that I am able to be here
on a mission! I know that this is the true gospel of Jesus Christ! I
hope that you all have a good week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-82374057108309738762017-02-13T11:28:00.000-06:002017-02-14T11:49:13.514-06:00Week Fifty-Eight: Exchanges<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-odkUKuQU0yo/WKNAlsbVO7I/AAAAAAAAAqU/KJbSrcRW_1wntXYMh1FXer71qRWijJs5wCLcB/s1600/DSCN1208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-odkUKuQU0yo/WKNAlsbVO7I/AAAAAAAAAqU/KJbSrcRW_1wntXYMh1FXer71qRWijJs5wCLcB/s640/DSCN1208.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
Area: Arvin Spanish Group<br />
Companion: Hermana Luquette<br />
<br />
This week was interesting. It was full of even more exchanges and Zone
Conference. We have been really busy, but we are working hard and we
have been seeing miracles every day!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Our first
exchanges of the week were with Hermana Torres and Hermana Dye from up
in Little Rock. Hermana Torres and I had a really good night and we were
able to talk to a lot of people. We had a couple of appointments, but
most of them fell through at the last moment and we ended up walking
around in the rain for a while. I liked it because it made me feel like
an authentic missionary! :) The good thing about Arvin is that there are
always people outside on the streets, even when it is dark and rainy.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We
had exchanges again at the end of the week with the Hermanas from
Esperanza who are in a trio and I went with Hermana Badger and Hermana
Galvez, a new missionary. It was really fun. It makes me a little sad
that I have never really experienced the trio life for real. We had
lessons with almost all of our investigators, so it was nice to be able
to teach that much.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tRGR7VmGZEo/WKNAlxLCXiI/AAAAAAAAAqo/kzYxaUGh08IhueU11T9qkOzE1s-6wevtwCEw/s1600/DSCN1209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tRGR7VmGZEo/WKNAlxLCXiI/AAAAAAAAAqo/kzYxaUGh08IhueU11T9qkOzE1s-6wevtwCEw/s320/DSCN1209.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Because Julio lives in
Lamont now, we are letting the elders that work there teach him his
recent convert lessons, so we had a combined lesson to hand him off. I
was still with Hermanas Badger and Galvez and the elders are currently
in a trio as well, so there were a ton of missionaries at the lesson. We
decided to teach Julio about prayer and to teach him how to say simple
prayers. We have taught Julio a million times that we pray to God, but
each time that Julio prays, he prays to Jesus Christ. We decided to
teach by demonstration, so each one of the six missionaries that was
there said a short, simple prayer. Then, we went over one more time how
to say simple prayers and we asked Julio to say one. We all had our
fingers crossed that he got the lesson, but he again addressed his
prayer to Jesus Christ. There was an audible groan from all of us. He is
a work in progress, but he is still happy to be baptized!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
This
week, during planning, we decided to shake things up a little bit.
Normally, we look through our records for people who stopped learning
from the missionaries a while ago and plan them in to see. Normally,
they are either not home or not interested, so we decided that we were
going to call the numbers that are listed on their records. The first
person that we called that way was named Refugio. He was taught by the
missionaries here right before I came to Arvin. When we called to set up
the appointment, he was super excited and told us that we could come
over that night. We went to see him and he told us that we could sit and
talking to him on a tree stump that was in his yard. I felt like I was
in a fairy tale or something. He told us that he didn't know why the
other missionaries had stopped coming by and that he wanted to be
baptized. We asked him if he still wanted that and he said that he did.
He is super cute and has a lot of faith. He has trouble reading, so we
have gone over every day since then and read from the Book of Mormon
with him. <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1018253472" tabindex="0">On Saturday</span>
night, he told us that he wouldn't be able to go to church this week
because his boss told him that he had to work. We told him that we
understood, but we were praying with him for a miracle that would let
him come to church. <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1018253473" tabindex="0">On Sunday</span>
morning, right before church, he texted us and told us that he got off
of work earlier than he thought that he would and that he was able to
come to church. He got there a little bit late, but he really liked it!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Things
are going well here. I am so happy that I have been given the chance to
serve a mission here in Bakersfield and to meet all of the people that I
have. I love working here! Every day, I am able to see the blessings of
God on the work and that he really cares about us all. I love the
gospel and I love being a missionary. I hope that you all have a good
week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-5006830183927066912017-02-06T11:05:00.000-06:002017-02-14T11:25:19.831-06:00Week Fifty-Seven: Julio Got Baptized!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FHp2v0iIh5A/WKM75zLaLWI/AAAAAAAAAqI/n0qSgNkXENY4RYHYyA7LovoZ3q2HFlrpQCLcB/s1600/DSCN1204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FHp2v0iIh5A/WKM75zLaLWI/AAAAAAAAAqI/n0qSgNkXENY4RYHYyA7LovoZ3q2HFlrpQCLcB/s640/DSCN1204.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Area: Arvin Spanish Group<br />
Companion: Hermana Luquette<br />
<br />
Hello! This week was pretty good. We have been seeing a TON of miracles
and the work is really progressing down here in Arvin. The Lord has been
blessing us a lot and we are living the life.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Biggest
news of the week: Julio got baptized! I never would have expected him
to have gotten baptized when we first started teaching him. At the
beginning of the week, we went over to Julio's house to talk to him
about baptism again. He told us that he was finally done waiting and
that he wanted to go through with it. The entire time leading up to the
day was full of miracles. From the very beginning attempts of trying to
set Julio with a day to be baptized, he always told us that he didn't
want to be baptized when it was cold outside. He made it a little hard
for us, but we told him that if he set a date to be baptized in January
or February, he would see a miracle with that. As we started this week,
the weather was beautiful. It has been raining pretty much nonstop for
the last couple of weeks and it has been cold and miserable outside, but
on the day of the baptism, it was unseasonably warm and the sun was
shining. The spirit was so special at Julio's baptism and you could tell
that he felt excited (even though he was trying to hide it) We asked
him how he felt after he was baptized and he told us that he just felt
warm. It was so sweet!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We went over for one of
our last lessons with Julio before he got baptized. Despite looking for
one of the sisters from the group to come with us, we couldn't find
anyone. We ended up just going, knowing that we wouldn't be able to go
inside his apartment. When we got there, Julio invited us to go inside
and we told him that we couldn't because of the mission rules. He got
super sad and told us that he had gone to Bakersfield to buy pots and
plates and then had walked all over Lamont to buy groceries in order to
make us mole. He was sad because he thought that we wouldn't be able to
eat it with him because there wasn't a table. In a sudden moment of
creativity, we decided to turn over a couple of cardboard boxes form a
table and we ate the food there. It was the cutest lunch/dinner ever!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Y_piGMjzJM/WKM7KanBx5I/AAAAAAAAAp0/Hhont01WmjMm_1TYllkXtCd562dEdzPXQCEw/s1600/DSCN1193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Y_piGMjzJM/WKM7KanBx5I/AAAAAAAAAp0/Hhont01WmjMm_1TYllkXtCd562dEdzPXQCEw/s400/DSCN1193.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Julio's makeshift table eating rice and mole.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Speaking
of our investigators, we started teaching a person named Luis. He is
young man who recently returned from serving a mission for the Catholic
church. We started talking to him after we saw a dove in a cage on his
porch and he let us hold it. We have had a couple of lessons with him
and he really liked reading in the Book of Mormon. This Sunday, we
invited him to come to church, but we didn't really expect that he would
come. Imagine our surprise when he walked into the church building
right after it started! He was wearing a giant cowboy hat and told us
that he had walked all the way to the church building. He also was
friends with one of the members and her nonmember brother who we are
also currently teaching. We went over for a lesson after church and he
said that he really liked it. He tried to pay to take one of the Gospel
Principles books home so that he could study it, but they ended up
giving it to him for free. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6ui7Nc5e3II/WKM7SAjiWVI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/-dMxMKgYZdY8M-rRdgAUb8AmTHiy2y_9wCEw/s1600/DSCN1188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6ui7Nc5e3II/WKM7SAjiWVI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/-dMxMKgYZdY8M-rRdgAUb8AmTHiy2y_9wCEw/s400/DSCN1188.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Mission Leadership Council.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
This week, we
started the exchange season again. We had two different exchanges, but
both with new missionaries. Our first exchanges were with Hermana Wright
and Hermana Melendez and I went with Hermana Wright. She is such a good
missionary and has a strong testimony. We were able to teach some good
lessons and find some cool people to start teaching. Later this week, we
went on exchanges with Hermana Latimer and Hermana Perdomo. I was with
Hermana Perdomo. She is from Honduras and has been living in the United
States for the last couple of years. It was super fun to be able to
practice my Spanish with her. Plus, both she and Hermana Melendez knew
Laney from the MTC, so we talked a little bit about her. That was really
strange, but it was fun to be able to talk to them!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HD3d1Azt_e0/WKM7xc0X_wI/AAAAAAAAAqA/I9Fvu8vuJ-0x1uD_PG7G6_1kBxZ4wK4XQCEw/s1600/IMG_3610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HD3d1Azt_e0/WKM7xc0X_wI/AAAAAAAAAqA/I9Fvu8vuJ-0x1uD_PG7G6_1kBxZ4wK4XQCEw/s400/IMG_3610.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">with Hermana Wright</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8kCTmwxdug0/WKM7yRbTHpI/AAAAAAAAAqE/bZ6Ou1IjCnwjLodsiOp6H-YUcQNN6VpnwCEw/s1600/IMG_3617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8kCTmwxdug0/WKM7yRbTHpI/AAAAAAAAAqE/bZ6Ou1IjCnwjLodsiOp6H-YUcQNN6VpnwCEw/s400/IMG_3617.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">with Hermana Perdoma</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That
is just about it for the week. We have been seeing the Lord's hand in
the work and I am more and more grateful everyday for the chance that I
have to be a missionary here. I love that I get to study and teach about
the Doctrine of Christ every day of my mission and that I have the
opportunity to truly change people's lives. I hope that you all have a
good week!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-urx4h263TB0/WKM7ZJuUoRI/AAAAAAAAAp8/36kFF4hsRvMh3BRAULpN0znswHiWWFt4wCEw/s1600/DSCN1171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-urx4h263TB0/WKM7ZJuUoRI/AAAAAAAAAp8/36kFF4hsRvMh3BRAULpN0znswHiWWFt4wCEw/s640/DSCN1171.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frozen yogurt we got during some extra time on P-day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140641553126946214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492520155776904693.post-64823329202367549812017-01-30T13:18:00.000-06:002017-02-14T11:50:19.349-06:00Week Fifty-Six: #juliohunt2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--jsiAdWFuEU/WJOC5WA-k-I/AAAAAAAAApU/o06UdbT2szcwH71z0rhSCL56amLHPVpEACLcB/s1600/DSCN1153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--jsiAdWFuEU/WJOC5WA-k-I/AAAAAAAAApU/o06UdbT2szcwH71z0rhSCL56amLHPVpEACLcB/s640/DSCN1153.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fishtail braid Hermana Luquette did for me. My hair is getting long!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Area: Arvin Spanish Group<br />
Companion: Hermana Luquette<br />
<br />
This week was busy and I felt like everything has been changing. I feel
like missionary work has been revolutionized, and I am right on the
ground floor. We have also seen GIANT miracles throughout the entire
week. The rain has finally ended this week. That means that the flooding
is down and everyone is getting back to work and things are getting
back to normal.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We got a ton of new hermanas in the
mission this past week. It has been really fun to get to know all of
them. All of the other hermanas in the mission are either training or in
training, so it has been interesting to get to watch over all of them.
It is really exciting that there is so much new blood in the mission. It
brings a fire to the work that allows the spirit to work strongly in
the work!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--xmMZvArwWw/WJOC7rc9L1I/AAAAAAAAApk/mw5zBF_LyeIeZUz1yKTO7dw9WYY5sTJDgCEw/s1600/DSCN1163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--xmMZvArwWw/WJOC7rc9L1I/AAAAAAAAApk/mw5zBF_LyeIeZUz1yKTO7dw9WYY5sTJDgCEw/s400/DSCN1163.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hermana Luquette and me with Hermana Weaver who just came
in the mission and is the trainee of Hermana Zambrano. That makes me a
mission grandma!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
One of the strangest changes of the
week has been to the missionary schedule. We no longer plan at night and
we are allowed to do our studies at the time of the day that works best
for us. It is really liberating and we have been able to sleep more
than I have in the past year. I feel a lot more peaceful in my
missionary work now, and we have been doing everything with a lot more
energy now!</div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One of the biggest things that
happened this week involved Julio. We knew that he was going to be
moving to Lamont, and he told us a little bit about where he was going,
but he didn't know his address before he left. We had phone contact with
him several times before he left on Tuesday and when we called that
day, he told us that he was in the process of leaving and that he would
call us after he got to Lamont. After that, we weren't able to contact
him. We tried calling several times and he never picked up. We suspect
that he lost his phone while he was moving. We were starting to get a
little worried, so we went over to his old house. He used to live in a
little shed beside a bigger house, so we knocked on the door of the big
house and inquired about Julio. The old lady who lived there told us
that he is currently in Mexico. We refused to believe that, so we went back
to the house later and talked to the son of the owner of the house and
he told us that Julio was in Lamont but that he had no idea where he
was. After consulting with the Zone Leaders, we decided to team up with
the elders in Lamont and go on a Julio hunt #juliohunt2017. After
district meeting, we had one hour to go to Lamont and look for Julio. We
only knew that he was behind a restaurant called La Mina. When we got
there, we discovered that there were approximately 10,000 people there and we
were in for a long search. We said a prayer and asked for the direction
of the spirit and set out. I felt like Nephi when he went into Jerusalem
being led by the spirit, not knowing beforehand what he would do. We
started asking people in their houses if they had seen a strange old man
named Julio, and nobody was able to point us in his direction. Anytime
we saw an old person on the street we chased them down and discovered
to our disappointment that it was not him. The hour that we had for our
Julio hunt was going by really quickly, and we only had a few minutes
left. In a last ditch effort, we decided to go to the restaurant and ask
them if they had seen him there. The people behind the counter said
that they didn't know any Julios, so we were out of luck. Hermana
Luquette had to go to the restroom, so we took a little break right
before we started heading back to Arvin. While she was in the restroom,
my heart was full of prayer that we would see a miracle and that we
would be able to find Julio. Hermana Luquette was also praying in the
restroom. When she was done, we walked out of the back corner of the
restaurant and JULIO WAS STANDING RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STORE!!! I
am sure that everyone in the place must have thought that we were crazy
because we started freaking out and asking him all sort of questions. He
showed us to where he was living and gave us some sodas (just like old
times!). It was such a miracle to me. He was living a long way away from
where we were looking and it was in bit of a hidden place. I really
don't know how we ever would have found him in all of the town if it
weren't for the hand of the Lord right at that moment. Because he wasn't
able to have any preparation this week, we decided to postpone the
baptism for another week or so, but I am just so happy to know that
Heavenly Father is looking out for all of his children and that he wants
for everyone to have the gospel.</div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TiupFUcxS5I/WJOB0VwGW4I/AAAAAAAAApM/YLJo9R_lIXgtb-PmYEc6qzEKRf1Wg3Z2ACEw/s1600/DSCN1141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TiupFUcxS5I/WJOB0VwGW4I/AAAAAAAAApM/YLJo9R_lIXgtb-PmYEc6qzEKRf1Wg3Z2ACEw/s400/DSCN1141.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two of me with the dog are with a little dog named Fifi who belongs
to one of the recent converts in our area, Hermana Sigala. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-av8bFLeDJaU/WJOB7gPGcTI/AAAAAAAAApM/_qZm-thmeo4TIrO1ubyytIrV_mNcV1puQCEw/s1600/DSCN1142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-av8bFLeDJaU/WJOB7gPGcTI/AAAAAAAAApM/_qZm-thmeo4TIrO1ubyytIrV_mNcV1puQCEw/s400/DSCN1142.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UX-GCtEPOhs/WJOCyVU3SBI/AAAAAAAAApc/kajZ2rRgAt4E770N-D_h9RMRVlR_GWK0gCEw/s1600/DSCN1151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UX-GCtEPOhs/WJOCyVU3SBI/AAAAAAAAApc/kajZ2rRgAt4E770N-D_h9RMRVlR_GWK0gCEw/s400/DSCN1151.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hermana Luquette and I with Hermana Sigala.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
This
week has been such a witness to me that Heavenly Father loves us so much
and that he is personally involved in our lives. I know that he is
looking out for us and that he really does answer our prayers. I have
such a testimony of the truthfulness of the work. I am so happy to be a
missionary! I hope that you all have a good week and that everything
goes well for you!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hermana Blau</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b84XnG1zsF4/WJOB5mTPuaI/AAAAAAAAApM/Y9FLW5nPQ9QHKGyqyM-_iz_sd0E2BoKTACEw/s1600/DSCN1139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b84XnG1zsF4/WJOB5mTPuaI/AAAAAAAAApM/Y9FLW5nPQ9QHKGyqyM-_iz_sd0E2BoKTACEw/s640/DSCN1139.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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