Hermana Medeiros Texas Houston Mission: Week 16!!!

Hi Everyone!

The mission work has been kind of hectic we are still trying to visit all the new people that we have in our area. We have a ton of menos activos and so we spent basically two days going through and just visiting everyone. On Tuesday we didn't do anything because we had a zone conference with Elder Corbridge of the seventy. He and his wife sat at our table to eat lunch! It was really exciting to eat and talk with a general authority. And then after the conference was over we had to figure out our area map so we can really split the area better and figure out our boundaries. That took the rest of the night.

On Wednesday Hermana Carbajal had to go to the doctor. Afterwards we just visited the menos activos and met a ton of people. On Thursday we stayed in all day because Hermana Carbajal got really sick and was really tired and she really wasn't doing well and so we stayed in so that she could rest and get better. She is doing a lot better now. On Friday we just visited more menos activos and got in with a lot of different people and were able to get to know a lot of them and try to figure out why they are inactive and a lot of them are because they didn't' like it when they switched the ward boundaries and now they have to come to our ward. But hopefully we will be able to get them to come back to church.

We've met with H*** and E*** the past two nights and we are seeing them again tonight! On Saturday we talked about how they need to get married and E*** isn't sure if she wants that because no one in her family is married they are only together. Last night we watched the testaments with them and we were able to talk more about taking a step of faith. But I just don't think they understand that baptism and marriage is that step of faith. They need to set a date and have that as a real goal and then I think they will start feeling it more because we've tried expressing that god wants them to work and that He won't just give them an answer right away. I shared how coming on a mission was a leap of faith for me because I didn't want to come and I never received a direct answer on if I should come on a mission or not. But I've been told in a blessing I got a couple weeks ago and the one I got from Hickman that this is where I need to be. We are seeing them again tonight and we are going to set a date and get them closer to the goal. Because they know that it's true. They are so amazing and golden and perfect but they just need to take that step of faith and decide to get married and decide to get baptized.

We lost J*** and G*** because J*** is being stubborn. He refuses to come to our Spanish ward. So they are going to have the English sisters teach them. They called us and told us that G*** couldn't read the book of Mormon in English but that J*** was way into the lesson. We are hoping maybe they will be able to reactivate him and if they need us they will call us because G*** doesn't understand English very well and it would be so much better for her to learn in Spanish but God has a plan and what ever needs to happen will happen!

We haven't been able to meet with D***. They forgot about our appointment with them and we haven't been able to set up another one. But, hopefully we will will see them this week. They are having us over for dinner on Sunday so hopefully we will start teaching her then.

On Saturday we were trying to visit a lot of people and we met one of our investigator's brother in law and we committed him to start taking the lessons and to be baptized once he knows it's true and we almost were able to set a date with him. We are going to go see him later this week. We are supposed to have a baptism at the end of this week but we haven't been able to meet with him. He was one that the elders were teaching and now we have him. but he still needs all the lessons and he is never home! so we don't know if it will happen or not but we have faith!

Things have been really good here, just trying to learn more Spanish each day and to keep learning. We have a huge new area that we are still trying to visit everyone and start finding those people that we need to find! My favorite part about being a missionary is when I can share my testimony because I feel that it is really the only time I can talk. When ever I share it in a lesson I don't know what I'm saying half the time. Words just come out and Hermana Carbajal always tells me how wonderful I'm doing and that she can always feel the spirit when I share my testimony in a lesson. I know that understanding will come with time!

Sometimes it's hard for me to know when I am feeling the spirit but last Monday we taught our investigators who are so close and I bore my testimony at the end and I just felt like my body was on fire. My mind was blank and I wasn't even thinking but words were coming out and they were in Spanish. I've had a few of those experiences and I'm so grateful for them :) Never give up! I love being here and being a missionary is the best thing that I ever could have done!

Hope all is well with all of y'all!! :D

Love you all!