- Watched movies - Disney movies - for the first time since September! After a nice relaxing preparation day, we were allowed to watch two "normal" movies as our New Year's Eve celebration (since we had to skip the fireworks). Our whole zone of about 20 missionaries got together at a member's home and they had an AWESOME movie room - maybe even cooler than the one we have at home......I have a very low-quality picture of it because the lighting was weird, but it was Star Wars themed, with statues of Darth Maul and Darth Vader. There was also a little candy counter that they filled with candy for us, and a movie theater popcorn machine! We watched Brave and Toy Story 3 - I hadn't seen Brave and I couldn't even remember Toy Story 3. Brave had a somewhat disturbing element to it that really made me wonder if it was rated G, but it was a cute story, reminding me a tad bit of my relationship with my mom when I was growing up. I'm glad to say I've grown up and grown out of that attitude. And of course, any Toy Story movie is a classic. It was a fun way to end the year, but the next day was a new day, a new year, a new start as I started 2013, my full year as a missionary.
- Stood on a doorstep for ten minutes. Sister Ure and I went to this apartment to contact a less active woman that's just about our age, but a man answered the door. We told him we were missionaries and he asked us if he was in trouble. We just told him we were looking for Nicole and he offered to let us come inside but warned us that there were drugs in the house. So we just stood outside, waiting for him to grab Nicole - and he forgot about us. It may have been intentional - or maybe his mind just wasn't very clear - but a couple people came out, assuming we had left. We eventually left, but came back a few hours later. This time Nicole was asleep, and the same man answered the door. We could tell this time that he definitely was not in his right mind, but we talked to him for a few minutes, trying to teach him. He started to say that he feels bad right before he starts taking drugs, but then his mind wandered off on a new topic. We're going to try seeing Nicole again this week, and we're hoping he answers the door again. The gospel really can change everyone - my companion Sister Ure taught and baptized a man who both smoked and grew marijuana. No matter how far you've gone, you can always come back. The word "repent" simply means "to change". We are always changing, we can always change - and we have the power to change for the better. Before my mission, I was afraid to share the gospel with everyone because I was afraid people don't want to change - I never wanted to change. But knowing that certain changes can bring more happiness to your life helps us change for the better. And EVERYONE wants to be better.
- Learned to love the song "There is Sunshine in My Soul". I used to hate this song - it was too bouncy, too cheery, too happy-go-lucky. If you remember that fire alarm at the MTC, that's what all the sisters were singing in the gym at 6 in the morning, and I had to stay outside. But we have a convert named Michelle who was baptized last March. She lives in an assisted living facility after having a severe stroke five years ago. Still, she's the happiest person I know. We try to see her every week, and we were able to see her on Tuesday. She picked our opening song - There is Sunshine in My Soul (it's her favorite hymn). I sang along with Sister Ure and Michelle, but I heard a fourth voice halfway through the song. Michelle's roommate, Maureen, was singing along with us. It's hard to have a conversation with her because her mind is starting to go and it's hard to understand her when she talks, but I understood her as she sang. We always sing this song with Michelle, so Maureen had learned the words too. It was a really special moment for me - I had taken for granted this song I had grown up hearing my whole life, but it's a song that really does express where true joy comes from: "When Jesus shows his smiling face, there is sunshine in the soul". It's hard to find sunshine when you're inside all day and you can't get up and move around on your own, but the gospel brings that sunshine no matter your circumstances.
- Saw the definition of charity. We went over to the DeVoe's home for dinner and they made enchiladas. It was so nice being back at members' homes to eat - with our VC schedule, we hadn't eaten dinner with our members for a couple of weeks. But it's not the charity the DeVoe's showed us that really struck me. We told them that we were heading over to see our investigator Jackie - Jackie's had a tough time recently and hasn't been progressing but we were confident that things were starting to turn around. As soon as we mentioned Jackie's name, the DeVoes offered us a whole pan of enchiladas to bring over to her, knowing that she didn't have a car and so she couldn't go get food for herself and her son very easily. They remembered EXACTLY who this person was, even though she hadn't been to church in weeks and had only come twice. They remembered EXACTLY what this person needed, and they just gave. All they asked was "Do you think she would want the rest of these enchiladas?" Instead of thinking about how those leftovers would feed their little family of 3 for another 3 days, they instantly thought of her. I have no idea how I'm ever going to become that selfless, but that's my goal. The members here in Castro Valley are the definition of Christ-like love, and I feel so blessed to learn from their examples.
- Had another opportunity to learn from President and Sister Meredith. I've seen them almost every week that I've been here, and I instantly feel of their love when they are around. It reminds me of what it might feel like to spend time with Jesus Christ - radiating love. I hope to someday be able to show that love for everyone I know, simply by my presence. President and Sister Meredith conducted the second half of our New Missionary Training. We learned how to create family mission plans with members and how to begin teaching new investigators. As much as I hate roleplays, they are so helpful in learning how to become an effective missionary. There is power and authority in my calling, but we always need to practice. President Meredith also talked about how inspired Preach My Gospel is. It really is the gospel in a nutshell - it is so simple, so logical, so great. If anyone is interested in learning more about the gospel, Preach My Gospel gives them the basics to learn the gospel. President Meredith said something to the effect of "we have to have the gospel in our hearts in order to share it". I'm learning more and more everyday about how we cannot convert beyond our own conversion, and everything I'm learning is helping me to "write the gospel [and the doctrine of Christ] in my heart".
- Realized yet again that the VC attracts people from EVERYWHERE. This couple from Mexico came in with their English friends who were members: Ricardo and Antonietta. I tried to bear testimony in Spanish, but they understood English as well - I'm pretty good at Spanglish at this point. Despite the fact that they are staunch Catholics, they both accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon as well as the missionary discussions. Something we said helped the Spirit testify of the gospel. I see experiences like that everyday here at the VC and I am so blessed to be part of it.
- Went on exchanges with Sister Chipana at the VC while our companions had meetings all day. We met some great people, especially Elliott and Liza. Elliott and Liza were on their way to the Chabot Space Center, but they saw the temple and decided to stop in. They ended up staying for almost an hour, asking questions about our beliefs. We ended up teaching them the basic principles of the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation. Liza was a "Catholic" but Elliott knew a lot about the Bible. He had studied it extensively and had tried a few different churches, but fell away because the churches ended up splitting. It was an power-charged hour of bearing testimony and reading from the Book of Mormon and it was so much fun! It was a riveting spiritual discussion, and they're coming back to see the Joseph Smith movie. They accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon and are excited to learn more from the missionaries. Sometimes, people change all their plans just to come over to the VC - and I know it's not a coincidence. The Spirit leads prepared people to the VC.
- Decided to keep a quote journal for my mission after receiving the funniest voicemail I have ever heard. This crazy awesome old lady in the ward called us saying, "I think I've got a live one for you!" She was talking about a referral, of course. She told us that this woman, Karen, wanted a "Mormon Bible" aka The Book of Mormon. We definitely saved that voicemail. I wish I could find a way to attach it as an audio file. I'll work on that.
- Committed a less active woman at the VC to come back to church! She came with her ex-boyfriend and their three kids, who had just received his patriarchal blessing after getting baptized recently. They came in real quick to listen to the Christus narration - they said they were all members, but something didn't quite add up. As we talked to them, Myra ended up telling us that she wasn't active. As we talked, she really opened up. She was so great and before she left, we committed her to come to church and she said she'd do it! She's trying to come back to church and we were just so inspired by her example.
- ....well, Sister Ure almost killed the car. We were looking for a member's home so we could have dinner. We took a turn a little bit too tight and we scraped the rim up onto the curb. It sounded awful, but miraculously there were no marks. Miracle number 1. But miracle number 2 is that we found a referral from that! This security guard named Landell helped us back up off of the curb without causing any damage to the car. We started driving away and I wanted to give him a pass-along card out the window, but it seemed a little awkward. We pulled into a nearby parking spot and got out, looking for our members' apartment. We were totally on the other side of the complex - and it was a huge complex. Landell happened to walk by again and while I called our member, Sister Ure talked to him about the gospel. We got his address and phone number and we were able to refer him to the missionaries in Oakland! Just another little miracle that the Lord allowed us to be a part of.
- Survived my first transfer call! I don't know if people can understand how nerve-wracking transfer calls are if they haven't served a mission. It's really hard especially since you plan for the whole next week without even knowing if you'll get to go to these appointments! Thankfully, I'm staying at least one more transfer. I want to get to a Spanish area so I can practice my Spanish, but I just love where I'm at in Castro Valley so much! I'm not ready to leave! Seeing as this next six weeks might be my last here, I'm so excited to work super super hard to help these people as much as I can before I go.
- Met TONS of potential investigators on Sunday! We didn't have too many solid plans - our investigator Jackie was supposed to come to church and we were supposed to teach her afterwards but she didn't show. For some reason, she took a prescribed drug for her depression that she said she was not going to take anymore. And the doctors gave her an even higher dose which turned her into a complete vegetable for the day and we didn't see her. She hasn't been to church for the whole transfer (six weeks) that I've been here. We're thinking about dropping her, but it's completely breaking my heart. We had a great lesson with her this week about agency and making choices that will bring us happiness, and she just doesn't do it. But despite the disappointments, we had the opportunity to find A LOT of potential investigators. We've been praying for this opportunity all week, and so as soon as we had some free time to contact, we discovered a gold mine! We visited Jake, a referral we received from the Spanish sisters in the area. Jake and his girlfriend Olga just moved here from San Ramon. Olga wasn't home, but we talked to Jake out on the front porch for a long time. He has to be a member, but he never answered our question directly. He has a strong testimony, but there are a few things he needs to fix before he marries Olga so they can be baptized (or maybe just Olga). On our way to see Jake, we ran into Jonathon, who said he's met with missionaries before. All three of them work the graveyard shift so it's hard to get a hold of them but we're coming back to teach all of them! We also saw Erick Ross - Sister Ure had taught him before but we dropped him because his schedule was so crazy. But he was home and we're going back next week! Sister Ure also had the feeling that we needed to see Matt Timney, a recent convert that she taught. We haven't been able to get a hold of him for the past few weeks and he hasn't been to church since I've been here. But his dad Dan opened the door, and we ended up talking to him for a good twenty minutes. He mentioned that he has always wanted to try coming to the Mormon church and so we hope to get both him and his son there! We were so blessed with all the new contacts and new potential investigators that the Lord led us to this week.
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| Sister Ure, Sister Garcia, and Sister Mitchell |
Hermana Hunsaker
