San Fernando - Post 2

You should probably just present everyone you know to the missionaries now...Because if not, we´re just going to find teach and baptize them anyways :)  Sept 8, 2014

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!  This week has been pretty rough but we have received a great blessing because we continued diligently through it all :)

Tuesday not much happened other than I saw some interesting things.  The only one which i will comment to you was on the way to find a less active.  We saw a dead, dried, shriveled up cat on a pole on the top of someone´s house!   QUE ASCO!!!!!!  #creepycat

Hermana Ostler and Hermana Scarlett

Wednesday was a rough day.  So we went to visit some less actives but nobody was home or wanted to talk to us. Then my companion had to go to the bathroom so we drop by the church and I´m looking through my bag... and I DON¨T HAVE THE KEYS!  My companion checks her bag and se doesn't have them either. I go into panic mode, say a little prayer and feel like we need to go to the house again.  We go to the house and the Portero is outside  (guy in charge of the building) - we ask him if he found some keys..... and he said yes!  When we left the building I had LEFT THEM IN THE DOOR!!! How Dumb am I?!?  Thank goodness he found them and not someone else (Tender Mercy of the Lord).  Later on we are walking down the street and Hermana Ostler steps in dog crap and this guy walks by and says "It means good luck!"  So we strike up a conversation with him and gave him a Book of Mormon while my companion cleans off her shoe.  He was SUPER AWESOME! Except he doesn't live in our area and he works sundays.... so yeah, but later I saw a smiley face cookie on the sidewalk and it made me smile and i felt better :) #whataterribleday

Thursday was the miracle day.  We started out our day and yet again nobody had time for us.  We went to visit a less active family but they were moving and didn't want our help.  I was just like seriously!?! When her neighbor walked out and I started talking to her and invited her to church.  The less active´s kids were running around and screaming and throwing sand.  I just wanted to grab those kids and teach them how to behave, but I can´t so I just tried my best to talk to this lady.  She liked what we had to say and accepted the invitation to go to church and be baptized on the 21st.  It was a surprise when she said yes but we were super content :) #encontrandoescogidos

One year mark - six months to go!

Friday we went by Carmen, the lady we met yesterday, and she wasn't there so we were a little sad and doubted a bit in her commitment to go to church and be baptized but we continued anyways and had yet another long day. That night we had a FHE (Family Home Evening) with the ward.  Before getting to the church my companion and I stopped by an ice cream shop, bought some ice cream, the went to the church and hid in the bathroom eating it.  I took a video and it is SO FUNNY! For the FHE my companion and I were in charge of the games.  So we played a version of Rock, Paper, Scissors, where if you lost you had to attach yourself to the person who won, creating a dragon.  The goal was to have everyone behind you and be the head of the dragon.  We also played "Do you love your neighbor?"  It got pretty crazy.  It was so funny because the AP´s (Assistants to the Mission President) are here in the ward and I was kind of like "No pressure huh?" But they are really cool and a lot of fun.  #NDHmisiona

Saturday we were able to see Carmen!  She was excited to be able to go to church with us and was really taking seriously the commitment to be baptized on the 21st.  Also Saturday I realized that we, the missionaries in San Fernando, are basically the secretaries of the AP's. We have saved them so many times, they owe us big time.  SO hopefully next transfer we can get the find out transfers from them early :P

Sunday Carmen came to church!  We got there early to show her around the church and she liked it a lot.  Then we back to the chapel and sat down and a member walked in and I was about to introduce Carmen to her when the member said "MY FRIEND! CARMEN!" ANd gave her a big beso y abrazo (kiss and hug).  The member asked us "How did you find her? We´ve known each other for about 30 years!"  The funny thing is that earlier in the week we went to this member´s house and asked her if she knew anyone that would like to hear our message or go to church and she said she didn't know anybody. Then we show up at church with her friend who set a baptismal date!  Thus the title of my e-mail!!  We showed Carmen the baptismal font and she just took a moment looking at it and I know she felt the Spirit so strongly.  She wants to bring her husband next week and is super excited to keep learning more :) #everymemberamissionary

So basically what I have learned this week is that the Lord blesses you when you do all you can and He blesses you when you least expect it.  Seriously being a missionary is the best.  Sometimes it´s a lot of work and you get really tired but when you find the people who the Lord has prepared to hear and accept the Gospel, it´s all worth it.  All of the rejections, long days of nothing, cannot be compared to being an instrument in the hands of the Lord bringing the Restored Gospel to those who are waiting for it.

I love you ALL!

Hermana Allison Scarlett