Week 67: La Rosa

Buenas tardes!!!

We had the normal first-week of the transfer craziness this last week but God made the best of the little time we actually had working on our area!

Carlos and Heydi update:

Heydi moved back from LA! Last Monday, we had a great lesson with Heydi and Carlos and one of our favorite members, Hermana Menendez. We taught them about the Plan of Salvation and Hermana Menendez testified of temples. They loved it!! Carlos even asked what the requirements are for him to be baptized!! 

A few days later, we had another lesson about temples and how our bodies our temples and how we should treat them. There were some really funny moments, like when Hermana Menendez was talking about a hot drink that she drinks instead of coffee that has trigo in it (wheat) and when I asked her what trigo meant, she said "it means trigo!" And everyone started laughing. But they are going to work towards living the Word of Wisdom (pray that they can give up coffee) and the Law of Chastity (they are most likely going to get married) AND we invited them both to work toward baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost on June 3 

Sad news though: Carlos moved this past weekend to Bakersfield, CA. It was pretty abrupt. Here he was just working at McDonalds but he found a job training horses in Bakersfield, which is what he did when they lived in Nicaragua. We're super excited for him but sad to see him go. He has Sundays off with his new job and he left with his Book of Mormon and baptismal calendar, ready to meet the Bakersfield missionaries.

Heydi is still here for the time being. Her plan is to eventually move up to Bakersfield. But she came to a baptism of two little girls in the English-speaking congregation and she loved it!! We translated everything for her and then the actual baptism and confirmation ordinances were performed in Spanish because the girls are Hispanics. She was talking about how excited she is for her baptism and hoping that lots of people would come celebrate with her like at Sarahy and Sarita's baptism. 

Other than that, we had a lesson with Miguel and Hermana Quesada about the gospel of Jesus Christ and Miguel is going to ask his boss if he can have Sunday off two weeks from now! Please pray that it works out so that he can partake of the ordinance of the sacrament!

Also milagros!! Two of the less actives we've been working with, Lucia Montaño and Fernando Maldonado came to the Cinco de mayo activity on Saturday! One step closer to getting back to church and renewing their baptismal covenants!

Throughout my mission, but especially this week, I have learned a lot about forgiveness. 

The Savior frequently teaches about the importance of forgiving others us he forgives us.

To Peter in the New Testament, He taught: "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:21-22)

In modern revelation to Joseph Smith, he said:

"I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men" (Doctrine and Covenants 64:10)

And on the cross, he showed the greatest example of forgiveness to the very people who crucified Him. "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)

I know there is healing in forgiveness. Jesus Christ can change our heart and help us love and accept those who has wronged us. I love Christ and I love that He is perfect in his immediate forgiveness of us when we ask for it. 

I am excited for the lessons God has in store for me this week!

Love yall!

Hermana Dudley

1. Cinco de Mayo Party with Hermanas Echeverria, Palacios, Lopez, Quesada, Herrera, and Montaño

2. HB Opening Zone Devo

3. Lesson with Heydi, Carlos, and Hermana Menendez when Heydi and Carlos accepted a baptismal invitation

4. Cinco de Mayo party con Estela and the piñata

5. Heydi with us and some other missionaries after the baptisms and confirmations of Sarita and Sarahy

6. Setting up for the Cinco de mayo party con mi compa

7. HBN Closing Zone Devo/Hermana Romero's birthday party

8. Service with the Vietnamese and spanish Elders for national day of prayer. We helped set up and take down for this interfaith Huntington Beach event

9. We moved into our new apartment with the start of this new transfer! We took a couple of packed car loads

10. Soccer Saturday