WEEK 59!!! A BEAUTIFUL TESTIMONY, A ROUGH WEEK, BUT A FRUITFUL ENDING, AND RAIN RAIN RAIN!!!

Last week, Jenny's baptism!!

Down the streets in Bakes!!

Puppies at our new investigator's house! So cute!

What is it with the pepperoni on these frozen pizzas!?

Sewing up Elder Hettinger's pants Sunday morning!

On the streets of Bakes!!

Rain in Bakersfield!!

Meagan Martineau	Jan 9 (1 day ago)

Dear World of People Who Read My Emails,

I just want to let you all know first and foremost how grateful I am for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't know what on Earth I would do without it! I have always wondered if this church is true, I think everyone does at some point, especially those that grow up with it. I have wondered and even doubted before if it's true or not, but now I can say with a certainty that I KNOW, without a single doubt in my mind that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church of Christ. I know that it brings blessings. This week literally almost every single person we have talked to in some shape or form is atheist or wonders if God really exists because of all the bad in the world. We talked to a lot of not-so-nice people that shot down our testimonies of God and the true church, but you know what? This week has strengthened my testimony I think more than any other week on my mission. More than any other miracle, tender mercy, or spiritual experience. Why? Because even though this week was a trying week, especially with our faith, I look back and realize that my faith was never shaken. It was hard to face rude rejections, but my chin never lowered. Tears never fell down my cheeks. Because of the experiences I had this week, I know that I know that God is real. I know that Christ lives and is our Redeemer. I know that I know that now because after a life of questioning, 20 years of wondering, I was able to look people square in the face and testify of Christ full-heartedly, doubting nothing. I am eternally grateful for this new perspective of testimony I have. I wouldn't trade it for anything!! Heavenly Father is just the best, isn't He? Now I know that I know He is, and I trust myself when I saw that He is there. I trust Him when He speaks through the prophets from the scriptures saying He is there. I love it. I love this gospel. I love my God. I love my Savior. I love you all <3

This week was pretty slow, in every way, but yesterday it all paid off with a fast :) Yesterday we were able to find 5 new investigators, 3 from a family, and 2 from another family. What a blessing it was!! The 2 is from a young couple with 2 young kids. We met them earlier this week and set up a return appointment for yesterday. And they were there. And expecting us! That NEVER happens!!! The husband Carlos is a wondering Atheist, and the wife Verenice is Catholic but is unsure about the truth. They were both super open and accepted a Book of Mormon willingly. What a blessing that was!! The other family is actually the family of a former investigator that Hna Zambrano and I taught. (Diego - who also is Atheist). We were able to teach his sister and 2 cousins. We have a return appointment for tonight and hopefully we can re-teach Diego and the rest of the family with them! 

It was a rough week, but a fruitful ending :) I am content with that :) And I am grateful for the trials because now I am seeing the blessings <3

And about the weather, it has been VERY rainy for Bakersfield!! It's crazy!! My whole mission it's rained twice, but the last 2-3 weeks it's rained about half of the week!! Everyone is very confused about it here, but I LOVE IT!!! I miss the snow so much and I really wish I could go play in that fluffy white snow back home, but I would NOT rather be home than here right now!! I love you all so much, and I love home, but I know I need to be here. I know I was called by the Lord to serve here at this time, so here I will stay, and wish for something else, I will not. I am so grateful for my mission, I cannot even begin to tell you all!! But anyways, ya, it has rained a lot! It doesn't like pour here or anything, it just sprinkles, but when it sprinkles, it floods!! Because Bakersfield isn't well equipped for rain haha! Yesterday was really warm and kinda rainy! It was up in the 70's like spring!!

As for the question about exchanges, yes I went on exchanges my first 2 transfers :) My first transfer STL's were Hnas Meacham and Aguilar, both of whom are home. My 2nd STL's were Sisters King and Bryan (they were English STL's over us Spanish Hermanas too because there weren't enough Hnas for there to be Hermana Training Leaders), also both of whom are home now :) Before I was an STL I knew that exchanges were to like learn different things from a different companion, and for training, but I didn't really get why that was important. Then after being the leader I understood better why there were leaders to help train and such. Now I really enjoy being the missionary being trained by the STL because I don't have the pressure of being the STL and I can receive better direction from someone who has been entrusted to have me under their stewardship (cuz I need all the help I can get!). And Hna Blau was wonderful!! I love her so much! And she gave me a really good idea of how to do weekly planning more effectively.

I am SO HAPPY to hear updates on the family and that all is well!! It makes me feel so good knowing what everyone's up to!! Also CONGRATS TO RYAN AND NICOLE!!!! I NEED PICTURES!!!! And congrats to Hailey and David for finding friends and being happy!! <3 Also what's Rhett up to?? I like to hear about that rascal too!! ;)

Hnas Arceo and Latimer say that they love you too, so much!! But not as much as I LOVE YOU!!! <3

I hope you all have a wonderful week and that all is well with you all!! <3 Always always remember how much God loves you, and everyone! No matter how hard of times we have or the world goes through, it's for a greater purpose, that we may not understand, but it is all for the best. He truly does love you all more than you can ever comprehend <3

Con mucho amor siempre,

Hermana Martineau :)

WEEK 58!!! JENNY'S BAPTISM!!! A NEW INVESTIGATOR, ARTURO, AND THE MIRACLE HOW WE FOUND HIM!!! AND, THE SWEETEST REASSURANCE OF A TESTIMONY OF THE HOLY GHOST EVER!!! THANK YOU THORNLEY'S!!!

Jenny's Beautiful Day!!!

It's RAINING!!!

The Streets of Bakersfield!

Meagan Martineau	12:05 PM (7 hours ago)

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 :)

WEEK 57!!! TEMPLE DAY!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND SKYPE!!! MY WEEK....PACKED, MIRACLE-FILLED, SPIRITUAL, AND FUN!!!

CHRISTMAS DAY!!!

The Buena Vista District!! We have a sign!!!

Christmas Eve!!!

First time eating Wendy's in over a year!! I never thought I'd actually miss it!!

Temple Day!!!

Dream Team at the Los Angeles Temple

I Love to See the Temple!

The Dream Team and Sister Layton!!!

Morningside!!!

Got to see Hermana Zambrano at the Temple!!

Hermanas Martineau, Zambrano, and Badger!!!

All the Hermanas at the Morningside!! This is all of us in the mission, minus 2 on the other side of the mission!! We are an endangered species!!

SKYPING!!!

MORNINGSIDE!!!

Sister Killion who we skyped with!!

Hermana Latimer and her Twin Sister, Hermana Latimer!!!

Meagan Martineau	12/26/16 (7 days ago)

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

It was so good to talk to you all yesterday!! What a blessing that the skype went smooth and that we could all talk and see each other!! Isn't Heavenly Father the best!?

So this week was CRAZY!!! I'll do a list to make it a little easier this week:

lunes: was not Pday, so we still worked, but we still had to email and buy groceries, which was odd! Then we had district meeting Monday night!! It used to be Friday mornings, but starting last week it's Monday night at 6pm! So that was WEIRD!!

martes: Pday and TEMPLE DAY!!! We got up early and met at a member's house at 6:15am, grabbed some hot chocolate, then went to Los Angeles to enter the house of the Lord. What an incredible day it was!! When we got back we had a lesson with our new investigator Rosa who we found last week, then we found 4 new investigators!! We had a lesson with a potential investigator who became an investigator, then we were heading to try another potential at night time and met a family outside instead and they invited us right in and we taught them! It was a day lleno de milagros!!!

miercoles: Had a lesson with Jenny and one with the family we found on Tue. and they are already progressing! What a miracle and blessing to have been in the right place at the right time to find this wonderful family!!

jueves: Had another lesson with Rosa which went pretty well! And saw Jenny again :) I love that girl!!

viernes: Christmas Morningside where we watched "It's a Wonderful Life", had a little breakfast, then had a fun gift exchange thing! It was with the north half of the mission, and all the Hermanas in the mission except one companionship are on this side of the mission so I got to see most of them! It was so fun! And President and Sister Layton spoke, there were some musical numbers, then a slide show of pictures of us missionaries about how we are like the shepherds from the Christmas story and we are called to spread the news and testify of Christ in this part of the world :) It was AWESOME!!

sabado: NOCHE BUENA!! We visited some members and less actives and talked to people on the way and found a referral for us and one to send off to other missionaries! That was cool!! Then we had dinner at our bishop's house with the other Hermanas in our district, Hnas Wright and Perry, then went to dinner #2 with our investigator Jenny and her family! It was so much fun!! Her family went from hating missionaries a few weeks ago to inviting us to Christmas Eve dinner with them!! It was incredible!! Also, Jenny is getting baptized next week!! <3

domingo: NAVIDAD!!! Got up at 6:30am sharp, made hot chocolate, and opened Christmas presents! It was so much fun!! It felt just like a normal Christmas morning!! Then we went to studies, went to church, then went to lunch with a member and skyped!! Then went to dinner with another member, then after dinner we went caroling to a less active/part-member family we've been working with, then our district went Christmas caroling the last hour of the night! It was so much fun!! People were so surprised that people still carol and it was fun because we were able to see some hard hearts soften :) I really felt like the Christ was in CHRISTmas this year <3

So that was my week!! It was pretty packed, miracle-filled, spiritual, and fun!! It was a great week and it made it even better so see your faces!! I do miss you all so much, but Heavenly Father is helping me to not be homesick. I was reflecting on that trip I took to Europe by myself before my mission and about how it was only for 2 weeks and I was so homesick the whole time. Now I have been away for 13 months and sliding on by. I know I could not do this without the Lord's help. I am so grateful for all the incredible blessings I always see in my life <3 I don't know why I am so lucky and blessed as to have the gospel AND an incredible family and friends AND be able to serve in the best mission in the world!! I know that this gospel is true. I would not have this much joy in this work if it wasn't true. I know it is and though this is one of the hardest times of my life, it is the most joyous yet. I can't wait to see what the next 5 months have to offer. And I cannot thank you all enough for your testimonies you sent me. They mean the world to me and I will treasure them forever. I love you all so much!! Have a great week!! <3

AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT

con mucho amor,

Hermanita Martineau

PS: Hermanas Arceo and Latimer say hi, they love you, and they are so grateful for all the gifts!!

PPS: I really truly loved the testimonies SO MUCH!! They were all so heartfelt and sincere :)

PPPS: Did you make that book or did someone else? Did all the other missionaries in it get a copy? Did you send my testimony to Gage? :) 

PPPPS: LES QUIERO!!!!!!!!!!!

WEEK 56!!! GOODBYE HERMANA ZAMBRANO! :( HELLO HERMANAS LATIMER AND ARCEO! :) TRIO!!! TRAINING!!!

Hello Hnas Latimer and Arceo!!

Goodbye Hna Zambrano :(

Me playing piano at the Christmas party!!

Some guy hna Zambrano and i talked to a few weeks ago made us plaques with our card!! We ran into him the other day and he gave me one and gave my companions wooden arrows!!

A Christmas stocking a less-active member made for me!!! <3

FROST!!!!! It's almost like a white Christmas!!

Meagan Martineau	Dec 19 (1 day ago)

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!!!!!!! (Casi)

I am so excited for this coming week!!! So much is gonna happen!!!

But first, this week:

So on Tuesday I had to say good bye to Hna Zambrano and say hi to my old friend Hna Latimer and my new friend... HNA ARCEO!!!! My trainee!!! Oh my goodness being in a trio has been so much fun so far!!! I have heard so many horror stories, but honestly this has been one of the funnest weeks of my mission!! We all get along great and no one ever gets left behind! It's a little weird with teaching because we are trying to get our newbie to take charge in teaching, of course, but she has less opportunities to talk because there are 3 of us, but we are getting it down :) She is from Houston, TX, straight from high school, and she is so cute!! I love both of my companions to pieces!! So basically how it works is I take charge in training Hna Arceo, I teach her the special training program called 12 week, I teach her how to fill out all the forms and such and Hna Latimer can help if she wants. Some days she joins in and other days she just studies on her own when we do 12 week. It works out really well. She is good support! Poor Hna Arceo has such an irregular first 2 weeks in the mission because of Christmas and all the different and special meetings and such, so it's kind of weird to tell her how it normally is, haha! But she is doing awesome!! Tiene mucho afan!! They are both hard workers and make me push, and keep pushing so it's good!!

We've just been working and working this week!! We didn't have a lot of numerical success this week but we saw a lot of miracles and have found a lot of potential in the area!! On Sat. we had a ward Christmas party and I played the piano for the primary play, us missionaries sang a special song, and the members gave us missionaries a big basket full of goodies to share!! What a blessing!!! The ward is AWESOME!! <3 It has been a great week!! We have the same goals and desires in mind and I know that Heavenly Father is truly helping me out <3

Now for this coming week... unfortunately we do not yet have a place to skype... all of the members with computers and devices are going out of town for Christmas. A lot of people have offered to leave devices for us, but we can't take them... so we are still trying to figure that out, but no worries, we will work it out and call you Sunday morning to let you know for sure when we will skype :) So sorry for any inconvenience.. but that's the best we got right now. We have been calling and calling. But I will call you Sunday morning between 7:30-9am your time to let you know for sure when, but it will be 2pm or later your time for sure.

Also we have not yet had the morningside, it is coming up on the 23rd! And we get to go to the temple tomorrow!!!! Also Hna Latimer says HI!!!! And that she loves and misses you and is really grateful that you prepared her for the mission a little bit :) And I am still the designated driver and the other 2 take turns who gets the front seat :)

It has been fun!!

Well I just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and let you know how lucky I feel to be a member of the true Church. It means absolutely everything to me and I don't know what I would do without it!! I know that our Savior lives. I know He conquered death. I know that because He lives, we can too. That is truly what we celebrate this time of year, that fact that He was born so that we can live. What a blessing <3 I love you all so so much and I hope this holiday season is the best of all!!! Remember your Savior and is will be ;)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Con muchisimo amor y mucho afan y espiritu de Navidad,

Hermana Martineau :)