Week 58

Haha well right before I started writing this I caught a gecko! It somehow found its way into our computer room at our office. My companion was taking pictures of me while I was trying to catch it. The only awkward thing is that there is another person in here....maybe not the best thing for a missionary to do...crawls on the ground catching a gecko...oops oh well. Anyways here are some highlights of this week!

1. My companion and I learned how to cut hair. She cut about four inches off of mine because it was all dead. Haven't cut my hair in over a year besides the time my trainer Carbajal gave ,e side bangs. But McNabb has never cut girls hair so that was an adventure. I've never cut hair period and I gave her a little trim. It was a really fun experience. 

2. We had a really fun FHE with one of our less active families. We did the game that you play in primary and you have one person go out and you hide an object and then you have them come back in and you have the kids sing softer or louder depending on if the person is far or close to the object. We did that but we just did it with clapping. It was so much fun and then we applied it to how the Holy Ghost works. There was a sweet spirit there and sometimes the sweet spirit is the best. 

3. My companion and I are learning how to Crochet! It's super hard but it's super fun. We have a member who is teaching us how to do it. 

4. We had a pretty good lesson with two new investigators. It was a little hard because we had a member with us and so she talked a lot. But other than that it went good. 

5. went on exchanges this week. I stayed here and had sister Oats come with me. She actually knows a lot of Spanish! She helped me teach the book of Mormon class that we recently just started up. It was kind of a stressful exchange because then on Saturday i was trying to make calls but also trying to visit people. We had sports night start on Saturday and we had no idea if anyone was coming or if anyone was bringing any balls and stuff and so i was trying to do that and it was just stressful. Poor sister oats on Friday night she put her water bottle in her bag to carry it into the house and the lid wasn't on all the way and so it spilled all inside her bag. We had to blow dry her planner. It was fun because we were able to spend some time talking. 

6. Sports night turned out pretty awesome! we played volley ball and it was super fun! We are excited to have it started up! 

7. We had about 81 people at church. But those 81 people don't like to sing and so when i was playing the piano I kept thinking i was playing the wrong song because i could barely hear them singing! I could pick out people's voices! 

8. We had 4 investigators at church! two were from an inactive family that we just found. and the other 2 are from another inactive family that comes once in a while. 

9. Oh during the book of Mormon class i felt prompted to share a video but i was thinking in my head "where will that fit it? That would have better before i started talking? I don't know if i should." But after thinking about it i decided to do it at the end of the lesson. I cut the lesson short and shared it. When we got back to our apartment sister Oates told me that it was the thing that she needed and that it really helped her. It made me feel super good!

10. It's just been a pretty good week! I'm so happy to be a missionary! it's seriously so amazing! I can't believe that I've been serving  for 13 months now. This week i hit my 1 year in the actually mission field. 1 year since i first got my fabulous trainer (who is now home) Former Hermana Carbajal. 

Man This office has no AC and it's super hot! 

Hey just a side note....i hear you'll receive more blessings if you write a missionary...if you know what i mean ;)

anyways i love you all!!! Have a great week!

Sports Night!

Trying to take a serious picture while eating oreos

Good Morning!

I caught a Gecko

She really trusts me!

she cut several inches off!

Dynamic Duo!

Week 57 Mormons!

Haha I'll explain the subject title in a little bit.

This week was so good! We met our goals for our lessons! We had 10 Less active lessons, 5 member presents, and 8 lessons with investigators. We have no idea how that happened. Especially with the member presents...That was a miracle. This week was seriously so good! 

We were able to have an FHE with an inactive family and we watched meet the Mormons and at the end we asked if they liked it and the mom told us she liked the last story about the missionary mom. She said that they know that they need God back in their life. We felt inspired to ask them what is holding them back and they said nothing. We are planning another FHE for them and we are going to teach them how to have an FHE. They keep saying they want to come back to church, we just need to get them there. 

We had zone conference this week and it was really amazing. We talked a lot about the priesthood and we learned some really cool things about it. We also talked about Women and the Priesthood and why things are the way they are. The conference was super good. So was the hour and a half ride down to it...oh we were a little late because vacuuming our car took longer than we thought and so we got to sit in the front row right in front of president and his wife...haha we tried to sit in the back but we had the AP come up to us and asked us to come to the front. It was really funny. When we got home from Zone Conference we had a member text us and did something that no member has ever done my entire mission. He said "Hermanas i have time to go without with you today." We told him we didn't have anything set but asked him if he had any friends that we could go visit. He told us he couldn't think of anyone and that we would come and knock doors with us. TI was so awesome! We were literally in shock. We had 3 lessons with him in like an hour. We are going to work harder to get members to come with us even if it's just knocking doors. 

We finally got back in with Daisy. We just had a small lesson with her. We didn't mention church, baptism, or reading. We just shared a video with her. But at the end she told us that she was going to be out of town all weekend but she asked us what she should read in the book of Mormon. I have hope for her. We have a lesson with her tonight and hopefully we will be able to have an FHE with her this week with a member. 

We went to visit an inactive and first we just wanted to see if she would come with us one day to visit her. But in the end we both felt strongly that we had to get inside, so luckily both of us had to use the bathroom and then we asked if we could share a video with her. We shared the video Courage about the story of Ester. After it ended she started crying and told us that it was a message from God. She said she had really needed that video. She opened up to us a little bit. It was so wonderful to have followed the spirit to be able to be there for her. We are hoping that this will help her grow in her testimony.  

We helped hermana Saquic a little more in her class room. It was super fun! We had Missionary correlation and we set up a day to have a sports night. Every Saturday we are going to do sports at a park. We are inviting our ward, and the English ward as well. We made invitations and it's going to be so great! We also have started a book of Mormon class. The elders taught it last week and we are doing it this week! I'm so excited!

one thing we are going to start doing with all the members, active or not, is we are going to make sure that they all have a book of Mormon with their name in it and we are going to tell them to keep it under their pillow so at night and in the morning it's right there. We've been focusing a lot on getting the attendance up at church but we need to focus on the little things first and then everything will fall into place. It's going to be a process but it's going to be so awesome! 

We went tracting last night and we went to a random neighborhood and we had English people who would open their door, take one look at us and say "no!" and then shut the door. We were surprised because that hasn't happened in a really long time. Well we did our part and hopefully they will have another chance to hear the gospel. After a little bit we went to another neighborhood and we had our last 2 other lessons. It was super cool. 

So the morgans keep us updated on things that are happening. What the world is coming to is so sad. I can't believe what someone who is running for president what he is trying to do, what target is doing. It's just so sad. But everything that's happening with the family, how comforting it is to have the family proclamation. God knew that this day would come and so he revealed to his prophets something that would help keep the families together at this time where the world is getting more messed up and crazy every single day. 

So now for the title the reason why i put Mormons! Is because after we went to the store we were walking to our door and a women was walking to her car and she stopped and introduced herself to us because she just moved in and so we said the usual "hi I'm sister Medeiros, hi I'm sister Mcnabb" She looked at us and said "oh Catholics!" and we said "no we are missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" she looked at us for a second and said "oh Mormons ok!" It was really funny. 

School has just started up again up here and there are two colleges in this area...with a billion and one new students. So what does that mean....more traffic! we got stuck in traffic on the main road for so long. There are so many new cars and people here. 

i can't believe that i have been on my mission for 13 months! It's seriously so crazy!I love it so much! I love being a missionary more than anything in the world!

 

this is such a good and funny mormon message. We all have so much potential in this life. Are we doing the things that we should be doing to live up to our potential or are we on a cruise staying in our room the whole time?

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/your-potential-your-privileges-1

In the guide to the scriptures we find that "All persons are spirit children of God. He cares about each of his children and considers each one important. Because they are his children, they have the potential to become like him. Therefore, they are of great worth."

Remember your potential, you are of great worth to your Father in Heaven!!!

 

Rainbow

Cows

This is seriously one of my favorite persons! I love sister Edwards so much!

sometimes the roughest transfers just make you love someone even more (She was Shay's 2nd comp, and they had a rough time together. Now they love each other and are good friends!)

they left for real this time :( bye Junior!

 

 

 

Week 56 Surprise!

This week was definitely a week of surprises!!!

The second surprise i had was definitely the best surprise ever! My aunt, uncle, and little cousin flew into Dallas and made a detour and came to the last hour of sacrament meeting. I was up playing the piano and i just sat down when i saw her come in and apparently my expression was priceless! According to hermano and hermana Morgan haha. It was so awesome to get to see them and talk with them. It was a really great surprise. About a year ago my uncle came and tried to see me but we had been at a fireside and so we didn't home till a little later so i completely missed him! So it was amazing to get to see them. I think the ward really liked her. I was able to introduce her to a few people. haha all of them knew English. The Morgans loved  them and they loved squishy. Squishy hung out with sister Morgan for a little bit. 

The first surprise i got was on Thursday. The oakcrest hermanas texted us asking if i was still in this area, we told them yes and then they said that hermano puente from oakcrest was going to be at the Bryan building. I got so excited. Before we went to help saquic with her class room we ran to the church building and i got to see him. We talked for a few minutes and then we left. But then we came back and he had bought us lunch and i got a couple pictures with him. i was super super happy to see him. He is the one that always called me his hija. Haha I've missed him and his family!

So we have been trying to clean out our phone and organize it and so to do so we are calling all the people we don't know and seeing who they are and if they aren't members we are asking if they want to learn more again, anyways the other day i was making the calls and i randomly clicked on a name and the person answered and i asked if it was so and so and they said yes and asked who we were and I said "we're the missionaries" and then she screamed and was like "hermanas! I thought you had forgotten about  me! When are you going to come visit me!?" we were literally in shock and we set up an appointment and we went over and the daughter answered the door and was like "It's the hermanas! IT's the missionaries! They are back!" I guess they were former investigators but then with all the changes that have been made up here they were lost in the jumble. We are starting to work on them, they seem pretty open to what we have to share. 

We got to help saquic twice this week. The first time was helping her organize her cupboards. She ended up buying us one of her school shirts and when we went into the office everyone was just staring at us (like always) and then the second time, if you see the picture where it's the three of us standing with a blue and black board behind us (it looks like buildings?) well we did that. We did the outline of the buildings in chalk and then put in windows and then cut it out and hung it up on the wall. It was super fun. 

So On Saturday we were talking about getting ice cream but we wanted to visit and give an invitation to a couple more less actives and so after we finished our last one we were going to go get ice cream but we saw this man who was selling ice cream bars and we decided to go contact him and i didn't have any cash on me. mcnabb had just enough to buy one for her and then the guy asked if i wanted one and i told him that i didn't have any money, but he gave one to me anyways. It was so sweet. Seriously sometimes Hispanics are the most humble people you can ever meet!

What miracles did you witness this week? Our activity went so well. At first it was rough but we got it figured out. The lap top we brought didn't match any of the cords of the projector, and we tried something else but we couldn't get sound that way and we don't have the remote to just do it from the tv so we had to hook up the laptop to the tv and show it that way. No one could decide on when we let them get treats and there were 2 hermanas that brought food like stuff instead of treats and were freaking out that people were going to eat too much sugar and not eat any of the food and there was a point when we had 3 hermanas basically fighting in the kitchen trying to figure out where to put the pupusas and how to have people come and get them, (do we pause the movie and let them get them or do we pass them out or do we wait until the movie is over?) and then the hermana that brought them asked us to stop popping popcorn in the microwave so she could heat them up and then get mad and said that the microwave doesn't work because it didn't heat them up enough. aye aye aye. it was crazy but it was the best activity this ward has had in a while. and then one of the hermanos got them excited for another activity. 

What made you laugh? so yesterday (on Sunday) we were eating lunch and doing a little bit of a puzzle and we were just talking and somehow within like 2 minutes we said the same word about 3 times at the same time and we ended up on the floor laughing. And also last night we were trying to move the podium but we had to lift it and so we did it one time and then had to set it down and the elders started running in saying "hey hey let us do that" and us being tough girls said "no! we can do it!" and we lifted again but it got caught on the step or something so it jerked or something, yeah it ended with us on the floor laughing really hard. 

How are your investigators?  Are any progressing? So you know how i said that last week was Karime's last week? Well she decided that she is staying one more week. And so technically she is progressing but we can't do anything with her because she is returning to Mexico soon! And so all we can do is share messages with her. 

What are you most excited about with the new week? Some of the lessons we have. We have a couple FHE's planned and then we will be visiting some new people that we found this week. 

Anyways! I hope you have a great week!!! I love Ya'll!!!!

The sabbath day or Sunday is the Lords day. It is the day where we can rest and find ways to come closer to God. It is the day that we get to partake of the sacrament. There are so many distractions in today's world, take some time to remember and do the small things because it's normally those that grow to be the big things. 

https://www.lds.org/blog/a-day-to-focus-on-what-matters-most?cid=HP_TH_8-13-2015_dOCS_fMLIB_xLIDyL1-A_&lang=eng 

I know that when we pay attention and do the small things such as pray, read the scriptures and go to church then our lives will be fuller, and richer. We will have more happiness and have more opportunities. I have a testimony of that and each one of you can gain one to. But the only way to gain it is to make sure you are doing it. 

I love Texas Skies!

University!

Awesome Surprise--

Hermano Puente from Oakcrest!!!

She bought us one of her school shirts :)

My Uncle Pieter, Aunt Leslie and Cousin Cordelia

Texas Skies are so pretty

all the people who came to the activity!!!!!

Week 55

It's already another transfer! I'm staying with Hermana Mcnabb here in Bryan/College Station. It's really good because hopefully this transfer we will be able to work off of everything that we got done this transfer. I still think that this past transfer was to set up this transfer. We have a ward mission plan finally in progress and we are working with the ward to get home teaching and visiting teaching moving forward. This transfer is going to be great! With my record with only having 3 transfers in an area this is probably my last transfer here and then I'll have three more transfers in another area. I can't believe i only have 4 transfers left. it's really crazy. Just means that i have to use this time the best that i am able to! I'm so excited to see what's going to happen in these next few months. 

​ We got to go to temple tours last night! It was seriously so amazing! It was really hot but over all it was good. I got to ​see a ton of my favorite missionaries and i got to see a couple people from the Woodlands! I didn't see anyone that i knew from Oakcrest but just to see all the people i saw was so awesome! It was so nice to be able to be back at the temple i can't wait till i can go inside again. On the way back (we drove with members) the mom of the hermano we were driving with (she is this cute little lady) stood up in the van, walked to the back (while the car was in motion) just so she could grab watermelon slices out of the trunk. oh my gosh it was terrifying haha, then while we were eating we kept going over bumps and mcnabb and i couldn't stop laughing. We were so tired we couldn't stop laughing for 10 minutes.

While we were driving home i stared out the window and because it was so dark and there wasn't a ton of cars driving we could see the stars really well. Each star is essential because they create the master piece that is in the sky. Being able to see the starts is so beautiful. It's just like us, sometimes we may think that we are just one star and that we don't mean anything but really without me or without you there is an empty spot in the sky and the master piece isn't complete. Everyone is needed in this world. The night sky wouldn't be as bright if one of us were missing. And God has placed the stars in the exact place where they need to be, the same is with us. Each one of us is placed in a place around the world, in a family, with friends, in situations where we are needed to be. I like to refer back to a primary song (this is the first verse and the chorus)

Every star is different

and so is every child

some are bright and happy

and some are meek and mild

everyone is needed

for just what he can do

you're the only person 

who ever can be you

a shinning star

shining brightly

not so very far

shining brightly

Be a shining star

shine so brightly

shine right where you are

brightly

Each of us is a child of God and we each have our own characteristics, attributes, talents, trials everything, but we are special and unique in the eyes of god. D&C 18:10​.

I am so excited for this coming transfer and to see all the miracles and the blessings that will come. Hopefully we will be able to get back in with some former's and see more success with our investigators and our ward. I'm so grateful for the chance that i have to be a missionary. Every ounce of work that is put in each day is double in blessings. I have met so many people who are so special to me and I hope to always be in touch with them. And i love serving in this area because i get to see so many of God's wonderful creations. Every flower brightens a place. 

Definitely had a humbling experience this week. We went to go eat at a members house, i have only been there one other time and that was when i was with Hermana Mcomber. But anyways the house is so sad, everything is falling apart and the mom can barely walk. It was really sad. She still manages to find the strength to bring her three kids to church each Sunday.  Sometimes it's hard just being  a missionary. There isn't much we can do, we can't buy paint to re-paint their house, we can't buy flooring to re-floor their house. All we can do is keep their faith up and help them see God's love and help them know that God is there. And sometimes it's hard being in a ward like this where so many people are struggling financially because if we help a lot with one person, it's not fair to the others who are struggling just as much, but I hope we can start finding little ways to do service to help all these families. We may be in the united states but sometimes it's just like I'm living in a third world country. But I feel so blessed to be serving in this ward and with these people. They are all so humble and i have learned so much from each and every one of them. I know that this ward is going to be blessed for all that the members do. 

This weekend we have the Meet the Mormons activity. We got to go over to the Morgan's house and use their computer and while my companion was with sister Morgan getting a skirt fixed i asked brother Morgan to help me figure out something on Microsoft word and in the end i figured it out. But we were talking about digital media and stuff and that's a type of company he works for/owns. He gave me his business card so that he can be a reference for me one day or so i can haha work for him one day. Apparently A&M has a really cool digital media animation program and a lot of the students get into pixar and other stuff like that. AHH i'm so glad i still have a long time before i have to figure out school and stuff. But anyways haha my little geek moment of the day. 

hmm I've never thought about majoring or minoring in Spanish but that would be cool. Something that i thought of that would be cool was this week we got to help a member in her kindergarten class room setting it up. It's a bilingual school and so one day it's all in Spanish and the next it's in English. and i thought about how cool it would be to be able to teach in a school like that! 

I love being a missionary! And this week was so great! I know that this church is true and I'm so grateful for the chance that i have to serve and teach others about the love of God.
https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages-for-youth/strive?cid=HP_FR_7-31-2015_dPTH_fYTH_xLIDyI-1_

This is an amazing video. It speaks such strong truths and is so powerful. Please watch and share with your friends!

One of my favorite families

​Julia sent me a picture! I love it!​

Me and Evodio ( recent convert from woodlands)

My Zone

Week 54

This week seriously went by so fast! I can not believe that July is over! We are already half way through this year! I feel like this year just started! i really can't believe that i have been on my mission for 12 months. The time has gone by so fast and i have learned so much. I know that everything happens for a reason. I'm so grateful for my mission president and for all the companions that i have had. Being on a mission hasn't been the easiest thing but i didn't sign up to do something easy. I signed up for something that would help me grow, something that would stretch me and pull me in every direction and keep pulling until i couldn't be pulled any more. i love being a missionary. My name tag is seriously my most prized possession. I love being here in Texas. I know that it is where God needed me to serve. And i'm going to do all i can these next few months to keep growing and to keep pushing myself and to do all i can to be a true representative of Jesus Christ. 

So on Monday we had a really good lesson with our investigadora quien tiene una fecha bautismal and it was so great. We talked about baptism y que significa y todo. But she's been a little frustrating right now because she is sending us a ton of mixed messages. We are hoping to see her today to figure out if this is what she really wants. 

We've been doing a lot of contacting and this week encontramos cinco mas investigadores. one is a cute little old man and another one is a family! We are so excited for all these people and i hope that they are ready to open their hearts to our message. 

So we were doing language study the other day and i was looking at the word that it was telling me to define. I couldn't figure it out. I thought the word was in Spanish and all the definitions were translations were in Spanish. So i asked my companion. She took one look at the word and said it in English haha the word was cores and i was pronouncing it cor-es haha it was so funny. There are some words that i really can't say in English anymore. haha. 

i got to go on an exchange to hunstville this week and it was so great! I was with a missionary who has been out for 1 transfer and one who just got here. i learned so much from them. We met a lot of cool people and had some cool experiences. Those poor girls they live in an apartment that has cockroaches. i killed 2 while i was there. It was seriously such a good exchange!

We've been working on a lot of the less activies and in actives to find out who still lives in the addresses. We are trying to get things more organized and we ended up meeting an inactive family who i had never met and they are really nice! 

we went to go try a potential that we knocked into a couple days before but he wasn't home and so we decided to go knocking and we had this one lady open up and we ended up teaching the whole restoration and she accepted a soft baptismal invitation! The lesson was so good and we are going to see her tonight! We are so excited! 

So much is happening in this area and it's going so great! I feel a lot of what we have been doing this transfer is to set up for next transfer! I really hope I'm here for next transfer. i don't want to get moved! But as the song says "I'll go where you want me to go dear lord" I'll go where ever he needs me to be. 

I don't know if the elders are having problems right now, I don't think they are mainly just on the search for new investigators since their three that they had got baptized. 

What's the best thing you ate this week?  mmm...no se problamente pasole, it's this soup and it's super good! 

What are you most excited about right now? The people that we recently have been finding! And that we are having more people come to church

Plans for rest of today? I'm going to buy cowboy boots! Hopefully if they still have them in my size! 

We will probably go get free yogurt land at some point. We are hoping to be able to rest and take a nap or just chill. The heat is so draining.

Do you hang out w/ the Elders much on Pday? yeah we sometimes go to lunch together or to yogurt land, sometimes we meet a ton of missionaries at the church and play games but we haven't done that one too often. 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/safety-for-the-soul?lang=eng

This is one of my most favorite talks. It's so powerful and we have been using parts of it to help testify to our members, and investigators about the truthfulness of the book of Mormon. it's has definitely strengthened my testimony so much. 

I know the book of Mormon is true without a shadow of a doubt. It makes sense. the book of Mormon has helped me grow closer to my father in heaven and it can do the same with anyone who will read it with faith and and then pray to ask god if it is true. I'm so grateful that i was born in to the gospel and i've always had it to back me up. The gospel means everything to me and I'm the luckiest person in the whole world to be able to share what i have come to know, with anyone who will listen. I invite you all to read the book of Mormon, read it from the beginning to the end. Read it with a question in your mind and God will answer your question.  

Everything is going so well! I'm so excited to see what this next week brings! i hope all of you are doing well! I can't believe it's AUGUST!!! GAH!!! Time just needs to stop!! NOW!!!!!!!! I LOVE MY MISSION!!!!

my comp and i

a cute family we just started teaching

Our new investigator's cute kids

We heat Attacked the door of one of our less actives

this bowl was soooo huge! I love posole (have no clue how to spell it) but not enough to have some in a bowl this big!!

A recent converts wife who came to visit from Mexico. She is the sweetest thing ever and she told us last week that Friday was her last day so we went over and said goodbye to her! But she then showed up to church on Sunday and she isn't leaving till this week​

cowgirl!

exchange in Huntsville!

haha if only!!

Such a pretty sky!

pretty moon!

These two girls are so amazing! I loved being on an exchange with them!