working hard

Hola a todos!

Sorry I didn't have an opportunity to email last week. I don't even
know where to begin. I did get to speak to Mom and the rest of the
family last sunday for Mother's Day and truly it was amazing. I love
and miss you all, but I know I am needed here, that has been apparent
these last few days! :)

Sister Chavez and I last week were working hard and anticipating the
transfer call to see what is going to happen, whether we will stay in
Napa, and if were going to stay companions. We got the call, and boy
was it a suprise! We were both assigned to TRAIN together in Napa  a
new missionary this transfer in a TRIO! Also, we were both called to
be Sister Training Leaders in our zone! It is kind of like
Coordinating Sister was in the MTC, we are in charge of exchanges with
all the sisters in our zone and we help teach zone and district
meetings! It is a new calling here in the mission.

We went on Tuesday to go the Trainer's meeting and meet all the
new missionaries. I found out that I was the only Trainer who had only
been in the mission for 6 weeks, and since our generation of
missionaries was the first in the Santa Rosa Mission to have 19 year
old sisters, I am the youngest sister trainer ever in the mission, the
first 19 year old! Also, I was the only Sister Training Leader (STL)
who just got the mission too. Though I am not training alone (thank
goodness, at least not yet haha) this was a lot more than I expected
the Lord to trust me with. I still don't really know what I am doing.
I am humbled as he has called me to do this and truly trying to learn
as I go. I know that this is the will of the Lord and for some reason
he trusts me with these calls, so I cannot deny that it is for a
reason. The foremost probably being that I am the one that needs to
learn from these other sisters and the other being humility and
charity for my fellow man, I am truly seeking to improve on that and
this is an answer to prayer I guess in a way.

Wednesday we found out who our new trainee/daughter (sorry mission
language) is!!!

Her name is Hermana Lawrence and she's from Chandler AZ! She is
adorable. She looks she is from a Disney movie and she's such an
example to me. She is a "visa waiter" so she is serving here in Santa
Rosa until she gets her Visa to Argentina. The very first day she
invited someone to be baptized and they said yes! We are so lucky to
have her. Her Spanish is amazing! She took it all through high school
and honestly she's teaching me Spanish along with Hermana Chavez. I am
not training her, she is training me!  I am so lucky to have two
AMAZING companions (even if they do play Christmas hymns in the middle
of may sometimes haha).

I have SO much fun with these sisters. There is not a day that goes by
that we are not laughing, helping each other, and serving the Lord
with all the effort we can muster. Napa is BEAUTIFUL this time of
year. Everyone plants flowers and is outside and I absolutely love the
calling I have to talk to EVERYONE and share with them the most
important thing in my life. I just need to be patient with myself and
the Lord will do great things. Progress with our  investigators is a
little slow and we've had some low and slow points this week, but look
out for MIRACLES because they are coming, I can feel it. I will update
you more about my Investigators next week, I am out of time for today.
I love you all.


 Hermana Wise

 

 



Roller Coaster Week

This week has been a roller coaster, but as always the ups have outweighed the downs.

This week we have really tried to follow the counsel given to us by our Mission President and that is as Servants of the Lord, offering to leave blessings on the homes of people. This way people can experience the Gospel in the first few moments instead of only hearing us talk about it. This week we had a blitz (all the missionaries in our zone knock doors in one area to help that area out) in our zone. Sister Ika (an English speaking missionary, I love her!) and I were put together to tract a street. The second door we knocked, we met a woman, Katherine. She said she is new at the whole religion thing, was seeking to know more, and invited us to bless her home. We had the opportunity to teach her and leave a powerful blessing in the way we were taught. The spirit was extremely strong and she invited us back to teach her family! A great referral for the English speaking Elders!
Also Friday we did exchanges and I went to an only English speaking area Lake Herman to be with Sister Van Wie. Though both new missionaries, we were able to contact quite a few people in our time there! We were on our way to contact a couple potentials and we passed by a house with people on the porch. Lake Herman/Benicia area is pretty much full of English speakers. To our great surprise, we met two people, Maria and Tony, who only spoke Spanish! I knew then that this exchange was no coincidence. I didn't have Sister Chavez at my side to lead conversation and my companion had no idea what was being said, but with the help of the Lord, I was able to get to know them a bit and teach the Restoration of the Gospel. I understood them just fine and was able to teach. We left a blessing with them and Maria could truly feel the spirit. She invited us back! I knew that I was in the right place at the right time. The Lord was able to use my recent ability to speak Spanish to bring to gospel to someone who otherwise might not have heard it. It really helped me feel confidence that I can do this! Even in Spanish, as long as I keep working hard and relying on the Lord. The only way I got there was through following him. Being obedient. Working Hard. When we do the simple things, miracles will unfold before us.
Just that evening, after exchanging back, Hermana Chavez and I were able to leave three more blessings with people. One of those experiences was with a woman, Ana. The spirit was burning so strong in our hearts in that blessing and as we waited those few moments of silence after the prayer, she began to weep. People are prepared. Miracles happen everyday.

There have been some really down moments this week too. We had two of our investigators, Lucillo and Angela, with baptismal dates drop us and tell us they don't want to learn anymore. Lucillo was drunk and said a lot of harsh things about the church. We were not expecting it at all and we left discouraged. But as always the blessings have outweighed the bad days by miles. I love being a missionary. I would lay down my life for my Savior, but he hasn't asked me to do that. He has asked me to live each day for him. I truly feel that I am working my hardest to do that and that makes every effort worth it, because I truly love my Lord. Honestly, because he loved me first. He's always been here and I am so lucky to have the opportunity to wear his name on my badge each day and say "I am a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ" or "Soy una sierva de el Senor Jesucristo."

I am so excited! Mom & Dad & Family, I get to Skype with you THIS Sunday! I love mothers day, but this will be the best yet.

Also Here are some Pictures from my FILM camera! I got them developed and they gave me a CD :) The photos are from this first transfer in Napa and the MTC - will send the rest in the next email!

- Hermana Christina Abish Wise