Hola Everyone! :)
This week, like always, has been so full of miracles!
Melissa and Garrett are still doing so great! We were able to have a lesson with them at the Kurtz' home and teach the Restoration to Garrett because he wasn't there when Melissa was taught it. We didn't have to go to in depth though because he already knew the basic content. He's been going to church every week for the past few months. He's so amazing and has so much faith. Melissa, his mom, does too! We were able to set him with a baptismal date for July 5th and he's really excited about it since he's wanted it for so long. I found out this week that he approached the sisters a few weeks ago and asked to be taught so that he could get baptized. They're so prepared. We were still unable to set Melissa with a date yet though because of some things she still has to work out. She's aiming for September though! We found out that they have family home evening every week and have a very gospel centered home. I'm so excited to keep working with them! We have another appointment this week with them, but we're going to the Jenkins' home to teach them so that we can get more fellowship involved. We were having difficulty setting a time that would work for all of us, because Garrett had a few things to do this week in the evenings, but his mom told us that he decided that having another lesson was more important than his other plans. He's so in tune with the spirit for only being 14 years old. Last night, Melissa was able to go to th investigator fireside that the Stake President hosted in his home with another member of the ward. We don't know how it went yet, but we're going to follow up today.
Jasmine is amazing! We started teaching her last week, but we had our first real "sit down lesson" with her this week. We had planned to teach the Restoration, but instead we focused mainly on the power of prayer and our relationship with Heavenly Father. It was just what she needed. She has gone through a few scary things in her life and has found God through them. She's been through so much for only being 16, but she has a lot of faith. Her mom is a less active that no one has seen in years, but a few members of the ward remember their family. She's very involved in the church that she goes to in Oxnard, but she's open to learning more about this church. We texted her on Saturday and asked if she was going to be able to make it to church the next day and she said yes! We were able to find her a ride and she stayed all three hours. She loved it and she ended up going to the Bishop's Youth Discussion that was last night with some of the young women that invited her. We're really excited to keep meeting with her and help her develop strong friendships with the youth in the ward. She told us that she knows that who she hangs out with impacts her ability to feel the spirit and she wants better friends. This ward has been so supportive of helping her with that.
Juan is progressing nicely too! We also had our first real "sit down lesson" with him this past week and were able to teach him the Restoration. Just within the first few minutes we found out that he had been in a drunk driving car accident a few days earlier and decided to quit drinking since then. He knew that it was bad for him and he wants nothing to do with it. He wants God to be more present in his life and help his son realize the importance of it too. We used a lot of visuals while teaching and it really helped. It clicked and when we were asking him questions at the end to test his understanding, he got it! He even used new words that he had learned to explain what he was going through. The spirit was so strong and he accepted a baptismal date of July 5th.
Jenny is progressing a lot more than she had before. We were able to teach her the Gospel of Jesus Christ this week and emphasize how being baptized and having the Holy Ghost in our lives can help us to make better decisions and feel God's love stronger. She loved it! She told us that she really wants to be baptized, but that at this point in her life, she would have to make a lot of changes. The spirit was really strong and she committed to pray about whether or not baptism is what she needs at this point in her life. Earlier this week, Sister Morales and Sister Mansfield, from the ward, stopped by to visit her and invite her to church. She said that she wasn't ready yet, but she did come to the Book of Mormon class that we had this week. She absolutely loved it and said afterwards that she hopes to be able to become as knowledgable about the Book of Mormon as some of the members that were there. She definitely is starting to see the blessings that she can have in her life because of the gospel.
Angel is doing great. We taught him the Plan of Salvation and talked about how this life is meant to be joyful. We think he's going through a tough time in his life and doesn't really understand his purpose, but we sang him "I am a Child of God" and things started clicking in his head. After so much time of trying to get him to open up and share what he was thinking, he finally did a little! He understood the scriptures we shared better, especially Enos 1:27, and accepted a baptismal date of July 12th. We really hope that he has a stronger desire to come to church and continue learning because he made so much progress this last lesson.
The ward council here is absolutely amazing! We got to attend our first meeting yesterday (because it was cancelled the week before) and I loved it. Within the first minute, the members of the ward council started talking about the missionary efforts of the ward and how they could help us. As soon as we brought up something that needed to be done to help our investigators have a better experience, it was assigned, taken care of, and reported back to us by the end of the three hour block. The members here are absolutely amazing and know what their priorities are. They are so willing to do anything for us! I'm so grateful to be here.
Melissa and Garrett are still doing so great! We were able to have a lesson with them at the Kurtz' home and teach the Restoration to Garrett because he wasn't there when Melissa was taught it. We didn't have to go to in depth though because he already knew the basic content. He's been going to church every week for the past few months. He's so amazing and has so much faith. Melissa, his mom, does too! We were able to set him with a baptismal date for July 5th and he's really excited about it since he's wanted it for so long. I found out this week that he approached the sisters a few weeks ago and asked to be taught so that he could get baptized. They're so prepared. We were still unable to set Melissa with a date yet though because of some things she still has to work out. She's aiming for September though! We found out that they have family home evening every week and have a very gospel centered home. I'm so excited to keep working with them! We have another appointment this week with them, but we're going to the Jenkins' home to teach them so that we can get more fellowship involved. We were having difficulty setting a time that would work for all of us, because Garrett had a few things to do this week in the evenings, but his mom told us that he decided that having another lesson was more important than his other plans. He's so in tune with the spirit for only being 14 years old. Last night, Melissa was able to go to th investigator fireside that the Stake President hosted in his home with another member of the ward. We don't know how it went yet, but we're going to follow up today.
Jasmine is amazing! We started teaching her last week, but we had our first real "sit down lesson" with her this week. We had planned to teach the Restoration, but instead we focused mainly on the power of prayer and our relationship with Heavenly Father. It was just what she needed. She has gone through a few scary things in her life and has found God through them. She's been through so much for only being 16, but she has a lot of faith. Her mom is a less active that no one has seen in years, but a few members of the ward remember their family. She's very involved in the church that she goes to in Oxnard, but she's open to learning more about this church. We texted her on Saturday and asked if she was going to be able to make it to church the next day and she said yes! We were able to find her a ride and she stayed all three hours. She loved it and she ended up going to the Bishop's Youth Discussion that was last night with some of the young women that invited her. We're really excited to keep meeting with her and help her develop strong friendships with the youth in the ward. She told us that she knows that who she hangs out with impacts her ability to feel the spirit and she wants better friends. This ward has been so supportive of helping her with that.
Juan is progressing nicely too! We also had our first real "sit down lesson" with him this past week and were able to teach him the Restoration. Just within the first few minutes we found out that he had been in a drunk driving car accident a few days earlier and decided to quit drinking since then. He knew that it was bad for him and he wants nothing to do with it. He wants God to be more present in his life and help his son realize the importance of it too. We used a lot of visuals while teaching and it really helped. It clicked and when we were asking him questions at the end to test his understanding, he got it! He even used new words that he had learned to explain what he was going through. The spirit was so strong and he accepted a baptismal date of July 5th.
Jenny is progressing a lot more than she had before. We were able to teach her the Gospel of Jesus Christ this week and emphasize how being baptized and having the Holy Ghost in our lives can help us to make better decisions and feel God's love stronger. She loved it! She told us that she really wants to be baptized, but that at this point in her life, she would have to make a lot of changes. The spirit was really strong and she committed to pray about whether or not baptism is what she needs at this point in her life. Earlier this week, Sister Morales and Sister Mansfield, from the ward, stopped by to visit her and invite her to church. She said that she wasn't ready yet, but she did come to the Book of Mormon class that we had this week. She absolutely loved it and said afterwards that she hopes to be able to become as knowledgable about the Book of Mormon as some of the members that were there. She definitely is starting to see the blessings that she can have in her life because of the gospel.
Angel is doing great. We taught him the Plan of Salvation and talked about how this life is meant to be joyful. We think he's going through a tough time in his life and doesn't really understand his purpose, but we sang him "I am a Child of God" and things started clicking in his head. After so much time of trying to get him to open up and share what he was thinking, he finally did a little! He understood the scriptures we shared better, especially Enos 1:27, and accepted a baptismal date of July 12th. We really hope that he has a stronger desire to come to church and continue learning because he made so much progress this last lesson.
The ward council here is absolutely amazing! We got to attend our first meeting yesterday (because it was cancelled the week before) and I loved it. Within the first minute, the members of the ward council started talking about the missionary efforts of the ward and how they could help us. As soon as we brought up something that needed to be done to help our investigators have a better experience, it was assigned, taken care of, and reported back to us by the end of the three hour block. The members here are absolutely amazing and know what their priorities are. They are so willing to do anything for us! I'm so grateful to be here.
Random Things...
-Last week, we got chased by a chihuahua
-My district leader looks like Alec (cuz)
-It's great finally being able to get to know the members
that a ton of the missionaries that I've served with/around talked about :)
Thanks for all the love and support!
Con amor,
Hermana Halliday
Hermana Romero went home this transfer. :-(
My new district.
My new companions... Hermana Player (left) and Hermana Wallace (right)
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