Slow and steady wins the race... right?

Hi everyone! 

I hope ya'll are doing great, I've really enjoyed the work lately in White Salmon... The only problem is that our work has slowed down a great deal. We've been dropped by a few investigators, and we haven't had as much contact with Trevor as we hoped for. 

Our good news, is that we had blitz exchanges with our STL's who came down from Yakima. They are currently serving in Hermana Knight's old area and live with the sisters who are serving in my old area. It was awesome exchange to learn so much from these two sisters, one of which is heading home tomorrow at the completion of her mission, and she ROCKS!  Shout out to Hermana Anna Streuling from Utah!  The other, which I've talked a bit about in the past, Hermana Dee, rocked my socks during our exchange.  We had a lot of catching up to do while we got ready to kick back and go to bed.  We talked a lot about our good ol' Englewood Branch of Yakima.  We learned a lot over our exchange, and enjoyed the rest of our week. 

We also just got transfer calls on Saturday night... With my time left on my mission I expected to leave White Salmon and finish my last two transfers somewhere else, but fortunately... WE ARE BOTH STAYING OTRA VEZ. Yes, I may or may not finish my mission in White Salmon. which personally would be extremely ideal to me because I LOVE our area. But as the hymn goes, "I'll go where you want me to go, Dear Lord."  I've been pondering on the hymns we sing as member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints and I have come to the conclusion that I could listen to church hymns for the rest of my life... personally that's just how I feel right now.  In every moment of need that I've had, there's always been a moment when I have a church hymn going through my head that has helped me through the tough times. 

I am excited to be in White Salmon for another transfer, I love being a missionary, it's one of the best experiences I've had yet! 

Love you all!

Successful Temple Trip #3

Hi everyone! 

This past week went amazing! As a few of you know, I had my last temple trip of my mission this past week, and it was exactly what I needed at the exact right time. 

At the beginning of the week, we had our District meeting, which went better than usual!  But on our way to district counsel, we got a call from our vehicle coordinator who told us we needed an oil change AND a tire rotation that same exact day, right away.  Apparently we were over the due mileage for when we really needed it. But not too over, luckily!  So we had to stay in Hood River for a few hours while they changed our oil and rotated our tires.  It took about 3 hours when it should have taken only an hour and a half at the most... So unfortunately, we were out of our area, and we had nothing to do.. so we did some studying, and we also called some people's names that have been in our phone for quite some time, and we got some good OYM's from those people!  Later we had a lesson with Trevor, who we have been working with for quite some time, and we finally were able to get in with him again, which led to some discussion about an article in a New Era from last year.  He is still progressing so much.  It's so exciting!  He came to church again and loved it!  He's basically a member... He just can't get baptized yet..  But it's going awesome! 

Wednesday we had some awesome member-present lessons with a few investigators, and we had a great Practice Teach Lesson with a less active.  As the Washington Yakima Mission, we have been doing our best to become better teachers, and one of our goals as a mission is to involve the active and less active members in our areas and teach them a lesson from the missionary discussions, allowing them to feel the spirit, and for spiritual upliftment, and also for them to get a taste of what we are doing, so they'll be more excited to share the gospel with their friends.  We had a SWEET practice lesson that day, and she's excited to hear The Plan of Salvation this upcoming week! T

Thursday was our Temple day. WOW! The spirit hit me like a wall.... I truly miss going to the temple so often. While going every 6 months is nice, and it's a good pick-me-up every few months. I wish we had more opportunities to go to the temple more often, because I'm starting to really realize how much I need it and more often!  We drove to Kennewick with Sister Curtis, a sweet member in our ward. We arrived at the temple around 9:00 before the session started and got ready to be in our seats. But as I had been in the changing room, a very familiar face walked passed me... I knew this face very well at the beginning of my mission.  Hermana Heather James recently returned home for some medical problems from the Nashville TN mission, and seeing her face once again was one of the biggest sighs of relief I've had on my mission... Seeing her, hugging the tears out of each other's eyes, it was one of the best feelings ever!!  WOW!  I still can't believe I was able to see her. Unfortunately I did not see her after the session, but I did get other news from a familiar face I knew from Yakima, that told me a less active family that Hermana Aldrich and I visited is now active, and the missionaries are currently activating their son. As a family they are working towards going to the temple soon to be sealed, and we heard a bit of news of some other people as well. It's so strange to be hearing such things from familiar faces, But it was a great comfort to me this week to know that even though I don't feel adequate, through the hard work in the past that I've been looking down on, has paid off, and I feel such relief. 

As I entered the Celestial room, I was looking for many answers... to many many questions. But I soon came across a scripture that led to all my other questions and my searching. This certain chapter is now a very dear place in my heart and It was one of the most spiritual experiences I've had yet to discover and find. I am truly happy to be a member of this church, to have received so many spiritual and physical blessings of having the restored gospel in my life. I can promise each of you, (my current missionary friends) that as you continue to teach people of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and also in your own work at home (for those of you at home) that the Temple has MANY things in store for us that we cannot comprehend in our own hearts and minds. I truly did not feel a bit of stress on my back as I entered the doors of the temple, And as we left the temple, I still felt the endless peace of God's love for me. 

I love you all, Have a great wonderful week! 

Feliz Dia de Madre!

Hello Everyone! Happy Mother's Day!

So this past week has been quite interesting to say the least... Trevor did not end up getting baptized, but it will need to be in a few weeks. He passed his interview on Monday Night!  It's just that there's some scheduling that conflicts with his family's schedule, so that will continue to follow in the weeks to come. This week we talked about the footnotes and study helps in the scriptures with him, and he's very excited to continue to read in the Book of Mormon and receive his own set of scriptures!

Hermana Knight and I have been able to get really close this past week. We've both been having some personal things come up in our companionship, but we are proud to say, we are SOOO thankful to be companions. Video chatting with my parents was fun and excited to hear about all the changes happening at home. I am very thankful for my parents and for all that they do for me, and I can't wait to hear more!

I don't have much to email about today, because today is not P-day for us. On Thursday we are heading to the TEMPLE!!  I am so excited to go be in my home mission boundaries and to spend the day in the temple with Hermana Knight and also with our Zone.  We will be stocking up on our Costa Vida, since we don't have one in the Yakima Mission. We only have a Cafe Rio in our mission boundaries, and it's in my first area in Wenatchee.... Costa Vida here we come!  

Anyway, I love you all! Have a great week!!

The Splashes are coming!

Hi everyone! 

Wow, this past week was definitely a struggle. We had people left and right really being just.... mean. We had some part member families I talked a bit about before, and one of these families are sooo sweet. Their Mom just is not ever looking forward to us coming over. But there's a reason for every slammed door, every rude comment to our faces, and every shrug off in the streets. But this week has also been a great progress for Trevor. HE'S GETTING BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY. If you guys wouldn't mind keeping him in your prayers, that would be great! He is so ready and prepared, and I just can't even tell you guys how excited I am for him! We were getting his program ready on Sunday and asked him to invite some of his youth friends to give talks, prayers, etc. He basically figured out every thing he wanted. We have all the youth getting involved for his program and all the older men he loves will be confirming him on Sunday. This week has just been a low roller coaster for a few days, but it's getting better! This up coming week is Mother's Day, so I am very excited to talk with my parents on Sunday. I don't really have much more to talk about, but here's some awesome pretty pictures from this week. 

LOVE YOU ALL! 

 

A member gave us some Mexican sausage (Chorizo) and Hermana Knight cooked it up for us!

We walk by Faith, not by sight..

Hello Hello! Howdy Ya'll! (Thanks to my Texan companion)

So this past week was so awesome!  We have some amazing new investigators we will be working with this upcoming week! The Derek Family is awesome, they have 2 kids, and they have TONS of questions, they are super amazing. Their Son, Japhia, said the first prayer, and he simply asked... "Please bless me with enlightenment and knowledge of my purpose."  Mind you, he's 10 years old. #yeahdawgie  The weather has been AWESOME this past week as well, it got into the 90's already... Hermana Knight LOVED It, but I couldn't stand it... until I remembered it gets darker later in the evening, so that means we can tract until 9:00 pm in our area now. Woot woot!

I was really struggling this past week with some personal things, and Monday night I kept bottling them up until I couldn't take it anymore. I am SOOOO glad that I am with Hermana Knight because she has truly taken me for who I am. Wow. I couldn't be more happy with any other companion! After she and I talked some things out, I realized I hadn't had a priesthood blessing in over 2 months... I usually can't go a month or so without a priesthood blessing. So we called up my 2nd counselor in our bishopric and asked if he would. He and his wife are amazing! I love them to death, and the blessing was exactly what I needed. Short and Sweet!

We drove out to a far part of our area called "Carson" and contacted a referral.  We hadn't ever been up in Carson before, so that was really cool!  He wasn't too interested, but we left him a Book of Mormon anyway. Hermana Knight has a special medical condition called Insulin resistance, which is very similar to Diabetes, and she can't eat a lot of carbs, bread, etc. or sweets.  She drank some soda this past week and she was NOT doing well, so on our way up to Carson she got very car sick, and took some motion sickness pills, which made her super drowsy, and then we had to go eat at a members house and after that let her sleep it all off. It was hilarious! She was so out of it, but she's doing better now.

Here's a scripture for Ya'lls souls. 

2nd Corinthians 5:6

 5. There fore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.

6. (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

I know for sure I have not walked by sight this week, it has all been by faith.  Through it all, He has lead me with His hand, and He has never let go of me. I am so happy and thrilled to be a missionary, and it's probably never going to hit me that I am almost done... It's so strange... but I'm not thinking about it. 

Love you all, have a good week!

Hermana Knight & I!

Good morning everyone!

Wow, this past week has been a work in progress.  Monday and Tuesday we let Hermana Buss say goodbye to a lot of members, and we had some sweet time together before she left. Wednesday morning, we woke up and Hermana Buss STILL wasn't packed. I was scared for her, on the other hand, Hermana Juarex who stayed the two nights with us (her senior comp went home) was not so happy. I, on the other hand, told Hermana Buss to get in the shower while I packed her stuff. Within 15 minutes, Herman Juarez and I packed her last few things and got out the door with Herman Buss's stuff... and when I say stuff, there was A LOT.

We got to the Hood River Church when we realized how much stuff each missionary had that had to fit into a Dodge Van... I was on the verge of sweating, I couldn't believe how much stuff we had to fit into this van, and the member was completely chill as a cucumber while I looked at the van as soon as we pulled up, and I silently said to myself... 'This ain't gonna work, people!!'  But luckily, the sweet member and I packed the van with our good packing skills (Thanks to my sweet, awesome Dad who taught me how to properly pack a car for a trip!) And we headed off to the transfer site, we smushed the two elders in the back while we hermanas fit into the upper seats... (Poor elders, sorry!) We came back with even MORE things from our new companions, so we ended up having to take some of our new companions' things and have other missionaries take them to another church building, and which our member was more than willing to pick up the other missionaries' things. 

Hermana Knight is from Rockwall, Texas (Across a lake and 30 minutes from Dallas) and she ROCKS! She was born in Logan, and she's been back and forth from Cedar Hills, Utah and Dallas ever since.  She's only been 6 months out on her mission, and she's on fire! I love it!  We have lots of great plans for our area; Trevor is slowly but surely progressing, and he's growing so much in the Gospel! We've met some part member families that we will be teaching this week, and it will be amazing. I just can't wait. 

I also just FINALLY got pictures of Wendy, the teenager with down syndrome that I taught in my first area, and her baptism pictures! She just glows! (sniff sniff)  She's all grown up!

Anyway, It's been an awesome week, Change is my favorite, but this week has been great!

Oh it is Wonderful...

Hello everyone!

So as I've talked about since I've gotten here to the Dalles area, I've been having some struggles with my companion. Everything is going back to normal, but we also have transfers this Wednesday. I will be staying in White Salmon and I will be receiving Hermana Knight, who was one of my greenie's MTC companion. What a coincidence! Hermana Buss will be transfered to Othello. This is something  new, and I'm pretty torn between how I feel about Hermana Buss leaving. We've grown so much together, and we've seen miracles. But having Hermana Buss as a companion was probably one of the most growing times for me on my mission. We've both learned so much together and I am excited to see where her mission will take her next. 

I realized this whole past transfer, I was letting myself be pretty selfish in the midst of helping my companion. I never realized how much she was struggling until she finally opened up to me last week about how she wasn't looking forward to leaving her first area on her mission. I felt sorry, but a bit rough at the same time, thinking to myself, "Well, you've got a ton of time to spend on your mission, and I've got zip-zero time. So enjoy it." There were times I had to be blunt with her, and take the lead in our companionship, and in a way, take the lead in everything we did. I felt no motivation, and turned very inward to myself when I was trying to get her motivated and help her out with her problems. Finally, I found my way through serving her. I found ways to relax, and to not become so anxious and stressed about every little thing. I especially learned through prayer, that Heavenly Father truly, completely, and utterly knows EXACTLY who I am. Though I struggle with finding a balance in my stress, and despite all the noise and struggles happening around me, I turned so inward this past transfer, and I didn't see it until we had a special tender moment this past week.  

When she confided in me about leaving her first area, I first had that thought that I mentioned earlier, but I decided I was done with being this way. I told her stories about when I left my first area, and how nervous I was, but how I became so excited to go somewhere new. I even told her the struggles I had as a missionary, and how the struggles I've had with my self confidence, and trusting in the Lord, every SINGLE trial has made me who I am, along with Jesus Christ and his confidence in me. I LOVE being a missionary, but the ways I've personally struggled have held me back in my potential, and I finally dropped the gloves to the mat, and I loved her with every part of my small, ignorant heart. We both struggled a lot this past transfer, but I became more hard on myself until I truly turned my heart to him.  

What happened next was a complete surprise. I don't know where the words came from, but they just simply spilled out of my mouth. It went something like this...

"Hermana, I know you're missing home, and family, but Heavenly Father wants you to know how much He loves you. You're doing great, keep being productive in every way possible" 

Later, I told her about every single member of her family and why she needs to be a missionary right now. Everything I said, was completely, and utterly from our Heavenly Father. On her end, she cried until I was done. On my end, I teared up while I told her about how proud her Dad is of her.  THINGS HAPPEN FOR A REASON!

Christ is my Savior, He truly felt everything that I feel and that we each feel every day, and He is key to our salvation.

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me.

Confused at the grace that so fully, He proffers me. 

I tremble to know that for me He was cruficied.

That for me a sinner, He suffered, He bled and died.

Oh it is wonderful, that He should care for me, enough to die for me.

Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me. 

I know this past transfer was so needed for both she and I. I will never forget the experiences we had together. I love her.  She will always be one of my favorite companions.

So, Wednesday morning, I will have a new companion!  I will keep ya'll updated on our hard work next week. Love you all, I feel the power of your prayers!! 

Our zone conference was this past week, I was asked to give a training on working with members, and it went awesome!