WEEK 60!!! "THIS WEEK WE SKY-ROCKETED!!!" FOLLOWED PROMPTINGS!!! FOUND FAMILIES TO TEACH!!! MIRACLES STILL ABOUND IN BUENA VISTA!!!

ELOTES!!!! I LOVE these things!! Whenever they come around dinner time there's no passing it up!!

Bowling with the district last Monday!!! So fun!

Drinking Starbucks milkshakes...mmmm... :)

A Little Sassy!

Oh ya, and we got a brand, spankin' new car last Thursday!! It's a 2017 Chevy Malibu!!! When we got it and drove it home it only had 38 miles on it!! 

We saw a little Latino couple struggling to get their kitten from their tree. I'm tall, so I was able to get it down...after a little struggle...but it's fine now!! It was so fun!! I felt like the fire department or something!!

HERO!!

Experimenting with a new hairstyle... not sure if I like it yet..

New hair style? Cute, just not so sure about on me.. :)

But look at the cool coloring of my hair!! I don't like that it's brown, but it looks cool in a braid!!

The after-math not so hot..

Meagan Martineau	2:44 PM (2 hours ago)

Dear Everyone!!

This week has been absolutely wonderful!!! Last week was full of trials, but this week we sky-rocketed!! We found FAMILIES to teach not just individuals and we FINALLY had people come to church!! 

So in the first week of this transfer we met this cute lady named Barbie. We have not yet had the chance to teach her because she was never home and cancelled the return appointments we had made with her before. We still felt good about teaching her though so we stopped by again this week and caught her and her entire family home!! Her husband and 2 step kids are only there every-other weekend apparently and her kids are in a lot of sports and such so it's hard to find them all home together and when they're not busy, but we were prompted to visit them even though they weren't in our plans and they were all home, not busy, and we were able to teach all 9 of them at once!! What a blessing and a miracle that was!! Now it's just a matter of getting them all back together again, or at least the ones that always live there!! But we're working with them :) 

Then later in the week we were again prompted to change our plans and go to a different area. We got to the street and heard some kids screaming inside a house, so we went to knock it. A lady answered the door, visibly distraught and looked like she was about to cry. We asked her if we could give her a hug and she hugged each of us super tight and started bawling. She eventually let us in and she just cried and told us about her rough family situation, her abusive husband, her teenage daughters moving out with their boyfriends, etc. Her name is Isabel and she has severe depression. We were able to teach her and 6 of her 8 kids the restoration of the gospel and how that is proof of God's love for us. She really appreciated it and just kept saying how grateful she was for our visit. I really felt like a missionary this week, feeling inspired to change plans, knocking the right doors at the right times. I am just so grateful for the Lord's hand in the work. Without it there is NO WAY I, or anyone, could do any of this work! I am so blessed to be a part of it, no matter how small of a part I may be, I am glad to be a part. 

One of the biggest miracles this week was seeing our investigators Carlos and Verenice come to church!! We met them last week, and Carlos is one of those Atheists we talked to, but they said we could go back last Sunday, so they were part of last Sunday's miracle when we found 5 new investigators. We taught them on Saturday this week and they committed to come to church, but everyone else does too and they never come. But they told us we could call them Sunday morning to wake them up. We did and they didn't answer.. then we called them just before church started and they were on their way!! I was up sitting at the piano at the beginning of the meeting and I cannot tell you the feeling of relief and joy I felt to be up there and watch them walk into the chapel, dressed up in church attire, with their 2 little kids!! That was the biggest miracle and blessing of the week! At the beginning they didn't want to stay for all 3 hours, but after taking the Sacrament, listening to very uplifting talks about joy and prayer, they decided to stay. We helped them drop off their kids at nursery and primary then we went to class. The class was on Joseph Smith and the restoration. The teacher was very welcoming to them and bore a sweet, sincere testimony at the end and invited all of us and especially those visiting to pray about the restoration. Then in Relief Society Verenice introduced herself by saying "Hola, soy Verenice. Es mi primera vez aqui y..me gusta!" meaning "Hi I'm Verenice. It's my first time here and.. I like it!" What a blessing to see an entire family come to church!! That was the first time I've seen a whole family come to church, with both parents!! It just made us all so happy!! <3

Then last night we had dinner with one of the English-speaking members of our ward, Sister Nordgren. Her husband went on a Spanish speaking mission so they were asked to help out the Buena Vista ward but she doesn't speak a word of Spanish. She is going through a really hard time right now with her little kids' health problems, her older kids leaving the church, and her own physical struggles. We were able to talk and laugh with her, help her with the dishes and clean up the kitchen. At the end she couldn't stop thanking us and she said she had no idea how much she needed that. It just feels so good to serve. In church we had a talk about joy and the speaker spoke on how joy simple is serving others. And it is SO TRUE!!! If you are sad and don't know why, don't know how to get out of it, SERVE!! You may not want to because of how you're feeling in the moment but once you start serving someone else and put your problems on the back burner, you are so much happier!! I know that because I experience it every day on my mission!! Whenever I am having a sad day it's because I'm not giving it my all, I'm not focusing as much on others as I should. Happiness truly does come from forgetting yourself and going to work. Sister Murdock in her email to me this week told me that salvation and happiness comes from following the prophets. IT IS SO TRUE!! What have the prophets ALWAYS said? SERVE OTHERS!! FORGET YOURSELF AND GO TO WORK!!! Christ is the PERFECT example of that :) It's worth it, it really is :)

Well that's all from me today folks. I hope you now have some sort of a spark to serve someone now, visit someone, give someone a hand, or a phone call. Little acts of service like that are what make the world go round. Want to change the world? Start by helping someone change their day :)

I love you all so much!! I hope you all have a wonderful, joyful, service-filled week!! That is how we follow and serve our Savior, serving others :)

Love siempre,

Hermana Martineau <3

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!!!!!!!!!!!