Hola!
It was so hard to say goodbye to the people in Liberal! You would never think that you would come to love a place in such a short amount of time – but you do! Elder McKellar was going home (end of his mission) and so the Oman’s had a going away party for him the night before we all left. It was so much fun to be there with a lot of the ward members and Andy even came! There was a lot of good food and especially good company. The last person that we said bye to was Uncle Gary! It was more of a “hasta luego” because I will get to see them both next year – and it will be inside the temple! Whoot, Whoot!
Wichita is beautiful – holy cow, I was amazed! It has been raining quite a bit and there are so many trees here – I would not mind living here. There are church buildings within 15 minutes of each other and that was shocking to me. The Spanish Branch is fantastic! Although the branch is few in number, they are large in Spirit. What I was amazed with is how many of the Hispanics also speak English, so we still do speak quite a bit of English.
I was sitting by these two adorable girls during Sacrament and my companion was sitting by another family. The Branch President got up at the beginning of the meeting and announced what was going to take place. I was trying so hard to figure out all that he was saying and then I heard my name – my heart dropped! I didn’t understand everything that he said but I could kind of get that he wanted me to get up and bear my testimony. My companion wasn’t right next to me so I couldn't ask her so I had to rely on these two cute little girls and ask them what he said. I thankfully understood him right and was able to bear my simple Spanish testimony and all was well. But – Holy Spanish! It is so fun though – the cute little ladies are adorable and they just show so much love for everyone.
We got a text from a gal named Maria (Maria is officially the most common name). She was a previous investigator that the Sisters had been working with and she asked if we could go visit her. When we went to see her, she had previously been having a rough time but things were all falling into place and she knew that she needed to go back to the church. It was a miracle!
“Daydreaming of the past and longing for the future may provide comfort but will not take place of living in the present. This is the day of our opportunities, and we must grasp it.” – President Thomas S. Monson
Misionera Amor!
Siempre Una Aventura
Hermana Adams
Hola!
On Monday night, we had it set up to have a member (Sister Alaniz) meet us at the church to have a lesson with Andy. But a tender mercy happened and her car battery died so we all met at her house instead. It was a tender mercy because we didn’t have much time for a full lesson so Sister Alaniz shared her conversion story. Afterwards, Andy said that her testimony and story answered a lot of the questions that he had. I know that this was exactly what Andy needed that night and the Lord provided a way for him to receive his answers. The Spirit teaches more than anything that we say! That Saturday, Andy also came to Alex’s baptism and it was such a simple, Spirit-filled service. After the service, Andy was just smiling because he knew that it would soon be his baptism.
We were biking down a street and this lady came outside her door and waved us down. She had previously met with the missionaries and then she moved and lost contact with them. She has been taught all of the lessons, been to church multiple times, seen some of the videos, but the only issue is that she is having a hard time quitting smoking. It was an amazing miracle to see that the Lord placed us in her path on His time.
Gary was eating dinner at a neighbor’s house and they offered him a beer. He didn’t want to be “impolite” so he drank it. Oh Uncle Gary...BUT! The next day he was sicker than a dog so it taught him his lesson. The Lord let him know that he can’t go back to the things that he did before and he will receive an immeasurable amount of blessings if he doesn’t. He is still awesome! I’m going to miss that guy so much – he will be going to the temple on May 28, 2015 to be sealed to his wife! Whoot, Whoot!
Transfers! I am going to Wichita West Spanish Branch! What!? Well, now I have no excuses as to not learning Spanish. “Yo hablo espanol!” My new companion will be Sister Dahl. What is cool is that she actually came out with Sister Webb so she is fresh out of training. I am so excited to be heading to Wichita – especially to speak Spanish and eat more Mexican food. Adventures await!
“Dorothy and Toto are swept up in a tornado and deposited in the Land of Oz. There, Dorothy finds that distinctive, yellow-brick road that marks the path for a journey that eventually leads her home.” – President Uchtdorf
“…the word of God was Liberal…” – Alma 6:5
Misionera Amor!
Siempre Una Aventura
Hermana Adams
Hola!
One of the best feelings in the world – especially as a missionary – is to receive a call from an investigator who previously didn’t “Believe in God” and have them tell you that they prayed. But even better is that they felt something and they realize that there is a God and that he loves them. This is what happened with a 16 year old investigator named Iadora! She sees God's plan for her more and more each and every day.
Fun Fact: We have an investigator named Ricardo (first time on my mission). It was crazy to hear my first name and it took me by surprise at first when he said Ricardo – but some people call me Ricky.
The Elders gave us a referral for a gal named Jada. We went over to see her and we met her sister named Jai as well. What was so cool is that Jai actually just got home for the summer because she goes to college at Hutch and is on their volleyball team. She knew a little bit about “Mormons” because some of her teammates are members. She said that she always looked up to them because they were so passionate about their beliefs. This is what made her want to learn more – because of the examples of some of her teammates staying true to their beliefs. It is so important that we “stand as witnesses at all times, in all things, and in all places.”
“A leader does not declare the vision, but opens their eyes to see it.” – AP’s
1 Nephi 14:14…
14 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.
We renew all of our covenants as we partake of the Sacrament each week!
Misionera Amor!
Siempre Una Aventura
Hermana Adams
Hola!
There is a gal in our ward here who is a fantastic seamstress so we have been going over to her house on P-Days and have been making a dress. We just finished cutting everything out last week so I will let you know how it goes!
We were on bikes last week! On our way to an appointment, this lady pulled over into a driveway so we stopped to talk with her. It turns out that she stopped to help a little boy find his way home that was riding his bike out in the street. She was in a hurry so she gave us her phone number and address. She accidentally gave us her parents address – and so when we went over to see her – we met her parents. Her dad had a bad experience at his previous church about a year before and he had a feeling that he should try the church thing again. It was so fun because he called in his younger son to come and listen to the lesson and he loved all that he heard! Then, we were able to get the address of the gal’s house (Irene) that we had originally talked with and she also took the gospel really well! No coincidences there!
Last transfer, we met a family at the park while we were waiting for Luis and we didn't have any luck trying to contact them since. But this last week, we were driving past their house and had the impression to stop. It turns out that it wasn't the same people that we met at the park – it was the wrong address. But, the family that lived there was very interested. She loves how much focus is on families – especially because her kids are having a hard time right now.
Elder Holland came to Kansas and he is absolutely amazing! He is a lot shorter than I thought that he would be but he is even greater than I could ever imagine! Our mission all met in Wichita so we had to sleep over at the Dodge City Sisters’ apartment Friday night. We left at 5:15 am on a bus to travel across the state. It was so much fun to see all of the missionaries! Having served my whole mission in the West, I got to see a lot of new faces and reunite with missionaries that I had served around. But, as we were all sitting in the chapel waiting, the Spirit was instantly felt when Elder Holland walked into the building and we hadn't even seen him yet! I can’t describe the feelings that were felt but I do know that he is called as an Apostle of the Lord. He shook each missionary’s hand and looked them straight into their eyes – talk about heart pounding! Looking into his eyes you can tell that he sees like Christ does and that the veil is very thin for him. He had so many wonderful things to say but the things that I learned the most was what was not said. It was especially amazing to see him as others are speaking. Also, he came down off the stage when he was talking to us and he stood most of the time within arm’s reach right in front of me! I was sitting on the edge of my seat so I could have easily touched him but I kept reverent. He actually kissed the Elder that was in front of me and it was hilarious! He also slapped my District Leader – Elder Maisey. It is so good to know that Apostles definitely have a great sense of humor and they have fun! Some scriptures that he focused on were John 3-4 and Ephesians 6. One thing that was really sweet that he said was that we are the “symbols” of the church. Since we don’t really have any symbols, most people know our church as two missionaries. Also, the sacrament is the only ordinance that we do more than once for ourselves. I learned so many things from him! I can testify that he is called of God and that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the Earth.
Ephesians 6:19-20…
19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
“…not going to lie, I am still on Team Ethan!” – Hermana Adams
Misionera Amor!
Siempre Una Aventura
Hermana Adams