Week 57

Sooo this week has been super crazzzzy cool. Heres the summary... Monday we got hardcore pranked by the elders, they stole our key and went to our apartment and took our mattresses off our beds and some how got them into our bathroom then we called them and made them come and put them back (we had to bow down to them for them to be willing to fix it). Then when they did it they didnt put the planks underneath so I feel through it, and realized that they had changed my alarm clock to go off at 2:30... they are so evil. They are deff not allowed to go in our apartment Im pretty sure, but it was pretty classic, they want us to get them back but we are too scared of the repercussions. Tuesday Sister Love got stung by a bee during our lesson as we were sitting in our investigators backyard hahaha, it was hilarious because she was trying to be all calm and not wreck the moment but she looked at me with her eye balls all big... so funny. Wednesday we decided we wanted to be hardcore and find out how long it would take for us to walk from our apartment our area (we do not live in our area)... we found out it takes 50 mins speed walking.. we figured out why state side missionaries have cars haha. Based on the map we mathematically determined it would take us 16 hours to walk to the farthest part of our area hahaha, crazzzzy. Friday we got in a massive water fight with the elders... they are so evil haha, its our district leader and his comp that are always messing with us... but yeah I tried to "be neutral" but.... that didnt work. We were all soaked, pretty funny. Saturday was our investigator, Jose's, last day smoking, He is an ex-gang member and he had given up drugs and drinking, but he needed to give up smoking, that was all he lacked. So Sunday he came to church all excited that he was "done"... we will be praying for him, he is getting baptized July 10th so he cant mess up! He is super cool though and so smart, told us he doesnt want to wear baggy clothes anymore because if he is a member of the church he wants to set a good example haha, so cool! Sunday was Shawn and Christian's baptism, they are soooo cool cute awesome! As always, baptisms super stress me out, but it went well and the hermanas brought loads of cake and ice cream so it was a success! haha. So its been busy and fun and I cant believe how quickly this transfer is passing!

This morning in the store some random guy around 25 who was a member of the church gave us $15 (despite our initial rejection) so we will be going to in-n-out for lunch! yaaayyy. Wednesday we have a mini farewell for President (mini because they are going from zone to zone so the whole mission wont be getting together) and sister pike, they will be missed, I really love them, but at the same time it will be fun to see how things will go with a new president! His name is President Becerra (sp?), he is Latino and his wife is white and they are from Utah... so Im excited! Next week p-day is on Tuesday so you wont hear from me till then.

President Pike, This week we were blessed to have the baptism of Sean and Christian, they were so cute and the grandma was so happy and there was a great turn out for ward support. Everyone seemed really pleased that Hermana Guillen was able to baptize her grandkids as they are almost 10 years old, it turned out great. Jose is our other awesome progressing investigator who gave up smoking Saturday night, he is so prepared and so wanting to change his life. He is an ex-gang member and said that he is looking forward to his baptism on July.10th- he explained that it depended on his commitment to quit smoking, we are hoping that he will remain strong and that we will be able to help him with whatever he may need in battling this addiction. We were able to find a new investigator through a member referral and she seems really eager to get baptized, the problem is that she is looking to move because she is in an extremely abusive relationship with her husband, a lot of drama, we will see what happens. This week my studies have been in the Christlike attributes and Ive really been focusing on humility. I see a lot of room for improvement and am glad that there is always so much room for improvement. President, its your last week! Oh my goodness, we are excited to see you and Sister Pike on Wednesday and hope that everything is coming together smoothly for your departure. You will be so missed! Thanks for everything, Sister Christian.

Week 56

This was a great week! We were super busy knocking 48489 doors and talking to everyone we see, it was so great, not that I havent done that in the past but this week was way better because we turned it up a knotch and we loved it. Downside: I am exhausted haha. But its good. So today p-day has come back around! Today is going to be super fun because we are getting together with the elders and playing glow stick frisbee- its where you turn off the lights in the gym and we have glowsticks on the frisbee and our wrists anddd...play haha. Its the first time we are trying it so we will see how it goes- I have a feeling somone is going to get hurt haha. Im happy because Elder Kohler and Smith are coming from covina, they are like my best friends in the mission so I am stoked to see them, and its elder smiths bday so we are gunna go pick him up a cake or something. Ice cream cake maybe!? My favorite!!!! So last monday we played phase ten with our district and I dominated muahah. Yesterday was an awsome day cuz after church we went to celebrate fathers day (BTW HAPPY FATHERS DAY DADDDD!!!!! LOVE YOU) and we ate LOADS. And the hermano there talked to us and the elders for a super long time and we got into suppppper deep doctrine and its all me and my comp have been talking about since, hahah, I love it. I have a super long list of church books I need to read after the mission- so much info so little time! ahhh haha. Sooo to update you on the little funny things of life... edler kohler got me more intense on my health kick while in covina and got our whole district doing protein shakes every morning so then when I came here I peer pressued Sister Love into it so we are making protein jokes all the time. If we need to pick something up we say something like, "oh good thing I had my protein this morning" haha... I feel like maybe my sense of humor has kind of slipped since becoming a missionary but it truly is funny- take my word for it! Sister Love and I crack each other up, she is my favorite companion thusfar, she is just awesome! We are laughing 24/7, I secretly wish I would have been blessed with such easy comps my whole mission but obviously Heavenly Father knows what we need so I feel reassured and grateful for the course my mission has taken. Weird to think that I am on the tail end of my mish... wow. Not trunky though! Actually quite the opposite, Im feeling more and more involved with the work and just being where my feet are. Thats a new saying I have acquired, meaning not to be in the past or the future, just to be where you feet are, right now mine happen to be in chino california so thats where my head is too. Its good.

Presidents Letter

President Pike,
This was one of the best weeks of my mission because we worked suppper hard and were able to meet most of our goals. I am really excited about ths area, there is so much potential and lots of people are coming out of the wood works. We knocked into a guy named Miguel who came on tour and didnt commit to come to church but then there he was! Also Martin is a man that has some to church for 2 sundays but is never free to have lessons and we were able to teach him after church, the spirit was strong and he says he is excited to learn more as "this is all very new to him." That comment, among others, showed how well he understood the restoration and we are really axcited about him. Jose is a guy that the Diamond Bar sisters found and gave tour to but they soon realized that his spanish as better than his english, he liked the ward yesterday and he seems really ready for the gospel. Luckily at church he saw someone that he is friends with and they were surprised to see each other there- now we know who to call to come for lessons! We have been finding like crazyyyy, I have loved it, we are loving our time together and we are very excited for the baptism of Sean and Christian this coming weekend, they are cute twin boys who are sooo smart! Its so fun to teach them. This week I have been studying the restoration chapter in preach my gospel, this is our main focus as that should help us in contacting, I feel that I am becoming more and more bold in my contacting and it really allows the spirirt to testify to me and those we are talking to of the truth of our message. The gospel is perfect, I love it! Thanks for everything you do, I cant believe you guys are leaving soon! You and your family are going to be so missed! -Sister Christian

Week 55

Sooooo this week has been loco. But Ive liked it, everything here is really different, I am having a good time adjusting and seeing how its so different. The ward is a lot bigger and more active, and our area is HUGE- we have to fold the map like 10 times in order to make it a decent size... yikes. So Monday was pday and we just chilled pretty much the whole day. Friday night we had a ward talent show and I decided that we had to put ourselves out there so we did a RAP! yesss... we are so hardcore, in Spanish of course, I didnt know I had the ability to write a rap in Spanish but it turns out that I do! They were laughing, it was kind of a missionary joke rap so it was legit, they actually made us do it twice so I was glad that we took initiative and that it didnt end up being lame. So this wek we found 2 new investigators that we are really excited about, one is named consuelo and the other is named Frances. We also put these twins with baptismal dates- they are 10. There were zero investigators when I got here so I am feeling like it was a good week! The Sunday we had stake conference so I got to see everyone from covina- too bad it wasnt later in the transfer because they havent had time to miss me yet haha. Plus I want to see chino ward- apparently its packed on Sundays which will be a nice change!

So this coming week we are going to be doing a lot of finding! I was so excited because Alexi and Oscar (my racent convert) live in our area! We went to visit them and they were so surprised so it was awesome, weird that we moved the same week to the same place- there are no coincidences in life though so I am happy. She is pregnant and they are planning on getting sealed in the temple at the end of this year- how cool! Sister Love and I are getting along really well. I guess I didnt make a super good first impression because when I got to the apartment I went on a cleaning rampage- like crazy organized everything and went through the area book like a mad woman and she thought I was going to be super stiff... haha I later explained that I just have my overwhelmed moments where I go a little crazy. Also at the grocery store all I bought was veggies so she thought I was a health freak haha... she confessed all of these things to me late in the week so it was pretty funny. Note to self: I need to try to be more normal so I dont scare people! haha. Well life is great, the mission is really starting to pick up for me, I am loving it. Thanks for all the support you constantly give me.

President Pike, This was a great week! Chino is so weird but cool! The ward is super big and strong, it was great to be able to go to stake conference but I will have to wait till next week to see what it is like on Sundays. Friday night we had the ward talent show which was a great success, lots of people came, including our new investigator. This week we were able to give a tour to a lady named Consuelo who was a referral from one of the elders investigators. Then we also have a recent converts sister who moved in with her this week and we went to their house to meet her and she said, "I want to be baptized!"... so that was easy! haha. There are also some twin boys who are about to turn 10 and we were able to set them for a baptismal date for 2 weeks from now, so we have some promising things starting to occur. I am starting to understand the roads a little better and with time I will love it here almost as much as I love covina! Something cool is that my recent convert from covina moved last week to Pomona and we found out this week she moved into our area!!!! I was so excited! My studies this week I have really been focusing on the questions of the soul- one of the questions that really stuck out to me was what does Jesus expect of me, I was able to read the suggested chapter and was amazed with the list I had by the end of the activity. I am grateful to know what God and Christ expect from me and grateful for the Atonement when I fall short. Sister Love is really great, she is always happy and trying hard to be a good missionary. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for this chance to serve here at this time with these people. Thanks for all you do. - Sister Christian

Week 54

So the crazzzzziest thing ever happened- I got transferred! This whole week I was aware that my time in covina was coming to a close but when I got the call Saturday it hit me pretty hard- then even worse the next day when I had to say bye to everyone and the tears started flowing...etc... very tough. BUT its all good because its time for me to be a missionary in CHINO! Thats the name of my new area. I am with Sister Love fromUtah who was comps with Sister Cruz in the MTC so this is her 2nd transfer. We took multiple wrong turns on our way here so she is pretty lost- so overall its going to be pretty funny trying to get around. This week was a good one, I was actually suppppper sad to leave behind my district too, we got super tight this last transfer. Its actually pretty funny- we emptied out this garage with so much junk and the lady let us take whatever we wanted so the elders found a black light and I was going on about how jealous I was, then on Sunday they gave it to me as a good bye present, Ill miss them. Sister Cruz and I had a black light party last night so I have already put it to good use haha. I saw that I got Sams email, I am really excited to see what he is up to and see how he is doing, Im sure he is doing great. So I am feeling a little excited about this "new chapter" in the mission, weird that I only have 3 transfers left- 4 months... wow. Time really does pass so quickly. This coming Sunday we have stake conference so I will be back in my covina building- home sweet home haha. Funny thing is Alexi and Oscar (my recent convert) moved to Chino ward 2 weeks ago and I was so sad to see them go and now I am following them! I am excited to surprise them! The saddest part of leaving was saying good bye to Hermana Ramirez, my Mexican mama, and her daughter Alejandra. Ahhh so many cool people, the mission has been the very best thing for me. I love that I went state side because its just a drive away! Or a cheap flight! Oh by the way, I am no longer taking methotrexate- it didnt make a big enough difference for me to feel the need to take it s I am just on plaquinil, its good, Im glad not to be taking the other one- too many scary sounding side effects! When I moved all the sisters were amazed with how little stuff I had- just my 2 suitcases and my bedding and I thought of dad making fun of my packing skills when I explained that the trick is to "roll the clothes" hahaha. I actually didnt roll them this time- I really just dont have that much stuff!

President Pike!
I cant enter next weeks goals because I dont have them written down in my agenda because I did weekly planning on a separate piece of paper as I was sure that my time in covina was up! Sure enough, I was right! Despite my knowing beforehand that I would move- it was a blow! I am super sad to be leaving my area but happy that Sister Cruz and I could have such a nice transfer together and I will be staying in contact with the people I left behind so I suppose it really is time for me to move on. So this past week was a good one as we were able to set Agustine with a baptismal date and get him on tour. On Sunday we were really disappointed they didnt come to church but later found out its because his wife Eunice was really sick. Fingers crossed for this coming Sunday- might be a little different because we have stake conference. Juanita was really excited to learn more about temples and is planning on going with her son this coming Saturday afternoon to go to the visitors center- she is really tearing through the Book of Mormon, especially for someone with so little education. So guess what!? I am LOST! haha Chino is big, I am probably going to send tonight studying the maps and praying for Heavenly Father to help me figure this out fast! I am very grateful for every transfer I have had and every lesson learned, yay for being a missionary! This week in my studies I am really enjoying preach my gospel's teachings on helping people make commitments. There were some pointers that really stuck out to me- especially on following up that I need to improve on. Thanks for everything! Hermana Christian.