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