Post #54

Hey Family--

How is everyone doing? Fun to hear that Chad is in Houston right now working on house stuff! I'm excited to see the masterpiece :]

This week has been full of changes--like most transfer weeks are! We spent the beginning of the week getting ready for transfers--getting Sister Valladares comfortable to train. She's a perfectionist, so we spent our spare time rearranging furniture and making everything perfectt! haha. Transfers came fast. And because we had so many missionaries coming in transfer meeting was crazy. It's always in a stake center right by the mission office and I thought they were going to have to open the overflow haha. Practically the entire mission was there. President Ellsworth talked a lot about trusting in the Lord and accepting his will.

I'm really just trying to get to know the area and the members as quickly as I can. This area has so much potential. So much. There are so many people to find--and we actually have a decent amount of investigators, but they aren't prepared. No one is progressing, no one comes to church. The area we have hasn't had anyone in church since November :/  It can be discouraging to be in an area like this, but I just know we need to work differently. It's not all about working HARD! It's about working smart. Not just being busy but being effective. So we are changing how we work. We're focusing more on working with members. One of the difficulties about the area is that only 3 families live in it. The ward has 6 missionaries in it and almost all the members live in the other areas. I went through the ward directory my 2nd day in the area and said okay--let's visit all the members in our area.... that didn't take very long.  Another difficulty we are facing is that we are spending even more time in the Visitors' Center. We are there 6 hours everyday. Add studies on top of that and it doesn't leave us very much. But I know that is my calling and as we do everything that lies in our power that God will make up for it.

I love all the changes in the Visitors' Center. At first I freaked out about not having time in my area--but then really realized that my calling is to the visitors' center. And we are all having so much more success on media. I finally have control of my investigators because I have time to plan and organize myself and make phone calls and follow up on referrals I've sent out and such. We will have growing pains in different ways as these changes are made into effect but I know that these changes are coming from Salt Lake and we will be blessed as we obey. I love being in the visitors' center and having the blessing of sharing the gospel in many different ways.

I love being Sister Aquino's companion. She works hard and we get along really well. Yesterday was her 22nd Birthday! Which was fun to be her companion and make it a special day for her. We decorated the apartment (the other set of sisters that we live with and I) and made her breakfast and just tried to make it special... but then just went about our day. So many things that are just not important as a missionary.

In the Mesa Stake we had stake conference yesterday! It was a great meeting. They talked a lot about the Christlike attribute of love. Loving others. Showing the love that we have for others. It was a great message for me as I really thought about the love that I have developed for the people here in Mesa. I am so grateful that I was called to serve here. The further I get into this the more I realize that God knows exactly what he is doing. I'm here for a reason. I love it.

I love you all!

Have a great week!

Love,

Holly