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

Mawidge

This week was really incredible, I am full of happiness and ecstatic to share the news with all of you: MARIA IS LEGALLY MARRIED TO HER CURRENT HUSBAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I nearly pulled an Ammon and fainted with joy but I managed to compose myself and was totally chill 

 for the whole lesson :)

I'll start at the beginning... On Tuesday we did service then saw the G family. They are less active, the mother hasn't been to church for about a year and what worries me is that she does not see a difference between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the other churches. Also, a Jehovah's Witness showed up and started with her "What's God's name?" thing. She finally left so we carried on with the lesson. We also saw Paola. Paola's brother is on a mission right now, she is a former investigator but she felt pushed by the last missionaries so we are taking it slow with her. She is really cool and makes very deep observations that make me think about life. We also found out that Yasmin was in the hospital so we visited her after dinner. Poor thing!

On Wednesday we saw Maria:) [I call her maria smiley face because we teach a lot of marias and this maria in particular always smiles and is super kind] anyway, we planned to teach the law of chastity and since she had mentioned that she was not married to her husband we really planned out what we were going to say and how. We started by showing her a picture of the temple and explaining what it was and about how families really can be together forever and not just for this life. She absolutely loved it so we talked about some of the things we need to do to prepare for the temple like living certain commandments. She told us about her previous marriage and about how important it was to be faithful to your spouse then she mentioned that her current husband had a similar past and that is why they had decided to get together. At this point I was just dreading what was coming but then she made a comment about how they had gone to Salinas to sign the papers and I just asked her "so... you are legally married to the man you live with?" It might not have been very tactful but she just said "we are not married in the eyes of God because the Catholic church won't let me get a church divorce from my previous husband." So I repeated the question and she explained that she WAS legally divorced from husband #1 and is legally married to husband #2. Ohhhh man! Then she brought up how much she would love to get married with her husband in the temple and now she wants to wait to be baptized so she can be baptized with her husband. I'm a selfish missionary and want her to get baptized now but she has a very good reason so I'll just swallow my pride and be happy for her.

On Thursday we saw Yadira and Norma at 11:30 a.m. but Yadira had just woken up and was still kind of out of it. We were talking about how their camping trip had gone when Norma mentioned a little creek that they had seen with a critter living in it. Yadira said "oh yeah! it was a lobster" to which Norma responded, "Trust me Yadira, if it had been a lobster I would have eaten it." Yadira looked super shocked and said, "You can't eat that mom, you don't know where it's been or what it's pooped!" I laughed about it the whole day :)

The weekend went by super quick and was highlighted by finding a new investigator. Her name is Maria (I'll name this one Chuy) and she is a friend of Hermana Josefina. We visited with her Friday and Sunday. She prays to the Virgin Mary and she gives her the credit of her husband surviving cancer for 10 years so that might be a little hard to explain to her, she also has a bit of a memory problem but she is great and has an awesome member friend already :)

This week I have been thinking a lot about the power of the small and simple things that make a big difference in our conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I thought a lot about prayer and scripture study but the one that really stuck out to me was church attendance. Every week I get to see a physical change that comes to the people we work with when they go to church on Sunday. When we ask them about their week, those who attended church use words that are more positive and uplifting. I was reading the Ensign from this year's April conference and there was a quote from Elder Donald L. Hallstrom about church that reads "We meet with confidence that His Atonement gives every one of us- no matter our weaknesses, our frailties, our addictions- the ability to change." I testify that this is true. Church is not just something we do for fun, for social opportunities, or to check off our to do list. We go to church because we know that it is an essential part of our spiritual progression and our eternal salvation.

Please remember that Heavenly Father loves you, that He sent His son to atone for our sins and because of that, we CAN change. There is hope!

I love you all, 

Hermana Quintana

lower lights

This week was really different from any other week I've had on my mission so far. It started out with the Meet and Greet for President and Sister Mella in San Jose on Tuesday morning, then on Wednesday we were finally able to set a baptismal date for Yadira because Norma was able to talk to her boss and ask for Sundays off so she could come to church. On Thursday morning the Seaside sisters showed up and I left with Sister Thornton to go to Seaside for exchanges. As we got on the freeway to leave King City the weirdest feeling came over me that I had forgotten to do something very important. I felt uneasy and impatient and just weird but what was really freaky was that Sister Thornton asked "do you feel like we forgot something? because I feel really weird!" We checked we had everything and kept going but the feeling went away as we got further away.... who know what it was!

Seaside is beautiful! We had district meeting on the beach. The Marina sisters brought chips and salsa and there were a few blankets to sit on. It was cold but it was perfect for the lesson which was about "the lower lights" and how all know the purpose and importance of a lighthouse but that not many people realize how vital the lower lights are on the shore. They are needed because many times there are rocks or reefs around but the lower lights let the ship know where there is a clear path to get to the shore. Brother Harris related this analogy to us as missionaries and how our purpose is to help others get to Christ. We have to always be shining that light and never let it go out or it could be very dangerous for those who are still out at sea.

After DM we did service and ate lunch at a sandwich shop called Ike's that is Sister Thornton's favorite place ever. Then we walked around for 2 and a half hours trying to visit people. No one was home but we found a new investigator and dropped in on another family. I had no idea who were members and who were investigators so I'd just start chatting and trying to listen for clues that would suggest who they were.

For dinner a member dropped off panda express and we took it to a really nice hill right on the beach with benches where we sat down to eat and watch the sun set. It was gorgeous! 

Then we visited a less active member who has the cutest little girls. We were trying to teach the Plan of Salvation but I didn't really feel like I was getting the message across.The 6 year old girl said the last prayer and thanked Heavenly Father for "sending the sister from...mexico? and please bless that she returns safely and that she can come live here soon." My heart melted. When we left the mom said, "we'll pray really hard that you get transferred here." I felt really bad for stealing Sister Thornton's lesson... I really do hope I get to serve there someday. 

The next day was the 4th of July and the whole Monterey zone volunteered to help out at the parade. We got free t-shirts!!! It was super fun. It was kind of weird to come back to King City after seeing so many people because the streets seemed even more deserted than usual. There were absolutely no human beings on the streets, even on the main ones and it was kind of creepy but we did find Maria :) and we reviewed the Restoration. We read a bit with her in 1 Nephi and she loved it. She is going through a hard time right now but she said she would read and pray to know if it was true, I'm just a little worried that she didn't come to church twice in a row now and this time she didn't call ahead to excuse herself... :/

BUT Sonia came AND she stayed for second hour AND she participated the most out of anyone in the class. I was so happy :) Also on sunday we went to the outgoing fireside for all of the Missionaries who are going home tomorrow because Sister Bair's trainer is going home and she asked Sister Bair to sing a song with her. Traffic was absolutely horrible. It was literally stopped in some parts and we were really afraid we would miss the whole thing. But due to a lot of prayers and His mercy we walked in a minute before Sister Monical (Bair's trainer) gave her farewell speech then she called out for Sister Bair to "get [her] butt up here" to sing with her. It was funny and they did a really great job.

Yesterday we got to go to the old fishermen's wharf our on Monterey. It is super touristy and cute and doesn't even smell like fish. I got crepes and the other sisters got clam chowder on a sourdough bread bowl. While I was waiting for my crepes a Swiss family walks up speaking French and I got to say hi and talk to them and it made me super happy. They asked where I was from and where I learned French and why my tag was in Spanish so I told them I was a missionary.

This week was really fun but it was also really hard. We struggled with lessons more than we did when we first opened the area and it was a trial of my patience and perseverance to keep going on to the next door. I was reminded a lot about the Savior's atonement as I thought about obedience. It would have been so much easier and less painful to give up or to only do a little but Jesus Christ endured through all of the pains and suffering because of his love for us. He obeyed the Father because of his love for Him and I need to develop that type of love so that I can endure and persevere even when things get hard and it would be so much easier to quit early and call it a day. The blessings we saw this week came as we pushed through the yawns and the pain in our feet and kept going and I can promise you all that as you put your faith and trust in the Lord and obey because of love, you will find more joy in the journey and more peace in your heart.

Lots of love,

Hermana Quintana