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