Week 30 - My brother got his mission call!!!

Week 30

Nothing really to report this week! Except I didn't get transferred! And My brother is going to Ft. Collins, Colorado mission! Reports Sept 3rd to the Mexico MTC! I AM SO EXCITED(: 

Working with the members this week was a bit of a struggle they were all busy! Rough. But we are focusing on finding this week since that has been a weak spot of ours. And we are going to the members to find- that's the best place. 

This week we were able to meet with an investigator who has been avoiding us for about a week and a half. We went in and asked her the baptismal interview questions which is literally the most effective way to find their concern when you can't find it. So we start and then we can't find it. After we go through all the questions. And my companion just looks at me and we both just are super quiet for like a whole 2 minutes then our member is getting nervous. And my companion is looking her dead in the eyes and she says: Sister, why are you afraid to leave your religion behind if you received a witness from God himself through The Spirit that this is the only true church? Im just like WHOA. amazed. Then she totally teared up and opened up to us. She said she knows she needs to be baptized but she doesnt want to leave her religion and her whole family is catholic. She said she wasn't ready. We will keep working with her! I know she is ready to be baptized- she just needs to show her faith. Agency is a killer. Just kidding that's really a huge part of the plan of salvation. Just hard to deal with sometimes as a missionary! 

Have a good week all! 

Love

Sister Gaspar de Alba

 

the district

painting a house for a sister in our ward. 

that's the most beautiful sight as a trainer- your companion just dead exhausted. thats when you know you're doing things right!

do i seriously live here? 

last night's dinner. rice and fresh tomatoes from the garden of a sister in our ward. SO good.

Week 29 - Easters and peanut butter sell out

Week 29

First of all shout out to my favorite sister missionary- Sister Despain who is training a new missionary! This week was sick week. I got sick! But we worked anyway then yesterday my body pretty much shut down. As did my brain. But I am all better now! Thank goodness. This week was really happy and just a lot of fun. honestly. Missions are so much fun! President came and visited us again this week and did some weekly planning with me and my companion. She was so nervous! I loved it though, and I helped her laugh it off and not be so scared of him. This week I was thinking about where my brother will go on his mission! Hopefully somewhere with people as great as here.

Two of our investigators got baptized this week! We were so happy. I love them. The best part was that the baptismal service we spent all week preparing for was so great! It was reverent and everyone was wearing church clothes! Probably because it was on Sunday but hey...improvement. And their testimonies were so wonderful to hear. It's such a rewarding experience to be part of someone's conversion process. They are technically a completed family but we are going to keep working with them and not let them relax until they are sealed. Sister Gloria's husband passed away 10 years ago so her son is preparing to be baptized for him in the temple next month.

This week I finished 2nd Nephi and learned so much this time around. SO amazing how you can literally read the same chapter or verse from The Book of Mormon a thousand times and get different insights every time. This week I really thought about Nephi and repentance. And how every time he decided to be just a little more obedient, or called on The Lord to strengthen him a little more, or was asked to show a little more faith- he was repenting. That's part of repentance, too. I felt that was a theme of conference too. The Atonement is not just for big sins, it's for our shortcomings. Until we are perfect we need The Atonement EVERY day. Whether our sin was small or big. Sin is sin period. I totally just had a huge light bulb moment and realized all that this last week. I've definitely changed the way i've been looking at repentance. And the way i've been repenting.

I love this area! Transfers are this week and I kinda have the transfer bug. Hope not! Love you all have a good week!

Sister Gaspar de Alba

it's literally this hot

rom left to right: my comp! brother razzel- a ward missionary, brother adonai and sister gloria ( my converts!) and brother allan (recent convert of the other sisters who was the baptizer) brother ronnie WML, and me

sister bona- a really awesome sister in our ward baptized last november

I'm a converted peanut butter lover!

my companion is the best and she always cooks for us!

Week 27 - "Conference; like Christmas only you don't get trunky"

Week 27

This week was a lot of crazyness. Conference was SO good! It's like Christmas on the mission...but better because it doesn't make you trunky. We are continuing to have more lessons with members which makes for more excited members to share their testimonies with their nonmember friends and family.Win Win. Sister Pajo pointed out to me that I hit 8 months today! There is a little time monster hiding in my apartment. I saw President like twice this week. YES. So great. He met our completed family that is being baptized this coming Sunday on Easter Sunday. (: SO excited and happy for them. They cannot wait to be baptized. 

This week we totally had a scare. We were walking home at about 8 pm and the husband of one of our investigators staggers over to us. I could tell he was drunk and so we started walking away. Then he calls out to us: Sisters! That message you shared with me last week was so beautiful. I felt like I want to change. So we kinda looked at him surprised as he got closer to us. Then he started walking faster and yelled: But why are we fighting?! Me and my wife are always fighting since you started coming. And He totally raised his hand to hit me! What the heck. So then we just took off. Walked as fast as I could. I felt so sad for him, he was so confused. 

There is a sister in my apartment who has only been out for 4 weeks. She barely had her new missionary melt down last night.I was so impressed! Anyway- I read with her some pages in my journal to help her see how I got used to being a missionary. It was so cool looking back and thinking of all the things I overcame. I told her she could do it, but it's going to take a lot of patience with herself.

I finished The Book of Mormon this last week only focusing on The Atonement. What a great experience it has been. Especially to learn that everything we do as members of this church is to access that power of the Atonement and help others access that power too. I started reading Jesus The Christ last week. I really wanted to read it after studying The Atonement for the last few months. I feel like I am really coming to understand who my Savior is and why he did what he did while he was on the earth. I know He lives, I love him and am so grateful to Him. 

 Have a good week all!

Love

Sister Gaspar de Alba

perks! the office elders are awesome. (still sunburned from last monday in this picture)

this watch tan gets worse and worse every day. i feel like a legitimate sister missionary. YES.

this watch tan gets worse and worse every day. i feel like a legitimate sister missionary. YES.

eating lunch all together between conference sessions! behind the stake center in san pablo is a gorgeous lake. can you see it?

Week 27 - Sis von Trapp

Week 27

This week was crazy as usual. I keep thinking I will have a nornmal week one of these months with nothing special going on but i dont think that week exists! Anyway this week we had exchanges, the RS broadcast, interviews with President, and zone p-day! We had some really great lessons with investigators this week! Getting close to helping some of them be ready for baptism. 

So yes Zone p-day is first! SO fun. We went on this gorgeous hike that was literally one of the hardest hikes I have ever been on. Straight uphill, we are wiped. And we are all suoper sunburned! Even the Filipinos and islanders. Thats when you know it's hot. But it was of course so great to sit and chat with missionaries and just have fun together. Plus I literally started crying when we got to the top and saw the view. I love this place. 

Some cool experiences this week working with members: First we worked with a counselor in the RS presidency who went on a proselyting mission at 53 a year after her husband died. She did the same thing I do every day! So cool. Our lesson with her was perfect. Well no it wasn't...But the Spirit was there and our investigator really loved learning about tithing. Which is a huge concern of the area presidency because not a lot of members here pay it. So anyway this member shared her testimony in sacrament meeting about following promptings of The Spirit. She had been struggling but she felt prompted to work with us on this day with this investigator and the topic was what she needed to hear. I love Heavenly Father. He watches out for all of us so perfectly. Next cool story: One of our investigators has quit smoking for a week so far after we taught the word of wisdom last week. He prayed with so much fath asking Heavenly Father for the strength to do this. He had such great desire. AND guess what?! Heavenly Father answered his prayers. All of them! Not just that one. In one day, he heard from his wife who is far away in Syria, and he received a witnedd of the truthfulness of The Book of Mormon. I am so blessed to witness these miracles.

Our interviews with President was SO good. My companion was totally worried. President had us bring a written out vision for our areas. He said, "Sister- this is very ambitious. I know the only 2 people here who can accomplish all this are you and your companion. Make it happen." Then of course he made me cry as he teared up and thanked me for my hard work and told me I was becoming the missionary he expects of me. I feel like when he tells me those things, The Lord must be proud of me too. I have a long ways to go, but I am so grateful for being on the right road. 

Have a great week all! 

Sister Gaspar de Alba

this is called mangosteen. i cant even describe it but it is a really good fruit! elder toro is really awesome and knows its my fav so he brought us some from his area!

just chillin on a bike on the top of a mountain!

My district

having lunch!

we got to the top of our hike and one elder started singing: "the hills are alive! with the sound of music..." yeah we all cracked up. but really thats how gorgeous it was! Breathtaking.