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