WEEK 22!!! FIRST EXCHANGES AS HERMANA TRAINING LEADERS!!! FAITH AND FASTING=MIRACLES!!!

 ​Exchanges!!! Far left is Hermana Perry who was my comp.

Meagan Martineau

Mom, I still don't know my address... At my last 2 apartment complexes it said outside the complex in big letters the address of the place so then I could just tack on my apartment number, but here in Arvin it doesn't have it and I don't really know what to do to find out because there isn't really time during the day for us to talk to anyone about that. Also, I am so sorry I still haven't gotten a letter. I started writing it last Monday so I will try to finish it this Monday and send it... There isn't a "rule" that you "can't write during lunch, after nightly planning, or whatever" but it does say that Monday is for writing to your family... And I want to be as obedient as possible so I have decided to only write on Mondays... It's really hard though. I will sacrifice time from district activity if I need to though :) Because I know the letters mean a lot to you :)

To answer your question: So the weather has been a little back and forth. Some days it's really hot in the 90's and others it's fairly cool in the 70's. We had a huge wind storm the other day and last night there was a lot of lightning in Bakersfield. But other than that it's been pretty normal :)

And I have no idea what is going to happen on Mother's Day. I didn't even know when it was. I will get some information on that and tell you next week. And it will be a skype or facetime, whichever is better for you :) And zone conference was AWESOME!! The spirit is always so strong and I learn a lot!! And they didn't spray our apartment... So we just keep killing the cucarachas as we find them :)

So this week we had our first exchanges as Hermana Training Leaders, being in charge!! It was really scary and we were both really nervous for it but it actually went really well!! It was with Hermanas Williamson and Perry. I went with Hermana Perry. This is her second transfer, so she is one behind me. Hermana White and I are "equal companions" now because we are in leadership so their isn't a "senior companion" so on exchanges I was the senior companion for the first time!! It was really scary but I think I did ok... I didn't break her...I hope :) So we decided to focus the exchange on faith so we invited them to pray before the exchange started for something or someone specific that we would find during the exchange and we did the same. Then when they got to our apartment we talked about what we all felt and we all felt like we would find a family of 3, and specifically we decided that there would be 2 boys and 1 girl, all baptismal age but young and that the mom would be very accepting and the dad would have some sort of struggle or doubt and that we would find them around 4pm and that the whole family would be baptized in May. A BIG trial of faith, right!? Well we headed out and went about our day. Hermana Perry and I found some cool people, but not a family. But when we all met back together at the apartment at the end of the day we talked about what we found and Hermana White and Williamson found a very accepting mom and her son. The mom told them that her husband would have doubts but she wanted to listen learn more and that she has 2 boys and 1 girl!!! And they found them around 4pm!!! How crazy right!? We are SO EXCITED!!!! We stopped by again so I could meet them and we talked to the skeptical husband. We have a return appointment tomorrow!! We are excited and hope the whole family is there and that they really are the dream family we prayed to find!!! So I would say that that first exchange was a success :)

Then yesterday (Sunday) we got to go to the wedding of our investigator Ada Cortez!! She got married so that she can get baptized this week!!! I can't remember if I talked about this before with the confusion with her husband's papers and everything but then we fasted for them and it all worked out so they can get married!! So we got to see their marriage performed by Bishop Mayberry from my last ward in Bakersfield (he's technically still our bishop until we form a branch). It was nice, very simple, short, and straight to the point. She was married at the same time of her aunt who is being taught by the elders who also got married so that she can also get baptized with Ada this week!!! Their baptism is on Sunday!! We are so excited!!!! So many blessings are coming our way!!! The Lord is so good!!!

We are trying our best to be exactly obedient. I am trying to lose myself in the work. It is hard. I thought that losing myself would be easy, but when you've been standing for an hour and half straight just talking to people, it's really hot, your knee and back hurt, you need water, etc. it's really hard to forget yourself. But that's the thing about missionary work. It isn't about us. It isn't for us. It's for the people. We get blessings and learn along the way of course, but we need to focus on other people. I need to focus on other people more than myself. That is something that I am trying to work on. And focusing more on the Lord and being more grateful for all that I have :)

I love you so much!!! You are the best!!! Thank you for everything you do for me and for your examples!!!

Hermana Martineau <3 

 ​Us with Ada and Paloma (Ps Paloma = dove <3 )

​Ada (in the white dress) her new husband, and their family!! Far left is Bianca, Ada's step daughter/our investigator, and the red dress is Roberta and the younger girl in the flowery dress is Paloma. They are both Ada's daughters. Paloma wants to get baptized but Roberta doesn't because she's turning into a rebellious teen. the boy is Ada's step son and the little boy he's holding is Biana (far left)'s son Johnathon :)

Us with Bianca and Roberta :)

They put on a 3 day fair where we go running every morning!! Too bad it's over now so I didn't get to go :( But I ran around all the rides!! :)

WEEK 21!!!

Jilote Man

Hardcore Spanglish!

Meagan Martineau	3:19 PM (2 hours ago)

Hello everyone!!! 

I just want to start off by saying that I love you all!! 

Secondly, Hermana Pincock didn't get the letter until the Monday after Mario's baptism, and she just handed it to me now, as I'm writing this so I haven't read it yet :) And just to by safe, you can just send things to the mission office address. I don't know my address but if I get transferred again, it'll still get to me that way :) And did you get my last email last week about how I need a journal and charger? :) I can buy me a journal because you won't be able to send one to me in time, but I do need a wall/USB converter charger because I can't charge my dead camera without it, which means no pictures... :) Thank you so much!!! :)

So this week has been really good! Nothing super crazy or out of the ordinary happened! We just talked to a lot of people, taught a lot, walked a lot, etc. But it was good!! 

One thing I definitely need to learn from Arvin is patience. EVERYONE here is Latino! And Latinos like to TALK!!!! They like to speak their mind and they don't like silence. Which is hard sometimes, because some times you need silence to let the Holy Ghost teach them for a second after you ask them a question. If they don't know how to answer a question they will go off on a big, long rant for 20 minutes because you gave them an opportunity to talk. They really don't like silence so if you pause for more than 1.5 seconds, they will cut you off. Some people (like half of them) will even cut you off in the middle of a sentence. It is really frustrating sometimes when you are about to recite the first vision and they cut you off and talk for 20 minutes, make you late to an appointment, and won't let you say anything!! In Palmdale and Bakersfield there are white people too, but in Arvin it is pure Latino, and mostly Mexican. So obviously I need to learn patience. Also it takes a lot of patience waiting week to week for people to come to church (just for them to not show up) before they can get baptized, or become reactivated to get the priesthood, and things like that. A LOT of patience. But I'm learning!! 

And to answer your question about our investigators, it is like how it was back in Little Rock/Palmdale where we find 30 new investigators every week and drop them all the following week but then find 30 different new people. A HUGE strength that Hermana White has is to talk to EVERYONE but it's not always good when we had planned to see a part member family to teach those that aren't members but instead of going there we continue talking to everyone on the street that we end up dropping in the next couple days. But we are working on that!!!

So the exciting thing that did happen this week: on Friday when we came home we walked in the door to find cockroaches EVERYWHERE!!!! We knew that our apartment has had cockroach problems in the past and we have seen a few stray cockroaches before, but on Friday we came home to a whole bunch over the WHOLE apartment!!! In the kitchen, bathroom, study room, even in the silverware drawer, which was closed by the way!! It was crazy!! But we are hopefully getting it sprayed today... So that was exciting!!!

Tomorrow we have zone conference, so I'm excited for that!! Then from Wednesday to Thursday we are conducting our first exchange as Hermana Training Leaders!! We will be with Hermanas Williamson and Perry. I will be with Hermana Perry. I have never met either one of them, but Hermana Williamson was Hermana White's companion in the CCM!! So I'm really excited for that!! But super nervous... I just got out of training and I'm supposed to train people that are a lot more experienced!!! AHHH!! But Hermana Perry came in one transfer after me, so she is still training which makes me feel a little better.. :) So as Sister Training Leaders we basically just call the Hermanas every Sunday and get their weekly numbers, ask about their investigators, help them with things they struggle with, give encouragement and advice, then we also conduct a companion exchange once a transfer. So that will be exciting!! Also they text us every night when they get home so we know they are safe :)

So that was my week!! Nothing too exciting, except for stray cucarachas!!

Remember the Savior always and everything that He has done for you! It really does help in daily-life stressers!! He knows EXACTLY how you feel ALWAYS so you are NEVER alone, no matter how alone you may feel!! He loves you more than you can ever comprehend :) And so do I :) ;)

Love siempre, 

Hermana Martineau

WEEK 20!!! TRANSFERRED AGAIN!!! ARVIN, HERE I COME!!! NEW ASSIGNMENT!!! A WHIRLWIND WEEK!!!

​Mario!!! At my last lesson with him before I got transferred.

Meagan Martineau	Apr 11 (1 day ago)

Hello Everyone!!!!

So this week has been CRAZY!!!!! So as you know I am back with Hermana White, my trainer, which is absolutely weird and crazy! But also we are whitewashing Arvin.....AGAIN!! :) My whole mission so far has been whitewashing! Every transfer I have moved and whitewashed! It's crazy! Obviously I have something to learn from whitewashing I guess... Maybe getting readjusted to change over and over I suppose!! 

So I am LOVING Arvin!! Everyone told me it's like Mexico in the US... And it's true!!! EVERYONE speaks Spanish there!!! Everywhere I've served almost everyone speaks Spanish, but the teenagers and young adults usually prefer English because they would go to school and talk to friends in English and just talk to their parents in Spanish. But here in Arvin, everyone speaks Spanish and even most of the teenagers and kids we've ran into prefer Spanish over English!! It's super weird!! But it's really good because hopefully I will improve a lot on my Spanish :) And also in Arvin they started a group not too long ago. It is too small to be a branch so it's just a "group" right now. We meet in an old American Veteran office building. It's really small and there are a bunch of USA decorations and boxes stacked up the wall. It's a little crazy!! But everyone in the group loves it. I have never seen more unity in my life!! They all love each other so much!!! It is very humbling experience to serve here :)

Oh ya, and I'm now the designated driver!!! AHHH!!!! So I have to drive all the time, everywhere!! I don't like driving very much, but at least I'm in Arvin where there isn't much traffic like in Palmdale or Bakersfield!!

So yesterday was Mario's baptism!!!!!!!!! :D :D Hermana White almost didn't let us go because we had to go to Bakersfield for correlation, back to Arvin for church, then back to Bakersfield for the baptism. Which made sense, and I was sad about not going especially because I was playing the piano and I promised Mario I would be there... But at correlation our Ward Mission Leader Hermano Rodriguez told us how excited he was for the baptism and showed us the program with my name in it for the piano and with Hermana White's name in it for leading the music. So we went. THANK GOODNESS!!!!! I was SO GLAD and feel SO BLESSED that I got to see him get baptized!!! It was really funny though because Mario is a really big, tall 300 lb guy and he was baptized by the member he's living with right now who is an old, crippled, tiny little Mexican man. He didn't make it all the way under the first time so he had to get dunked twice so that was funny :) He looked so happy and clean and pure!!! I love the ordinance of baptism because it's through that that we can be truly 100% clean of all of our mistakes. Sometimes I wish I could get baptized again to be made clean again, but then I remember I can every week when I take the sacrament :)

So the craziest thing of the week: I GOT CALLED TO BE A SISTER TRAINING LEADER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE HECK!??!?!?!?!?!????!!??!!!! So here's what happened: Hermana White and I were just minding our own business going about doing our usual companionship study on Thursday when President Wilson called us... I was so nervous thinking we did something wrong.... We timidly answered the phone and he said "We have a special assignment for you Hermanas" and we thought it was about the group here in Arvin or that he was going to expand our area or something like that. But no. He called us to be Sister Training Leaders, well Hermana Training Leaders. Basically like Zone Leaders over the Hermanas!!! We have to call them and do exchanges with them and help train them and everything!!! And usually there's an experienced STL that trains a new STL for a few transfers of how to be an STL, then that newer STL trains a new STL and so on, so they know what to do and are with someone who knows what STLs do. NOPE!! Neither one of us have been STLs before and have NO IDEA what we're doing!!! And I just barely got out of training!??!?!??!! It's crazy!!! I'm just wondering what on earth President Wilson was thinking!!! It's crazy!!! There's obviously a reason for it but I have no idea what!!! And so I am now the training leader over Hermana Pincock, who backup trained me!!!! It's kind of intimidating. And very humbling. 

So that was my week!!! I love you all so much!!! Thank you for everything!!! Remember that God is mindful of you forever and always!!! D&C 18:10 ; Alma 26:37

Love siempre,

Hermana Martineau <3

Mario before he got baptized!! :) :D

​A less-active family we were working with in Bakersfield, La Familia Jiminez :) Hermana Jiminez, Vanessa, and Sebastian :)

​Our investigator Roberto (the younger one) and our former investigators (they don't really want to learn but they'll let us in and listen anytime!! It's just not their time yet.. Maybe after Roberto the younger gets baptized their hearts will soften :) ) And Roberto Senior and Leandra. I have oranges because EVERY TIME we go over there they give a bag full of oranges!!!

​La Familia Soto that we had dinner with a lot :) Hermana Soto, Selma (right), Valeria (next to me - she was sad I was leaving so she wouldn't smile...)

​Our investigators Reina and Osmin :)

(PS these are all from Bakersfield, not Arvin :) )

​La Familia Alvarez. Their daughter Isabella (or Izzy, or Bella) is a recent convert because the family was reactivated not too long ago :)

​Last day with Hermana Pincock. :(

​First day back with Hermana White!!!

Arvin here we come!!!

Arvin, we're coming for ya!!!

Designated Driver--Arvin, HERE WE COME!!!

Hermana White at the American Veteran Office Building where we meet for Church.

​Look what I found!!!!

​How funny!!!

WEEK 19!!! TRANSFER WEEK! YUP!!! SHE'S TRANSFERRING AGAIN!!!

Meagan Martineau	1:00 PM (8 hours ago)

Hello Everyone!!!!!!

So Conference was AMAZING!!!!!!!!! I LOVED every minute of it!!!!!!! How blessed are we to be able to hear modern day prophets and apostles speak to us what God wants us to hear!? It is such a blessing and miracle!!! (I am really sad about that negative vote from the sustaining on Saturday though... :( I just don't know how anyone could NOT sustain them!) We got to watch all 4 sessions at the church building and our investigator Mario came too!!! He couldn't come on Saturday because of work, but he went to the Priesthood session and both sessions on Sunday!! And he loved them!! He even took some notes!!! He is getting baptized on Sunday, April 10 at 3pm!!!!!!!!!!! We are SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!! But I think he is more excited than we are!!! And he is living with a less active family right now. Only the dad is active and the mom is kind of active, but all of the kids are inactive. It's funny too because the oldest son is the one that introduced Mario into the church, and he doesn't even go!!! But we are hoping and praying that Mario getting baptized will influence them and help them see how happy he is and help them to want to come to church again!! 

And Mom, about the letters, I agree that it is a LOT easier to respond than to just send, so when you respond to my last letter I'll write you another one, ok? And we can just go back and forth!! :) Unless I have something special to write about, then I will! :) And I did get the package, and all I can say is....HOLY CANDY!!!!!!!!!!!! :) Thank you so much for everything Mom and Dad!!!!!! I absolutely love everything!!! I love the clothes and candy and books, and Plan of Salvation things, EVERYTHING!!!!!! Thank you so much!!!! I love you so much!!!!! And thank you for what you said in the email. I really appreciate it :) 

So tomorrow is transfer day. Guess what is happening with me.....

You'll never guess!!!

It's pretty crazy!!!!

....

I'm back with Hermana White!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That NEVER happens!!!!!!!! It's only happened like twice in this mission where a trainee goes back with their trainer, and the 2 times that happened that was 8 months - a year later! But I am going back with my trainer only a transfer later! That is super weird and has never happened before!! So it's really exciting!!! And I am getting transferred...AGAIN!! I am convinced that I will never stay in an area for more than a transfer!! Just kidding, I will probably stay in this next area for a little while based on the email I got from President Wilson this week. So guess where I am going!! ARVIN!!!! I have been wanting to serve in Arvin so I am super excited!! It is a full-on Spanish town. No English speakers there. There aren't English missionaries serving there because they would have nothing to do!! So hopefully my Spanish will improve a lot!! i'm really excited!! _I don't know why it switched to italics but I can't get it off, so ... oh well!! 

Arvin is a part of the La Cresta ward where I have been serving, but they just recently started a "group" there. It's too small to be a branch still, so it's just a "group" that meet in Arvin because the people there don't like driving all the way to Bakersfield to go to church. So President Wilson wants Hermana White and I to help the group become a branch! How cool is that!! I am super excited!! 

But I am really sad that I will be leaving Mario.... I won't get to finish his lessons (but there are only 2 left), but thankfully the Lord blessed me to still be close enough that I can go to the baptism!!! Hermana Pincock said that I could play the piano so I will have reason to be there! ;) 

So there's my report for the week!!!! I love you so much!!!!! Thank you so much for everything!!!! Always remember the Lord in everything you do!!!! 

Love siempre,

Hermana Martineau

P.S.

Sorry, no time for pictures this week, we have a luncheon appointment, but I will try to send some physical copies because we are going to print this week :)

Note from Mom:

I got the picture off the California Bakersfield Missionary Momma Facebook Page from another parent. Great picture of her District that she has loved. Some are transferring away this week. Time for new, great memories!