#BECAUSEOFHIM

I am so excited to email y'all today.  It was just such a great week!

By the way thank you for all the emails. They always make my day and help me push along. 

We carved pumpkins on our last P-Day.

My study desk. 

 I am just so happy. 

GALENA PARK IS AWESOME AND I LOVE My COMPANIONS.

God really loves me because he saved one of the bests for last. 

So this week we set two baptismal dates with people! 

#1 Bernabe. Remember him? I talked about him a little in my last email. He
is doing awesome. He loves the Book of Mormon and always has so many good
questions. He is so dedicated and ready to change. He is already looking
forward to his baptism on November 16th. He came to the ward Halloween
party that we had this past Saturday and I think he liked it. He's very
friendly so he talked to just about everyone in the ward haha. 

#2 Rafeal. So Rafeal is just a straight up miracle. We found them knocking
last week and just on the door contact we invited him to church and he
came! He also came yesterday to church so he has come 2 weeks in a row now.
There was a baptism last night that we also invited him to and he came! We
also set a date with him for November 16th. He accepts everything really
well and just has a lot of faith. We are trying to get his family involved
too. He has a wife and 2 kids. We have talked to them they are just always
really busy. 

Also yesterday I got to go back for a baptism in Houston 7! An 11-year-old
boy (Carlos) and his sister (Isabel) were baptized. They are the children
of the Fernandez family who we have been working with. It was a beautiful
service. I love those kids to death. 

The gospel is so beautiful. 

Also on Friday night we went to an orientation on family history. I'm
feeling the spirit of Elijah people. President Drake is letting us take 2
hours this next week to work on family history and do a batch of indexing.
I'M SO EXCITED. Also never thought I would say that.

Also do y'all remember Rolando? The one who moved out of Channelview so we
couldn't teach him anymore? We got good news. He happened to move into the ward
that I am in now but in the other hermanas' area. BUT I get to see him at
church and stuff! He is doing so well. Hermana Shannon told me that he has
a baptismal date and he is nervous but is working towards it! So exciting. 

I love every single one of you so much. Thank you for everything. I know
this is the true church and I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and He
lives. The gospel changes lives and everyone needs this message. 

We were Mexicans for the Ward Halloween party! haha 

By they way these are my companions Hermana Bonar, Johnson, then me.

Have a happy Halloween!!

Con mucho amor,
Hermana San Juan

Galena Park

Hey hola hi! 

Saying Good-bye to the Jasso Family

So my new area is called Galena Park! And I am in a trio with Hermanas Johnson and Bonar. I started my mission in a trio and now I'm ending my mission in a trio cool right? So Galena Park is really close to my last area Channelview. I actually get to see everyone in my old area every Sunday because we share the same building for church and we combine for 1st hour which is gospel principles. So after all the dramatic goodbyes this past week I just got to see everyone again Sunday! haha it was really nice. 

Hermanas Johnson and Bonar are so awesome. Hermana Johnson is leading the area out and just got done with being trained and Hermana Bonar just left her birth area (which is Port Arthur just like me whooo). Also something cool is that Hermana Johnson was only baptized almost 2 years ago. Her conversion story is really cool too. I'll have to tell it to you when I get home. She has such a strong testimony and is the only member in her family as of late. 

This area is known to be one of the harder areas of the mission. It is SO tiny literally like 5 blocks. We ride our bikes almost all day which is super fun. Also the ward has been falling apart a little bit over the years so it's trying to build back up right now. I am really excited to be working here in Galena Park and I see so much potential in this little place. We met this 26 year old guy walking down the street the other day named Bernabe. He was in prison for about 7 years and has been out for about 3 years now. We went back over and taught him the restoration and it was incredible. He is so prepared. I have already learned so much from him. He is just so anxious to change and live the way he knows he should. It was a miracle.

I love you all so much and I am so happy to be a missionary here in Galena Park for my last transfer!! 

LOVE YOU.

Con Amor,
Hermana San Juan

We did a stand at one of the tiny stores by our house!

el TEMPLO

Hola familia y amigos!

 Hermana Andrus and Hermana San Juan

Teaching a skeleton about the Plan of Salvation 

Jr. Martinez and Katelyn

JR! It was so hard to say bye to the Martinez family. I will see them again soon though :)

What a great week. Seriously a good one. But I also have sad news. I am being transferred out of Channelview for my last transfer! It was a very big surprise to me, I was not expecting to leave at all, I thought for sure that I would end my mission here. But I know it will be okay because I know that God has better plans for me than I do for myself. I'm still sad to leave but the knowledge that this mission is for God and not me makes it easier. I'm leaving my hija Hermana Andrus! I am going to miss her but she is an amazing missionary and is going to do so good. Channelview is so lucky to have her. 

Jaime and Katelyn at the Temple 

So the highlight of this week for me was Saturday because we went to the temple with Jaime! It was my first time going with a recent convert so it was a special experience. He LOVED it. He kept telling us that he thinks it has to be what heaven is like. I agree. I thought back to the day that Hermana Williams and I met him just about 4 months ago. Smoking on his porch, very depressed. It's amazing to me to see how far he has come. He truly is a miracle. 

Also we got to see Meet the Mormons this week! SO GOOD. You all have to go and see it. It's very inspirational. In the movie the humanitarian said, "I'm not perfect but I'm perfect at trying." I loved that. 

I am doing really well! I can't believe I am starting my last transfer..this is not real life. Everything is just happening so fast. I am excited to work hard these last 6 weeks in my new area! Being a missionary is the best thing ever. Also it makes me really happy to think that Spencer is out doing the same things that I am. I think about that sometimes and it just makes me smile.

 

I love you all so much. Thank you for all your support and love. Your prayers are felt! 

Love,

Hermana San Juan

Can you see it? We find Lizzards everywhere! 

Trato Hecho

Hermana Andrus is pro at doing hair.

Wadd up!

Such a good inspiring week. Man I can't even describe in words. I feel like
Conference came just at the perfect time for me. It gave me the confidence
and faith I needed to finish these last months out strong. It's amazing how
God knows who we are and just what we need. 

I really loved Neil L. Andersen's talk on opposition. We face alot of that as
missionaries and it gave me strength and courage to face opposition with
humility and kindness. He said "Opposition against the good things of God
send honest truth seekers to their knees." Opposition should make us
stronger not weaker. And I loved his message on how the world may be
telling us all sorts of things but how we never need to doubt the prophets.
That just brought so much peace to my heart because I know that that is
true. I know that we never need to fear no matter what is going on around
us.

How did y'all like General Conference??

So this coming up week we get to watch the new movie Meet the Mormons! I'm
so excited. It looks like it is going to be really good. GO AND SEE IT.

We had a pretty good week here in Channelview! Not anything too crazy
happened just working hard, talking to everyone, sharing the gospel,
getting rejected, speaking Spanish, learning, growing, laughing, crying,
changing, singing, getting wet from the rain, reading, memorizing, loving,
smiling, understanding, believing and helping. There is nothing better
than being a missionary.

I love you all so much!!

Love, Hermana San Juan 

  

MEDUSA with her curlers in hahahah

Cool right? 

Paige you should learn to do this so you can do my hair every day when I get home.

Wadd up