Week 71: Hard Week & Lots of Fast Food

Hello Beautiful People!

I learned a lot this week and grew a lot. It was a hard week, but I don't really know why it was a hard week. Sometimes they are just hard. I am grateful to know the eternal purpose behind my hard days. And sometimes these are the weeks that I have the hardest time compiling into an email for you. I still saw many miracles and I am still happy. Nothing can chase away my happiness but I have to have hard days in order to learn and grow - grateful for the opposition.

Well one full week of the new missionary schedule and I love it! It is almost as if all stress about TIME is gone. It is so liberating. I actually have time at night to write in my journal!

I have felt very blessed to be a missionary this week... Well I always feel blessed but I guess you could just say EXTRA blessed this week. It seemed that almost every where we went we were recognized and were able to experience so many good things from it! And it was always at a food place..... so I am about to be very vulnerable and give you an idea of how much we eat out....

HA! don't judge - we are missionaries -- it happens. So on Monday, we went to Little Caesars to get a crazy bread to share with all the sisters and the cashier was a less active YSA girl. We were able to exchange numbers and she told us how she wants to bring her non member boyfriend to church and to meet with us because they want to get married!!

On Tuesday- we have to go down the hill to pick up the new sister missionaries to bring them up to the desert and since we don't have a Chik-fil-a in the desert we took the opportunity to go... obviously!! And a return missionary that was working there yelled out, "SISTERS! I am buying your meal! Get whatever you want!!" We started talking to the girl that was taking my order and ended up getting into a conversation about the gospel!

Then on Wednesday, there is this hole in the wall taco place in Hesperia that Sister Ysasaga and I wanted to try and so we went for dinner after our lesson. We walked in and we were the only ones in there so we were looking at the menu and then another Hispanic guy walks in behind us and I told him that he could go in front of us because we were still deciding. Anyways, they start speaking Spanish to each other... and yeah yeah yeah.... so then it was our turn to order and we ordered a couple of tacos to try and then the taco maker guy told us that it was already paid for and to not worry about it. WHAT?! So we sit down in AWE.... and the Hispanic man... who we later found out his name is Max paid for us! It was so kind. We ended up having dinner with him and talked to him forever about the church and good standards and such. It was amazing you guys! I can't even tell you. Also, don't worry I haven't gained any weight from all this food. It pretty much is the only meal I eat during the day ANYWAYS! so no worries no worries!

But it was a great week of meeting and talking to new people about the church.

We got Ashlyn all set up on family history this week and printed some names to take to the temple and the best part is -- Sister Ysasaga and I got permission from President to go with her to the temple for her first baptisms!! Bishop and Sister Casady are taking us down NEXT Tuesday. It is going to be amazing. I am so excited and so is Ashlyn!! I am probably going to cry... cause that is just what I do.

D is still progressing towards her baptismal date on April 9th. We weren't able to meet with B this week. She cancelled on us twice!! But don't worry we will get her this week! She just got sick! :(

We met up with one of our members this week and went down to his neighbor's house so he could pick up her cut down tree, while we talked to her about the gospel. It was way bold! but it was so amazing. He went up to her so boldly and said, "Listen Mary, I want to tell you something... Because we have a living prophet on the earth today who holds God's authority we can be sealed to our spouse for all time and all eternity. You can see your husband again. Now I am going to go over here and clean up your tree and I will leave you with these sweet sisters so they can explain to you what I just said." and he left. It was so powerful! We briefly taught about the restoration and she said we could come back!! #miracle

I love love love being here!! Grateful for my calling and this experience. Grateful to know God is my loving Heavenly Father and that we are His children!! And I am grateful to share this with everyone!

Have a beautiful and safe and happy week!!

Love Always,

Sister Holt