BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!! 12/15/14

This week was super great. We were both sick for a day or two but we were able to see a lot of miracles. On Tuesday we had lunch with Sister Cosare and her nonmember friends. They are a very tight nit group of ladies who are best of friends. We have been inducted as honorary "sisters".  We also visited our dear friend Vanessa who made me gluten-free CINNAMON ROLLS!!!!!!!!!!! I was so happy I almost cried.

On Wednesday Sister Balderree made me a yummy breakfast of bacon which we incorporated into TBA sandwiches :) She made a sign and put my presents on the table. She is so thoughtful she puts me to shame :) I was pretty sick that day so she let me nap while she did language studies then she organized a "surprise" birthday lunch with the zone at a place with cheap gluten free pizza. It was super delicious. The Elders got me a tub of popcorn and a squeaky dog toy...

Later that day we had an awesome member present lesson with Andrea who is getting baptized the 31st of December. She remembered it was my birthday and she gave me two Recess peanut butter cups and she made popcorn! She is an incredible young girl. One of the most prepared people I've taught. When we ask her question or commit her to live a principle she thinks about what we've said and repeats the points back to us then either says "yes I can" or "I'll try my best" and she is only 10 years old! If only the old time members where as dedicated and committed as this young girl!

Thursday we had an incredible ZTM. We talked a lot about the importance of having members present at our lessons and how we need to be the kind of missionaries that help the members do their part.

We also got a call to repentance. Over the last couple of weeks the whole mission has gotten a little lazy and lax about rules and procedures. We were invited to recommit ourselves to learn, live, and love the mission culture. I remember how much I loved it when I first came in and EVERYONE was talking about the mission culture. I think I've gotten too caught up with the numbers and the hustle and bustle and exhaustion and forgot about the "why" of missionary work. We are all becoming greenies and getting recertified. JOY!

Saturday was crazy! We had another member present lesson with Andrea and Martina then we went straight to the wedding for the Elders' investigator. She looked beautiful and both were so happy! Bishop Harker spoke about the divinity and sanctity of marriage and it was beautiful. After that we ran around trying to talk to people and setting up for the 2nd ward

Christmas party. Our nonmember friend showed up for the last 5 minutes of the program but I think she had fun.

Yesterday was probably the biggest miracle of all. I think I talked about Debbie and how we found her walking with her grocery bags in the pouring rain? Well we got a call on Saturday night from her friend saying that Debbie wanted to go with us to the Choir and art festival. She is deaf so we asked the ASL elders to come but their car broke down and they couldn't make it. On our way to the church building we were praying and pleading Heavenly Father to please help us find someone who could help us communicate with Debbie. We asked everyone there if they or someone they knew could sign and we found TWO people who were certified ASL translators. One of them was the 3rd ward relief society president who is an INCREDIBLE person. She was able to translate even some of the songs. Debbie couldn't hear the beautiful music but I know that she could feel the sincere love we have for her and the spirit in the chapel because she agreed to come to church with us next Sunday. I know that Heavenly Father looks out for all of his children and it was a testimony to me that the words found in the scriptures are true where they say that everyone will hear the gospel in their own language.

I hope you all have an incredible week!

Lots of love,

Hermana Quintana

12/1/14

We had a very big lunch with some English members of another ward. It was super traditional (except it was at 2 p.m.) with the turkey and the potatoes but then we set off a bomb in the pool. It was cool. Then around 7:30 I had a taco at the Branch talent show and fiesta. They served lots of rice, beans, meat, veggies, and tortillas. They played really loud music which kind of hurt my ears but it was so fun, they are all super cute and the couples did a dance, then the kids did a little thing about vowels, one of the youth danced to "Book of Mormon Style" (Ghangam Style), most of the missionaries in the Livermore Stake came and we sang a Spanglish rendition of Count your Blessings with a ukelele. We sounded horrible but everyone is tone deaf and said we were "so good". Even a member from the Springtown ward came and performed (she is a legit singer), a lot of less active families came and it was really fun to see everyone just uniting and laughing and really fellow shipping eachother.
Irene broke my heart yesterday. We challenged her to pray to know she should be baptized on December 16th but she told us yesterday that she was going to do her first communion in the Catholic church. We are still going to visit her next Wednesday thought. Hopefully hearing the testimony of a youth convert can strengthen the testimony I know she has.
We did have an incredible member present lesson with the relief society president who came to visit our new investigator family. It is a single dad and his 8 year old daughter. Hermana Nava was able to go in and open up her heart and bear her testimony and share her personal experience being a single mom and finding the gospel and just how it can help every aspect our parenting and life in general. The spirit was so strong and I felt so happy I could not have asked for anything more.

I love being a missionary and I am very grateful for the opportunity I have of sharing the gospel to people who are in need of spiritual strength. I know my savior lives and I know that he strengthens me.

Love you all,

Hermana Quintana

11/24/14

This week it rained super hard. It was really cool to see how in just a few days the grounds went from brown dirt to velvety green. 

Last week it was Irene's birthday so we went to drop off a homemade present for her and her mom ended up throwing her an impromptu birthday party. She started making carne asada and she sent her roommate for a cake and we didn't notice until it was all ready to go. I love the Spanish program!

We have been really struggling to have members present at our lessons. Everyone here works one or two jobs and has kids and callings and no one has time but Sister Balderree decided that that is something we needed in order for the work to progress in Livermore so we are trying to get the branch excited about Missionary work and already have one lesson lined up for today. We are praying really hard that everything goes well and no one cancels.

This week we also received news that there is going to be a really cool Christmas video coming out in December and that there is going to be a new website christmas.mormon.org and that we will be taking over the youtube homepage for a whole day. I am so excited for the Holidays! I know that they are an excellent time to remind people about the true meaning of Christmas, as cheesy as that sounds. I really hope I don't get transfered before Christmas but it is really 50/50 at this point.

We have 3 dinners for Thankgiving which makes me feel loved but also makes me feel a little sick. In honor of the Holidays I would like to say that I am so very grateful for my family and the sacrifices they have made to help me be where I am. I am grateful for the missionaries who found my mother and my father at different times. I am grateful for their decision to join the church and raise me in the gospel. I am grateful for the many friends who have been with me through thick and thin, who have always kept me on the path and who have been an example of righteousness to me. Most of all, I am grateful for the Atonement, which is the greatest gift of all. I know that it is because of Jesus Christ, my Savior, that I can be freed from sin and return to live in the presence of my Father in Heaven.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Hermana Quintana

p.s. An Elder accidentally pulled the fire alarm and the fire department came and checked out every room before they would let us back in so we were all super late for District meeting. One for the memory books :)

Halfway Mark 11/17/14

So because there is no transfer in August I am not quite sure when my halfway mark is but my ninth month mark will be this week (CRAZY!!). I am actually not quite sure how I feel about it. I am a little scared by how fast the last nine months have flown by and everyone tells me that the second half goes by twice as fast and I really don't want to believe that because it makes me panic that I have not done enough and I cannot possibly go home until I feel like I have given all I've got. So that is my new resolution. To get rid of all of my excuses and really give 100% of myself every single day!

Things were really quite crazy last week (i think I say that every week but they really were more than normal last week). On Tuesday we took our investigator and two inactive youth to the Oakland temple visitor center. It was really cold and dark so we huddled as we took a tour of the outside of the temple and then we went into the visitor center and saw the presentation of the Cristus statue and the plan of happiness. We also saw a really old movie with no words, just music but it told the story of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem and then in the Americas. A few days after we asked them what their favorite part had been and they said that the old movie with no words. I really like it too. It connected for me the importance of the Book of Mormon and how it shows that God loves us so much that he really did send his son for all of us. So that we could be saved.

On Thursday we decided to go contacting for 2 hours because we were embarrassingly low in contacts and we found two incredible new investigators. He is a single dad who has recently decided he needed to believe in God and his daughter is 8 and has no idea who God or Jesus Christ are but she soon will :)

We also got to go back to Oakland and hear from.... Elder and Sister Bednar!!! It was so great to be in a room with 500+ missionaries and be able to just listen, observe, and learn. Most of what he did for the 3 hours he spoke with us was ask us questions about what we had learned from the 3 talks we had been assigned to read. As we answered he would ask more questions and initiate a deeper conversation about that topic. We all felt the spirit so strongly as we taught one another and shared our testimony of the work we have been called to do.

At the end he asked us what we were going to do with what we had learned that day. I decided that I needed to quit with all of the excuses and just get to work. I love being a missionary and I love all of the people I get to work with here in Livermore and in the San Jose area. I have full confidence that God is directing his work. 

I'll leave you with one of the only direct quotes I was able to jot down form Elder Bednar:

     We are not hastening the work. The Lord is hastening the work and we just have to keep up with it. The Hastening of the work has to do with individual repentance, improving, and moving forward.

I love you all!

Hermana Quintana

11/10/14

Yesterday really was the best day ever. We have been struggling to get investigators to sacrament meeting for forever but yesterday we were able to have 3 solid investigators come and it was perfect because Sister Balderree gave a really great talk about the atonement of Jesus Christ which everyone could relate to. We also had another miracle in that one of the less active families we have been working with showed up for sacrament meeting. We met two weeks ago and set a goal that the whole family was going to come this Sunday. They have been washy washy in the past but they texted us that morning saying they could only come to sacrament (third hour) and we said that was fine. I could have given my right arm to have been able to capture the look of joy in their oldest (active) daughter when she saw her parents and sisters walk in. She started to cry and it made me want to cry. 

Yesterday I also said good bye for now to Sister Bair and Sister Boyd. I am really going to miss those girls. They made such a great impact on my mission that I am kind of wondering what I am going to do without them but they are on to the next phase of life and I know that I will need them when my time comes to remove the black tag... scary!

This week was just a huge reminder that God is a god of miracles. That if He can answer the simple prayer of two sister missionaries he can answer the prayer of a 14 year old boy who wanted to know which church to join. God lives and He cares about each and everyone of his children. I know this church was restored through a prophet of God by his priesthood authority and I know that any honest seeker can come to know the truth of it himself.

This is my challenge I leave you all this week.

Hermana Quintana

Dig, Prune, Nourish 11/3/14

 This week we worked super hard because of our Dig, Prune, Nourish thing. We were super exhausted every single night and made some great progress with a few of our investigators but on Sunday no one showed up... I'll admit I was disappointing and felt like Heavenly Father was letting me down but then I realized I was forcing my wish and my will when I should be accepting His. It was still pretty tough though and I am starting to think I will have some serious trust issues when I get home but it is another week and time to press the reset button "push".

The Elders who cover 3rd ward had a baptism last Saturday of a woman who is a caterer and sometimes gives us some of her left overs. We took one of our investigators to it and I could tell that she felt the spirit really strongly. I almost cried because it was so intense. We walked her home and invited her to pray to know if Heavenly Father wanted her to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. On Sunday we went to pick her up for church but she would hardly look us in the eye and after trying for 20 minutes to get her to talk to us she said she didn't want to go to church. It was heart breaking and I was kind of numb for most of church. They asked me to lead the music in sacrament meeting and I started singing after the intro but I couldn't hear anyone so I sang louder and then I realized that NO ONE was singing. I looked up and people were looking at me funny and my companion was laughing. I looked back at Sister Adams who was playing the piano and she said "are you ready?" I didn't know that they usually played the whole first verse as an additional intro so I got a surprise solo. The whole branch already thinks I'm "special" because of my diet ... but it made my companion smile so that was probably the best part of the day.

Today we are going to go spend some time in Pleasanton. It is a super cute town next to Livermore. It is a bit more ritzy but we have picked up a few people to work with last week so we will be spending more time there. Their downtown is ADORABLE and if I wasn't doing the budget challenge this month I might try and buy some of their adorable scarfs and things. There is a store called Therapy we pass by on the way to dinner on Saturdays that has a pig's head and I really want to check it out.

This week I'd like to share a quote by Richard G. Scott. I love this quote because I feel like it reflects the lesson Heavenly Father wanted me to learn this last week. I became so preoccupied with the numbers and the lessons and the contacts that I wrote my own agenda and did not allow room for the spirit to work. It is at times hard to be able to distinguish between our own thoughts and the whispering of the spirit but I also know that  Heavenly Father won't let his children suffer because of my hard hardheadedness and stubbornness. I know that as we soften our hearts and allow the Holy Ghost to dwell with us, he will direct and guide us through the tough times and decisions.

“...as you consistently strive to recognize and follow

feelings prompted by the Spirit, your confidence in the

direction you receive from the Holy Ghost will become

stronger... Spirituality yields two fruits. The first is

inspiration to know what to do, the second is power,

or the capacity to do it. Have patience as you are

perfecting your ability to be led by the Spirit. By

careful practice..and by being sensitive to the feelings

that come, you will gain spiritual guidance”

I know that as we soften our hearts and allow the Holy Ghost to dwell with us, he will direct and guide us through the tough times and decisions.

I know that Jesus Christ lives and that He is at the head of this church.

Love you all,

Hermana Quintana

10/28/14

This week we worked like mad women and were able to see miracles. It has been a little discouraging serving in Livermore because people keep breaking my heart. Mainly investigators and less actives who promise to come to church but never actually do. Sister Balderree has been studying Jacob 5 lately and we decided that we would make "Dig, Prune, Nourish" the theme for our week. We have been contacting everyday and specifically asking in prayer to be able to find more people to work with. As part of that we are going to areas of the city we don't normally go to and looking for new people there. We are also pruning or cleaning out our list of investigators and setting aside for a time those who are not yet ready to make and keep commitments. We are focusing our lessons on really helping people understand the doctrine of Jesus Christ (faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost, and enduring to the end). With these goals in mind we set off to work harder and more intelligently. We spent a whole hour and a half calling people and dropping by their houses to get them to come to church because what is faith without works, right? 

We were super stressed and excited running around like headless chickens but we were blessed to be able to have two investigators and 4 less active families at church. Sorry I ran out of time but I'd like to share with you some pictures from our halloween activity.

10/21/14

Well yesterday we had a visit from Elder Pino from the 70 and his wife who is super funny and cute. Sister Mella talked about how we can have the Spirit more. She talked about how we need to stop comparing ourselves to other people and talked about the parable of the talents. There are many talents and He doesn't give all the gifts to a single person so we cannot compare. She also said that the question we need to be asking is "Is the Lord happy with what I did today?"

We only have 69 hours to proselyte a week and often times we do not take advantage of them. The time we have to serve our Heavenly Father as full time missionaries is extremely short.

President Mella talked about how behind everything we do is the mission and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Elder Pino talked for a total of 2 and a half hours... after 90 minutes president Mella started hinting that the food was ready in the gym but he kept talking until President Mella stood up and very kindly reminded him that we hadn't eaten in over 6 hours and were hungry (He takes such good care of his missionaries). But Elder Pino's talk was just what I needed to hear. We read DyC 15 and 16 and he talked about how even though they say the same things the message is intimate and impressively personal.

We talked about how we have been recommended for this mission and how we must leave all personal affairs behind. He talked about how the reason we came on a mission should be to fulfill our missionary purpose (the gospel of Jesus Christ). He also said "if you came on a mission for the wrong reasons, stay for the right one." 

Lastly we talked about how we have qualified for the call letter but we must remain worthy to obtain the promised blessings.

After hearing his talk I have resolved to become a more consecrated missionary. I need to study and embrace the gospel so that I can make it mine. So that it can be a part of who I am.

Another great thing that happened yesterday was that we were able to find two less active families who are willing to take the missionary lessons so "sister Balderree can practice teaching in Spanish" (haha).

This was the most perfect way to start a new week after the roller-coaster that was last week (Marylin's family who had promised Sundaymorning to come to church bailed out and decided to go to the Catholic one last minute). But Heavenly Father reminded us that "His ways are not our ways" and led us straight to a former investigator who desperately needs the gospel back in her life.

'tis all for now folks!

Hermana Quintana

Meet the Mormons 10/13/14

Last week we had the amazing opportunity to watch Meet the Mormons before it came out on theaters. I really enjoyed the whole thing. I even started tearing up, I didn't cry (mom would say I have no soul) but there were a whole lot of Sisters and even some Elders who were wiping away tears when the lights turned on :)

We also got to go to do a session in the Oakland temple! Sister Adams took us and the English Sisters (she is truly an angel) and we had a lot of fun taking pictures in the garden as well as in the parking lot which overlooks the bay area. It was really clear that day so I was able to see San Francisco in the distance. It is marvelous to see the contrast of the white temple on the hill and the gray and foggy city below.

This week at our Zone Training Meeting we reviewed our mission culture which is: Obedience, Hard Work, Technical Competence, and Positive Attitude. Sister Balderree and I recommitted ourselves to be more obedient and we were truly blessed by our efforts. We are working with two sisters who are 10 and 12 years old. We had a lesson outside in the front lawn. We sat on towels and ate gluten free brownies and after the lesson the girls and their inactive member neighbors gave us a makeover. We had dinner at Chili's with a member afterwards and so we were trying to wipe our faces in the car outside. It was super funny. 

General Conference 10/6/14

GENERAL CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING!!!!!

I absolutely loved General Conference this weekend. I always feel like I love a part or two of a talk here and there but this conference I felt like the spirit was just screaming "pay attention!" to everything everyone said.

This week was kind of crazy because one of the sisters in the zone got transfered and her companion got a training call so we were in a trio covering two areas for three days until we went to pick up the new missionary. Her name is Sister Carter and she is super classy and funny.

Also, remember how I said I've been kind of sick lately? well it was actually more than just kind of so finally went to see someone about it and she asked me to go gluten free for a week and all the symptoms disappeared! I didn't realize just how bad I was feeling until I didn't feel that way anymore. I even got free Gluten-free brownie mixes from Sister Gregerson. Heavenly Father loves me!

I ran out of time this week with emailing but i just want to express my love for General Conference. I believe that God loves us and He has called a prophet to lead and guide us today. Today the prophet is Thomas S. Monson. He receives revelation from God on how to lead and direct Christ's church and the people this day. Because God loves us, He wants us to receive our own personal witness of His prophet, our testimony will grow as we listen to the prophet and heed his words.

Remember to "Live the Gospel Joyful!"

Hermana Quintana

9/29/14

Things are picking up here in Livermore. Last week we had exchanges with our Sister Training Leaders. Sister Stegelmeier came up to spend the day in Livermore with me. She is an incredible missionary and as sweet of a person as it gets. She is amazing and I feel so lucky that I got to be her temporary companion. She really helped me to figure things out and the rest of the week had a completely different feel. Sister Balderee and I decided that we wanted (actually, we really NEEDED) miracles so we fasted. We spent our lunch timeon Sunday running around inviting people to come to church. When Sunday school started there was no one there and in relief society only one nonmember was there. Just as the doors were closing for the sacrament a family sneaked in and I felt like I was going to cry with excitement and humbleness at the love Heavenly Father showed me in granting us this. I had to give a talk on prayer and personal revelation and I noticed a family walk in and sit down as I stood up to give my talk. I talked about Joseph Smith and how he had a question. I mentioned his preparation (scripture study, research...) and of his faith. I also talked about how after he received an answer ( a vision!) he followed through and did as Heavenly Father commanded him. After Sacrament I found out the second family had been the previous sisters investigators and she had randomly showed up without us even talking to her. She was super shy and didn't want to talk with us but her kids ran over to get food from the linger longer we had right after sacrament and she ended up staying for a whole hour! Our little branch was more united this last Sunday than they have been for at least the past 6 weeks. There was SO much food and the company was so pleasant. My heart was overflowing with thankfulness and I felt like I was floating the rest of the day. I was feeling so good and nice we gave our car to the Elders so they could say good bye to people faster and I rode a bike for the first time in a skirt. That turned out to be a huge blessing because as we rode our bikes we were contacting and we happened upon two of our investigators. If we had been in a car we would have gone straight to their house and would have missed them. We got to meet their parents for the first time and got the OK to keep teaching them (the kids are 10 and 12).

These last 6 weeks have been crazy and it has definitely been the toughest transfer on my mission but just when I feel like I can't take another step Heavenly Father wraps me up in his arms and shows me that He loves me and that everything is going to be just fine. Thank you all so much for your love and support.

Hermana Quintana

Also, remember the little kid who sat all by himself and it broke my heart? It turns out his parents really are active but they had just been sick that day :)

9/22/14

Livermore is a very sleepy town full of very rich people. It is hard to find people to talk to on the street but there are some very nice people we've found who, although they do not want to meet with us, are willing to stop on the street and listen to us. One thing that is really great here is that there are a lot of service opportunities for us in the community. Also, the food here is incredible. Because the people are so fancy, there are a ton of really classy places in downtown and it looks like it could easily be in a movie. There are lights hanging on the streets and warmers by the outdoor tables (hehe). There are also a lot of vineyards in the outskirts of the city and that reminds me of good old Greenfield.

We had to drop the baptismal date that the Sisters had because Pedro won't come to church and was avoiding us for a while. We finally caught him outside of his house last Saturday and had what I thought was a very spiritual lesson. When we tried to recommit him to baptism he was quiet for a bit then went off on some crazy story about how the Virgin Mary appeared to him and gave him the power to look at the sun without burning his eyes. He claims that he gathers electricity which helps him to be able to detect liars. I am not sure if he is calling us liars or what but he was in gangs and into heavy drugs and alcohol so I am sure that there were some mental repercussions... 

We are also teaching my very first full American investigator. I am pretty sure we are supposed to hand her over to the English elders but my companion loves her a ton so I'm not quite sure what to do because she would not understand anything if she came to our Spanish branch. She is a single mother of three adorable little babies and has indigo hair. She has a really cool Dark Crystal t-shirt and she actually read the pamphlet and went online to do some research before our appointment. It kind of worries me that she is not going to mormon.orgto do her research but I love her desire to know for herself.

This Sunday there was a young man who passed the sacrament who reminded me of my little brother (his name was actually Gustavo too!). I noticed that when they sat down with their families he went to sit by himself in the second pew, he pulled out his scriptures and started to read. It broke my heart to see this young 12 year old boy sitting there all alone. I wondered where his parents where and I appreciated so much more the courage and dedication of this young boy. He probably got himself up in the morning, shinned his shoes, tied his tie, picked out his white shirt and khaki pants, gathered his scriptures and made his way to church. He said the closing prayer in Sacrament and I have never known such a mature young man. He prayed for all of those who had not made it to the meeting and asked a blessing for their safe return.

This is the Church of Jesus Christ, here we learn of His Gospel which is centered on the family. I am very grateful for my family and the support that they have been to me through my ups and downs and just-plain-crazy times. We are like an old battered quilt which at times has holes and is patched by duck tape but it is very warm and it is stitched together with love and woven through with Christ as the centerpiece. I am so grateful for all of you who have put up with me and become family through our experiences. May you always remember that there is a network of people ready to help you through whatever you are facing and that the Savior is always there to wrap you in his loving embrace.

I love you all so much.

Hermana Quintana

Game Changer! 9/15/14

Last Monday morning I received a call from President Mella informing me that a missionary was very sick and had to go home so I was emergency transferred to Livermore. There was no one to come fill my spot in El Camino so our brand new area was left alone and Sister Boyd was put back in a trio with in the other sisters' area. I was very sad to leave but very grateful for the 21 days of miracles I was able to witness in Mountain View. The people there are ripe for the picking and I know that Sister Boyd will find a way to get herself to Mountain View to take care of those people.

Another thing that added to my newness is that I am training a new missionary who has only been out 3 weeks so it is like whitewashing... again. I know Heavenly Father always has a purpose to everything that happens but I am starting to seriously look at my missionary life and try to figure out what lesson I am supposed to learn from all of these white-washings. At the very least, I have faith that this is Heavenly Father's work and that he won't let me mess it up too bad.

The new missionary is very young, just 19, she is very bold and very excited to be a missionary. I honestly have no idea what I am doing but hopefully I can get some advice from other people who are training at advanced orientation.

Anyway, please send those stories soon along with any advice you may have.

Love you lots,

Hermana Quintana

9/8/14

This week we were able to so some incredible progress in our area. We decided to skip dinner and just work last Monday. We weren't quite sure what to do because our plans fell through but just then we received a referral from Oregon for a family who lived in our area so we visited them. The mom wasn't home but we talked to the 14 and 8 year old daughters who were super receptive and made a return appointment for Saturday. We decided we were going to work on our member present lessons so we invited a lady in our ward who showed up with her friend. They were so excited to teach that they took 10 to 15 minutes each to share their conversion story and testimony. Marichuy ended up getting bits and pieces of tithing, baptisms for the dead, priesthood, and the plan of salvation with her lesson as well as a very detailed explanation of our beliefs about the Virgin Mary but through all of the chaos of words the spirit was super strong and both her daughter and her accepted to make a return appointment for next week.

We also met the coolest Chinese man walking down the street with a purple pumpkin Halloween bucket. I had to explain what Halloween was and he said "...so kids come knock on my door and I have to give them candy?" I thought about how silly it sounded but I am still super excited because tons of people will be out and we'll be passing mormon.org cards haha!

Ran our of time today but I love you all lots,

I would really appreciate if you could all share with me your conversion story, even if you are a life long member of the church, please share how you came to gain your own testimony. 

My sister will put my mailing address on facebook and on the blog.

Lots of love,

Hermana Quintana

3975 McLaughlin Ave Ste A, San Jose CA 95121

9/1/14

 I feel like my heart is turning a little bit Texan all thanks to my new companion sister Boyd. I actually used "y'all" out loud yesterday without thinking, she was super happy.

Last week was really interesting.

 I have been sick since I arrived in Mountain View and it has made working really hard  and not very productive. It was difficult to feel the spirit and even harder to concentrate or remember people's names or addresses. I finally admitted I needed help and asked the Elders in the ward to give me a blessing. I wish I'd done it sooner because it helped tremendously. It was really interesting to see the way Heavenly Father worked. I was still sick but the symptoms were so mild that we could work harder and longer, I could feel the spirit's promptings, and I honestly enjoyed walking around for 3 hours. 

There are a ton of very interesting characters in the city. Yesterday we talked with a man who kept saying he wasn't going to kill us but made weird remarks about burning himself with the acid from my stomach and having to go to jail. We also ran into a man who believed the Book of Mormon to be an accurate historical record of a people who populated the Americas long ago but he believed Joseph Smith had added chapter (3 Nefi 11) about Jesus to make a religion out of. He failed to notice that the WHOLE book testifies of Jesus Christ. There is not a single chapter, or page for that matter, that does not talk about him or refer to him or his work. 

We also met some really incredible youth. Yesterday we spent 30 minutes talking to a young woman about Christianity. We shared a lot of the same beliefs and then she found out we were Mormon and she freaked out. We kept talking and by the end she said we were her favorite Mormons ever.

This week's spiritual message comes in the form of a quote we received from Sister Mella (Mission president's wife).

"One of Satan’s most frequently used deceptions is the notion that the commandments of God are meant to restrict freedom and limit happiness. Young people especially sometimes feel that the standards of the Lord are like fences and chains, blocking them from those activities that seem most enjoyable in life. But exactly the opposite is true. 

The gospel plan is the plan by which men are brought to a fulness of joy. This is the first concept I wish to stress: The gospel principles are the steps and guidelines that will help us find true happiness and joy."

Ezra Taft Bensen

I know that God's commandments are given to us for our protection, for our benefit, and are given with love to help us return to the presence of our heavenly father.

Love all y'all,

Hermana Quintana

8/25/14

Last week was transfer meeting and I replaced my green fields and rolling hills for freeways and tall buildings (and roommates). It was definitely a culture shock. Most of our neighbors are Indian and there are a ton of Asian people and now instead of playing "spot the white" we play "spot the Hispanics" because as Spanish missionaries it is really hard to find Spanish speakers to teach in this area... 

This week was harder than my first week on the field mainly because I was used to just going from lesson to lesson but we are whitewashing a brand new area and, as great as the previous missionaries were, there are no records or progressing investigators to work with so we are just making it up as we go. Our area is quite large and 30 minutes away from where we live so that kind of feels familiar :)

I am very grateful to have Sister Boyd as a companion. She is an incredibly consecrated missionary who loves to serve and loves the Gospel with all her heart and it definitely shows! We have been going to bed absolutely exhausted and have been blessed to witness the Lord's tender mercies. In the last two days we have been able to catch up on lessons which lifted up my spirits and helped me to feel better about the whole situation. 

Yesterday we met two incredible people. One was a philosopher type guy who kind of thought himself into not needing God or religion. We talked  about research and I asked him if he wanted to try an experiment he said "sure" so I gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon (haha) he kind of smiled but took it and as we explained the background his attitude changed and he said didn't really want us to teach him about the religion but that he was willing to read the Book of Mormon and to test it out first. I took this conversation as a huge sign from Heavenly Father that he is aware of how I feel and that he loves me and is taking care of me.

Later that night we met another young man who is unlike any other person I have ever met... He had a hard time focusing but by the end we managed to through in some gospel principles and have a good discussion about our purpose here on Earth. He had an attitude of happiness and that really was an example to me of how, even in the most difficult of circumstances, we can choose to be happy. Joe invited us over to his house and asked if he could walk with us. He isn't interested in religion but we might take him contacting with us. He'll be our nonmember present ;) haha

For my spiritual thought I'd like to share an experience from a recently returned missionary (the daughter of bishop Haight) who served in Canada. She told the story of how they had one hour to get someone baptized who was on an oxygen machine and would not be able to make the trip to the chapel to be baptized. They were told to find a pool so they ran around trying to find someone who would let them use their pool, after searching and searching and knocking on everyone's doors they finally found someone who said yes and they were able to baptize this man. She spoke about how Heavenly Father always provides a way, that He knows what is going on and that he allows us to work for things but that he always answers and helps us to accomplish His work. As Moroni once said "And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will." I know that this is true. I have witnessed it myself very closely this week. Do not loose hope, do not loose faith. Everything works out for the best in the end.

Lots of love,

Hermana Quintana

8/19/14

Last Friday night we got a phone call from the APs that Sister Bair was going to train a brand new missionary next transfer. I was super excited for her but also a little upset because that meant that I was getting transferred for sure. She was still on the phone when i tore the closet door open, pulled out my suitcase, and shoved all my clothes in it... 

On Saturday Lupi spoke at Stake Conference and did a really great job sharing her testimony in front of a very large group of people and Elder Nielsen from the 70. I'm not sure she knew who he was but she wasn't nervous at all. Sonia came with Lupi and really enjoyed the talks. We had a sleep over with the Seaside sisters so we didn't have to drive back and forth for the next session. It was there that I got the official "moving out" text from the zone leaders. We spent a big portion of Sunday night saying goodbye to people.

On Monday we went to the beach to say goodbye to the zone and sign journals. The Elders found a big dug out fort and we it over. We took a few pictures then headed back to our own private tour of the Richardson Adobe (aka the haunted hotel in Ghost Hunters International!!!). A member of the ward works for the city and let us run around and told us the history. It is pretty old and racketty and I would not be surprised if there were giant rats living there but thankfully we didn't see any rats... or ghosts.

We also had Sonia's baptismal interview on Monday and now Sister Bair and her new trainee are set to go for her baptism on Friday night... oh yeah, did I mention I got TRANSFERRED?!

I just got moved to a brand new area that is in a big city just north of San Jose. There are a ton of hindu and indian people and almost no hispanics which is really weird for me. Also, there are a billion cars and freeways everywhere so driving is kind of scary. Sister Boyd and I are opening up a new area so neither of us know anyone or anything and the boundaries are still kind of unclear but we've decided that our new motto is going to be "We'll figure it out!" I am in an apartment with two other sisters who will be going home pretty soon. About half our zone will be home within the next 3 transfers so that is kind of weird. 

I absolutely loved serving in the Greenfield ward. There were many people prepared to hear and receive the message of the restored Gospel. I am sad to leave but grateful for this new experience. It will definitely be a growing and humbling one but this is the Lord's work and he will not let me mess it up too bad, right?

I'd like to close by sharing a thought from the Monterey Stake Conference. Sister Nielsen, wife of Elder Nielsen (area 70), shared a quote her dad used to say: "the Holy Ghost is in you like breathing". It was kind of a funny quote but also really deep. We often do  not think about breathing, it is something that we do all day every day but it is not until we are unable to take in air that we become aware of what we are doing. She said that it is the same with the spirit. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we have been confirmed and have received the gift of the Holy Ghost. As long as we remain worthy of its companionship it can be with us all the time. We get so desensitized that we forget it is there and that it has a special purpose. Let us prepare ourselves to be sensitive to that spirit. Let us pray, study, and look for signs of its presence.

I love you all,

Hermana Quintana

8/12/14

This week we had a couple of meetings and things come up so things got switched around and it ended up being a very unusual week. It started off kind of slow because some of our big appointments fell through but we were still able to meet with Sonia and keep her on track for baptism next week (the 23rd). She came to church this Sunday again and we found out that her situation at home just got super complicated and difficult but she is such a great example of faith because she still wants to go through with her baptism. She shared her experience in Relief Society and it was heart warming to see the love the sisters in the ward already have for her. They all reached out with comforting advice and the spirit was really strong.

We were also really fortunate to still meet with Maria and Pedro who have been reading in the Book of Mormon and who both came to church last Sunday!!!! It was a really big sign of Pedro's faith because it was a huge sacrifice to close his ice cream truck for an hour during his highest selling time and come to church but we talked with them about the importance of baptism and they both agreed that it was something they would like to do together. The only thing is that Maria is planning a month long trip to mexico next week so we can't really teach Pedro... 

On Friday we had Zone Training Meeting and sister Bair and I taught about the importance of contacting (something our mission does instead of knocking on doors). I believe they assigned me that topic because is something that I struggle with. I can do it and I will do it when we need to but it is not something I look forward to doing and I really do need to change my attitude about it. I think it is just hard for me because I am not good with small talk and I don't want to interrupt people but I just need to remember that I have something they need and that they'll be so grateful on the day of their baptism.

We had exchanges that day and Sister Ikegami got to come down to Greenfield with me. She is so incredibly awesome that I felt super spoiled to get to spend the whole day with her. She is super funny and has a real gift for talking to people. 

On Saturday we helped out with the set up for the wedding of a family in the ward. It was a lot of work but kind of fun. 

Yesterday we went to the temple visitor center with one of our part member families. The mom is a returning less active, the dad is not a member, and the daughter is getting baptized next month. It was a very long car ride (5 hours total) and we didn't really have a preparation day but it was totally worth it because the spirit was super strong and the dad, who has never shown any interest in the church before, was the one who participated most during the presentations. He was really attentive to the videos of the first presidency and the quorum of the 12 apostles and even asked questions. We were able to teach part of the restoration and he was really receptive. He was even a little bummed that the garden was closed for renovation so we couldn't go up the stairs to see more.

After the temple they took us out for lunch and even dropped us off at a zone missionary activity while they ran errands so we could see our missionary friends we never get to see. 

On a more spiritual note: I'd like to share with you something that a departing missionary shared with us during ZTM. They are directed to missionaries but can be applied to everyone.

- Don't be so judgmental. As members of the church we tend to judge each other more harshly and hold each other to higher standards than to the rest of the world. And although it is true that members should and do know the commandments and standards of the church, no one is perfect and it is not our place to judge anyone.

- Think about what is the most important thing in your life. A truly converted person will always put the Lord first above all other things, a truly converted person will want to share the Lord's gospel with everyone.

- Be happy! So many missionaries go around stressing about time and numbers and, although those things are important, we sometimes forget the reason we are out here. We do this for love and love is something that makes us happy.

I love you all!

Hermana Quintana

8/5/14

 This week was kind of slow but really fast at the same time. I've just come to terms with the fact that time has no relevance as a missionary, it just kind of comes and goes at it's own pace like a little puppy that is taken out and let loose for the first time. Perhaps I should save the deep analogies to Sister Bair haha. We had two awesome member present lessons with Sonia this last week. The problem with member present lessons is that they are so hard to predict. The first was with our recent convert who is still learning herself so it was great to include her and show her that she has a deeper understanding than she thinks and that she does not need to be a scholar to share her testimony and impact lives. She also offered Sonia a ride to church which was a great blessing. After the lesson they stayed and talked and that really helped her to feel comfortable enough to accept our church invitation. The next lesson we had with her we took a very experienced and knowledgeable member of the ward who kind of went into deep doctrine but it just really helped Sonia to feel that she can be a part of the Church and that the members of the ward really do care about her.

We did have a very ... exciting? thing happen on Wednesday. We usually meet our young investigators on Wednesday mornings because they are not currently in school and no one really has plans on Wednesdays. Well, we were teaching Adriana on her doorstep when a guy walks past us on the sidewalk and then comes over and asks if he can study with us. We said sure and he pulled out his bible from his backpack and starts bible bashing. He called us liars and said that the Catholic church could trace their authority back to Timothy or someone. It was quite rude but Adriana just rolled her eyes, the situation was pretty manageable until Enrique (a recent convert) came out and started fighting back. The spirit was just a mile away and then Sister Bair asked the biblebasher to say the prayer and he prayed for a really long time thanking Jesus with open arms and looking at the heavens. He invited us to go talk with him at his house we told him we'd send boy missionaries ;)

It was really hard to get the spirit back for our next lesson but we were rewarded with 3 new investigators that day!!!! Talk about miracles after the trial :) We also had a lesson with Hermana Guapo who actually felt something and we were able to have a discussion. It has been a really long time since she has felt the spirit and it was really humbling to be able to witness that. 

Maria and Pedro (our investigators with the ice cream truck) took us out for breakfast on Thursday to Denny's we talked about the plan of Salvation and Sister Bair pulled out a drawing she had made to help her study and Maria took it and at the end folded it and tucked it in her Book of Mormon (which she carries in her purse!). Her husband said "that paper is hers" and she said "but I need it to study!" and didn't give it back. It was super cute :) 

On Friday we had the Spanish ward activity. Maria and Pedro as well as one of the Elders' investigators came along with the bishop and 3 or 4 other families. We talked about the Book of Mormon and explained how we can come to know that it is true and invited them all, nonmembers and members alike to take Moroni's challenge and gain a personal testimony.

On Sunday it was Miriam's birthday and we helped Hermana Lopez prepare things for the surprise birthday party they were throwing her. Hermana Lopez has not been able to go to church or work for the past 2 weeks because she hurt her back and can't really carry heavy things or lift things but she seems to be getting better so hopefully she can come back to church next Sunday. She is a really incredible lady with a lot of faith and a dedication to help others.

Yesterday was p-day and we went to Salinas. It was so weird to see stores and to go to the mall. I think we were only in there for 30 minutes before we walked out but I did find a dress for $5 in Old Navy so I think it was worth it. Also, a member from the Prunedel ward paid for our lunch. Josh and Sis. Phui's brother came to lunch with us and they had all sorts of crazy conversations about the second coming and how Utah is the worst and about the history of California. It was really fun to observe and see their point of view though I don't necessarily agree with either of them

This week I've been powering through the Book of Mormon and I've been studying it as well in Preach My Gospel and in Ensign articles. More and more I come to know that it truly was written by prophets of God. There is no other book which speaks more to my soul or stands as a greater testimony that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that Heavenly Father loves and cares about me. This morning I was studying in Ether chapter 12. I love how Moroni includes examples of people who were able to, because of their faith, work mighty miracles and bring about the conversion of many. I am grateful for their example of being committed missionaries, fully consecrated to the cause. May we all strive to follow their example and make studying the Book of Mormon a priority in our lives.

I love you all,

Hermana Quintana

This week was kind of slow but really fast at the same time. I've just come to terms with the fact that time has no relevance as a missionary, it just kind of comes and goes at it's own pace like a little puppy that is taken out and let loose for the first time. Perhaps I should save the deep analogies to Sister Bair haha. We had two awesome member present lessons with Sonia this last week. The problem with member present lessons is that they are so hard to predict. The first was with our recent convert who is still learning herself so it was great to include her and show her that she has a deeper understanding than she thinks and that she does not need to be a scholar to share her testimony and impact lives. She also offered Sonia a ride to church which was a great blessing. After the lesson they stayed and talked and that really helped her to feel comfortable enough to accept our church invitation. The next lesson we had with her we took a very experienced and knowledgeable member of the ward who kind of went into deep doctrine but it just really helped Sonia to feel that she can be a part of the Church and that the members of the ward really do care about her.

We did have a very ... exciting? thing happen on Wednesday. We usually meet our young investigators on Wednesday mornings because they are not currently in school and no one really has plans on Wednesdays. Well, we were teaching Adriana on her doorstep when a guy walks past us on the sidewalk and then comes over and asks if he can study with us. We said sure and he pulled out his bible from his backpack and starts bible bashing. He called us liars and said that the Catholic church could trace their authority back to Timothy or someone. It was quite rude but Adriana just rolled her eyes, the situation was pretty manageable until Enrique (a recent convert) came out and started fighting back. The spirit was just a mile away and then Sister Bair asked the biblebasher to say the prayer and he prayed for a really long time thanking Jesus with open arms and looking at the heavens. He invited us to go talk with him at his house we told him we'd send boy missionaries ;)

It was really hard to get the spirit back for our next lesson but we were rewarded with 3 new investigators that day!!!! Talk about miracles after the trial :) We also had a lesson with Hermana Guapo who actually felt something and we were able to have a discussion. It has been a really long time since she has felt the spirit and it was really humbling to be able to witness that. 

Maria and Pedro (our investigators with the ice cream truck) took us out for breakfast on Thursday to Denny's we talked about the plan of Salvation and Sister Bair pulled out a drawing she had made to help her study and Maria took it and at the end folded it and tucked it in her Book of Mormon (which she carries in her purse!). Her husband said "that paper is hers" and she said "but I need it to study!" and didn't give it back. It was super cute :) 

On Friday we had the Spanish ward activity. Maria and Pedro as well as one of the Elders' investigators came along with the bishop and 3 or 4 other families. We talked about the Book of Mormon and explained how we can come to know that it is true and invited them all, nonmembers and members alike to take Moroni's challenge and gain a personal testimony.

On Sunday it was Miriam's birthday and we helped Hermana Lopez prepare things for the surprise birthday party they were throwing her. Hermana Lopez has not been able to go to church or work for the past 2 weeks because she hurt her back and can't really carry heavy things or lift things but she seems to be getting better so hopefully she can come back to church next Sunday. She is a really incredible lady with a lot of faith and a dedication to help others.

Yesterday was p-day and we went to Salinas. It was so weird to see stores and to go to the mall. I think we were only in there for 30 minutes before we walked out but I did find a dress for $5 in Old Navy so I think it was worth it. Also, a member from the Prunedel ward paid for our lunch. Josh and Sis. Phui's brother came to lunch with us and they had all sorts of crazy conversations about the second coming and how Utah is the worst and about the history of California. It was really fun to observe and see their point of view though I don't necessarily agree with either of them

This week I've been powering through the Book of Mormon and I've been studying it as well in Preach My Gospel and in Ensign articles. More and more I come to know that it truly was written by prophets of God. There is no other book which speaks more to my soul or stands as a greater testimony that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that Heavenly Father loves and cares about me. This morning I was studying in Ether chapter 12. I love how Moroni includes examples of people who were able to, because of their faith, work mighty miracles and bring about the conversion of many. I am grateful for their example of being committed missionaries, fully consecrated to the cause. May we all strive to follow their example and make studying the Book of Mormon a priority in our lives.

I love you all,

Hermana Quintana

7/29/14

This week was kind of crazy and all over the place. I think I already mentioned that we had zone conference in Santa Cruz and traffic was kind of bad and we were 15 minutes late even though we gave ourselves a 30 minute window so we could arrive early.... :/

On Wednesday we had a lesson with Maria :) and we finally got to teach her husband! YAY!!! He is a very quiet man and very restless so it was a big deal for him to give us 45 minutes to listen to the message of the restoration. Maria is super sweet and she had prepared for us cups of cubed fruit and she gave us some juice and she talked with us and told us how much she loved us coming over and how much she liked church and she really wants to go to the temple someday and so we have to teach her husband so they can get sealed... I love her so much!

We also finally got to see Yajaira who has been super busy this past month with work and cheer tryouts and all other teenager adventures. We also saw both Adrianas. I let it slip to Adriana M that I was going to be transfered in a few weeks and she got upset and she wrote a letter saying that I "could not be transferred" and that they should leave me. She said "deliver that!" She's so funny.

This week we also met with Norma and Yadira to help get them on track for Yadira's baptism in two weeks (woot woot!) and we had an awesome member present lesson with Paula. She has been struggling with reading and understanding the Book of Mormon but Miriam was able to really help her dissect the verses and take it one concept at the time. She is a teacher for a living so she really knows how people learn. I think it helped me too :) 

Another really incredible miracle was that when we went to our appointment with Sonia her aunt showed up. Sonia invited her to sit and listen and then she was so excited to share with her aunt all of the things she has been learning that she took over the lesson and talked about Joseph Smith, prophets, the word of wisdom, the law of chastity, and parts of the plan of salvation. It was several minutes before we could talk and kind of explain her overwhelmed aunt in a manner that made more sense. Sonia invited her to her baptism and also to learn more. She hasn't even been baptized and she is already sharing the gospel and being a great member missionary!

Saturday we spent most of the day weeding in the hot, hot sun. I'm pretty sure it got into the 90's and it was not fun but we were super low in service hours because of all of the meetings and such so we rolled up our sleeves and just got to work. Sister Bair got a blister because she didn't use her gloves for the last hour or so. I got to run around with a push mower and that was really fun!

Also on Sunday we met a really incredible guy named Renee at the park. We never go to that side of town but we felt we wanted to switch up our contacting routine. He looked pretty tough and I was a bit apprehensive of talking to him but once we started talking we were able to share with him what we believed and he asked us several questions that pertained to other religions from around the world. I had no idea how to answer and was very grateful that Sister Bair was able to answer completely and help him get the answers he needed. Also on Sunday Sister Bair ran over a squirrel on our way back from Dinner. We saw it run out and both of us gasped when we hard the bump. It was kind of intense and the most exciting thing besides finding Renee that happened that day.

This week really was all over the place but I was humbled and able to strengthen my faith that this is the Lord's work and that He will lead us to find people who are prepared to hear the gospel but they are usually hiding among a lot of other people who are not yet ripe so it is up to us to go and find them. To seek them out and to give them a chance to hear the message before they say yes or no. 

I love you all,

Hermana Quintana