week 13

GUYS i'm engaged! seriously! okay not really but i feel like i'm engaged... hahahaha lots of investigators want to set you up with their children. it is so funny. i'll tell that story later!

OH BOY! i feel like there is never time to write! haha and i hope you all don't get sick of reading so much........ look I'M SORRY MY MISSION ROCKS EVERYONE I CAN'T HELP IT!!

okay this week actually is pretty short i think! lets see....

first of all let me tell you something crazy that happened.... the solo tear. ever since the MTC the solo tear is just crazy, haha, ya know?? when someone just has one tear fall and that's it? well. anyway, we were at a training zone conference thing and it was presidents last one :( and it was WAY good but there was one part where he showed this video of a marathon runner who was supposed to take first and started and then his hamstring tore or something in the middle but he refused to stop and i guy broke through security and ran to his side and told him he didn't have to do this and he said yes i do! while crying and screaming, and so he said okay well then we're doing it together! and they walked to the end of the finish line, and turns out it was his dad :) and the whole time you raise me up was playing so OBVIOUSLY everyone was crying. and i had a SOLO TEAR. yeah that's the story it's not that great but i thought i would share. haha but look up that video! find it somehow! it was so good. they just talked a lot about fathers and stuff, and just being on a missionary knowing you have that heavenly father at all times looking out for you, holding you up, same with everyone. it was cool :) AND I LOVE MY DAD RUSTY RUSSELL TOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

GUYS we're teaching the guy who ran into our car! i knew we would :) i'm sure he'll be baptized soon!!! haha

OH and get this we were knocking one day and this lady was so sweet and let us right in and we started talking to her about the church and she was like wait you're mormons? i'm a mormon!!! and we were like... WHAT??? surprisingly enough that happens a lot down here! cause all these people from mexico or dominican or all these other countries get baptized and then move here and can't find a church! and so they go inactive for years! it's nuts, but yeah so that was cool :) her kids aren't members so hopefully we'll get to teach them.

hmmm... OH one night we were getting rejected ooover and over and we went to this guys house who'd we'd recently given a Book of Mormon and knocked and he opened it a tiny bit, and then shut it real fast! and hmn judd was like well... that's that! but i was fed up with these people! haha so we refused to leave, i said if he wanted to reject us he could tell us with words! so we knocked a few more times and he came out finally, and we talked to him and well long story short we explained more about the Book of Mormon and church and had an awesome talk and he shared some CRAZY stuff about when he had died as a child and came back and how he used to not be able to read and wanted to read the bible and learn about God so he prayed to be able to and then he could read! it was sweet. I love all these stories people have.

Remember Maria sanchez? the one who said hi through me to you guys? well it's been rough with her lately... she lives with her son, and he just tried to kill himself. she found him on her bed and it wasn't pretty and she freaked and he's in the psych ward right now, we went and visited him the other night, it was crazy being in a pysch ward... it was really hard seeing so many people in such a hard state. but anyways he said she overreacted and he's fine but he's not really reliable right now to tell the truth, his life is crazy and he's been way stressed. but things are getting better!!! and she didn't have a car and then called us and said i got a car!!!!!!!!! WOOO!!! it was a blessing from god! a miracle! and we were like what?? HOW? and she said she won the lottery..... hahahahaha oh my gosh i cracked up. so funny. BUT! even still, now she can come to church :)

SO we've been teaching Noemi more, she is PERFECT. it is crazy cause she is accepting EVERYthing and it's so easy for her to feel the spirit! she loves it so much, she's getting baptized july 6th if everything goes well!! :) but we might have to switch her to the english missionaries cause she kinda prefers english and so she might wanna go to the english ward... that'll be rough but it's about her! sooo we gotta do what we gotta do!

but anyways so we were talking and she ALWAYS talks about how great her son is, and how he needs a wife and how her life is so crazy right now and she's needs God to open doors for her. and we were having a lesson and suddenly she's like.... you are PERFECT for my son! oh my goodness he will love you so much.... i'm gonna give him your address okay? and he will send you so many gifts! (he's in the navy right now) and i was like woah WOOOOAH! haha i'm on a mission! not available! and she said noooo don't worry you guys can be friends till you get off! and you and hermana judd can come to the dominican republic with us next summer! oh MAN he will love you! DOORS ARE OPENING THANK THE LORD! (she really said that...HA)

and i was kinda just in shock... didn't know what was happening. hahahaha we got in all worked out though DON'T WORRY GUYS I'M NOT GETTING MARRIED! it was so funny though we were crackin up.

let's see. basically i just love people. we were teaching a couple the other day and were about to say the closing prayer and suddenly maria starts singing a song for us and then sandro starts rapping for us after, and then he says hey! watch! and he turns music on and starts robot/awesome dancing for us for like 8 minutes. hahahahah most random thing ever, what the? i love my mission. one thing i don't love is the smell of BEER..... oh my goodness it makes me sick, we have been talking to a lot of drunk people lately. pretty interesting stuff.

BUT GUYS!!!!!!! that's all i have time for i gotta go!!! so uh i never remember what i write in these emails...... remember this week people that you are on a path towards God and are always moving! you can't stop! so you're either moving towards God and the qualities he wants you to gain, or you're moving backwards towards the qualities of satan, it sounds harsh but it's the way it is. don't ever stop doing good! don't ever stop trying! okay?? we can't learn or grow or develop attributes of Christ without the experiences so bear through them and cling to the Lord with all your heart might mind and strength! the REASON we are here is to make it back to him, and to be HAPPY! don't forget that :) he loves us! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! words cannot describe how much! i pray for all of you, there is so much work to do, no time to be lazy! i gotta go!

get the spirit in your life and KEEP it there! there is no better protection that having him with you :) WEEEE the church is true WOOO!!!

yeah we're doing the splits or whatever EVERY NIGHT while we write in our journals!!! hahaha

aaaand the sunsets are just always incredible so yeah.

aaaaand there was a lizard on my book of mormon :)