High on the Mountain Top

Hola!

Miracle of the week! The Elders needed salt so they came over and picked some up from our house. We handed it to them at the door, talked for a little while, and then they left. Right after they left, another car pulled in front of our house. A cute girl (23 years old) got out of the car and came to our door. She told us that she was driving by and saw us missionaries so she kept driving back and forth past our house waiting for the Elders to leave so she could come talk to us. Anyhow, she just moved here to Lamar and she had been meeting with missionaries up in La Junta. We were seriously awe stricken! She saw us and knew that she had to stop. We went over to her house later that night with Abby (recent convert who is 21) and got to know her a little more. Her name is Zuriko (we call her “Z”) and she is awesome! She knows so much about the gospel and she is waiting for a friend to come home in January so he can baptize her. She loves the church and she is adorable! She has a super cute 3 year old son and she is in the military.

On Sunday, we had a guy in our ward (70-80 years old) come up to us and told us to go visit his fiance and talk to her about the gospel. We went over and saw her and she is absolutely adorable! Her name is Bobbie and she always looks so cute – she always has makeup on and everything perfect. Anyhow, they invited us to their wedding on Saturday. We went and helped them set up and we were their photographers! They gave both of us little disposable cameras and we walked around and took pictures of everybody. Bobbie's dog named Niko even carried the rings at the wedding and he had this cute little dog tuxedo on. It was so much fun!

Courtney came to church this week! We went over early Sunday morning and made her and her girls pancakes for breakfast. While we were cooking she was getting her girls ready and then Sister Clark came and took them to church. This was a HUGE step for Courtney. She was so nervous and she does not like change at all but she did it. She told us that she felt so much better afterwards and her girls had so much fun!

We went to Two Buttes Mountain. It is the closest thing you will get to a mountain here in Lamar, CO. We went this morning with Zuriko and it was so much fun! There is a little pond by it so we went and skipped rocks on it before we hiked to the top of the "mountain" – it literally took 10 minutes to get to the top. The sad thing is that we were all out of breath when we got to the top because it has been such a long time since we have been on any kind of mountain. We went back to Z's house and ate hamburgers. It was such a fun P-Day!

Transfers were this week but I am staying here in Lamar with Sister Valdivia – Whoo! Also, Hermana Shumway (my companion from the CCM) is now in our zone – Whoo! The current Elders are leaving Lamar and an Elder (the former AP) is coming to Lamar and training a newbie so we have to be on our "best behavior!"

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

"Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God's love." – President Thomas S. Monson

Misionera Amor!
Siempre Una Aventura
Hermana Adams

Let It Snow!

Hola!

Transfers are next week and I should know where I am going on Monday! I am pretty sure that I am leaving Lamar which is such a bitter-sweet feeling. I love it here and I love the people, but I am ready for some new adventures and more Spanish opportunities.

It was about 70 degrees last Monday and I was in a short sleeve shirt – and then that night – it dropped to 30 degrees and snowed! Ever since then it has been pretty cold. We only got about 2 inches – but since it is so cold – it all stayed on the ground. The people here think that this is a ton of snow and that it was a blizzard. I wish they could see Utah during a blizzard because they would all be amazed! The snow is so great! Sister Valdivia and I got our Christmas sweaters at the Rummage Shop on Main Street and we look pretty scary in them.

Elder Schwitzer of the Second Quorum of the Seventy came to Kansas and spoke at our Mission Conference. He talked a lot about the Book of Mormon and showed us some evidence of the history of it. Let's just say that my mind was blown and I don't know how to explain what he said. All I know is that the Book of Mormon is true and I know that it has truly blessed my life. At the end of the Mission Conference, they gave every missionary a copy of the Book of Mormon and a red and green marking pencil. They extended an invitation to us to read the Book of Mormon by Christmas and mark everything that talks about the Atonement and Jesus Christ in red and everything that talks about faith in green. I started this challenge on Saturday morning and it has been awesome! The Book of Mormon is the best!!

We had an appointment this week with a less-active who lives in an apartment complex. As we were walking to her door, we saw a teenage girl walking with no coat and it was freezing outside. So, we just said, "It is pretty cold isn't it?" She was really friendly and started talking to us inside the building. It turns out that she is the less-active’s niece who was visiting for the weekend and will move to Lamar in December. We talked to her about the Book of Mormon and how the gospel can bless her life. She loved it! She said that she was looking for a church and that she believes that everything – including the Book of Mormon – is true. She is on date for baptism on the 24th of December. That night she read the Book of Mormon to her little brother because he gets night terrors and she knew that the Book of Mormon would help him to not be afraid. We had an extra coat in the car that we had been given so we gave it to her so she wouldn't be as cold outside in the freezing cold.

We had the Primary program in church yesterday – those kids are adorable! We participated in the program and sang the 2nd verse of “I Stand All Amazed” in Spanish with three other men from our ward who went on Spanish speaking missions. This is in my top three favorite Hymns because it is a beautiful song with such a strong meaning behind it.

D&C 25:10 – “And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better.”

Misionera Amor!
Siempre Una Aventura
Hermana Adams

Wichita!

Hola!

This week Sister Valdivia and I went on a road trip to Wichita! She had a doctor's appointment there so we made the most of it. The first thing that we did when we got there was eat at Texas Roadhouse – so good! I love Lamar but they definitely do not have a Texas Roadhouse. Then, we had a little bit of time so we went and saw a couple of people that Sister Valdivia taught while she was there. It was so much fun to meet some of the families that she tells me about and they were all so sweet.

We spent the night at the Wichita West sister's house. It was so fun to see Sister Moser! Basically, we just companion swapped – Sister Moser went where Sister Valdivia served and Sister Valdivia came to Lamar. The Sister's apartment has cockroaches – no big deal. Sister Moser is doing so well and her Spanish has really improved a lot since she moved to the Spanish Branch.

The next morning we went to Sister Valdivia doctor’s appointment and then stopped at this sweet nut and candy shop to get “road trip” treats. There was every kind of nut imaginable at that store! We could sample whatever we wanted so we got to try a lot of them! There was this cute little lady who wanted us to try everything. I ended up getting this really good granola trail mix and Sister Valdivia got some chocolate-raspberry pecans.

I love Wichita because it is so beautiful!

This week we visited with our nine year old investigator named Adriana and her family. We gave Adriana a children's copy of the Book of Mormon and invited her to read the first chapter which talked about Joseph Smith. When we met with her – she read not only the first chapter – but the first three chapters. She explained to us and to her family the story about Joseph Smith. We asked her if she thought what she read was true and she said “Yes!” Her parents told us that she was showing her book to everyone and telling them about it. At the end of our visit, she asked if she could say the prayer. It was the sweetest, humblest prayer. At the end of her prayer she burst into tears. We asked her why she was crying and she told us that it is because now she knows that she can pray anytime and He will listen. Her faith is amazing and she is so strong! Her parents thank us every time we come over for making a change in their children's life. We tell them that the gospel is the difference.

I got sick for the first time on my mission this week. It was our last appointment on Saturday night and I felt so nauseous. Anyhow, when we went in for the night, I just laid on my bed and then went and puked a couple of times. I still felt sick on Sunday morning but I couldn't miss church because what if one of our investigators showed up and we weren't there!? So, we went and knocked on our investigator’s doors to invite them to church. At Linda's house – right after we knocked on the door – I went off in the bushes and threw up a couple of times so it probably was a good thing that she didn't answer the door. We went to church after that and now I feel so much better! Missionary work is pretty difficult when you are nauseous and feel like throwing up. Turns out that it was just a stomach bug going around and I was a lucky recipient!

Elder Liechty read my “Spirit Element” – I am a waterfall. I have no idea what that means but I don't mind being a waterfall. Sister Valdivia is an “Obsidian Rock.”

Kansas Sunsets Are Beautiful!

Bursts of Sunshine – By Louise Hurd
When you see a friend, be sure to smile;
The warmth will stay a long, long while.
And if you see a stranger, smile again.
He needs one as much as your best friend.
If he’s having a discouraging day,
Like wintertime when skies are gray,
Your little smile to him will be
Like bursts of sunshine, bright and free.
Then on a day when you feel blue,
Those bursts of sunshine will return to you,
As all the smiles you gave away
Come back to brighten up your day.

Misionera Amor!
Siempre Una Aventura
Hermana Adams

Happy Halloween - Part 2!

Can't get enough of the " Missionary Duo"

Hermana Adams and Hermana Valdivia

Hola!

Our investigators are doing awesome! One of the biggest miracle families that we have right now are Joseph, Tiletha, and their family. Also, Brenda is another one who is really interested. I don't really know how to explain everything over email but they are doing so good! Sister Hicks is in the hospital and we went over to see her this morning. Elder Leichty gave her the most beautiful blessing and said that she would be able to overcome this illness that she has. She was bawling at the end and said that he is the first one to tell her that she would be able to overcome it. So, of course, I cried like a baby. I love her so much!

After P-Day on Monday, we had a bunch of appointments set up and they all happened to fall through. So, Sister Valdivia and I decided to say a prayer to know who to go visit. As soon as the prayer was done, we both looked at each other and said "Brenda." We knew that it was right! Brenda is an investigator whose parents got baptized about five years ago. Brenda has 3 kids of her own and a husband. When we went over there she was so happy to see us. She gave us the biggest hugs and had a huge smile on her face. She went on to explain how she had one of the hardest days that day and our visit made her day. She just started a new job and it has been really stressful for her. After we left she sent us this text... "God is good ALL the time. I'm always amazed how he sends Angels my way just when I need them! Thank you for thinking of me tonight my Angels. I love you." We love her so much and we knew that the Spirit guided us over there that night!

We have a less-active member named Sister Zeaman. She has a hard time coming to church because of health issues and a phobia of lots of people and open spaces. We went over to her house this week and the lady that was helping to take care of her was there. While we were talking with Sister Zeaman, she invited her house lady named Linda over to talk with us. Then, Sister Zeaman bore her beautiful testimony about the Book of Mormon and how it has helped her in her life. The Spirit was so strong and we were able to help Linda better understand the gospel and how the Book of Mormon can help her in her life. She was very receptive and we can't wait to meet with her again.

Halloween!! We still wanted to have some Halloween spirit so we carved pumpkins during our lunch time. Sister Valdivia carved the Angel Moroni and I carved the temple. We attempted to bake the seeds later that night but it was a failed attempt. On Halloween morning, we made pancakes in the shape of Halloween things (e.g., pumpkin, witch hat, and so forth) but most of them just looked like blobs. Halloween day was a regular missionary day for us and that night we had a Halloween dinner over at the Loveless' house (members) and handed out candy to all the cute little kids that came around. Loved it!

"What matters most is what lasts longest!" – M. Russell Ballard

NEWS FLASH! A bomb threat at Walmart just after we left but it wasn't a big deal to us! Small town problems…

Misionera Amor!
Siempre Una Aventura
Hermana Adams