This week was fantastic! I really really enjoyed it. We have been visiting our investigator, Gilberto a lot. He has a baptismal date for August 24. We are so excited for him. He is golden. He is very willing to accept the gospel, and he is doing very well at preparing for his baptism, we are hoping he will be ready by the 24. Eva lives with him, she is a less active but has been attending church and is helping us teach him. We have one concern as to whether or not the Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity are being obeyed. We were going to teach it last week, but they canceled on us. We have an appointment with them both this week.
Gilberto is very very funny. He was showing us some pictures of his family. And a picture of Marilyn Monroe (I don't think I can spell today, so be prepared for typos hahaha.) any way, Gilberto said I look like Marilyn Monroe! Pahahaha, He cracks me up. He's like a grandpa.
We had exchanges!! It was so so great. The trianing sisters, Hermana Coleman and Hermana Bartchi, are just amazing. Hermana Corniea and I went with them on Friday. I worked with Hermana Coleman, she is just the greatest. She helped me figure out how to have a more effective language study, it was so helpful. She really made me feel like I was doing good, even though I have only been here for 2 weeks. We worked here in Oxnard while the other Hermanas worked in Camerillo. Hermana Coleman and I had a lot of success! She taught me how to do DECS (Declarations). She taught me to always include the Restoration in DECS. I really liked that, and have been using it since. I feel more confident in doing DECS. Hermana Coleman and I discussed the 5 areas of focus. I really like that "we seek to be trusted more than loved." I know that Hermana Coleman is the perfect example of that, and after working with her for only a day, I trust her. The whole day she was very encouraging. I learned so much from her. She gave me a lot of chances to speak to people, it was kinda rough sometimes (just the fact that I struggle with grammer), but she always came to the rescue. Haha. I really felt like she and I were like best friends from the start. She and I have a lot in common and have the same way of thinking. I love the training sisters, there is a special spirit about them, and there's no wonder why they are the training sisters. We saw miracles while we were with them.
Hermana Coleman and I visited one of our investigators that day, his name is Amador. Amador has a nephew that is usually around when we come. Amador's nephew's name is Junior. Junior is usually very hard to have a conversation with, he never really wanted to listen to our messages and boy has he got a potty mouth!! So we kind of lost hope. But Friday, when we were visiting them, we taught them the Restoration! Hermana Coleman taught Junior the Restoration and Amador had me teach him the Restoration. Hermana Coleman at the end asked Junior if he would be baptized if he came to see that this was true. Amador and I at the time were talking about the Restoration, but Amador stopped all of us and asked, "Hermana Coleman, what did you just ask him?" And so we extended the invitation to be baptized to both of them. They both said yes. Amador actually has a baptismal date for September 7!
Amador has a special place in my heart. He is old. But he has gone through A LOT in his lifetime. All the things he's gone through are too sad to write, but he has had a hard time seeing why we are handed trials. He said that he didn't deserve it, that he has always tried as hard as he could. He has had a lot of hardships since he was 7 years old. He asked me, "Why would I have to go through these things when I was 7 years old? I was young. I was innocent." I told him our story about losing mom. That we were innocent children. We didn't deserve it by any means. But we got through it, through this gospel. We made it out, and have seen the MANY blessings that have come from that experience. I told him that one day he will be able to see the blessings. He will see that Heavenly Father just loves us enough to bring us down at times. And that the Atonement makes up for these things. The Atonement makes up for EVERYTHING. All that we are ashamed of, all that is out of our control, all that is unfair. The Atonement makes up for it. Through the Atonement, we are able to find happiness again. I love the Atonement, once you get me started on it I won't ever be quiet. I just feel like the Atonement is something that EVERYONE needs, no matter what is going on. Every one needs to know that there is one person who knows exactly what we are feeling. There is one person who has felt what it is like to be in our shoes. It is Jesus Christ. He is the person that can provide peace in our lives. Peace is a gift from him. OH! I just love this gospel. Who doesn't need that message? I don't know who doesn't.
Hermana Corniea and I ran into an inactive member. He hasn't been to church for over 10 years. He told us he missed the church. I told him he could come back, he didn't know he could come back to church!! He was so surprised! We invited him to come. He said, "Okay, I'll come. But there's no promises, but it's my word." Whatever that means haha. I told him there was going to be a seat saved just for him. We didn't know if he was going to come...but HE DID. And he was crying during the sacrament. It was so special. He needs the gospel back in his life, and he knows it.
This week we picked lemons at the bishops house. (We are ALWAYS given lemons, limes, and avacados).
I've learned something, and don't take this as me being racist...but Mexicans are so much more open to listening to our message than white people. Haha
I have never been kissed so much. All the ladies here kiss me on the cheek haha.
Did I ever tell you we have THREE sets of missionaries in our ward? There is so much work to be done. The sisters we live with are in a different ward, but they had 8 investigators come to church!! We laughed, because Hermana Linderman said, "Hermanas. Seriously, this kind of thing only happens in South America." Hahaha, she really likes it here. She and Hermana Bollwinkle (the ones we live with) have pink washed into this area. They've had some struggles with that, it's stressful! But they are having SO much success!!!
The bishop in our ward is 28! His little brother gave his farewell yesterday! So crazy! Haha.
Mail. Does anyone love me any more? I love letters....cough cough...nudge nudge....wink wink....Is that subtle enough? I honestly spend most of my time writing this email because I am only allowed 30 mins to email family and 30 mins for the letter to President. I don't have much time to email. So letters. Please....I know snail mail stinks, and it's such a pain to get an envelope and write my address one there...stick a stamp on...it's hard. I know. Only until I got on my mission did I really get good at it. Haha, so what I'm saying is, please! No emails. Just letters. I only want emails from The Ah Mu family. I want to be able to really read what people have to say. And I want to be able to write back something worth reading.
Packages. Only send it through US Postal Service (First Class/Priority). Then it can be re-directed to where I live, I am not allowed to give out my personal address. So just send it to the mission office. If it isn't through US postal first class or priority then I won't get it until next transfer.
Well. Anyway. Have a FANTASTIC WEEK.. I know I will!!! I love California!!! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. I have NEVER been sooo tired for sooo long in my entire life. but somehow I am still happy and functioning...must be the Lord helping me out, huh? Haha, it doesn't make sense though, because I get 8 hours of sleep every night!! Haha...did I ever tell y'all, we don't have air conditioning??! But guess what? :) The weather here is so perfect we don't need it!!! :D Come to California. Everyone, just come and enjoy it. Hahaha. I love you. Have a good week.
Con Amor,
Hermana Ah Mu
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