An incredible week - full of amazing experiences

Celebrating my birthday with our district :) super fun!!

Last Monday I seriously had the best birthday!  Thank you so much!  I received tons of letters and emails and felt so loved.  I feel extremely blessed to have so many amazing people in my life.  I truly appreciate all your prayers and support  :)  And I can't wait to see, hug, and thank you all individually when I return.  Time keeps flying and I am amazed at all the changes I continue seeing - in myself and others.

In our Tuesday District Meeting, my district surprised me with a birthday breakfast!  We all enjoyed pancakes with Nutella, bananas, powdered sugar or syrup  :)  It was super yummy and super fun.  They even put some candles in 3 Costco chocolate muffins for me to blow out.  It was all so thoughtful and nice.  We took pictures with some funny hats we encountered and all had a good laugh  :)



We encountered an amazing family to teach!  Last week we had contacted a man who makes and sells delicious bread.  He accepted a pamphlet and said we could return.  So Tuesday, we felt like we should go to the other side of our area and see him.  He warmly invited us in and we met his wife, Mother-in-law, 2 grandchildren, and 3 of their 9 children.  He said he had read the pamphlet and looked at me and asked, "Is it true?  Did this Joseph Smith really see God and Jesus Christ?"  I testified that it was all true, and that he could know for himself if he prayed and asked God with a sincere heart and real intent.  He then explained that several years ago, two young men had given him a Book of Mormon, but he'd only read a little of it.  We then taught about the Book of Mormon and the Spirit was so strong!  We gave 2 more to their family and they said they'd read the introduction  :)  Before leaving he gave us each a bread and thanked us.  Hermana Mora and I both were beaming the rest of the day!

My district, Hermana Nakken, Hermana Hernandez, Elder Luciano, Elder Summers

On Wednesday, a similar situation happened.  There are so many incredible people, experiences, and feeling here - there's not enough time or space to write about it all.  But I know this is the Lord's work and He is preparing the hearts and minds of so many people to accept this gospel.  I am so grateful to be a missionary.  I love each day and learn a ton.

This is Irma our investigator who gave me  a bag of her homemade potato chips for my birthday :) 

Thursday flew by because we had weekly planning in the morning.  Hermana Mora and I set a goal to memorize a scripture a day.  We write the scripture of the day on one of our post-its and put it in our agenda, so that throughout the day we can test each other.  :)  In the evening we had an appointment with a lady we had contacted last week.  She wasn't home, but she'd put the pass-along card of Christ on her door for all to see.  :)  We decided to contact her neighbor, Lulu, who was sitting in her hair salon.  Since she didn't have any customers / patients at the moment, she invited us in.  We taught her the first lesson.  She agreed to be baptized if she came to know that these things were true, and accepted the invitation to come to church this Sunday!  Wow!  It was an incredible lesson, like Preach My Gospel says, "So many people are looking for the truth but just don't know where to find it."  I know that this is what they are all looking for.  This is the only church that has all the answers to the questions each of us have, and can offer so much peace of mind.  I love all the answers I have personally found through prayer, scripture study, and church attendance.

These dogs love me :) haha

Friday, as we were about to cross the main road, I saw a little old lady with her walker and light purple hair on the other side.  I thought we should help her cross, but she quickly crossed over to where we were and Hermana Mora said, "Hi, Sister Campos, can we walk you home and share a message with you?"  Hermana Campos said, "Of course, and then proceeded to walk quite quickly towards her house (which ended up being like half a mile away!)  I was absolutely amazed at this 93 year old woman who lives by herself, cooks for herself, and has to go up and down the stairs in her 2 floor house to use the bathroom & sleep at night.  We watched a movie about eternal families and she expressed her gratitude for visiting her. She said sometimes she feels lonely, but then remembers that we always have our Heavenly Father to hear us, comfort us, and guide us.  She's an incredible lady.

For lunch, I tried the "Macho banana", which is a big banana that's bitter, so they fry it and dip it in honey and then it's like a dessert.  It tasted yummy.  :)  In almost all our visits, the people give / offer us food.  Sometimes, it's a fruit, but usually it's sweet bread with milk, cookies, or candy.  So I've officially determined that it's almost impossible not to gain weight as a missionary.  :)

Saturday was when I spent the day with Hermana Barlow, here in my area for exchanges as the Sister Training Leader.  Hermana Barlow is from Nevada and was in my ward for 2 semesters at BYU  (She was living on the floor below me in the dorms!)  Small world, right?  She's super awesome, has a strong testimony and is very humble.

During the day together, Hermana Barlow and I made a lot of visits.  I now understand why they never put 2 American sisters together - because we definitely stood out and called a lot of attention together.  Everyone stared at us as we passed and when we contacted people, they would ask with a puzzled look on their faces, "Where are you girls from?  And what are you doing here in Mexico?"  ha ha ha  But it was a great day and I am so thankful for exchanges with the other Hermanas because I learn a ton.

Sunday was fantastic!  Six investigators came to church!  Jose Guadalupe and his neighbor, Irma, were ready at 7:45 am when we passed by for them.  Then Maria Samarron showed up all on her own, and Calvo too.  Two other husbands of less-active families also attended.  I was so happy that they all came - and let me just say, it is the best feeling ever when your investigators come and the ward members warmly welcome them and are actively engaged in asking their names and befriending them!  :)

For lunch we ate hamburgers with a super fun family (Yera family) and set up a date to teach some friends they'd invited.  LOVE getting references from members!

In the Tangamanga II Park

In the evening, the people we'd planned to visit were not home so we crossed the street and decided to contact in the Tangamanga II Park.  It was a brilliant idea because on P-days the park is closed, so I'd never seen it.  Hermana Mora and I walked through the park, talking to everyone we came across, but also enjoying how beautiful it was.  There were so many trees!  Everything was green and there was even a mini-zoo with animals.  We saw llamas, deer, peacocks, ostrich, wild boar, etc.  I loved it.  We met tons of people and are going to visit several of them this week.  It was a great place to contact because we encountered families spending time together - and they were people more receptive to the message of the gospel.

Here I am with some sort of bull. I tried taking a picture with the ostrich, but it kept moving.

All in all, I had an incredible week - full of amazing experiences.  I love being a missionary and each day my mind, eyes, and heart are opened to more understanding of God and our purpose here as His children.  I love you and all and hope all is going well.  :)

xoxoxo,

Hermana Eliason


Other pictures from this week: