another update from Brentwood!

Hello friends and family! Brentwood is amazing. The people are so nice. The farm-lands are beautiful and the members keep us well fed! (for example, we got 6-dozen eggs in one day!) and people just bring us full bags of food at church on Sunday! We're spending most of our time reaching out to less-active members and just loving them! we have 2 family home evenings tonight and we're working hard on getting those lost sheep back into the fold of our Lord! It's not easy, but Sister Woodruff and I are working hard and smiling as we go! We have faith that as we continue to work with these less-active members, and bring them back, they will bring their friends and family too, we're so excited for what's around the corner! Sorry this letter isn't long--LOTS to do! But I'm doing so well, thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers and support, I'm learning more and more every day and I'm so grateful for the many people I've come to know and love here on the mission! "Keep your face to the Sunshine and you cannot see the shadows!"

Hermana Mitchell

Hello!

Hello from BEAUTIFUL Brentwood! It really is gorgeous here, everything is blooming and green and (now that I've bought some good allergy pills) I'm really enjoying it! and within the next couple of months the Cherries will be coming on and after a bit we'll have fresh Peaches! Sister Woodruff and I are so spoiled to be serving to the most beautiful part of the mission, away from the big cities. And the people are creeping into our hearts! So it turns out this ward hasn't had sister missionaries for 13 years! It's so clear that this area really needs some nurturing and we are up to the challenge! Everyone is SO excited to have sisters we kind of feel like rock-stars... and they're really taking care of us and so willing to help with missionary work! We are working with the less active members of the ward, a lot of them come out here to retire and 'get lost.' So we take irritating and inviting as our very sacred calling! :D Thanks for your prayers and love and support, I love you all and hope your week is beautiful!!! Deuteronomy 30:20

Hermana Mitchell

CRAZIness!!!

Hello to ALL!! Wasn't General Conference AMAZING?! We were SO blessed as missionaries to have the opportunity to watch conference in the homes of members! It was so nice to be in a home watching conference on a COUCH! I felt like President Uchtdorf's talk was directed right at me. There is so much darkness in the world, and there are people everywhere around us who are struggling with that darkness deep within them, they need to find the light and feel of its warmth and peace! I felt like the Lord was telling me to be that light--to help others find out HOW they can get the darkness out of their lives COMPLETELY, the world is always going to be full of darkness, pain, sorrow--the Lord can control and calm the tempests and storms--so why doesn't he stop them? instead He offers to calm our souls so we can continue on through them with His light inside. I feel so blessed to be a missionary now. Sister Woodruff and I are SO much alike it's kind of weird, but a HUGE blessing (and I swear she came pre-trained, I'm learning so much from her). We're trying to start pretty much from scratch here in Brentwood, the Elders left us very little to go off, just a list of Less Active members, which we have been slowly getting to know and trying to serve and invite and encourage them to come back into the fold. I know that as we work with them and bring them back, we'll find new people to teach along the way. We are finding how wonderful the members are out here in Brentwood, they really do take such great care of us, and after a couple weeks things are definitely looking up :) Well that's pretty much it, I hope this week is incredible for you all! And that you take the counsil you received from the Holy Ghost through the words of the prophet, seers, and revelators this weekend, and ACT upon it! Love you ALL!

Hermana Mitchell

BRENTWOOD!

This week has been FULL of changes! First off, Brentwood is BEAUTIFUL!!! I didn't even know California looked like this! There's green grass and rolling hills and farmland and windmills and COWS! So my new companion is Sister Woodruff, she's from West Jordan Utah. She's so great, and adjusting really well for being in the field almost 5 days now! Her 3rd great Grandpa is Wilford Woodruff, and with my 4th Great Uncle being Brigham Young, we say that we have pretty good guardian angels looking out for us! I picked up Sister Woodruff Wednesday night in Oakland (and said goodbye to the Temple and Visitor's Center) and headed out! Brentwood is clear on the most eastern edge of the mission, about an hour east of Oakland. It is FANCY-SCHMANCY! Gated communities and HUGE houses. Tracting has already been hard, but we're figuring it out. We don't want the security hunting us down from those gated communities... We had a wonderful Easter yesterday, our ward is so great! There was a wonderful ward choir, lots of new faces and so much excitement! Everything gets better once we meet the ward, you guys do so much to keep us missionaries sane. We had a really fun Easter dinner with a wonderful family who live right out on Discovery Bay, it was like being at a resort! But the ward members are really humble and caring and willing to help and invite and it's really amazing to see. I'll try to send pictures next week so you can stay updated! Remember how much Heavenly Father loves you. He sent Jesus Christ to atone for you and give you the opportunity to become clean and make it back to His presence, and that's the supreme evidence of His love. John 3:16-17.

LOVE LOVE LOVE,

Hermana Mitchell

new NEWS!!

So here's the latest scoop on Hermana Mitchell:

I guess I've been loving Castro Valley too much, because it's time for me to go again! I've been called to a new (full-proselyting) area called Brentwood (everyone says either "It's beautiful there!" or "you'll be HOT!" which in both cases I'm exited about, because I'm always cold) and I'll be serving in English still, and (drum-roll please) I'll be TRAINING! Last week President Meredith called me and said the Lord has a special assignment for me to train one of the young new missionaries, and I know that President Meredith is inspired by the Lord so I told him that I trust him, and he said "Well, the Lord trusts you!" So that's that. I'm going to miss it here, and Sister Lau has taught me so much and really helped me prepare for training without me even realizing it! So here we go! I'll miss the VC too, but I knew I'd be going full-pros sooner or later. And as far as Spanish goes... we'll just have to see about that... I feel like I've been so blessed to have had 3 good transfers in Spanish and I hope to return to it again someday--there are some sisters called to Spanish who have spent their entire missions in English. It's all about where the Lord needs us and when. So I'll just keep practicing! So that's that! New experiences are right around the corner! 5th transfer, 4th area, 4th compaion, Training (AAAAAHHH!), Full-Pros, Shot-gunning, English, and countless children of God to find, love, and serve! I love being a MISSIONARY--it's so HARD! :D but that's what makes it so good.

always Remember to put your trust in the Lord, and He will direct you for good! Proverbs 3:5-6.

Un gran abrazo de

Hermana Mitchell

exchanges and artichokes!

Hello my dear family and friends! I love being a missionary in the California Oakland/San Francisco Mission! It's incredible how the Lord really is working alongside all of us in His missionary work. This week was hard, I went on 2 exchanges, both times they took Sister Lau away and left me to be the driver and organizer and everything! Well, I've been the driver all transfer, but still--It was stressfull! Everything is so fast-paced here in this mission and I'm learning so much about efficiency... a quality that I don't think I've ever had... Sister Lau is one of the most efficient missionaries I've seen, I know that that's one of the many reasons the Lord put us together--I just hope she's learning something from me too! So we had 4 investigator lessons fall through this week, but we still saw miracles. 

My first exchange this week was with Sister Oa, from Samoa. She's brand new to the field and she's a BLAST! it's her first time in the states and we had a great time. We had an awesome lesson planned with Gerry (a father of 3 who's wife recently converted) at the Bishop's house, but Gerry told us that we wanted some "me-time" .... so we did some media referral contacting, this man named Joseph was finally home, He's from Persia, speaks 8 different languages, believes very strongly in Christ and is a follower of Him, but wonders why every church he's been to has so much contention within it. We talked with him for a few minutes and set up a return appointment and invited him to church--the coolest part is that HE CAME! He really liked it and has lots of really good & genuine questions about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His wife passed away 2 years ago and it's so clear that the Lord has been preparing him to receive the gospel. We can't wait to see where this goes! 

My 2nd exchange was with none other than my trainer, Sister Garcia. She is now a VC sister trainer and it was just like old times again--but better! she spoke Spanish with me ALL DAY (except for in tours and lessons) and I was comforted to know that my understanding level is still way high, it's all about keeping up the practice so my mouth and brain don't forget how to speak it! We both had our first experience with eating artichokes too! We had dinner with Sister Stadleman, She's in the Stake Relief Socity Presidency and the dinner was so proper and peaceful. It was really strange being there with Sister Garcia because I had flash-backs of the crazy meals we had with the members of the Spanish Branch and it was just so backwards! It was a blast though, we learned how to eat artichokes and they're REALLY GOOD! anyway, the night went on and we had an appointment fall through, but I felt really strongly to go visit a family in the ward--the husband a wife were recently sealed in the temple, and they have a step-son, Brandon, who has never wanted anything to do with the the Church--until last Sunday when he came to hear his family speak. He said that at church he felt like he was home! So we went to see if we could have a chat with him and it turned into the Restoration lesson!  MIRACLE! Even though Sister Garcia and I haven't taught together for months, we were so unified and balanced in our teaching--I learned more about how the Holy Ghost speaks to me personally and how very important listening is. I'm so grateful for that exchange too. They really are to help us learn and grow, and give us new goals to reach within our own companionship.

Sister Lau and I had an FHE with Brandon's family last night and we taught the Plan of Salvation. Brandon wants to learn, but he's not so keen on the spiritual aspect of it all yet--very logical person--the concept of prayer and the atonement are pretty foreign to him, but we'll keep praying for him and doing our best to communicate in a way that he can understand and feel the spirit. He's seen what happiness the gospel has brought his Dad and step-Mother, so that's really positive. 

Well, my time is up, but I'm so grateful for your love and prayers and the ways you support the missionary work. Keep it up! Heavenly Father a purpose for each of us, have faith in Him! Study the scriptures daily! Pray to have charity for those around you! I love Alma 32, especially verses 27-43. 

LES QUIERO!!!!

Hermana Mitchell

Hola!

Hey there all you who care! It's P-day again and Sister Mitchell has another chance to write!!! I just want to thank you all for your prayers and support, the mission field is so hard and so amazing at the same time! This week has been awesome. Sister Lau and I are working more in harmony lately --everything really has been an adjustment for us, new cultures, teaching styles, stress-coping styles, and even just trying to communicate has been a struggle--but we both love the Lord and want to serve Him the very best we can, so every day is getting better and better! The second week into this transfer, I received a little note in my inbox from my Mission President--he must have known Sister Lau and I would be going through some not-easy transitions in the different language programs and he said, "It is a compliment when the Lord trusts missionaries enough to move them back and forth between programs. I don't feel spiritually confident doing that with everyone." That little note helped me so much. I realized that the Lord gives us challenges and responsibilities because He knows we can accomplish them and learn from them along the way. And when we finally reach that level, He gives us something new to help us grow a little more. The last couple of weeks have been much better and this transfer is suddenly flying by--so we're going to make it count!

Noelle was baptized on Saturday and it was really special! The spirit was SO strong, Noelle is 21 years old and has sought God in many different stages throughout her life and when she bore her testimony about how God reached out to her and she couldn't close the door on Him, it really touched my heart. I know that we can all be instruments in the Lords hands, just like those sister missionaries who felt prompted to stop at her door that night a couple of months ago. 

Yesterday we had a special Stake Conference and we heard from Elder Causse from the quorum of the seventy. He also talked about how all we can be instruments in the Lord's hands. We need to pray for missionary experiences, be neighborly to everyone, and Invite! If we are living in a way that the spirit can guide us, and we're willing to act on his promptings, we WILL be instruments in the hand of the Lord. So last night we had a shift in the Visitors' Center and guess who came in with his family?? Elder Causse again! Sister Lau and I got to take them on a tour and it was SO great :D They loved the VC, and there's something really special about the Oakland Temple--the second level terrace is open to the public to walk around on top--and the view of the Bay is just breathtaking. The sunset was beautiful last night and it's amazing how much love I feel from the Lord, I'm so grateful for the mission He has sent me to.

As far as the Spanish goes... let's just put that on hold ;)

Keep on counting your blessings, and don't forget CPR (Church, Pray, Read) it'll save your life!

Un GRAN abrazo de

Hermana Mitchell