San Fernando - Post 6

October 7, 2014 - Sorry folks for getting behind on Hermana Scarlett's blog :( 

Well this has been a long crazy week.  Working hard but not getting the results we would like, but we keep on keeping on anyways :)  I'm just going to skip a few days :)

At the Temple with Hermana Ostler and Hermana Hatch

So this transfer we were supposed to get some new missionaries from the states, but the FBI changed their system or something and the FBI checks didn´t come through and those missionaries were going to get temporary assignments.  But thursday morning they got news that they were coming anyways AND that afternoon Elder Valerdi called us to let us know that I was going to be training and that the trainer´s meeting would be the next day after the temple.  SO i was a bit shocked.

Road Trip with The Lines

Friday we went to the temple and it was GREAT!!! I love the temple.  it´s basically the best place ever :)  And after wards we had a great training meeting.  It was really funny actually.  Elder Valerdi and Elder Pirez are the AP´s and we share the San Fernando ward with them.  They are super cool but Elder Pirez goes home and he has been SUPER TRUNKY!  Like bad!  So during the meeting Hermana Ostler and i kept laughing at him then Elder Valerdi saw us and was trying not to laugh too.  They are great.  So after that we headed home with Elder and Hermana Lines, the senior couple that works in the mission offices. Later the office elders met up with the AP's and us at a huge shopping mall in Vicente Lopez to eat.  It was so fun to just chill and see everyone relaxed and enjoying themselves.  We were just laughing so hard!  And then we saw President Ayre with his family and chatted for awhile  Then we headed back to our area just in time to get ready for the ward talent show that night.  Elder Pirez already had his act for the show and Elder Valerdi asked if he could sing with us. Here´s the thing-he speaks english REALLY WELL but is too humble to tell anyone (he is from mexico) so we made him sing the EFY medley with us in english and it turned out really well.  I also played the piano. It felt good to be able to perform a piano piece again :)

The San Fernando Stake Baptisms - 14 People!

Saturday and Sunday we watched GENERAL CONFERENCE! Sad thing was that none of our investigadores came.  We were able to watch it in the mission offices in english for Hermana Ostler.  It was fun to have our little group of english missionaries in there :)  In between the Sunday sessions we had the HUGEST baptismal service I've ever seen.  ALL the missionaries had to come to San Fernando Sunday, because it´s the stake center (A stake is about 6-10 wards or congregations and a Stake Center is a centrally located church building where the Stake offices are located and where Stake meetings are held).  In between the sessions, all of the baptisms for the missionaries serving in that stake were held and 14 PEOPLE GOT BAPTIZED! It was way cool.  Us and the AP's were running left and right to try to get everything organized and started.  There was a line of people dressed in white waiting reverently to go into the baptismal font.  We were in the women´s bathroom helping the ladies in and out and trying to keep the floor dry.  It was crazy but it was a great experience to help all of those people to take that important step of baptism so that one day they can live with their heavenly father again :) 

As for yesterday, we had an interesting conversation with a Jehovah's Witness waiting for the train. When we walked by him, I knew he was going to come over and talk to us.  He was polite but i could tell he wanted to trip us up and prove us doctrinally wrong.  But I shared with him the story of Joseph Smith and the experience he had.  When i shared Joseph smith's First Vision experience, I could feel the spirit so strongly and felt that what I was sharing was true.  He stopped for a minute and I am pretty sure he felt it too, but after a second he kept on continuing to bible bash but i simply said, "We basically share the same beliefs up until the restoration of Christ's church to the earth.  Thank you for trying to help more people come unto Christ and share the word of God."  Then the train came and we departed.  It was a neat experience for me because I was thinking about one of the talks in the first session of conference about loving people despite our differences in beliefs and cultures.  Normally I probably would have gotten frustrated with him trying to prove me wrong but instead I felt a sincere desire to help this man find the truth and the Spirit was able to help me know what to say to him.  It´s hard for me when people reject the message I'm here to share or choose not to live the commandments because i know it´s what they need. I get frustrated.  But i am praying for more charity and a greater desire to help these people, and He is helping me :)

I love this gospel and the opportunity I have to share it with people and help them to change their lives.  It is seriously the best thing ever!  I am going to mae these lat 6 months of my mission really count and work herder than ever. I know there are more people waiti

ng for me to find them!  I love you all!

Hermana Allison Scarlett