Faith In Every Footstep: San Fernando

He is the Gift cards with slightly burnt brownies -
Hermanas spreading Christmas cheer!

Week of December 15, 2014

This has been a GREAT WEEK! THe Lord has truly blessed us for our diligence, faith, and hard work :)

Monday: We had the great busqueda looking for an internet place. We ended up in a super sketchy place but we got to write! After most of our plans fell through so we stopped by a recent convert who is this cute little old lady. We shared a christmas message and helped her decorate her little christmas tree. It was so cute!

Tuesday: We had district meeting. It was good :) Afterwards we were able to talk to a lot of people and invite them to se the video "Él es la Dádiva" and invite them to church. We saw roberto again (referral from a part-member family) real fast but he had just come home from work so we set up another appointment. We visited a family in the ward. We got there and chatted a little bit. Then the wife said "My neighbors are downstairs doing pedicures. Would you like to visit and carol to them?" We were in shock a bit. THis member had told us before she was going to present us to her neighbor downstairs but decided not to so this was way out of the blue but we happily accepted. So we went and sang to them and invited them to see the video and asked if we could come back and share a message with them. THey were grateful but weren´t really interested but we were so happy that the members took the initiative to present us! WAY TO GO MEMBERS!

Wednesday: We visited a less-active member and shared a message of Christmas and asked him who we could share this message with. He told us that he knew a lady that had gone to church before and so we went with him to visit her. She wasn´t there but on the way we met 2 little old ladies that he knew so we talked to them and invited them. We were able to talk to a lot of people about Christmas and invite people to church.

Goofy picture with Jorge and Hermana Gomez

Thursday: We had divisions! Our STL´s are in "La Boca" which is a 2 hour trip. So they came here and we met with them and I went to La Boca with Hermana Rogerson and Hermana Gómez stayed here in San Fernando with Hermana Matamoros. So we took a 2 hour trip to La Boca. We got there at 2:00 and they had a meeting at 3:00 so we had a 30 minute lunch and rushed to the church. Had the meeting then started to work. It was a good day :) There was a YSA activity in the church so we went by to see if one of their investigators was there. SHe was in camino and we were waiting for some members to come and accompany us so we decided to invite someone to the activity. We saw a kid with his bike so we started to talk to them. We invited him to church and to the activity. He said he was about to go to classes de bachata and it just so happened that they were going to do classes de bachata in the actividad! So we invited him and he said sure. THen his brother came over and we were like "Yeah, we were just inviting your brother to clases de bachata in the church, wanna come to?" He looked at his brother and said "Sure, why not?" SO we walked them to the church and chatted a bit about going to church sunday. We got there and they dropped off their bikes. While they were dropping off their bikes I was thinking "Wow, they seemed really eager to go dance bachata in a church" Then i had a lightbulb moment! I looked at Hermana Rogerson and said "Hermana, they think we invited them to dance the bachata WITH US!" She looked at me and we both started to laugh! SO we brought them upstairs with the YSA and found out they live in another area. But that area shares the chapel of la boca and the elders were there, so we found the elders, told them they had 2 investigators upstairs, and left! IT was pretty funny :) So we finished with a good lesson with some of their investigators.

With some members :)

Friday: We had to get up a little early because we had a surprise Zone meeting at 9 in San Fernando. So we had to get up early, and head out of the house at 7. We got there just in time. IT was more like a missionary testimony meeting and we all headed out full of the spirit! While Hermana Gómez and Hermana Matamoros were in San Fernando they found an investigator who was SUPER prepared! ANd it turns out that I had already met her! When I first came here they had an investigator named Helen. Her sister was usually there and listened but didn´t really have a strong desire to go to church. The Sister´s name is dianna. We saw her teaching record various times and I always thought, no She´s not going to progress. So we never went by. But they went by to visit a less-active and she came out and told my companion that she was having a hard time raising her 5 year old daughter and wanted to go to church. SO we went by to see her Friday. She changed so much and was really interested and really wants to get baptized. THe problem is that she works every other Sunday. But This weekend we had the Stake Conference and so she decided to go to the Saturday night session. We also visited Roberto and he was so funny. he was a bit nervous but he´s just a funny outgoing guy. we taught him Lesson 1 and invited him to be baptized. He said yes and he said he would go to church! It was a good day :)

Ward Missionary Open House

Saturday: The Bishop´s son got baptized and his wife asked us to go because she has family members who arenñt members and wanted us to talk to them. So we did. They were super nice. They belong to the next barrio over but we invited the to the Stake COnference and gave them the "Él es la Dádiva" Pass-along card. Afterwards we went to work but couldn´t find ANYONE! We were with a Recent COnvert and we were in the train station waiting when someone walked by and said hey to him. So we asked him who it was and told him to invite him to the conference. He was a little nervous but he did! We were so proud of him and he felt good afterwards. So we tried to visit some people and then we went by for Dianna to go to the Stake Conference. SHe had to bring the 1 year old son of her friend and her daughter and it was interesting going back and forth from the provided daycare but it was good and she liked it :)

Just before a storm - we're singing in the rain!

Sunday: We got up and went to go find investigators to go to church. We called Roberto and he didnñt answer so we went by and knocked and yelled to wake him up, but nothing. So we went to find someone else with a member and we called him again. He said he woke up with some really bad back pain and couldn´t walk (he is 60 years old) but he REALLY wanted to go to church. He felt so bad. But those things happen. SO we went to church. The conference was good. That afternoon we went by and talked with him about going to church and baptism. We explained baptism and he said he liked it and wanted to be baptized.

Cat with a cone - made me laugh!

IT was so great to be able to Help DIana and Roberto. Seriously the Lord has prepared them to receive the Gospel at this moment. ANd we have an appointment with a member who said she had a friend who went when Elder Christofferson came and wants to share with him. SO we are excited to be able to keep on working with the members and find those people who are ready to accept the GOspel! I am so grateful to be here and to do the Lord´s Work. I LOVE THE MISSION! I wouldn´t want to be anywhere else.

Love you all and wish you a very merry Christmas!