August 31

I love being a missionary. It is hard hard work but it is so completely worth it! Of course the most exciting news first-Cristina got baptised! About half of our little rama (branch) showed up and showed her their support. It was so great. The spirit was there and she is going to be so blessed for it. We also spake in sacrament! It was my first time speaking as a missionary, and it was in spanish. We were both pretty nervous but the Spirit helped us out a lot with our language and our message. We just had such a great week in our area and I am so so so blessed with all of these miracles. I have been studying a lot from the past general conference and just hearing what our profeta has to say to us is so simple. Just love and teach our children. The battalion is also great. SO many people come in prepared. I love giving tours and seeing them think and ponder these things, even if they are subtle. Gracias por su ayuda como siempre. me encanta servir mi redentor y aprender mas acerca de el cada dia. Todos estamos bien bendecidos.

pictures (hopefully in the right order...) (backwards order)
1. a bridge we made at the battalion.
2. the creators =]
3. Cristina's baptismmm!!!
4. proselyting at the air and space museum.

August 24

my new apartment in location to the battalion.

August 17

This week has been such a week of miracles I don't even know where to begin. Since we're starting from scratch, it's really hard to find investigators really fast and get things going. But Heavenly Father sees our faith and diligence and is providing us with these people! I won't bore you with the details (right now) but gah. We are so blessed. We walked two days in our area. I think that's why we're recieving so many blessings. But it was fun. =] Being a missionary is the best. One of our investigators has a baptismal date and is just awesome. Her desire is big. And this branch loves doing missionary work and is excited to have us here. On Sunday I went to my old branch to play piano for them for their branch conference. It was exciting to see everyone again-even though it had only been a week! It seemed like a lifetime! We had our first branch activity and the picture of their cake is attatched. I love serving with these people. They are so amazing and so loving. My spanish is improving-thanks to Heavenly Father. But it's neat to see the Holy Ghost at work!

August 10

It's true. I got transferred AGAIN! My time was very short in the Logan Heights branch but Heavenly Father knows where I'm needed. As you might remember, I "whitewashed" into Logan Heights-which means both of us were new to the area. Well, I'm whitewashing AGAIN! This time into the Sweetwater 3rd Branch. It's also a spanish branch and it's only about 3 months old so they're still building it up-I gues that's my job! And the best part of all of this is...that I'm training again! My new companion is Sister Lee from Idaho and she just came from the mtc. Everyone in the branch is calling her "verde". I am so blessed to be able to train another sister-they really have so much to offer and our spanish should explode! It's hard starting at scratch again in a new area, but we are excited about the possibilites that lay ahead and everything. It is so neat to see Heavenly Father bless me with the ability to speak spanish. I couldn't understand half of what was going on a week ago, but now that I have to, it's possible!
And now a miracle for the week.
Last preparation day, at the end of the day, I couldn't find my wallet. I wasn't really worried. I just figured it was in one of the cars I had been in. I went in one of the cars on Thursday, not there. Sunday I was in the other car. Not there. I hadn't been worrying up until that point, and even then I was still not freaking out but kind of starting to. That night I was saying my nightly prayer and asking that I would find my wallet and a thought came to my mind to call the hair place that we went to last week. I called the next day and they had it! And everything was in it! Heavenly Father is really looking out for his missionaries, and all of us for that matter.
And in other news: Sister Zaldivar came to visit! It was SO good seeing her and meeting her family! I have been so blessed on my mission and am so glad I have so much time left. I love you all!

July 27

This week has been a really good week. We are finally really seeing the fruits of our labors and are finally figuring out how to work at the battalion and build up our new area. It only took 5 weeks! And we've had more success at the battalion this week than any other week. Heavenly Father provides in so many ways. President had a meeting with all of the spanish speaking missionaries and he gave us a new way to contact people on the street. He told us to ask them if they have famous ancestors and then tell them that they do and that we have a record of their antepasados! Of course it's the book of mormon. He promised us success and we have seen it. We have new investigators because of it. I love being a missionary. We also had so many people who are just so ready come into the battalion. They can feel of the Spirit which is here. Gracias por su apoya y sus oraciones. mucho amor!

July 6

This week was so crazy and I have never been so tired on my mission! I'll start with the finale.....The Flores family got baptised! yay! They are so so so happy. It's amazing how fast these changes happen in a person when they have the gospel. SO. To get them baptised....They had to get married first so they got their marriage license on Thursday so we planned the whole wedding in three days. On Friday they got kicked out of their house so we had to move them super fast! In about 2 hours. But again. The ward members stepped in and they did it! So Saturday was the wedding. It was really cute at the church. And all of the church members stepped in again and brought food and decorated. Huge blessing and miracle. So the wedding was at four. And the baptism was at 530! So they quick got changed and we started their baptism. It was so great. They were all so excited and ready to go! And then afterwards we had a party! They then got the Holy Ghost on Sunday and are just ridiculously happy. I am so grateful to be a missionary and help people truly become better every single day. The church is true. The Gospel blesses families. Truly. Thank you all for your support! Have great weeks!

June 29

I don’t know what is more exciting…that I am finally in a SPANISH AREA!!!!!!!!!!! or that WE DON'T HAVE TO WEAR NYLONS ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i guess i'll talk about that one first....at the mission president seminar they announced that we don't have to wear nylons anymore! Best day ever! 9 months is quite enough for me!
Ok but getting on to the real excitment! I am in a spanish are! La Rama Logan Heights. It's pretty much downtown San Diego. A different world from home, and my old area even. We meet in a school building. But the work is SO GREAT. Our branch President is SO INTO missionary work. It's so good to have his support. He wants us to baptise 4 people in the month of July. And 20 by the end of the year. There are 4 sets of missionaries in the rama. So that will be 80 baptisms by the end of the year. It's going to happen. I completely have the faith. Did i mention my companion and I are whitewashing into the area? That means that both missionaries who were there before got taken out so neither of us know anyone or the area. It's quite an adventure! It is so awesome though. We went to visit this member the other day and she's on the road talking to this lady that she just met and she invited us both over on Wednesday-what a great missionary!
My companion is awesome too! Her name is Sister Monarrez and she's from Chicago. I am so blessed with such great companions. She is an awesome missionary and she can speak spanish. What more could I ask for!? We are teaching this great family who are going to be baptised this Sunday. They saw their nephew change after his baptism and they want it for themselves. Awesome. The church is true. I love being apart of it. And this great work. I love you all.