Serving in San Antonio Texas: Curry and Makeup... August 19, 2019

This week was awesome as always! It is so dang hot here in Texas, but other than that it is the perfect place to be!!

This last week was absolutely crazy busy! We have still been trying to just get to know people in the Parkside ward, so we did lots of member visits over there! The hard thing with that ward is that it is so far from our apartment, and we didn't receive any more miles this month even though we got a bigger area haha so we are being really careful with our miles, but it is all good, we will survive somehow!

We were able to do high fitness again this last week, and it was awesome just like usual! One of the instructors named Daniel had her two year certification party, so there were literally double the amount of people there and the gym was so crowded haha but it's all good! We got to sample her protein bars that she makes so that was awesome too!
After high fitness we got to go to lunch with Patricia! She is the nonmember that we have gotten close with through service at the food pantry, and also the one that gave us the gift card! She took us out to a pizza place and it was so delicious haha but it was just good to see her again! We switched the days we do service at the food pantry so now we don't see our normal friends anymore! Patricia also just got back from Puerto Rico and so she told us all about her humanitarian trip! She is so awesome.

We had dinner with a part member family this last week, and they are the funniest couple ever. He is a firefighter, and she just retired from being a school teacher. She isn't the member, but pretty much her whole family is, like she even had one of her sons serve a mission haha but we had such a good time at dinner and they fed us so much food! So much for our goal of losing 10 lbs this transfer haha. Anyways, we are going to start visiting with her weekly and doing come follow me's with her! We asked if she would like the lessons and she suggested that she wants to do better with the come follow me, so we are excited! She is pretty much a member, just hasn't been baptized haha. We will get there ;)

Friday we went over to a nonmembers house and they are from India and they taught us how to cook Curry and then she sent it all home with us! Our fridge is so stuffed with food and it is crazy haha we literally aren't buying anything this week. It was so fun to spend the time with Mary though and dang, they make their food SPICY!!! But it is still delicious haha.
That evening we had an extra hour that one of our visits fell through, and so we went and helped one of the families move out of their house! She was the member that helped us translate during our lesson in Mandarin, so we are for sure going to miss having her in our ward!

Saturday morning we got invited to go support a local high school by going to their band fundraiser! A member in our Parkside ward has a kid in the band, so she bought our tickets and everything! Us and the elders went and used it as a great finding source! Sadly we didn't have much success because everybody didn't want to talk to us and would rather watch the band (band is so big here, like almost as big as football) and it was weird haha. We were able to talk to two girls that were in the band and had a good 15 min conversation with them in the sun, and I probably could have filled up a bucket of sweat it was so hot haha.
Saturday afternoon we had another great visit with Stephanie! We planned her baptism program, and just explained what the day will look like! She is honestly so cute and I know for sure she is one of the main reasons I was sent up to the Liberty Hill area. I feel like we are just so alike and she is just absolutely amazing, so I am thrilled for her and her decision to be baptized! It is still set for the 31st, in the afternoon and it can't come soon enough!! So many people have asked to come to her baptism, so she has a great support system as well! I am just overly joyed for Stephanie if y'all can't tell haha.
Saturday evening we were able to eat dinner with my family! They recently went on a trip to Alaska, so they were having a special fish cook out and we were able to go! I also had a nice surprise and got to see another aunt and uncle, and also my grandparents! It was amazing!
After dinner we went to Loris house and Lori was crazy busy taking care of her dad, so we visited with Lori's nephew and her nephews daughter, and her name is Colette and oh my goodness she is the cutest thing in the world. She did our makeup, so I promise I didn't make myself look like that haha. Colette is the sassiest three year old I have probably ever met though. l love it.

Sunday we had LOTS of church, but it was awesome! We were also fasting with Lori to try and help her have some more strength to progress towards baptism, so it was awesome! Church was super special because Stephanie and her family came to church, and it has been a while since they had come since she was super sick during her pregnancy, but when they were at church they were just glowing and she looked so happy!! It just makes my heart so happy to see others coming unto Christ and improving their lives.
Sunday evening we had a lesson in Parkside with a part member family also from India, and all of the family are members except for the mother! She was never really interested, but she told us that since the church is now only 5 min from their house she is going to start coming and we are now going to start teaching her every Sunday evening! It is quite funny because we have someone we are teaching in Mandarin and Tamil (indian language) but can't find anybody to teach that speaks spanish haha.

I just want to tell my Grandma Bowcutt happy birthday this week!! I hope you get everything you could wish for!! I love you tons!

Thank you all for the constant love and support! I love you all and I hope you have the best week.

Much love, Hermana Griffin