Another week!

Wow! I can't believe it has already been a week since my last P-day, if feels like 3 days ago!

Halloween was AWESOME! we got to do "Happy Haunted House-Cleaning!" yaaaay! We couldn't be out after 6pm and It was a good way to keep us busy and safe in our homes :) Sister Garcia and I had a great time eating candy and putting together the little monster magnets Jena sent :) We didn't even have to trick-or-treat to get incredible amounts of candy! haha, We're so blessed to be at the Visitor's Center--members always bring us food and gifts and I just feel so spoiled all the time!

So It's amazing what happens with time when every moment of every day has a specific purpose! One of the things that I've learned so much about here in the mission is time management--something was always pretty foreign to me before the field :) But oh my goodness, when we really utilize our time and plan out what we have to do (and actually follow through with those plans) it's amazing what the Lord will help us do! Like this week, I was on splits serving in an English area called Lafayette with the incredible Hermana Chipana (who was my MTC companion for the last week after my district left)! Who decided to put two brand new missionaries together--I don't know--but it ended up being an amazing experience. We planned out everything we were going to do down to the tee, but we ended up taking too long in lessons because we're both trying to figure out how to lead and teach well and we both have Spanish swimming around in our brains and then we got lost and our GPS was loco and inspite of all those little problems, we still somehow made it work because the Lord knew how we had planned for the day and He helped us so much, making it possible to get everything done! I even had a really neat experience with a girl who's my age and she was so curious why a normal girl like me would want to give up a normal life at the age of 21 to go on a mission, and It was just so awesome to talk to her about how the Gospel of Jesus Christ has strengthened me and guided me and made me who I am! And her mom was listening too and I think it helped open her heart to us a little bit to see how confident we are in the future at such a young age, I think she wants that for her daughter and It was just a really awesome experience and they're going to have Sister Chipana and her real companion back to talk more and It's just so wonderful! I love the things I'm learning about being an example to others and sharing my testimony :) Even if I struggle still with the doctrine and the language, I can at least testify of what I know is true and how it makes me me :)

The Spanish is still coming, I'm struggling with it, but I know that I wouldn't be learning if it weren't hard--I just need to be patient with myself and remember that I haven't even been in the Field for 3 weeks yet--I can't expect myself to be perfect! ...Even though I want to be... right now! Oh patience :) I think I tell you all this like, every week, but my Spanish Branch is just AMAZING! I don't think I could service this mission without their love and support--It's like a little family. At the Visitor's Center we're meeting people from all over the world every day and it's so wesome, but that consistency of always going back to my San Leandro 2nd Spanish Branch really keeps me centered--please don't forget how important you are to the missionaries in your ward! Love them and help them whenever you can! Go with them when they teach! They need you! We have a new rule in the mission that as Sister Missionaries, we can't give lessons to anyone without another female member present. It's SO HARD because we have a lot of people to teach, sometimes we have to juggle the ward members around, but we're lucky to have a branch that just loves missionary work (most of the entire branch are converts!) We are just So blessed.

I love my companion, she is just so amazing and I learn from her every moment, I love this missionary work! I love the trials because they make me better. I love the miracles that I see every day here. I love the Lord and the love he showed for us through restoring His gospel! I love the blessings we receive by LIVING His restored gospel! Life is just amazing! "Keep your face to the sunshine and you'll never see the shadows!"

Have an AMAZING week, Rember the Lord in everything you do and He will lead you! (Proverbs 3:5-6)

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Hermana Mitchell