January 29, 2013

Hola a todos,

We have transfers tomorrow. We found out today about transfers. We have a transfer breakfast and a family in the stake from one of the elder's area cooks for us and we just all eat as a zone and our zone leaders announce where we're going. It's super fun. I'm staying in the same area for another transfer. It'll be my 4th transfer. I had Sister Judy during this transfer but she got her visa and had to head out to Spain. I was SUPER sad to say good-bye. :( She became my best friend and we had a great time! We had 7 baptisms in total. :) We were a good companionship. She helped out a lot and I tried to help her with her confidence. It was a great transfer. We had a lot of memories and we both came to love our investigators. It's been snowing here since Sunday. It's crazy weather. I love Logan though it's such a great area and filled with a lot of potentials.

Yesterday we met a family that is GOLDEN. :) I believe the elders in Smithfield were teaching this family's 11 year old daughter but the parents didn't let her get baptized until she's 18 and really wanted to make this decision. But on Sunday we got a call from our ward mission leader and told us that he had a referral from us and said that this family wants to meet with the missionaries and learn more. We had to go on splits since the appointment was around the same time as a baptism interview. I taught this family the restoration and they loved it. I talked to them about the Holy Ghost and they said when I recited the first vision they felt something they couldn't describe and it was a great feeling. :) I just met them yesterday and I truly love this family already. I think while teaching them they'll let their daughter get baptized and they'll see that this gospel is great for their family and they could get sealed in the temple as a family. That would be great! Hugo is another one of our investigators. He's amazing and he wants to get baptized. Sister Judy and I tried to get him to set a date for Feb. but he wouldn't. He said in May. Sister Judy and I weren't sure why he said in May. Then after the lesson it popped into my head that it was because he smoked. But guess what? He stopped smoking! He has been smoking since he was 12 years old. He thought at first that he needed till May to be able to accomplish that but guess what? He has stopped smoking for 9 days now. He's getting baptized Feb. 16! Heck yes! He's great! He's had dreams with Jesus Christ and a dream like the vision of tree of life before he has heard of it before in the Book of Mormon. I'm super excited for his baptism.

-Hermana Marin

January 22, 2013

Hola!

 

So last week on Thursday we had Zone Conference. It was a great training! We set goals for ourselves and I decided to read the Book of Mormon 4 more times before the end of my mission. We got training on how to help out our investigators "see the light" and "stay posi". Also on how to be a successful missionary. I love Zone Conferences! Towards the end of Zone Conference, President Hiers walks by me and Hermana Judy and says, "by the way there's movement..." and Hermana Judy and I stare at each other with confused faces and he says, "your visa is in, you're going to the MTC Tuesday." Then he just walks away. Hermana Judy and I got very sad and she starts crying and gives me a hug. I knew it was going to be a very sad weekend for the both of us.

 

Yesterday I took her to the mission home because she was going to stay the night in Clearfield with a couple missionary that works at the office because they were going to take her and this other sister to the MTC to sign papers for her visa.The drive to Ogden was very sad. We stayed at the mission home for dinner and then it was time to say good-bye. It was not pretty. We both started bawling and gave each other a hug. So sad! We just kept repeating to each other "one year, one year!". haha Yeah Girls are very emotional...it's what we do best right?

 

Transfers are next week! Pray for me! I don't know how I feel about transfers. I hate transfers, maybe because I dislike change. But it's ok. If I get transferred it's what the Lord watns. :)

 

Love you all!

 

-Hermana Marin

January 15, 2013

What's up everyone?

 

Well last week was an adventure that's for sure. I love serving a mission. It's just full of adventures. Last week we basically had a snow day...Thursday, it was snowing like crazy. After our dinner appointment, we received a text message from our zone leaders saying that our mission president took 2 hours to get to Ogden from Brigham City when it really doesn't take that long. So our mission president said that he didn't want the mission cars out on the road and we had to stay in for the rest of the day. It was snowing like crazy though. On our way out from dinner, we had to go down the stairs to get to our car and I told the sisters to be careful and to not slip...next thing I hear are screams. I turn around and it was my companion on the floor. First thing I said..."BE CAREFUL!" Did they listen. No. haha Sheesh! So right after dinner we had to go home and let the zone leaders know that we made hit home safely. We didn't know what to do when we got home so we decided to get some cleaning done. We cleaned our apartment and it was nice. Then we just layed on the floor and talked. It was really nice actually.

 

A couple days ago I was on the phone with one of the office staff from the mission office talking about a baptism record. While on the phone, I hear screaming coming from downstairs in the bathroom. In my mind I was thinking "what is going on downstairs?, Is my companion ok?". I couldn't just tell the office staff that my companion is screaming the bathroom and she must be dying! Right when I got off the phone, I run downstairs and my companion Hermana Judy opens the bathroom door and I see her standing in water. She says, "something doesn't look right...". haha I just started laughing. The toilet went crazy and water came out like crazy! My companion said that she was grateful for her dad to teach her how to turn on off the water. While my companion was mopping, I was just laughing and couldn't stop. Oh my dear companion. haha The things that happen to her.

 

On Saturday we had a ward missionary activity. It was about the Plan Of Salvation. We had all the organizations help us with this activity and the members were going to invite their non-member friends and less-actives. Each organization had to decorate their room describing their part of the Plan of Salvation. The Primary president couldn't make it on time to decorate because she had to go to work. So she sent one of the primary teachers to paint a mural but she had to go to a wedding so she wasn't going to finish it. We volunteered to help paint it and have her go to the wedding. We all had to be there at 2 p.m. to help set up this activity. The activity starts at 5 p.m. We painted for 2 hours and we both don't even know how to paint. Thanks to the Spirit, it helped us. It really doesn't look bad! haha We both did a good job. The activity was a success. :)

 

I think that's all I have to share today. Sorry everyone that this was a boring update! Next week well be better! :)

 

-Hermana Marin

 

January 8, 2013

Hey!

 

Well, I tell you that on Saturday we had a baptism. David was baptized. When I arrived to Logan he was on a paper with referrals a sister missionary had left that was here when she was sent to another area. They only visited him once and taught him the plan of salvation. We tried to meet with him but it was a bit difficult because we had no other woman or just couldn't get ahold of him. Then we lost contact with him. We were in correlation and had a missed call from an unknown number and a voice message. After correlation we heard the message and it was David who wanted to meet up to listen to the discussions and learn more. Wanted us to come over right at the time so we left but we asked if there was a woman and said no. We could not go in so then we made another appointment for us to have time to find a sister. We had an appointment with him and got to know him a little more and he began to talk about baptism. He was very interested and had many questions. Sister Judy and I knew he was interested because I had many questions about baptism. In the third visit he said he wanted to get baptized. We were very surprised because we were not expecting it. He wanted to get baptized 3 days after the appointment! Sister Judy and I thought he was not ready then we told him it would be better for next week. Then on Saturday it was his baptism. It was a very good baptism. But the baptism was at 3:30 pm and it was like 3:35 or 3:40 and did not arrive. We all thought he was not going to arrive. We called him and said he was coming. Good thing he came true? haha
On Sunday we started at 1 pm. I do not really like that time but hey, it's okay. When we arrived, there was a lot of people in sacrament. I asked Sister Judy what was going on because there was a lot of people. We sat with a new family that moved from Texas. They have nothing because a family in Hyrum told them to come here because there was a lot of work. They left everything and now that they're here they can not find work now. It is very difficult for them because they left everything they had just to come here to Logan. There was a couple that sat right in front of us and they kept hugging and kissing each other. My companion made a funny face and made me laugh. Even while they were passing sacrament they were doing that. They have no respect. Now, you all better not be doing that in sacrament! Sheesh!

We also met a couple. Denise and Hugo. Denise is a member but not Hugo. They are both very funny. Denise has 3 children. Two girls and a boy. The little boy's name is Nathan. He's three years old. He chews on napkins hahaha. Sister Judy and I were laughing so much. Denise and Hugo told us their lives in about two hours. And Hugo said he wants to know more about the church and would like to be baptized. :) We always find people who have the desire to get baptized. The blessings we receive in the mission. Tomorrow we have an appointment with them. Pray for him and for us. :)
Well that's all I have to say. I love you! Take care.

December 26, 2012

Hello! :)

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas as much as I did. We had a white Christmas...and it's still snowing. Thank goodness for cars. Anyways, I was able to spend it with members here in Logan/Smithfield. Being away from home and not being able to spend it with my family made me appreciate my family even more. I love my family and I'm grateful for everything that they've taught me. Because of them I'm on a mission and still strong in the church. They taught me the doctrines of the gospel.

On Christmas Eve, we went to a member's (Hermana T) home to cook pozole because we had dinner with her that day. My companion learned how to cook it since she's not Hispanic. Then we went to Smithfield to have another dinner with the Family H. We had dinner with them, we talked for a while and laughed a lot. They're a very fun family. Then we ate chocolate. They had a chocolate fountain and fruits, cake, pretzels, and all that good stuff and we just put it in the chocolate fountain. It was soooo good. Then they gave us a gift. Very nice of them. :)

Then we had a sleep over with a couple of the sisters since it was Christmas Eve. It was a lot of fun. We did a white elephant gift exchange. We laughed a lot and talked.

On Christmas, I was able to Skype my family. I saw my whole family and the side of my dad's family. It was great seeing them. They were having a party in the background. haha I'm so glad I'm Mexican because they know how to party on Christmas. It was great talking to my parents and my brother. My brother told me how he's preparing to go on his mission. I was very excited for that. He's excited for that. Who knew he had the desire to go on a mission? Certainly not me. haha I think yesterday was going to be the last time I saw him since he'll be going on his mission soon. It's ok, sacrifice brings blessings. :)

Well everyone, I hope you have a HAPPY NEW YEAR! I'm not sure what we're doing for that day. Hope a lot of people are home. haha Hope to hear from you soon as well.

-Hermana Marin