Transfer Week!

CONGRATULATIONS JULIE BRAZIEL HALL!!!!!!! WOW (Our good friend who got married this week)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNIE!!!!!!!! (Youngest sister, turned 14!)

Hermanas Luevano and Knight

SO anyway, to explain my header, we had transfer calls on Saturday, and… (drum roll please) I get to stay in Royal with Hermana Luevano for 6 more weeks!! Woo hoo! We have so much work still to do here. Most of my friends are staying too, except for our Zone Leaders, because Elder Pullman is going home after two years today, and Elder Tanner is moving far away :( 

 Goodbye Elder Pullman!

 Othello, Washington Zone 1/9/16 

We've had a pretty rough week full of a lot of disappointments. First the Phil's dropped us. I love them so much and it was really sudden. Definitely had a good cry over that one. Then, I got some really sad news in my email last week. (Cried some more) and then Liesl started avoiding us.... SO depressing. She was doing so, so, so well, and I don't understand what happened.

So this week has had a few crappy moments, but we also had some great ones, and we are really trying to keep a positive attitude. We finally got into Jolene's house this week! She was meeting with the missionaries a while ago, but she's really busy so we couldn't get in. She is so, so sweet and her testimony of the atonement is amazing. She has a chronic illness, but she was saying how she's so grateful for it because she was able to stay home with her daughter while she was growing up. She also told us her and her husband's love story, which was honestly so sweet, inspiring, and exactly what I needed right then. The spirit was so strong in her home. 

We also had a mini miracle with Liesl earlier this week (before she started avoiding us) We went to her house and were talking about prayer and how Heavenly Father is always there for us, and wants to help us. As we were talking, her dogs started to wander off and ran away! She started getting worried because last time they did that one of them got run over by an onion truck and almost died!! So we were like "Hey! We should say a prayer that we can find them!" so then Liesl prayed with us and we went out searching in this corn field for her dogs, It took some time, but then we found them. We then said a prayer of gratitude. It was something so simple, but so powerful and sweet. She told us we are like the big sisters she has never had. 

Martins' Baptism

Another miracle this week was that the Martins got baptized! They have been meeting with missionaries. Ana (elderly man) is just as stubborn as ever, but he also had a mini miracle this week as well. His leg has been pretty much rotting off the last few months, just all swollen, painful, and black and the doctors can't figure out what is wrong. Last week during one of our visits he said he would be baptized if God healed his leg, and guess what? Yesterday when we went over, it was looking SO much better!! 

Last night a sweet girl from church, Aleisy came out with us teaching. We taught a family, the Busters, about Family History! Tonight we are going back to help them set up their Family Search and Ancestry.com accounts! I am SO excited. (Shout out to my Grandma!) 

Saturday we had an awesome Zone Training meeting, where we learned so much about goals and plans. Something awesome Elder Gaburel said that I wanted to share: There is a difference between a goal and a vision. A vision is like "I want to get the members more involved in investigator's lessons" a goal is "I want to invite five members to come with us to lessons this week" Just something to think about with your New Year’s resolutions!

Zone Training Meeting

I almost forgot! Sis. Hirsche broke her wrist at P-day last week! It was pretty crazy. Not fun!

And Hna. L lost her voice for two days this week! That was pretty interesting too, but was kind of a blessing because I was able to practice my Spanish so much more! The "Gringo Filter" doesn't work as well when you're companion can't talk! haha It was pretty funny but I'm so glad that her voice is back.

I don't have much writing time left, so I'll just close by saying my faith is growing so much this week. Faith that even with all the ups and downs, Heavenly Father has a plan. Everything has a reason, and sometimes no matter how hard I work, there's nothing I can do to help people change their hearts. Please keep Liesl, Ana, the Busters, and the Phil's in your prayers. As well as Sis. Hirsche, that her wrist can heal soon! 

I love and miss you all :)

 Brother Winder, who always offers to drive us! He is the funniest!

 

 Lunch at "Time Out" after our zone training meeting

 My cute roommates!

 We got the Baby Jesus in the la Rosca

Sweet note left for me by Hermana Hall