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| Jenny's Beautiful Day!!! |
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| It's RAINING!!! |
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| The Streets of Bakersfield! |
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12:05 PM (7 hours ago)
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FELIZ ANO NUEVA A TODOS!!!
Espero que todos nosotros tengamos un buen ano lleno de progreso, amor, y milagros :)
To answer questions:
Hna Arceo did not speak Spanish before, and they are both working and progressing in the language :) It makes me feel good that I can help them with it and answer their questions. The gift of tongues IS real and we are all striving to live worthy to have it :)
We caroled in Spanish because most the people were Spanish, but there was one English house and we asked the little girl for her favorite Christmas song which was Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer :)
I wasn't homesick at all from the call this time around. The last 2 times I was but not terribly, but this time didn't phase me at all! Honestly I feel like I've been at a summer camp and only haven't seen you for a couple weeks, but I'll see you very soon. Like when I went on that trip to Europe, how when I got to talk to you I had only been gone for a bit and would only be gone for a bit longer! That's how I feel which is a blessing! But it's hard because I don't want this experience to end so soon!!
On New Year's Eve we had to go in at 6pm and we took that as our planning time instead of Thursday mornings when we usually do it :) So we worked like normal, then went in at night and did weekly planning for a few hours, then opened some sparkling apple-peach cider and enjoyed the evening :)
Well this week was awesome!!!
We had exchanges on Thursday and Hna Latimer and I were here with Hna Blau, and Hna Arceo and Luquette went to Arvin :) It was so much fun being in a trio on exchanges!! I just love being in a trio more than I ever thought I would!! I also really appreciate exchanges now that I know what they're for and all the STL's do!! They are just so much fun and I never stop learning!! There is just so much to learn all the time!
We were able to find a new investigator Arturo. It was a miracle how we found him! We were trying to find a street that wasn't pulling up on the GPS and we ended up driving pass a trailer park and we felt we needed to go there instead. Immediately when we got there we ran into a guy who is a member of a Spanish ward in Salt Lake and he just got baptized a few years ago. He is just visiting for a few weeks here and he told us to visit his friend who lived in that trailer park. We were walking by trying to find the house and we saw a guy walk outside and we only saw his head over the fence for a second. I didn't want to shout over the fence to him because I was scared, but I knew that if I didn't, he would walk down the stairs and we wouldn't be able to see him anymore, so I followed the impression to say "hi" and when I did he came out and opened the gate and let us teach him. As it turns out, that was the house we were looking for and that was Arturo, the referral we got. We had 2 lessons with him after that this week. The second one wasn't planned, we just felt that we needed to go visit him and we did and turns out he was very angry and was going to do something bad, but we were able to read some scriptures with him and calm him down. He recognizes that there was no coincidence in us walking by right when he went outside that first day and that we came right when we needed to yesterday. He has a lot of potential and we are very excited to work with him!! He has valley fever so he has a lot of health problems, but he has such a good heart :) Heavenly Father is so good to us <3
Then the most exciting event of the week goes to..:
JENNY'S BAPTISM!!!!!
She was FINALLY able to be baptized after having 2 years of waiting!!! No one in her family came because they are not supportive of her decision to be baptized. We thought that would turn her away and make her not want to be baptized after all, but she still wanted to follow through and she was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. What a blessing. What a blessing to be a part of her conversion, even though I didn't do much, and if it weren't for her parent's disapproval she would have been baptized long ago, but I am so grateful that I was able to play at least a small part of her getting here. She is one of the strongest people I have EVER seen in the gospel!! She is incredible!!
I love this gospel so so much!! I just know it is true. This week I got the sweetest reassurance of a testimony of the Holy Ghost ever. I got a package from the Thornley's over there in Tremonton and they all wrote me little notes. One note from Rusten was about how the Holy Ghost guided him to check on his lamb and he found it choking. Then they were able to save the lamb and all was well. When I read that I got the sweetest, warmest, happiest feeling ever. It made me realize once again that the Holy Ghost is real and that He does speak to us. It made me feel so good and so reassured that such young kids are recognizing the Holy Ghost. I wish I had recognized His voice at that age!! I am still learning to recognize it now, but I am SO grateful for it <3 What a blessing the Spirit is in my life. I know He is real. I know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live, they love us, and they are ALWAYS there as we listen and give heed to the Spirit's voice.
One of my New Year's Resolution is to truly strive to have the Spirit with me constantly through daily repentance and really taking the time to pay attention to promptings I receive while I pray. I know Heavenly Father will guide me as I do so. What are some of your new goals and desires for this coming year of 2017? I would love to hear what you are all going to do to strengthen your relationship with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost :) (and other goals too ;) )
I love you all so much and I hope you all have a happy first week of the new year!!!
Les quiero!! <3
Con mucho amor y esperanza por este ano,
Hermana Martineau :)
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