Mar. 23, 2015

Well, the end of another week, and I feel like I can't speak english or spanish, it's honestly so hard to talk for longer than 5 minutes to anyone in either language unless if we're in a lesson. 

We had a road trip this week to a pueblo called Santa Brigida about 30 minutes away from LasPalmas but still a part of our ward boundaries. WE received the reference from mormon.org. Nothing came of it but it was good. We had some good lessons this week, it is great to work with members to help them feel the joy of missionary work as well as help our investigators. 

We had 2 miracles. Two old investigators that Hermana Trone and I taught that had a lot of promise but we lost contact with are starting to come back. One we ran into on the street the other day and the other came to church yesterday! So stoked to see them! 

Stake Conference was this week. It was different because we Skype everyone in but the spirit was super strong and I know it was a great strength to the members. We had Elder Ruiz de Mendoza speak.

We're all getting geared up for Semana Santa (Holy week) which is there HUGE celebrating of Easter. It starts this Thursday!

Have great week everyone! 

Love 

Hermana West

Wow, it has definitely been the longest week of my entire life. (not in a bad way) It was just really long, we did a lot of things, went a lot of places and man oh man am I exhausted. Basically it´s really different without Hermana Trone, basically she knew what needed to get done so she would tell me suggestions and we would go and do. Now I have to think... who knew that was a part of the work. Anyways I have to plan, talk on the phone (hardest thing in the entire world) and be alert at all times because my companion doesn´t know the area very well. Anyways I do love it but I am very very tired.

This week we saw a lot of contacting miracles, meeting people that wanted to hear our message, running into old investigators we had lost contact with. It was amazing, and just a testament of how if we´re just doing what we need to do the Lord can bless us. 

Our investigator that is working towards his baptism date of the 28th is doing really well. He is down to 2 cigarrettes a day and is really starting to gain a testimony. We had an awesome lesson with a member named Sarah. Sarah is great and a lady with one son on a mission and with a 16 year old daughter. She was key to this appointment, holy. Basically she had all the answers to all of the questions he´s been having. She was so great especially because she was saying all the things I wanted to but couldn´t do it clearly enough. It was great and I´m really grateful she was able and willing to come.

This week we met and taught 2 new investigators. They both have a lot of potential and are progressing well for the little time we´ve known them. I am really grateful to be able to serve and see people want to change their lives. I am grateful for preach my gospel and the scriptures that help me teach not only our investigators but my companion as well about how to do missionary work most effectively. 

I love this work and I love the sun I have been blessed to see the last week! It has been so warm here! LOVE IT!

HAHA¡Tengan una Buena semana!

Hermana West

Us in Teror, a little pueblo in the mountains or the island! So pretty, we went there to eat on Sunday with the 4 elders.

Well, what an adventorous week that has taken an eternity!

So last Monday and Tuesday with the Larsens was great, we had english class tuesday night and then district meeting on Wednesday morning. Then right after district meeting we picked up my trainee Hermana Rossberg from...

UTAH!!! Haha you guessed it people. Anyway she´s 19 tall and blonde (like Hermana Trone) and speaks spanish like a boss already. I mean there´s definitely need for improvement but she was a lot better than me when I  left the MTC. She´s really cool and I´m super excited to be her companion.

It´s been interesting because I didn´t speak very much while I was with hermana Trone, but apparently if you let me talk I will, that struggle this week has been, trying to get me to stop talking to give my companion an opportunity to speak. Talk about a 180.

This week we have been contacting a lot to get more investigators into our teaching pool and it´s been pretty successful. 

We also have had a lot of mishaps this week, number one was when our power went out wednesday night (Yes Hermane Rossberg´s first night in the piso) and then I got, piojos (I´ll let you look up what that is) they´re gone now but not until after a lot of hard work. 

Anyways our investigator is progressing really well and is working towards baptism he is just worknig on quiting smoking but I know he can do it!! 

We´ve been really having a lot of success having menos activos returning to church. 2 have been coming consistently starting about 2 weeks ago or so. It´s so great to see people live the gospel and have that blessing in their lives.

Miracle of the week though was there was a menosactivo that didn´t come to church yesterday and then we missed our Guagua so then we took another one that went kind of close to where we wanted... anyway we literally stepped off the bus and there was the menosactivo waiting to start work... that Lord is the one at hand here!

The work is good and I am so grateful to be a part of it, I love my new companion and can´t wait to see the miracles that will happen this week!

Hermana West

Me and my new companion!!!

My week has been really good, we had a mission tour with Elder Dyches from the 70. He is really great and taught us a lot and it really gave me some good advice of things that I can really work on! Also it was great because all the missionaries from the other islands got to come here so I was able to see 2 of my friends from the MTC and Nathan Smith! Talk about small world especially because it's his last transfer this transfer.

Anyways it was Hermana Trone's last week and I'm writing from the Larsen's house because Hermana Larsen is my companion until my companion gets here this week on Wednesday because there's no other hermanas on this island. Why Wednesday you my ask, that is so far away.. yes it is far away but I have to wait until the because I am training... yes I am receiving a companion straight out of the MTC that may not speak Spanish like I didn't only 4.5 months ago. And I will have to teach her how to be a missionary... oh man! What responsibility! I'm excited and nervoud, I just really ask that you please pray for me. 

This week I have been reading around Alma 17-29 and I love it because it is all about missionary work! I mean really that's what we're here to do on this earth is to learn about God and His plan and then do what He asks, which is keep his commandments and make and keep covenants and then teach other people about it. I love reading about things that we can relate to in the scriptures. Really there are a lot of things that are relatable in the scriptures if we just pray to have our eyes opened to it. 

This week was a bit strange with the mission tour and it being Hermana Trone's last but we had some great lessons with our investigator that has been making some really big steps and changing his life. Also we met with a lot of members that I love so  much! 

I'm getting prepared for this week when my companion comes, I'm excited to work in this part of the Lord's vineyard, I am grateful that Jesus Christ makes it so that we can change and have our past mistakes washed away. I am also glad that we can always become better with His help. I am grateful to work in this part of the Lord's vineyard. I love the people in Las Palmas. 

Love 

Hermana West