Holaaaaaa mis amigos <3
I'm so sorry I've been the worst at getting an email out!! And now I have so much to catch up on in this email so I'll try to just do bullet points!
1. My companion, Hermana Martin, ended up NOT getting transferred to Caldwell, so the trio lives on!! Fun fact: so far we are the longest surviving trio in the mission since our mission president, President Nygaard, has been here, so I think that means we're just the best ever ??? hahaha
2. IT'S WARMING UP! Thank goodness we have been having such nice weather! This week it's supposed to be in the high 60's and sunny everyday!! Being here has changed me already- in California I would be wearing a sweater and a jacket if it was in the 60s but now i'm breakin out all my summer clothes
3. MIRACLE SHARE #1: At church last Sunday an older member of the ward waved me over. He introduced me to a man with him and said it was his cousin, Salvador, and that it was his first time coming to church and asked when we could come over and start teaching the lessons. JUST LIKE THAT!! We since then have already met with Salvador 3 times and he is like our little golden child- so eager to learn and progress!
4. MIRACLE SHARE #2: Our first week here, we met this lady Kathy who has custody over her 3 grandchildren, Aiden, Moses, and Bella. First visit she told us she wants her grandkids to be baptized so they can go down the right path. Ever since then, we haven't been able to get ahold of her to set up lessons for the kids. FLASH FORWARD TO LAST SUNDAY, in walk Aiden and Moses to church with their other grandma, Maria, who happens to already be a member! We talked with her and set up a time to come and teach the kids!!!! Finally!!!
5. MIRACLE SHARE #3: The family that we have been trying to teach since we first got here, the Vega family, Manny Vega (nonmember- the one we are teaching) his work schedule is CRAZY so they are constantly having to cancel our lessons BUT we finally had a second lesson with them this past and we taught them about Joseph Smith and the First Vision and the Book of Mormon. THEN, one of the best moments of my mission thus far, I testified that I knew with all my heart that I knew this gospel was true and that if Manny read about it and prayed, he would receive that same answer and witness that it was true. I then asked him, if he came to know these things were true, if he would be baptized and he said YES! (There were tears for sure) We had a follow up lesson and he told us that he knew it was true and that he was on the right path, and he will be baptized March 21st!!!!!! My first time ever asking someone to be baptized and he will be my first baptism!! We are sooo excited and proud of Manny and the rest of his family are so happy for him as well.
6. MIRACLE SHARE #4: Back to the boys Aiden and Moses! We had our first lesson with them yesterday and WE PUT THEM ON DATE TO BE BAPTIZED TOO! Aiden (who is 10) will be baptized March 28th and Moses doesn't turn 8 until March 30th so we will have him baptized the 2nd weekend in April! They are so cute and excited about it all, the whole time they just kept asking, "Why can't I be baptized right now? I just want to be baptized so badly!" SO CUTE! They are so smart and so excited to learn everything. Also when we were there Aiden said the prayer before we left and thanked Heavenly Father for "the church ladies that teach us about Jesus" hahaha! I think instead of "sister missionaries" we should just be called that from now on.
Continuing on the topic of miracles, one of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon is Mormon 9:19, "And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles." We are taught again and again in the scriptures that our God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. If there were many mighty miracles performed when Christ was on the earth- healing of the sick, raising of the dead, feeding the 5000- then it must needs be that there are miracles still performed today. I can PROMISE you that our God IS a God of miracles, and he IS the same God now as he was in those times. There are miracles all around us, everyday. There are no coincidences, only miracles ;) Look for them and recognize them!!
Sorry for the long email!! Happy March! Love yall
Hermana Rawlins
Pictures:
1. Selfie at Jump Creek w the 2 elders that cover the Nampa Spanish ward with us, Elder Weiss and Elder Fields
2. Me & 1/2 of my comps, Hermana Martin, at Jump Creek
3. Trio + Elder Fields at a service activity in Caldwell
4. Waterfall at Jump Creek
5. All of the Spanish missionaries in the Boise Idaho mission!!! We had a spanish conference last week and it was a GOOD time
6. Friends <3
7. Typical name tag picture at Jump Creek
8. Trio selfie on our hike! Hermana Sanchez was too scared to come down to the waterfall so she was hiding up in the rocks hahaha poor girl
9. Trio + one of our zone leaders, Elder Willis, at the Caldwell service activity
10. Cute off guard pic of me & my last comp, Hermana Percival, reunited at the spanish conference!
