Happy Tuesday, everyone!!! A quick notice: If you are too busy or lazy to read my monstrous emails but want an update on Puerto Rico, skip to the bottom! Those that truly love me, keep reading hahaha.
Well, it’s been another great week back in Alameda. It has been pretty tough getting people to church, but we think there will definitely be some people there this week! I am also SO excited because one of my recent converts, Ali, just got his first temple recommend! What an amazing blessing it is to see him progressing so much in the gospel and preparing to extend the same blessings he’s received to his ancestors! That helps me see that we truly are helping to move the work forward on both sides of the veil. I can’t wait to go to the temple with him
I also felt very blessed to have been able to go to zone conference and receive so much revelation this week. The assistants gave a training about teaching by asking questions and using the Book of Mormon that has helped me improve my teaching skills so much in just a few days!
We did have some pretty rough power hours this past week. Power Hour is the time we take every day from 5-6 or 6-7 to be completely dedicated to finding new people to teach unless we already have a lesson planned during that time. It’s been nearly 100° every day (help, we don’t have AC or fans!) and most people’s reactions have been ranging from completely uninterested to bashing this week, but we’ve seen lots of cool little miracles! After our dinner yesterday, we had our member pray and pick a place for us to go for power hour, and we were able to find a lady who wants to come to church. We then told our member what happened and she got really excited!
We also had the privilege of going on exchanges this week! I got to go with Sister Rugg to her area, and we ended up finding a new person to teach for our area! Sister Rugg is so awesome and she did a lot to teach me, build me up, and motivate me. I’m grateful for the day we were able to spend together.
Another amazing privilege this week was being able to go back to Van West for the baptism of Lina!! She is an incredible 17-year-old who has one of the strongest testimonies I’ve ever seen. She is going to be a huge asset to that branch and an example and leader for the other youth.
Wow, it’s been an incredible week, like always! Hermana Capron and I are doing good together and we’ve developed a great friendship. She is fun, obedient, and hard-working. It has honestly been pretty frustrating to work with our tiny group so far this transfer because we haven’t been able to get any Hispanic members to come to lessons with us, but Hermana Capron has a positive attitude and a willingness to work hard and work together with me, which I really appreciate.
Anyway, I wanted to talk to all of you for a bit about the Holy Ghost because we got to hear some bomb talks in sacrament meeting about this very topic! I want to extend to you some of the same invitations we received. First of all, think about how the Spirit speaks to you! Is the Spirit your best friend? What source do you turn to first for guidance and answers? If the answer is Google, I totally feel you, but you might want to reevaluate! Also, don’t just pray for God to solve your problems–ask for the Spirit to inspire you and let you know how you can be part of the solution (see the talk, “Take the Holy Spirit as Your Guide)! Two of the best ways we can always have the Spirit with us is to be obedient (be pure and loyal to the Lord), and to repent (or turn/return to the Lord) the minute we realize we have made a mistake. These two things will allow you to have the Spirit guide you and comfort you in every moment! What an amazing blessing!
Alright, now that I’m through with my spiel, I’ll tell you the juicy news you’ve all been waiting for–I’M GOING TO PUERTO RICO ON AUGUST 6TH!!! 🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷 WOOT WOOT!!! I hit my halfway mark TOMORROW (HOLY COW) so that means I’ll spend roughly half of my mission here, and the other half on the island! What a wild ride this has been haha. I can hardly believe that I’ve been out for 9 months, and I can hardly believe how much I’ve come to love this mission that I didn’t even know I’d be coming to. I’m incredibly grateful that the Lord allowed me to work in this part of the vineyard and have so many experiences and friends. I never thought it was possible for so much to happen in such a short amount of time. Now I know, I have so much to look forward to in Pt. 2 of the mish! Also, how perfect is it that I get to end my time here where I started, and see the progress of so many people I love? The Lord is truly in the details of our lives, folks. Never forget how much He loves you!
Love,
Hermana O’Barr
I don’t have pics from the baptism yet!
