It's Raining Men!! Week #11

 

May 18 at 1:02 PM

No, not really, I just thought it would be a funny subject line. But really, the rain really kept a tumbling down here! And we doubted! Oh us of little faith... The dirt here has not seen moisture for many moons and that being said, it either makes ice skating rinks or quicksand! No joke. It's like a magic trick. Ok I'm rambling. But needless to say, my Tom booties are now graced with the dark desert muds of El Centro California. We also went out running in it before it actually starting coming down too hard, and it smelt amazing! And it has been a blessing because it has cooled us down these last few days. Can't complain. 

We've been really busy doing nothing here ;) After last Monday's MTEs (where yes, I stayed overnight in Brawley, and forgot to take a pillow and blankie, so I used my wet bath towel. #missionarylife) We started implementing our new teaching tactics. AKA shorter lessons, more directed, using pamphlets, etc... But, we are still working on the shorter lessons part. The Hispanic people love to talk. And the only option in most cases is just to listen. Frustrating, but the only option. It's definitely part of Satan's plan. We plan a lot of mini lessons throughout the day and if we get stuck at the wrong house, goodbye to the schedule. But Hey, we look for the silver linings all the time. 

We have been getting back to our house really late each night and then we still have to start planning, we get behind on the planning, I get behind on journal writing and just have like little bullet points on all the pages, but otra vez, #missionarylife. 

One of the reasons we are having such a problem here in the Valley getting the work to progress is because we don't know who should teach who and where they should be baptized and what ward they should go to. The way that they have explained it to me is that there are three units: 1st Ward, 2nd Ward, and the Spanish Branch. The Spanish branch is dependent on 1st Ward, so the YW/YM classes are done through the 1st Ward in English because the majority of the Youth speak both Spanish and English. And parents who speak Spanish want their kids to learn English. English Sacrament is first, followed by language classes of SS, then RS/EQ, and then Spanish Sacrament is held. This work fine, and is ok. But now we bring in the 2nd Ward. There are Spanish speaking parents who live in 2nd ward boundaries that want their kids to go to English wards. There is no dependent branch to 2nd ward, so English speaking youth who have Hispanic parents are supposed to come to 1st Ward so their parents can attend the branch and so they can attend the ward in English. This takes a blow on the Membership of the 2nd ward because as we try to build up the Branch, we diminish the size or potential membership of the 2nd ward, and increase the size of the 1st Ward and Branch. (This basically gives the 2nd ward missionaries no purpose in their area aside from giving us referrals... kind of awkward...)

First, we got together as missionaries to try to work out the problem, and see what would be the best solution, but really, what can we do? So yesterday, we took all this and many more problems to the Stake President. Together, we got a vision on how we want this to work out now. Yes, the 2nd ward is going to take a blow, but we want to build up the branch fast enough so that their will be enough members in the branch to split it and then give 2nd ward a dependent branch of their own. 

We have kind of trampled the 2nd ward Elders, but in order to get this work going, it's going to have to be this way. Even though it was a tough thing to work out, we think we at least now have a pretty good vision. President is going pray for some more direction on His end, but it was super helpful for the Missionaries. 

So now, our goal is to focus on and reactivate the Less Active members! And also get our investigators too! The Spanish Elders worked way hard and put together a spreadsheet with addresses and specific info. It's going to help us out so much. That was another thing we spent most of our time this week doing, just getting organized.

Haha, phew, now that I've shared that exciting news, here's another: We're getting IPADS tomorrow! So hopefully, we'll get to be even more organized! We are leaving tomorrow morning at 5:15 to go to San Diego to a meeting where they are going to train us on how to use the IPads and then probably some more spiritual stuff, you know how that goes... ;) But I'm super grateful, that will literally be a weight off my shoulders. Scriptures are heavy!! ;) 

Well, Con amor a todos!

Hermanita Howell 

Long time no see

  about week #9

May 12 at 12:55 PM

Well, I don't really know what all I can tell you this time! I feel like I told you the most exciting stuff on Sunday. You are all looking great. You should send me video messages or something more often. It was fun to see you all.

So I guess the exciting news of the week. Yesterday, we had what are called MTEs. Missionary Training Experiences. I packed my bag Sunday night and then in the morning, after a training meeting, which was super awesome and made me super pumped to be a missionary, I hopped in a car with two other sisters and headed up north to Brawley, California. Literally, not that far away, but the climate is still a little different. El Centro is all supply yards and dirt and fields, and Brawley is more houses and suburb type streets. It's pretty there, but it was super hot. It really didn't get theometerly hot, but it sure felt like the sun was beating down! But it was a good experience. Since what I have is the gift of interpretation of tongues, and not the gift of tongues, I had the good experience of sitting and watching the other Hermanas teach. It was really cool. I was a little sad I couldn't participate, because I couldn't speak,not because they wouldn't let me.When I did get to speak in English though, they said I knocked it out of the park. Haha, it was almost like they were surprised that I had it in me ;) Their names were Hermana Jones and Hermana Benevidas. It was Hna Benevida's area, and Hna Jones was the sister training leader. I love both of them. They are great friends and great missionaries! It was fun to get out of my area for a bit and see how other missionaries do things. It made me really grateful for what I have, for my little casita next to the bishops house and the fact it is clean and not roach infested, and that the members here feed us. So if I learned anything, it was learning to be grateful. Obviously, I learned a lot more lessons, but hey, it was cool.

I had an epiphany the other day, during one of our other training meetings. It was about pass-a-long-cards.

I was sitting in a meeting listen to our stake president talk about these cards, and I was grumbling a little inside my head, feeling like, I've given a lot of these cards away, and I know that they just end up in the trash or on the ground the minute we turn our backs. What good can that little card do in their lives? It's just a piece of paper. (I don't feel too guilty here. I know I'm not the only one who has had that thought before, so keep reading...)

The thoughts that came to my mind next were really cool. "They were just stones." Think about it. The Brother of Jared went before the Lord with just stones. But instead of just skipping them across the water and hoping for a ripple, The Brother of Jared prayed over those stones. He's like, "God, these are just stones. But I believe that they have the power to light up the inside of these barges. I believe that if you touch them, you will give these stones power to illuminate."

They were just stones. But with God's light, they were able to illuminate the dark barges. These pass-a-long cards are just paper. But with God's power and direction, they have the power to illuminate the lives of those whom they touch. We, you and I, just need to have the faith that they are more than just stones, that they are more than just paper. That they are an instrument in God's hands to bless his people in a darkened world, amid the torments of tumultuous sea. So for me, I will hand those cards out with purpose. With faith. TO believe and to know that God now has the power to show His finger in the lives of those people.

So yeah... That was cool. A big Light Bulb (or stone, if we are continuing the analogy...) moment!

Pues, Con Amor! 

Hermanita Howell