Week 60

This past week flewwww by! The mission has been flying before my eyes these past two transfers. So my prediction was correct! I get to train again this transfer! So today I am with the other 2 sisters that are training then tomorrow we will get our trainees! woot woooot. Hopefully mine is cool... its a gamble! Regardless I will love her. I saw Hermana Herrera today as she is leaving, I dont know how to explain it but I get so excited and happy to see her, we were catching up and Im happy for her. We had 6 sisters leave today (well they technically leave tomorrow) so that is pretty crazy. The mission is changing a lot. President Becerra is sooo cool. He called me to say that he had received a letter from my parents, he is very involved on an individual basis with his missionaries which is really nice. He dissolved senior and junior companions... you are now use companions, I think that is cool. Because really the title doesnt mean anything because its always just the dominant personality that gets their way anyway (yes- I am speaking from personal experience! haha). So tomorrow I get my new comp then Wednesday we have new missionary orientation all day which will be fun. Then to work!
This past week we had a big dinner at Jose's house where his mom taught us to make pupusas (de el salvador). She was impressed with how round and flat I could get mine, she kept saying that I must have some latina blood in me... Ironic since European is quite the opposite of latinos. haha. Friday we finally had our fathers day ward activity, it was a luau. It was postponed cuz an hermana died and we had her funeral when the activity was scheduled. So I wore a grass skirt hahaha, (over my missionary skirt obviously) and I loved it. Sunday Jose got confirmed. He is soooo cool, we called him in the morning and he had to have his mom talk to me on the phone because he had lost his voice so she said he was sick so I was like, "oh no so he isnt coming to church!?" and she said, "oh no he is still coming!"... he is so solid, he was looking pretty sick but there he was in his suit and tie. After church bishop told him he was going to be called as a ward missionary and told him to stay for the preach my gospel class, so he stayed for the class. We joked with him that this is a church that will "put you to work," he is quickly finding out the reality of that statement. I am so happy to be here, I am feeling great. I am having divine help and I feel deeply grateful for all the blessings I have received from serving a mission. This is the best decision of my life.

Week 59

I wish I could fix any doubt or concern that you may have! Out of this whole weird situation I am super happy because I feel very good about ending strong and finishing to the end. Enduring to the end.. its better this way so thank you for your support and awesomeness all around! So this week has been interesting. This week Tuesday was pday but I was not feeling good so I slept the whole day basically. Feeling like you are wasting the Lord's time is so not fun which was the main reason I was considering coming home, until that awesome talk I had with President Becerra on Thursday which obviously changed my mind since I am still a missionary! haha. He is great. President Pike told me that as soon as I am not out the door when I am supposed to be that I should be going home, which was a big factor in my decision, then on Thursday when I talked to President Becerra he was so set on having me stay and it gave me renewed desire to be here. Not that I wanted to leave but I didnt want to hinder the work. He said some really complimentary things, cool thing is when he came and asked me my name when he first arrived for the welcome meeting (cuz he went around and shook everyones hands and asked their names and where they were from) and of course, my hair was in front of my name tag and I moved it and he goes, "oh sister christian! I have seen your stats, you are a hard worker!" haha, so of course the quickest way to a womans heart is with a compliment soooo I thought he was fabulous from the get go, haha. After the meeting I asked to talk to him and basically we sat down and he said, "I know about you, you are not going home, I need you here!" haha, he might have just been trying to build me up because it was obvious that I was feeling broken down, but regardless it was nice and the rest of our conversation was equally beneficial for me. So basically he didnt really give me an option haha, but yeah I am happy to be here. I feel kind of stupid about causing unnecessary concern at home, I have been very hush hush about things because I dont want to bore you with the negative details, but I guess everything happens for a reason. Next subject...the remainder of the week was great! Jose got baptized yesterday!!!!! hooraryyyy! He is a miracle, he came to church in his new suit that he bought the day before, quite a transformation! He is so cool and I just love him! on Thursday I taught Alexi how to knit hahaa, I didnt even know that I remembered how but she had the needles and said she wanted to learn and I remembered from good ol' mutual! I love having her and Oscar in the ward, they are so cool. I keep talking to them about getting sealed in December and I will deff go for that! Especially because she will have her baby in November, that will be so cool! So this coming Saturday we have transfer calls! dun dun dunnnn. Im 98% sure that I will be training again so that will be super fun! Hopefully she is cool!? Ill keep you posted! Well life is good here! I am feeling good!

Presidents Email...President Becerra, Yesterday we were able to have the baptism of Jose and it turned out great! The spirit was so strong and he actually surprised us by crying before he went into the font, he is an ex-gang member and has made a huge turn around in the short amount of time that we have been teaching him, it has been a miracle as we only started teaching him a month ago. That has been the highlight of the week and the ward was very excited because he got up and bore his testimony afterwards and you could tell he really wants to do Gods will and will be a great contribution to the ward. Other than that, the beginning of the week was rough for me but the remainder of the week we have been trying to make up for lost time. We were able to teach some great lessons but very sad to have Martin leave our area as we were planning to set him with a baptismal date at our next lesson (as he has hesitated in the past to set a date). We need to find like crazy this week. Miguel is our other investigator who was out of town therefore missed church so we need to hit the street and find new investigators, we have some good potentials and excited to see the fruits! This week I have been studying a lot in chapter one, my purpose, why it is that I am here. I feel a renewed desire for the work after having my mind previously set that I should go home. I am excited to finish strong. I have thought about the altered schedule and have decided that it will not be necessary, just like anyone else, if I do not feel well I will call Sister Becerra and ask for permission to stay in, I am thinking that I will take advantage of lunch and dinner times by taking the full hour and Im sure that will be sufficient. I am grateful for the talk I was able to have with you, I love being a missionary and grateful for every minute I have here in the mission. I hope you and your family are feeling welcome here, we are happy to have you! Thanks, Hermana Christian.

Week 58

Soooo guess what!? My life has been flipped upside down this week! First I would like to reassure you guys: I am fine! But for this whole transfer I have been feeling progressively worse regarding those migraines and just feeling whipppped out, specifically the past few weeks. I am doing good, happy, etc but the demands of my mission and my health situation have been leaving me feeling unsure about my ability to continue. Crazy right? I know, I deff did not think that would be a consideration, but I have been feeling really unsettled about the whole thing then recently I was praying really hard to know what in the world I am supposed to do and I feel very strongly that for some weird reason the answer may be to come home. I want to stay here, but I feel that coming home is the right thing to do. I am fine, its just that since being on my mission I have allowed myself no breaks, I think that the stress of my not being able to stop ever has taken its toll. I like to do things 100%, I could stay but I dont feel like right this moment I have the capacity to do everything the way I would like to. So yeah!. So last Monday I went to the doctor and it turns out I do have lupus! Which I am completely fine with, 1. because God is in control and 2. because I really dont know much about it to worry over! haha. So yesterday I talked to president and he asked if I would wait till transfers I said yes but I have pasted my email with him below so you can see what I wrote him... So yes- my life is crazy! haha. Dont call the office or anything, I will call you when its appropriate. Sooo I am super sad (like emotional breakdown sad) at the prospect of leaving the mission, I really am not "ready" to be done, but if there is one thing I have learned on my mission is the importance of trusting in God. I am very happy to know that I will get to see my lovely parents so soon and that I will have some down time to slow down my life for a little bit. So be happy and dont be sad or worried! I am not worried about any of it, I just want to sleep for 5845983 years hahaha. just kidding.So this week had some really good parts, specifically Jose is progressing so well and has his baptism this Sunday! Hopefully I will be there for it!? He needs an interview with President because he has been to jail twice and recently got off probation- we are hoping he hasnt killed anyone so that there is no hold up on his baptism. Sister Love has been heaven sent throughout this whole thing, I keep reassuring her that I have cried more this transfer than all my other transfers put together hahaha. Hopefully she believes me. No one in the mission knows what going on besides her. I guess another sister went home this week for knee problems so I guess I feel better knowing Im not a total wuss!? So I havent met our new president yet, on Thursday we meet him. We all feel weird like we dont have a mission president right now cuz Pike left and now we are in limbo haha. He seems nice from the call I had with him. He is no Pike though! President Pike is unlike any other person I have ever met, I swear that he and his wife will be translated some time soon! I feel grateful his having been able to serve in this mission, he is a shining example to me and will always be someone I hold in the highest esteem. I cant believe this chapter of my life is coming to a close so quickly, not what I expected... life is full of surprises! Well I better go, I will be in touch Email to President:This week was a good week, we were able to have Sean and Christian confirmed and the ward was really happy that they were able to become members of the church because the grandma has been praying for a long time for that to happen. We were able to teach Jose, our investigator who will be baptized on Sunday, some really awesome lessons. He has successfully completely quit smoking and told us that the smell of cigarettes now offends him and he has no desire to do it again. He is such a shining example of obedience and we are excited for him to be baptized as he has invited his whole family and is hoping that he will set the example. Miguel and Martin also came to church, they are progressing but we found out yesterday that Martin moved out of our area so we need to pass him off to Pomona elders, sad for us but good for them! The area is progressing well but we are in need of new investigators, which will be the main focus of this area for the next few weeks.In my studies I have been focusing on lesson three and really have enjoyed furthering my understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am starting to understand more and more that repentance is the continual process of becoming more and more like our Heavenly Father.
I wanted to talk to you about my current health issue. I recently found out I have lupus, I have been feeling very poorly for quite a while but this transfer has become increasingly difficult for me as I get debilitating migraines . It has got to a point where I feel like it will be better for me to swallow my pride and head home 3 months earlier than expected. This is the opposite of what I want, but I have been praying about it and feel comforted to know that this is the right decision for me at this time. You asked if I could wait 2 weeks, I will do whatever is in the best interest of the mission . I am very grateful to be a missionary, I love this gospel with all my heart and feel grateful for the time I have spent here in the mission. I am sorry this is occurring right as you arrive but I am grateful for your time and excited for you and your family in this new chapter in your lives! Take care-Hermana Christian.

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.

Week 53

Man I was really hoping to have an email off Sam but maybe he hasnt had his p-day yet!? Im sure he is doing great in the MTC. Its a cool place- 9 weeks is probably going to be pretty different than my 3 week experience but hopefully he has a cool companion. Excited to hear the details!

So this week was awesome. Wednesday was Alejandras bday and we made her the BOMB cake of oreos, pudding and cool whip- it was delicccccious. They then invited us to go with them to Hometown Buffet where we ate our weight in food, then felt sick for the rest of the night. We have been biking for a large portion of the week and are nice and tanned and feeling extremely soar! Like... sooooo soar. We are also running to a park to play soccer and I have never had such a deep burn in my shins than I do right now from kicking the ball... Sister Cruz kicks it so hard so I try to keep up... unfortunately I am suffering the consequences. We have so much fun together though, we are very alike and think the same things are funny and the same stuff is cool... it makes life so enjoyable. Sunday Juanita was confirmed which was great, she came all dressed up (she is very casual so it was really exciting to see her all fancy!) and it was a great day! Yesterday we had pday but we couldnt email cuz everything was closed for memorial day. We went to swap meet and bought some fun jewelry, we were looking for a clay pot to make beans but we didnt find one- better luck next time! We then almost DIED! Long story short, this tool in front of me while merging onto the freeway came to a complete stop while I was checking my blind spot and basically I did the craziest fast and furious stunt and somehow slipped perfectly between the tool and this huge semi... I cant really explain it but we were superrrr protected because we probably should have died. We said a sincere gratitude prayer when we made it to Arcadia, yikes. I have an interview that I requested with president. I have had different things that I have wanted to talk to him about and we ended up talking for about an hour and a half, he is the BOMB. He is such a spiritual giant, like a vault of knowledge, it was really cool to have that time to ask different things. He also gave me a health blessing which was really nice. One of the things we talked about was my release date because I have the option of coming home Oct.11th or Nov. 22nd... we talked about it and I told him that I wasnt sure what to do and he told me to go home in October... kind of crazy. He told me to think about it and let him know, I told him I would. I am leaning towards October after the convo I had with him.

This coming week we are celebrating Karlas birthday with her on Friday... she is my favorite person of all time. I just feel like Ive seen her faith grow and it has been such a blessing to have met her and gone through a lot of ups and downs with her. I have loved being left in this area so long, I feel so blessed. Transfer calls are this Saturday and I have no idea what will happen... I will be happy with whatever- ahhhhh!

Week 52

Hello again! So we just raced back from downtown LA where we went to Plazita Olvera, the sisters we went with insisted we stop for food and bleeeehhhh it took so long so I have like no time to write cuz the family history center is about to close. But! This week was goooooooooooood! Juanita got baptized yesterday and it turned out great! We found a new family that we are excited about, the mom is a less active ad has 5 kids that arent members... we will see what develops, thinking we might have to pass them off to english elders though... gaaa the down side of state side work! haha. Weird to think there are only 2 weeks left of the transfer- it has just flown by. I think me and Kunz are gunna switch spots and I will head to Azusa and greenie break... but we will see, Ill keep ou posted! Sorry its so short!!!!

Week 51

So heres the news with the doctor... so I tested positive for a second time for lupus antibodies, if you dont know what lupus is you can look it up haha. Its still not 100% that I have it but he kind of explained that my body hasnt decided what course its going to take yet so I am still undiagnosed. There is something pretty wrong though because he went on to explain that in my blood results that my ANA (which is a count of my antibodies, which is basically my immune system)- that it is supposed to be under 40 and mine was 1280 , yikes! So my body is like preparing itself for something, didnt really understand everything, maybe you could ask Russ Hales to explain it better for me because my doctor is too smart for his own good and cant explain things simply. So yeah, thats that! No worries though, time will tell as always!

This week we had zone conference and it was fun, they over air condition it cuz all the elders have to wear their jackets so I was freezing. This was a great week! I sent you my presidents letter so hopefully you enjoy that. We have zone activity playing soccer at the park today- should be fun!

Heres some random photossss!!!!! We randomly found a sidewalk that just ended and for some reason we thought it was pretty funny, then we did our version of the first vision, then I decided to dye a bunch of stuff pink haha... yikes.

Presidents Letter:
President Pike,
This was a great week! This highlight of the week was yesterday when checking formers we ended up finding an awesome new family, the wife is a less active and the husband is not a member, we taught them 1st lesson right there as they said they wouldnt be free until the following weekend to take tour. The spirit was strong and she bore testimony of the Book of Mormon and in her closing prayer she said, "se que es el tiempo a cercarnos a ti Padre." It was powerful and the husband was nodding throughout the whole lesson- just awesome! We have done a lottttt of knocking this week and have some promising potentials that we are excited about for this coming week. Also we reviewed the baptismal questions with Juanita and she is very excited to be baptized this coming Sunday! Hooray! Also yesterday I was able to teach Relief society and the topic was 'la obra misonal'... President it went so well! We talked about how they as members can be missionaries and at the end I handed out little colored papers where everyone wrote their name and the name of someone they are currently working with or should start to work with, we got about 20 names and we are excited to follow up with those members to help them share the gospel!
In my studies I have been focusing on chapter 9 and reading the first lesson from chapter three. I am trying to be more creative as we are doing a lot of knocking so we want to keep it fresh and exciting by keeping it a little more varied. I was very grateful for my notes from Zone conference and the different things that I thought of that we can apply.
My companion is doing great. Sister Cruz is very well adjusted and slowly talking more. Although her Spanish speaking is a struggle she is pretty ahead of the game with her comprehension. She is always asking how she can help more, what else she can do, I like the help and appreciate her desire to serve.
Thanks for everything! Hermana Christian.

Week 50

Blog for 5-9-11haha

How are you!? Long time no talk! Hope you like the random fotossss. Sooo not too much has happened since 20 hours ago haha. It was so nice to be able to talk to you guys, got a little teary eyed but luckily I was able to hold myself together! Glad that you are all doing so awesome, thats so cool that I got to say hi to gran and grandad! Hope you guys have a great few weeks with them around!
I'll let you know how the doctors goes today- lupus or no lupus... dun dun dunnn. Either way its whatevers. I gotta go. love you guys.

Testimony:
The church is true, the book is blue. The end.
just kidding, here it is for real...
I am so grateful to have a loving Heavenly Father that is so aware of each of his children. I am grateful that our Savior Jesus Christ atoned for our sins so that we can repent to be worthy to go back to our Father's presence. Through obedience and faith we are able to better ourselves and become more and more like the Savior and live happier lives. Service and a consecrated life are what bring true happiness, and as we overcome distractions we can feel that much closer to our Father in heaven. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored through Joseph Smith after so many years of spiritual darkness. The Book of Mormon is the convincing evidence of that restoration. I know that it is another testament of Jesus Christ, and have seen how it has increased my faith and touched the lives of the many different people I have been privileged to meet. The church is true and God's plan is perfect and we are so privileged to be members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints.

Week 49

So this week has been LOCOOOO. So much going on. So Sunday till Tuesday I spent with Hermana Kunz who I now love and respect so much, seriously an angel. We had a good time together in her area, Azusa. Tuesday my companion arrived in the afternoon, and she is.........Hermana Cruz. She is from Salt Lake City, UT and is Latina but doesn't really speak Spanish. She has like a cool retro style, is super laid back and sooo nice and I love her!!!!!!!! Wednesday we spent the whole day in new missionary orientation which was cool because we got subway for lunch.. haha ok thats not the only reason, it was cool because President expressed how much trust he had in the trainers and it made me feel good. Friday we got to go to the LA mission and we heard from Elder L. Tom Perry and Elder Clayton- it was really cool, it was held in this really cool old church that had stained glass windows- it was one of our first church buildings apparently. That night we went to the ward sports night where we played some volleyball. Saturday was Mormon helping hands and we cleaned up a park- it didnt really seem to look too much different afterwards to me, but everyone else said it looked "sooo much better" haha, I raked like a mad woman and my abs and back are suffering because of it. The elders were like going around picking up weeds and I was attacking the ground with the rake haha, wussies. Yesterday we had zero investigators to church and I am excited to finddddd like crazy this week to have new investigators. Melanies house burnt down this week so we cant teach her till they find a house back in our area- vandalism apparently, realllly tragic, they lost literally everything, good thing for insurance! The elders are joking that we are a bad omen as the people we teach get their stuff stolen and their houses burnt down, and it became even more real when yesterday Juanita mentioned that she might get deported. I am feeling awesome about this new transfer, so happy with my new comp and happy to really go to work this last transfer here in Covina (but you never know, the members are saying that maybe I will just end up serving here!?).!!


Presidents Letter:
President Pike,
This week was awesome! I am so very happy about this transfer and the chance I have to be with Hermana Cruz! We spent the majority of the time this week outside of our area with new missionary things, L. Tom Perry devotional, and our stake's Mormon helping hands activity. I have never had a week fly by so quickly, it was so awesome and I am exhausted! haha, I love it. We were not able to teach many lessons and we decided to drop various people that we were holding onto that werent progressing, therefore this week's focus, more than ever, will be on finding new investigators. This past week we were able to teach some really awesome less active and recent convert lessons, Karla has committed to paying her tithing and is really happy and solid in her decision to come back to church. We were assigned a specific less active family (Rios) that we are going to begin to teach that were a referral from the ward and they seem ready to come back. That is very exciting as they have little kids that are almost baptism age. This week we had two awesome lessons with our progressing investigator Juanita who is really getting the vision of the Book of Mormon. How cool was it that we were able to have that visit from Elder L. Tom Perry and Elder Clayton- it was so great, if we could make that a more regular thing that would be awesome! In my studies I have really been focusing on finding and how to find new investigators. In church this Sunday our stake made an announcement that the members are to let us in their homes to discuss their progress in sharing the gospel, when they made an announcement a light went off in my head that said, "we need to take advantage of this" so I made a list of all the active members that I thought would be good to visit and we have made a goal to really visit members and focus more efforts that way. I will tell you how it goes. We havent had a ward mission leader for about 3 months now and that is really starting to get a little old. Its not that we were working so well with one prior, but we deff feel an element of disconnectedness from the ward. Hopefully they call someone soon.
Companion's Progress:
Sister Cruz is the best! She is very attentive in lessons and really trying to share her feelings, the language barrier gets in the way, but she is really a fantastic missionary and I was so impressed with her attention to names and stories regarding all the different people in our area. She is a hard worker and is very excited about being a missionary. She understands the language relatively well and we are going to work hard to get her talking more in lessons and taking the lead more in contacting and feeling more confident in general regarding Spanish.
Thanks for everything

Week 48

Hellllllllllllllllllllo. Happy Easter ! So transfer calls came anddddddddddd............. I am here in Covina for transfer #9 and I am training, yay! I was 99% sure that was going to happen but its nice now that its solid. So its been crazy and this week is going to be even more loca. So today I am with Sister Kunz as she is also training and her comp also left. We are having a good time. Last week I had another intercambio with Sister Kimball and we had a blast, like the day just FLEW by and we figured out that we are basically the same person, I reallllly like her. Saw all the sisters at the office this morning because its a good central meeting point- and thats where I went to drop off Sister Clawson, I am excited for her, she has mixed feelings about going home but less that she will miss the mission and more because she is nervous about what happens next- which is an understandable fear. Pretty sure I will be so excited to see my loved ones that I will have no hesitations! haha, who knows though. So pday with Kunz today and am with her till tomorrow at 2:30 when I get my new comp then Wednesday from 9-3 is new missionary orientation then Friday we get to leave the mission to meet with LA mission to see L. Tom Perry speak, ITS GUNNA BE AWESOME. I am really excited about that, one because it will be a spiritual kick in the pants (or skirt given my current circumstances) and two because it will be cool to leave the mission! Then Saturday we are doing Mormon helping hands which should be really fun- nothing like cleaning up ppl's trash in a park with bright yellow vests on haha. I am really excited to train- I thought I would be nervous but Im really not. I deff need to step up my game a little but Ive got it under control. We are gunna do workkkkk and baptize- love it.

Claudia got robbed that same week she paid tithing and since then has really gone cold. It is very sad as she paid her tithing and that same week she got everything stolen from her car- gps, ipod, $300, wallet etc... not really what I had in mind when I promised that she would protected and blessed... urrr hah, but life happens, satan really works against people when they are doing good. Sad about that. Juanita just cant get to church gaaaaaaaaaaa. Feeling ready for new investigators. Melanie is my fav investigator, she is smart, 16 and her questions are the best. She is pretty outraged that women cant have the priesthood haha but she is really cool. Little worried that she spends more time picking out her outfits for church than she does reading her book of mormon haha, but its all good. We need new investigators- my trainee is about to find out what it means to knock doors and talk to everyone hahaha.

Today I am going to get my blood taken to run it again for lupus to see if the results vary... Ill keep you posted.

Love and miss you guys. HUGS AND KISSES. give referals to the missionaries- if you cant think of anyone then you need to go make friends!!!!! Love Laura.

Week 47

Hellllloooo,
Just got back from the temple... I just love it there. It was great. The Santa Monica temple is really cool because you are changing rooms the whole time- soooo pretty, the temple is my favorite placeee in the world!!!!!

This week we spent a bunch of time trying to fix our brakes on our car. Ended up at the office and Elder Hansen (senior missionary) and I ended up taking off the front two tires, checking the brake pads and the ridges in the rotors- he taught me how to check/change the air filter... all sorts of fun things haha, I felt hardcore naturally. Didnt end up finding the solution- went to pep boys, said we had wharped rotors- which was causing the crazy squeaky grinding noise... got the car back and 2 days later it was making a different mysterious noise- took it back to pep boys, they called us 2 hours later said they drove it and didnt hear anything- picked it up- still making crazy noises baaaaaa haha. Ive always wanted a car but now I am starting to think they are more hassle than I realized. Maybe Ill hold off on that purchase and buy a sweet bicycle.

This weekend is going to pass by so fast- today is pday, tomorrow we have intercambios- sister kimball is coming here with me to covina again- should be fun she is a good hardworking missionary. Saturday is transfer calls- dun dun dunnnnnn the moment of truth! Im nervous even though Im pretty sure I know what will happen. Ill be very excited to train if president doesnt change his mind at the last minute. Who knows!? Sunday Ill be with other sisters from 5-9 cuz my comp has her farewell thing in Arcadia that they do for all the departing missionaries then Monday will depend on whether or not I train as to what happens. If I do then the trainees get here on Tuesday so I would spend the day with other sisters and if I dont then it will be off to wherever I get called. Wow- Im ready for a change haha. Sister Clawson and I are getting along really well.

Week 46

Just sent some random photos- realized most of them were of me by myself haha, I promise I have friends, I suppose I am just super vain and dont like to share the spotlight! haha. Life here is locaaaa, everything is going good. Claudia Cardona paid her tithing this week, she got a check she wasnt expecting and we had just taught tithing and she thought it would be a good way to show her gratitude to God for the unexpected surprise- she is very very cool. Their family are our only progressing investigators right now and it is such a task to get through a lesson with them. Juanita is flaking, superrr not cool, she has canceled multiple appointments so we dont know whats going on with her despite our efforts to see her and get her back on track. We gave a tour to this old guy this week, we thought he was golden because he went to check out the temple but was so mad when they didnt let him go in so he wanted to meet with missionaries to find out how he could enter... found out he is a photographer and wanted to see inside to take pics.. not that he was actually interested in the religion. This week we were able to have a really fun FHE with Karla and her kids and her brother's kids and it was super fun, its so awesome that Karla is being so strong wanting to come back to church and she is setting a good example for her brother who, although he hasnt come to church yet, is slowly coming around.
I am playing soccer in the mornings, haha ok not really playing soccer since really its just me running up and down the parking lot with a soccer ball but I have changed my eating habits and exercising hardcore, you should see the fridge- everything is green! Im on a serious health obsession right now and I am really liking it- hopefully it sticks! I will weigh 115 by the time I come home, thats the goal. This morning was especially awesome cuz 2 Mexican guys came and juggled the ball with me and it made me feel super legit and Latina for those 5 minutes haha. My Spanish is coming along I suppose, my vocab has expanded significantly so its really cool. The members always say to the missionaries if they want to speak Spanish better they need to eat more spicy food... haha just so you know Sam- that is a myth!!!! I am so excited for you as you go to the temple this week. Pray before you go. How are you feeling as your mission date slowly gets closer? Youll be awesome, I have no doubts.
Everything here is good, I am feeling a lot more positive this week, there will always be moments of frustration in life but its how you deal with it that counts- I guess venting to you guys about my companion issues is not really the best way to live according to that little nugget of wisdom, but hey, we are only human haha. Sister Clawson and I had a good week, I gave myself an attitude check and all is now is ship shape. President wrote me an email today that was really nice, telling me to help my companion finish strong etc. It was cool, he knows what all his missionaries are like I have noticed.
This morning a member took us to a really awesome bakery called Portos Bakery... oh my goodness, it was the bomb, it was in Glendale and I am stuffffffed and it was delicious, Ill take you guys one day.

p.s. next week p-day is Wednesday because that day we are going to the temple- hoooooray! So dont expect an email on Monday! hugs and kisses

Week 45

This week was fabulous. We moved, that was a big event so we lost a lot of time but it is sooooo nice to be in our new apartment, I am still getting used to it. I loveeee it, they did everything new and its so nice not to live with a member. Did I mention that we are Cesar and Elia's neighbors (former investigators), even though we are no longer teaching them- they are my very favorite people and last night they called us at 9 and said to stop by their door before ending the day because they had bought us burgers and fries haha, they love us and we love them. Elia took us to swap meet today, which was fun but I controlled myself and didnt buy anything- yay! So the new apartment is awesome, I was gunna email pix but I forgot to charge my camera and it is dead- next week!

Another highlight of this week- GENERAL CONFERENCE! Oh my goodness I just loved it!!!! So many awesome talks, I loved them talking about the importance of women and wives haha of course, I also loved the emphasis on the fact that our trials are for our good and the importance of the Atonement. I loved the tree analogy where the gardener chops the tree because I feel like that accurately summarizes my mission- I am the tree and Heavenly Father is just chopping me down haha- but its for my good so Im happy about it. We had 5 investigators come to conference- lower than our goal but they all lovedddd it.

Juanitas boss didnt give her Sundays off but said that every second or third Sunday she could leave early so not really sure what we are going to do about that since she is super ready to get baptized and just has that standing in her way. The Cardonas are progressing slowly but surely. We need new investigators!!!

Let me quickly express my love and gratitude for my wonderful family, I know that these things are not coincidence and that Heavenly Father put us 6 together for a reason (sometimes that reason may seem harder to see than others haha). I have been so blessed for being a part of the Christian family, I would not trade it for anything. I love this gospel, I am so happy to know that we can be together forever, the church is so true, the spirit witnesses that to me on a daily basis, it is just one of the reasons I am so glad that I decided to serve a mission. Dont forget the basics- daily prayer and scripture study are so emphasized because they are that important- what a difference it makes- I would know.

Week 44

Hey hey hey!!!
Mom thanks for forwarding Ethan and Lukes emails- they look like they are doing really well which is so awesome. The mission helps you grow up soooo Im happy for anyone that makes the right decision to get their butt on a mission. Its changed me so much, that is for sure, Im still cool tho, I think haha.
Eveything here is going good, today I have a doctors appointment, I am going to be asking for stronger medicine- the Plaquinil (sp?) is good and has helped but I am still pretty sore a lot of the time so I hope that it will all work out well. This past week we were able to teach some really awesome lessons, Hermano Luevano and I had a serious heart to heart last night and I was just asking him the most direct inspired questions and at the end I was like, "Hermano you need to come back to church" and he was like, "I know" and he just sat there thinking, it was cool, he has been through the temple and everything but the church burnt him out with callings etc.. I just dont know how you can receive so much spiritual truth and turn away from it, all the less actives I see know that their lives would be better with the gospel but the obstacles (and dont get me wrong- a lot of them have very big obstacles) keep them from making the changes that would make their quality of life so much better. It is frustrating to know what is best for someone and them not do it... freaking agency! haha.
Juanita was supposed to come to get baptized this coming Sunday but she didnt come to church.. so tragic. Yesterday we had Marcos Castillo's baptism which was a great success! He is Andrea's son (she was my first baptism back last year). The work is coming along, the Cardona family are progressing well but slowly because they talk soo stinkin much. We will be talking abut faith then Alfredo pulls up a random funny youtube video in his ipod touch...haha its funny but annoying, but they are awesome and will get baptized pronto.
Sorry I dont have more time, we need to head to Glendale to the doctors then we are going to that cool mall 'Americana' and meeting up with Hermana Herrera and Hermana Ence there... Should be fun, love you guys!!!! XOXOXOXO. Laura.

Week 43

Life here is good, same ol same ol in Covina haha. So this is transfer #8 here and President told me I would be here next transfer to train so that is pretty loco. We are moving apartments next week because the lady we share the apartment with needs to downsize so we took matters into our own hands and are moving into a cute little studio in the hub of where we spend most of our time in our area so we are super stoked. It was a dumpppp but they are renovating it and we will be moving in sometime between the 25th and the 30th- so thats prettttty exciting! My first move! The work is coming along great, Juanita was supposed to get baptized this upcoming Sunday but she didnt get to come to church yesterday because of work so we will need to push it back (they need to come at least 3 times before they can be baptized- and obviously be taught all the lessons) so we are busy with her, she is solid and will deff be getting baptized here real quick. The Cardona family are still solid but not progressing quickly with the lessons as they are TALKERS and sooo hard to control... one minute we are talking about faith and the next he is showing us random ghost videos of of youtube on his ipod touch haha, deff need to figure out how to control the lessons a little more. We are working a lot with Karla, the less active and she is sooo awesome and her brother is a less active who served a mission and everything (he has a super crazy story) and he wants to come back to church and I just LOVE them so much. It is amazing to have been left here so long, these people are such a part of my life, I feel like a piece of my heart will always be here in Covina. I am veryyyyyy excited to train, Im gunna work her into the ground haha.
We got some insider info from up the chain that Elder Tom Perry will be visiting here in the end of April and that we will be joining the West LA mission to have a huge conference- that is gunna be sooooo legit. And conference coming up- wow its like Christmas! Minus the sweet phone call home haha. Mothers Day will be here before you know it though so its all good. Then Ill be home- weird how time passes. Some days are slowww and others go by so quickly but now looking back so far- its gone by fast.

Anyways, it is gross and rainy here. We have a zone activity that we are about to head off to- volleyball yay! Should be a good week.

Week 42

On Monday we had a really good time at the Huntington library with the Luenanos - it was full of history and the gardens were really pretty. There was a famous painting in there called "The Blue Boy" and I remembered having read about it in school so I felt so smart to actually recognize a painting haha. the weird things that bring me joy! Monday night we had a fun family home evening. Anyway the the week was busy but not super progressive but it was good. Friday night we had a ward movie night where we watched the Joseph Smith DVD and it turned out pretty good - you know I love popcorn so I was happy to sit and eat and watch a movie - deff a luxury. Saturday was transfer calls and we were with the elders eating pizza awaiting the calls - and sister clawson and I are together again for another transfer here in covina haha and I was informed by the president that next transfer I will be left in the area to train - sooo basically my mission will be Covina. So that will be 9 transfers here - wow! I love it. We are going to be moving into a cool new apartment next week so that will be my first move in the mission! haha crazy! Sunday 2 really cool investigators came to church for the 1st time. Juanita is our most golden investigator right now - she is sooo cool and she loved church. Bishop was shocked to find out that I didnt get transferred haha.

Sorry the letter is short - rather uneventful week but Im feeling good and am happy to stay in Covina.

Week 41

Tuesday we did a surprise goodbye party for our ex ward mission leader Hermano Palasuelos where we ended up eating lots of yummy food and playing an intense game of Signs – we are addicted. Thursday we had a tour with a lady named Juanita and she asked if she could be baptized before we even invited her – she is super golden – she is the mom of one of the youth who is a member, she said his good example has really touched her – a good example goes a long way! Friday we had an awesome lesson with recent convert Alexi, she amazes me – just so solid, this Sunday her formerly less active husband bore his testimony and got a calling so my heart was just filled with happiness to see such progress in both of them. Wow. Later that night we had a movie night with Blanca and the girls. We brought so much junk food – ice cream, cookies, brownies and popcorn and we watched the new Joseph Smith movie with them – they didn't know we were so persecuted back then and the girls kept saying "What the heck, what was their problem, just let them be Mormons" and "oh my gosh, now why are they taking Joseph Smith to Jail!!??" haha I love it.
On Friday we also got our key stuck in the car and after a 10 minute battle we called the elders to come help and Elder Weenig on his first try got it out and they went on to tell us "its because we're men" (While flexing their muscles of course) haha - pretty classic, I feel like we brought dishonor upon our gender! Haha . Saturday night we had a big dinner at the Remirezs house and Elder Kidd came with his family! It was weird to see him not in missionary clothes – I told him his facial hair looked stupid! Haha he and I were good friends so that was fun to see him. Sunday I taught the class in Relief Society, it was on the Restoration and the spirit was really strong and I really liked teaching it. I stood up and said " since I've been here so long they've assigned me to teach RS" haha.. I love this ward/area – transfers are quickly approaching, transfer calls are Saturday night – if I stay next transfer that means I'll be here for 2 more transfers cause Clawson goes home at the end of next transfers – so it’s a mystery. I'll be happy with literally whatever happens. I'm realizing President doesn’t have a lot of options due to drivers, seniors– so maybe he'll leave all of us. Regardless we need to move, Gloria, the lady we live with, needs to move so we are going to get relocated so we are on the hunt for a new place to live – kind of exciting, I'll keep you posted. The Cardona family were our only investigators to church – they missed sacrament though so I was all depressed that no one came. The work is coming along great, I'm working hard and can see the blessings and the happiness it is bringing to my life. Today we are going with the Luevanos to a place called "Huntington Library" (maybe google it) which is supposed to be really cool – big old mansion with a bunch of history and really cool gardens. It opens at 12 – so we are planning on passing all of pday there. We get to go to the temple next transfers so I am excited for that. Overall life is great and I am loving being a missionary.