Enough with the gushyness hahah my week was FANTASTIC!! We just have SO much going on in the mission and in Carrizo Springs that honestly there have been so many days that we haven't had enough time to do everything we need to! A few weeks ago we used to have 30 min in the middle of the day to go out and play basketball or soccer but lately we haven't even had time to do that hahah.
For those of you who were able to watch the womens conference, one of the sisters (I don't remember her name.. oops) was talking about a meme she saw about how we should start wearing masks in our own homes.. not to prevent us from getting sick, but to prevent us from excessive snacking hahah I loved that and I feel like I definitely need to do that!!
Monday we had a crazy day! I've been trying to figure out what to do with my life after I come home (which isn't something I WANT to think about but i have to haha) and I've been talking with the new Dixie coach, so any and all prayers would be super appreciated that things will work out well and I can still have a chance to play the game I love again!
It was super weird to go from triple digits to double digits in days I have left.. I'm definitely not counting down but it's still weird to think about haha
Tuesday we had a sister call with all of the sisters in the mission and it was sweet!!
Then I got to have another virtual exchange with Sister Obray and she is so cute!! It has been weird to not be able to have regular exchanges BUT the blessings that we have to have technology is super helpful!
Wednesday we had district council over technology with our wonderful elders hahah and then after that we got to have a mission conference with Elder and Sister Villarreal! Elder Villarreal is a member of the 6th quorum of the 70, and is in our area presidency and he also lives in Balcones, my first area! I didn't realize how big of a calling he had when I was serving in Balcones, but when he explained a 70, it's amazing!! I'm blessed to have been able to know him and eat in his house hehe
He gave us SO MUCH amazing information and I took notes the whole time that I could probably narrate what he was saying hahah. Some of you may have seen a story I put on FB about "The Unmovable Rock" and if you haven't read it, do it!! It is super inspiring and truly helped remind me that I have been called to share the gospel with other people. The Lord hasn't asked me to bring to pass miracles or to force people to accept the gospel, but merely to share the gospel with others and see the miracles come from that! It was an amazing conference and I learned and was reminded of a lot!
That afternoon we were able to call into another district council (the assistants to the president called us two days in advance and asked us to share with their district how we've been able to find so many people through FB) and it was so fun! I've loved being able to share success with other missionaries and it's been even more fun to see the joy they receive when they have success in finding that way as well!
That evening I went on a friending spree hahahah and I think I sent friend requests to like 50 people... that evening we ended up teaching 6 of them so that was good haha a lot of them accepted but didn't reply to our message.. Something funny that our mission president told us a few weeks ago was how weird a mission can be.. haha because all growing up, our parents always told us to not talk to strangers, right? Well, on a mission you're supposed to talk to EVERY SINGLE PERSON you can which is weird haha but then our parents also told us to be careful about who our friends are on FB and now a days, we are pretty much friends with everyone and their dogs on FB hahahh so being a missionary is quite different, but its awesome!!!!
Thursday morning we had service with Ms B in her office and we cleaned out her room with all of her cans and helped her organize her office more and it was fun! She always has music playing and this time we asked her to play Christian music and we put on Nobody by Casting Crowns and had a concert hahah it was fun
We were able to drop off a Book of Mormon to Jesse who is someone we have been teaching and sharing messages with and that was fun!
While we were driving around trying to meet Jesse, there was a guy named Rusty that asked us to stop because his car was stuck halfway in the road and he asked if we could help jump his car so we did, and he asked who we were and it was weird to introduce ourselves again in person hahah but he then went on to tell us how he just moved from TOOELE and we asked if he had a Book of Mormon then and he said he actually needed another one because he gave his to one of his friends... it was super sweet!! He didn't end up needing us to jump him anyways because he realized it was his starter that wasn't working, but there is no doubt that was all put together by Heavenly Father!
We had an awesome phone lesson with the Jimenez family and were able to set up FHE this evening with the whole family!
We did service for the nursing home that night and we did the calendars again, and we found Christian music on FB and were listening to that and it was so fun haha we found my companions new favorite song...
I had a moment that night that I got homesick and then wow, I realized how much time I DON'T HAVE left on my mission and it made me quite sad haha but I'm trying not to focus on the time I have left but rather just work as hard as I can!!
Friday morning we had Mission Leadership Council through technology, and I loved it! It was awesome to be able to talk about how we can continue to become better! We also started the meeting off with our President reading through Jacob 5 with us and it was the coolest companionship study with our President ever!! We found out that our mission will be receiving FIFTEEN missionaries TODAY that have been reassigned here, so that is cool!!
That evening we were able to go to Sister Bustamantes and help pull weeds in her garden, and for the first time in my life I have enjoyed pulling weeds hahah but it was awesome to be able to see them again because it has been so long!
Saturday we did service again with Ms B, this time at her house and we were able to pick up piles of leaves and help her move bricks from her moms house over to her house for another project she is doing, and it was nice to get some more physical activity than the 30 minutes we get each morning haha.
I was able to have another awesome virtual exchange with Sister Smith, and she goes home next week... so we were able to talk a lot about how she is feeling and she has always been a missionary I have looked up to on my whole mission and it was awesome to talk about how she has been such an amazing missionary and always stay so focused and it was just a wonderful exchange! I will forever be grateful for the friends I've made on my mission and for the sisters i've been able to get to know and help while being a sister training leader :)
That day we chatted with Amanda she told us she broke up with her fiance.... crazy! She said she just felt that he wasn't the one she wanted to be with forever and that he wasn't helping her grow closer to God, and we were able to share our personal experiences and tell her how it was led by the Holy Ghost that she now has since she was baptized, and she loved that both of us had gone through similar experiences and could relate to her!! She really wants to marry someone in the church and we shared that we know that Heavenly Father has a perfect plan and has someone specifically picked out for her and her son Mason, and she is seriously amazing and said she isn't even really that distraught because she knows it is the right thing to do.
My companion and I were talking more about that experience, and just how humbling it was for us. We have this gospel, and we know the blessings that come from following promptings and following Christ the best we can, but sometimes it can still be hard to let go of things, yet we have this perfect example of Amanda in front of us who is willing to let go of anything she needs to in order to come closer to God. It was very, very humbling and a very special experience for all of us.
She is also a referral maniac! Haha that night she sent us a referral for a young lady who lives in Uvalde, so we sent her to the elders serving there, but it was amazing to see a bit of Amandas conversation with Haily because Amanda is literally a missionary!! She sent Haily a message that said "i've noticed you've been sharing stuff about God lately" and just went straight into sharing the restored gospel with her!! Haily replied and said she actually ordered a Book of Mormon and wanted to learn more and grow closer to God and it was just so cool!! Amanda is a literal miracle.
Sunday morning we were able to have a few great phone lessons and share messages about Jesus Christ and His Atonement, and then we drove to the Chavez's house and were able to partake of the sacrament! It is such a blessing to still be able to do that in this crazy time.
Something crazy was that the Morales family was able to partake of it as well! It is crazy because Saturday we were able to call Veronica and she said she has been wanting the sacrament lately but Luke isn't sure how to do it, so we scheduled a time on Sunday that a brother could go over and help them. Saturday evening we had a zone call and we always end by praying for people who we feel needs extra prayers, and we prayed specifically that the Morales family could take the time to partake of the sacrament. Well Sunday came around and we received a text from Veronica that they need to cancel because they had to leave their house and go somewhere else and she wasn't sure what time they'd be back. She was super sad because she hasn't had it for a while but she said she went because she didn't want to fight with her husband haha. We asked the brother to go an hour later than planned, and Veronica texted us and said she felt bad to change the time again and we just told her that Brother Guerrero is willing to help and do what he can, and he is available whenever they are ready and that this was Satan trying to get them to not partake of the sacrament, and she agreed and said shed be home by 2 so Brother Guerrero went over and helped them. Then Veronica posted on FACEBOOK about it (which is crazy because lately her FB posts have been quite opposite than gospel related haha) but we've really been encouraging her to stick with it and share her testimony online so she shared about partaking of the sacrament and it was the best thing I think I've ever seen. She texted us after and was so cute and appreciative about how insistent we were on getting them to partake of the sacrament hahah sometimes you have to be insistent ya know?? Then Brother Guerrero sent us the cutest text as well and ah my heart is just so full. I am so incredibly thankful to my Heavenly Father for this opportunity I have had to serve a mission and meet all of these people who have truly changed my life for the better.
Last night we got a call from President Tveten and he asked us if we could ask Amanda to call into our mission call tonight, and wow, that is another amazing miracle!! So tonight Amanda gets to join all 200ish of us missionaries and talk about her story and her testimony, and it's gonna be the most tender experience for us, i'm already tearing up thinking about it :')
Well, this week will be crazy like always! We've got more virtual exchanges planned, and TOMORROW I hit 15 months... and CINCO DE MAYO entonces vamos a tener una fiesta jajajaj (so we are going to have a party hahahah)
Sunday we receive transfer news and tbh I'm not super nervous, I have felt like I will end my mission here in Carrizo which I would LOVE, but two nights ago I had a NIGHTMARE that President Tveten is going to move me (and my companion leaves next week back to Temple Square) soooo I don't want to be doubled out of Carrizo and I also don't want to leave so if everyone could pray that I don't leave that would be greatly appreciated hahha I've been here since October and I want to be here until August :)
Happy Mothers Day on Sunday to all of the wonderful mothers!! I am so incredibly grateful for my mom, my mission mom, and all of the other wonderful women in my life that I look to as more mothers (because we all know I need all the help I can get hahah)
I love you all incredibly much and can't ever express my gratitude for you all!!
I hope you have the best week ever!!
con mucho amor,
hermana griffin :)
Exchange with Sister Obray!
Sweet message from Bro. Guerrero!
A cool quote we made. :)
Exchange with Sister Smith!
Amanda sharing the gospel like a champ!
Veronica sharing about taking the sacrament!
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