The Best 18 Months!!: Week 21

Hola mi familia bonita!

So on Tuesday we had exchanges and Hermana Killingsworth went to Auburn with Hermana Ah-Hong and Hermana Sasangi and Hermana Singer came here to Enumclaw with me. The exchange was a lot of fun and I got to know Hermana Sasangi and Hermana Singer a little better. During the exchange we were able to have 7 lessons! It was awesome! We also did really good at speaking Spanish more!

One of those lessons we had was with a woman who had lost one son in a car accident and the other committed suicide. We taught her the plan of salvation and got her information to have missionaries go teach her in Mexico. It was a great miracle!

Also starting January 1st the Spanish Group will be depending on the Enumclaw 1st Ward instead of the 3rd Ward. So we've been having meetings and discussing with leaders to try to make it a smooth transition that benefits everyone. I'm really excited about it and I hope everything goes well! It looks like they want us Sister missionaries to translate the Relief Society lessons for the Hispanics so I better learn Spanish quick! Haha! Oh boy...well if we do end up doing that I'll have to let you know how it goes.

I loved being able to skype you guys for Christmas! It was awesome!!! It was so good to see you! On Christmas Eve Hermana Killingsworth and I made tamales with Sister Rojas which was fun. We actually had Christmas dinner on the 26th with the Blads and that was great! They have a big family so it was really special. Hopefully I have a big family one day.

So this past week Hermana Killingsworth and I walked a lot one day to try to save our miles. We walked to Bro. Blad's house and he ended up feeding us dinner :) haha! Then we walked to our investigator Leonor's house which is farther. It was a little farther than we thought too. It took us about 40 minutes to get there. We talked in Spanish the whole way and Hermana Killingsworth was saying how she thought it was a little sketchy because it was super dark. Luckily though she had a flashlight. After the lesson Leonor was kind enough to give us a ride back home which was a blessing because I don't know if we could've made it back by our curfew if we had walked.

Also this past Sunday something really cool happened! A girl who is about to come serve in this mission Spanish speaking came to visit the area with her family and we were able to talk with her and her mom and answer some of their questions. The girl will enter the Mexico MTC in January and will be here in the mission field in the beginning of March. Also she and her family know Hermana Bown my MTC companion! It was so cool! They told me that Hermana Bown wrote them and told them that I was here. How cool is that! Haha! I bet I'll probably be her companion sometime.

So yeah, this transfer two Hermanas are going home but we also get two more. Then the next transfer in March we'll get two Hermanas (one being the one that came to visit with her family) and then in April we get no new Hermanas but in May we get two more new ones. Also after Hermana Dubon and Hermana Ah-Hong go home this transfer no one will go home until Hermana Killingsworth in September.

Hopefully I stay here in Enumclaw for one more transfer but we'll see on January 20th.
I just think it's so crazy how the time flies! I'm getting closer and closer to my 6 month mark and then 3 months after that is my halfway mark and then 3 months after that is my 1-year mark and then 3 months after that I'll only have 3 more months until finishing. That's just so crazy!

Anyways...

I was reading in Preach My Gospel earlier and I read a quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley that says, "Do you want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great cause. Lend your efforts to helping people...stand higher, lift those with feeble knees, hold up the arms of those that hang down. Live the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

I really love this quote because the first thing he asks is, "Do you want to be happy?" Then he gives us the answer of how we can be happy which is to serve others and live the gospel. I just love that. It's so simple and easy and yet sometimes we just don't do it.

I hope you all have a safe and wonderful New Years Celebration and that you are able to accomplish your goals!

A couple of mine are to work through the whole green book (it's for learning Spanish) and to also think more about what God would prefer rather than permit when I make decisions. After all, "Decisions determine destiny."- Thomas S. Monson

I love you all to the moon and back!

Love, Hermana Soliz