This week was hard.. but good at the same time. Ups and downs. Welcome to missionary work. Am I right? We have really had to discern what people are ready for the Gospel and to make these changes in their lives and who needs to wait for the next great missionaries that come along. It's taken a lot of faith.. I get connected to these people really fast and it's hard remember that some day they will be ready for what their Heavenly Father wants them to know.
Update on Investigators!
Andrea: Keeps asking me if she has to be baptized.. YES YOU DO haha she's 9 and she can't make up her mind about anything (girl after my own heart ;)) Hermana Romero is so cool about it all. I'm freakin out and she's all "It's fine. She'll get baptized." OKAY HERMANA. haha she has so much faith. I love it.
Gabriel and Jose: Well.. my heart broke. We had to drop them.. which means you don't try to see them/teach them anymore.. that was rough.. but like I said.. God has a plan and their conversion story isn't over. I just know it.
Isidro: Old teddy bear man. I sent a pic to grandma i think! This week his wife was like.."I feel like you're pressuring us.." and then Isidro was like "nahhh I know i need to be baptized.. I just don't know when" HOLLER AT YOUR PROGRESSION! Paso a paso, people. The other elders in my district have a baptism on Saturday so we're inviting Isidro and we're hoping that will either make it or break it. He basically said he wants to see God before he gets baptized.. and we're all.. that's not how it works, hombre ;) Necesita tener fe.
Juana: (little older lady that prays with a scarf on her head) We had exchanges this week and so Hermana Toro, from North Sac came to East Sac with me. I felt like I was under a microscope... but I know I'm doing my best and criticism means improvement so I'm pumped to see my transfer report.. not to mention I kept saying "crap" and "rad" hahaha some things never change.
ANYWAY Juana is excited to keep learning about the Book of Mormon and said that if she recieves an answer that it's true, she will stop going to her church, which would make a serious dent in her social life and be a huge sacrifice, and go to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. WO WO JUANAAA!
ANYWAY Juana is excited to keep learning about the Book of Mormon and said that if she recieves an answer that it's true, she will stop going to her church, which would make a serious dent in her social life and be a huge sacrifice, and go to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. WO WO JUANAAA!
Maria Orosco: came to the ward activity this saturday! And our ward members were great! super friendly! She even brought her esposo!
Jaime: Miracle man. We were miracle tracting, basically going to apartments and picking our lucky numbers to knock on haha. hermana Romero picked #5. Jaime had been crying. He was like "It feels like Jesus himself is in my presence. I know that you were meant to be here right now." so cool. He's had a rough life. Seriously, like he wrote a book about it and it's been published.. also turns out he's the only spanish person in that complex. Not a coincidence. There is no doubt in my mind that God's hand is in every thing that we do and every person we encounter is not by accident.
WARD PARTY! If I have time I'll send pictures!
LA CENA INTERNACIONAL!
So fun. Ward members from Del Norte (our ward) and Rio Tierra (North Sac) brought food from their respective Hispanic countries. So delicious. I actually had a tamale for breakfast the other day.. I'm officially a spanish missionary. haha.
IT WAS SO HARD NOT TO DANCE. They even played Ice Ice Baby (in spanish) Shout out to Taylor! One of the ward members, Hermana Mora, and I were talking about how I took a social dance class and so I like to think I know how to Salsa. Before I knew it, she grabbed my hand and forcefully took me to the middle of the gym.. Hermana Romero was freakin the freak, YOU CAN'T DANCE. haha
Our investigator maria was there and she even brought food and Hermano Mora did a great job fellowshipping them. It's so important that people feel welcome and like they have a place. Members are so crucial! Don't forget that! There's always something you can do. Someone you can talk to!
Hermana Melix (my lady jam) also surprised us all.. HER HIPS DO NOT LIE. and she got a hair cut. Basically a new woman. Come get her, hombres!
Fun Facts of the week:
Hermana Romero and I got hardcore lost. like 50miles in the car lost. Yep. My sense of direction still sucks haha. Then the distict leader called us to remind us about something and I'm just screaming like AHHH ELDER LADUKE WE'RE SO LOST. and then i hit some button and the wind shield wipers were going.. then we were in this private driveway that look straight out of the "Goosebumps" books series (blast from the past haha). Then we were like reversing in the middle of an intersection and the hole time.. I was on blue tooth via phone in Elder LaDukes car so all the elders got to hear our stuggle hahahahaha.
Hermana Romero was trying to describe a cradle and called it a "baby nest."
In church we were asked to share a thought in Young Women's with about 5 minutes notice. It needed to be about Christ. Totally by the Spirit, I shared the story about the 3 men in the rooms waiting to go to heaven and how the angel visited them and was like "Who was Jesus Christ?" and the last guy recognized him. The story from Mitchell's mission? The Spirit was so strong and it really made the girls think. It's so true that it will be given us in the very moment we need it.
Spritual thought:
D&C 18:15 "If ye bring but one soul unto me...." IT BETTER BE YOU. Read that scripture and think about that. It's so true. As missionaries, our first and most important convert is ourselves. And it's not easy.
Vale la pena.
It will be worth it.
Con amor siempre,
Hermana Skidmore
