Familia Martinez Baptized

Hola Hola!

Hermana Katelyn St. John and Familia Martinez

I know I ALWAYS say this but this week really was one of the best of my mission! For many reason but there are two main ones.

#1 Elder Cook came to our mission to speak to us Saturday morning! Right when he walked into the room you could just feel of the spirit that he has and that he truly is an apostle of God. He told us that he didn't come with anything specific prepared to talk about so he would just go off of what he felt we needed to hear. He talked about how they assign mission calls. How they really are specifically just for us and how they look at each of our pictures and sometimes they feel we need to go to a certain mission president, or sometimes it's a certain language that we need to be speaking, or a certain group of people. At the end of his talk he left a special apostalic blessing on us. That was SO beautiful and so specific to our mission and our individual needs. I truly gained a stronger testimony that day of the apostles and prophet. It was an experience I will never forget! We also got to go up to him before the meeting started and shake his and his wife's hand one by one :)

#2 THE MARTINEZ FAMILY WAS BAPTIZED. Okay I haven't really been that big of a crier on my mission but yesterday the tears came easy. Especially because for the musical number we sang "Families Can Be Together Forever" and I look over at Perla and Gabriel and they have tears streaming down their cheeks. We have talked a lot about eternal families with them and I know that they know they can truly be together forever and that this is not the end. I couldn't help but picture them at the temple (which was a terrible idea because that made the tears come hard). I also pictured Katy and Michelle being married in the temple someday and Jr leaving on a mission and it just made my heart so happy I could hardly stand it. I will be forever grateful to my Heavenly Father for letting me be a part of their conversion.  

Unknown Hermana, Hermana Andrus, Martinez Familia, Katelyn, Hermana Williams

My GURLZ!

Hermanas Shannon, San Juan, McCormick

Hermana Andrus and Hermana San Juan

The mission life is good! I am so happy. Thank you for everything I love you con todo mi corazon!!

Con Amor,
Hermana San Juan

We helped Perla make tamales for the baptism.

We made lots!

We organized our formers this week....mission fun.

 Oh Texas, you melt my heart.

 

Most adorable kids ever award!

We went fishing again!

She caught a catfish!

Hermana Lauren Flores Visits

Yesterday Hermana Flores came for Sunday dinner which Kari supplied.  The roast and veggies he brought were delicious and we had a great time talking to Hermana Flores.

She brought some of her photos and let me scan some of them that I found especially appealing.  

At a Zone Conference Hermanas Flores & San Juan had a water bottle left in their car and the zone's car inspector wrote "trashy" on their window, so just before the next Zone Conference they spent a whole P-day cleaning the car like you wouldn't believe and found that this time they had an "Above Average" rating. Oh happy day!

Perfect Picture!

Hermana Flores and Hermana San Juan

Cien Dias

Hola Familia y amigos,

Oh man this week was a winner!!

So on Tuesday I went on exchanges with Hermana Salcido!! She came to Channelview and Hermana Andrus went with Hermana Perez to their area. It was so cool being with Hermana Salcido again! We were companions about a year ago. It was fun to see how much we have both grown. I love her so much.

Yesterday was a SWEET day because: 

#1 Bryan and Pepo got the priesthood
#2 Jaime was confirmed
 #3 Perla and her whole family came to church
#4 German (one of our investigators) told us that he wants to be baptized on August 31st
#5 We had a great noche de hogar at Perlas house with La familia Jasso (a family in the ward).
#6 Gabriel (Perla's husband) had his baptismal interview and passed with flying colors

So yeah yesterday was pretty rocking.

Also we are soooooo excited for this coming Sunday because Perla, Gabriel, Jr, Katy, and Michelle are all getting baptized! We are so happy for this amazing family. We have been talking to them alot about temples lately and how they can be an eternal family. They are planning on getting sealed in a year from now. It has been such a beautiful experience teaching them. Perla is SO excited. She asked us to help her make some tamales on Friday for after the Baptism on Sunday :)

This morning (about 3 hours ago) we went fishing with Perlas family and the Jassos! They told us we would see alligators though and we didn't see any soI guess we will have to go again. We got some really great pics though. I guess Texas is pretty pretty. I love this state. And guess what...I caughta FISH.

Perla and Family

I caught a Fishhhh.

Livin the Life

Hiking! (Told you Texas is pretty)

Also Guess What?! So this Saturday Elder Cook is coming to the mission and we are having a huge mission conference. I am for sure going to take good notes so next week I will let ya'll know how it went!

I know this Church is true and I love ya'll so much.

Con Amor,

Hermana San Juan

We are models, right.

Hna Andrus and me at New Missionary Training that we had this past Tuesday.

Selfie pic with President Drake hahaha

This Week Was a Good One.

 Jaimes Baptism!

(He's the one next to me, Raul is the one next to him.)

Jaime

Mostly because Jaime was baptized and I can't even explain in words how amazing it was. Everything turned out perfectly and Jaime called us after and said "I feel the happiest I have ever been, I didn't think this was possible."

Preparing for the baptism.

Jaime and his Hermana missionaries.

He made these hair clips for them and they wore them to his baptism.

Hermano Raul Rodriguez, Hermana Andrus, Katelyn

I think the baptism was so beautiful because of all that Jaime had to change in his life to get to that point. He was at rock bottom when Hermana Williams and I found him outside his apartment smoking. So just seeing him at the baptism all dressed in white was something that I can't describe. I think it's something of how Christ feels for us. It was also neat because we had a member named Hermano Avalos speak at the baptism and he and Jaime are both from Guadalajara, Mexico so the first time they met they had a special bond. Hermano Avalos could hardly hold in his tears while speaking. Also the person that baptized Jaime was Hermano Rodriguez. You guys I will never be able to repay this man for what he has done for Jaime. He is also from Guadalajara, Mexico (immediate bond) and has always been there for Jaime. This past week when Satan was working really hard on Jaime (because that's what always happens the week of a baptism--ugh) Hermano Rodriguez would show up at Jaime's house just when he needed him the most. 

This is part of my journal entry about yesterday: "Raul Rodriguez baptized him and while they were in the font they were looking directly at each other while Raul said the baptismal prayer and Raul got super choked up. I think in that moment he really truly saw Jaime how God sees him, an imperfect being who has potential and worth far beyond his capacity to imagine. After Jaime just looked up at the sky and closed his eyes. I don't think he ever dreamed of making it to this point."

Yesterday was a HAPPY HAPPY day. Also it was Hermana Andrus' first baptism so she was super stoked all day!!! haha she is awesome.

Kevin is a recent convert and he is the bomb.

We love Kevin.

We focused a lot on finding new investigators this week and we ended up seeing a lot of miracles and meeting a lot of prepared people! Specifically we met a man named Jorge. He was outside drinking beer on his porch. We talked to him for a little bit and then he began to open up. Just got out of jail for drunk driving and wants to change his life around. He told us something that really stuck with me. He said that the reason he got in so much trouble growing up was because that's what people expected of him. He said that people would tell him all the time, including his mom, that he was worth nothing and that he was going to end up behind bars one day. So thats what he became. He didn't want to be that person but he felt like there was no other choice. We bore testimony that there is a God who loves him and I think it touched him. We are going back in a couple days.

I know that this Church is true and it changes lives. I love you all so much.  

Con mucho amor,
Hermana San Juan

 This was the tiniest, cutest dog ever.

What a member made us for dinner the other night....

Yes this is what it looks like..hot dogs, french fries, and lettuce. 

Apparently is what they eat in Peru??

Hermana Andrus is obsessed with the clouds of Texas and it has rubbed off on me.

BUT SERIOUSLY LOOK AT THEM!

Makin' some Mexican food, including Salsa.

We went to BDUBS. Hna Perez, Hna Salcido, me, Hna Andrus

I LOVE HERMANA SALCIDO!