Crazy Week

Oh man, this week has been a crazy one. We've had cita after cita and walked more this week than i think in the whole 5 weeks I've been here combined. BUT it's been good! Today we had another zone activity and we went to the centro in Saltillo and checked out a few markets and then went to this Gordita buffet, which was a lot of fun. BUT a lot of walking for a P-day. 

Haha, but good news this week. We have a fecha fija with M, who is the mom of a 15 year old young man in the ward. She is planning to get baptize on Sunday!  Wooh!  So we're going to do everything we can this week to make sure it doesn't fall through. We first began teaching her last week and she was really hesitant because her entire family is Catholic and she thinks getting baptized will cause problems in the family, but she believes everything we have taught her. I have slowly been able to contribute more and more in lessons and the feeling after teaching someone and seeing them change and being able to bear your testimony to them is unbelievable. It makes me so much more motivated to be a better missionary and find more people to teach. We have also been working with A, who is the son of a newly converted family. He is really cool and really funny but is struggling with the concept of God because he says he is happy where he is in his life and doesn't see the point of changing. But all in all we have had some really good lessons with him and he is always really excited to have us come back. Something that I've been thinking about a lot this week is the WHY behind the gospel, why we need it, why we should make the effort to live it, because I have heard that a lot with people we have talked to. But the reason the gospel is so great is because it's ONLY purpose is to make us happy. Because God's plan is one of happiness. Something we have been talking to A about this week is that just because God's plan is one of happiness doesn't mean we won't have trials, everyone has trials. We need trials to grow. Sometimes the blessing that God gives us IS the trial, which isn't always easy to accept. But with the gospel we can better know how to face these trials and overcome them with more hope and strength. 

We've gotten a ton of references this week but haven't had too much luck in finding many of them, but we have this week planned out to revisit all of them and hopefully we will have luck with some of them. The problem with our area is it is HUGEE!! To walk from end to end would take about an hour and a half. So we really have to plan in detail with where we are going to work each day so we don't spend most of our day just walking.

Elder Vargas is still in recovery in Monterrey so Elder Hernandez has been with us all week again in a trio, which has been a lot of fun, and pretty interesting to work with 2 other missionaries. He literally only has 8 days left of his mission and he actually completed his 2 years yesterday. So he's got lots of experience. I feel pretty lucky to have experienced what i already have in the mission field. Like i told you guys at the beginning this area had been closed for many months so nobody knew we were coming and we had to start completely from scratch, but it has been really good for me to see how it works. And also being in a trio has given me the opportunity to learn from 2 experienced missionaries how to teach and how to work more effectively.  

So we got some BIG news in this last week's newsletter... Jeffrey R. Holland is coming to the mission to speak to us!!!!! wooh!!!!! I am SOO excited! He comes at the end of May. So we're way stoked for that. Also, they are allowing American sisters to come to the mission now so in not too long we should have American sisters here, which should be pretty cool!

I can't believe Lori, Doug and Grandpa are in the Congo! That sounds way fun! I read the letter and it sounds like they're having a great time. Also, way cool that Grandma Chapple could come into town this week! It makes me miss our usual Pei Wei trip! ha ha.  It sounds like you guys had a busy but fun week and that Grant and Caden were studs again in their basketball games . . . No surprise. Wow, and Kendall had her Spring show! wish I could have seen it, but i'm sure she did great. And Kendall be sure to tell Audrey that i'm NOT messing up in the mission :) haha, she makes me laugh. it was great to hear from you guys this week! I forgot my cable for the camera so i don't have pictures this week but that just means you will be getting more next week! 

Love you guys and miss you!