Preach to me!



Outside the Apartment

Hola!!! It's been another awesome week! Last week for the zone activity we got to play soccer, and we get to play again today. Sooo fun! Before I forget, I want to tell you that my p day next week is on Thursday because we have a temple trip. I will email you then.

I love the people we are teaching! There was one night when we went to teach, but the man wasn't home. There was a guy right outside his house that said "He's not home? Preach to me!" So we found out a little bit about him and started teaching.

He spoke English which was nice because I could actually understand everything. He agreed with everything that we were saying and just kept saying he wants to make a change in his life. He kept talking about how he had made so many mistakes and felt so guilty. Then I asked how he would feel to be free from all that guilt and clean from his sins. He said that would be the most amazing feeling and he wanted that more than anything. We talked about the Atonement and how he could become clean. I asked him if he would be baptized and he said yes! Then he just kept asking what he needs to do to change and get ready to be baptized. It was awesome! 

Great weather and good food

Since he speaks English we have to pass him to the English missionaries so we won't actually get to continue teaching him but it was an awesome experience.

This week we have a sisters conference with all of the sisters in the mission. I will get to meet the other spanish speaking sisters. I will most likely be companions with some of them because I guess there are only 7 of us who are spanish speaking in this mission.

Mom, you asked where my companions are from. Hermana Breitenstein is from San Fransisco (Her dad is in the military so she has moved all around. That was just the last place she lived.) She has been out here 6ish months. and Hermana Vilches is from Dayton Ohio, kind of where Uncle Steve is from. Hermana V has been out for a little over a year.

Dinner from the bar-b

Please tell the Pullans that I loved the package! I got it right after I sent my email last week and it totally made my day! Too bad I didn't get to see them and they were right here!! Yes mom, I saw Hermana Christensen when she was leaving. And thank you for emailing Alta's mom. That will be perfect.

Eric... What the!... You can put your papers in so soon! (Eric is getting ready to start his mission papers.) I am soooo excited for you!!! You will be such a great missionary and you will absolutely love it! Sorry about the wisdom teeth. Good luck!

Love you so much! Have a great week!!! Anyways, I am running out of time. Love you all!Adios! :) :)

Spanish Is Pretty Hard But I Love It

MTC district

Hola! This week has been another great one. I love this area! My companion's names are Hermana Vilches and Hermana Breitenstein. Hermana Vilches is the one that is fluent with the language. She knew Spanish before her mission. They are really helpful with the language.

Spanish is pretty hard but I love it. There was one day this week where I was talking in Spanish all day and I knocked on one door and said something to them in Spanish. I was so used to speaking Spanish that I didnt realize that they answered me in English and I kept replying in Spanish and he kept talking in English. The conversation probably sounded really funny. My companions were laughing at me the rest of the day. So funny. :)

So this week I extended the baptismal invite for the first time. It was the first lesson that we had with him and it went really well. When I asked him he sat there for a couple minutes thinking about it and then he said that he would, but first he wants to know for sure that this is true. He has been reading his scriptures and praying so I know that he will find his answer.

Hermanas Vilches, Breitenstein and Layton

We are working with a lady that set a date to be baptized on the 26th of this month but it all depends on of she gets married or not. She really wants to but her boyfriend doesn't quite yet. She knows that the church is true and she has a really strong testimony so hopefully they will get married before the 26th.

We had my first zone conference this week. It was awesome. We heard from my mission president and his wife. It was a really great experience! They have amazing testimonies.
I am starting to get to know the people in the ward a lot more. They are great! The little kids are the cutest! On Sundays we stand by the door and greet everyone coming in and sometimes the little kids will just run up and give me a huge hug. It's sad that I'm not supposed to hug back but their hugs still make my day.

I don't have a ton of time but I want you to know that I know that the Gospel was restored to the earth and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. I love teaching the first lesson and especially the first vision because it brings the Spirit into the room so strong. I love the gospel. I know that it can bring so much joy into our lives. Don't be afraid to share it with people. Find names that you can give to the missionaries in the ward. That is the best way to do missionary work! :)

Oh and a question that I think you asked last week that I forgot to answer... I was told that most likely I will be serving in all Spanish speaking areas. The only reason why they would move me to an English area is if they really needed drivers. A lot of the missionaries from out of the country can't drive. The mission president really likes to keep you where you have been called though so my companions said they really do not think I will serve in an English area. I guess there is a chance that I could though.

I love and you miss you all so much. Tell Aunt Karen that there is a letter on the way. It takes me forever to write back especially now that I am out in the field. Tell Grandma, Grandpa and Sean that I love them so much!!! and the Vegas family too! :) Gracias!

Orange County

Hola! My first week in the mission field has been great! My companions are both awesome and help me out so much. I am assigned to the Orange city area at least for my first 12 weeks. There is a 12 week training program for missionaries now that I am doing which helps out a lot with the language.

There are a bunch of different steps you take each week. Last week I was supposed to extend the baptismal invitations and all of us were supposed to take turns contacting people. This week I get to lead the first lesson when we teach it. It's really good because it pushes me to really pay attention and be involved when we teach.

I love the area a lot. The people here are awesome. I love them so much already. Almost everyone we talk to are Catholic and right when we say anything about Jesus Christ they open right up and want to talk to you. It's so crazy. The people here like to learn but it is hard to get them to keep their commitments, and it's really hard to get the to actually come to church which is really important.

Church was great but I could not understand very much at all. One of the few things I understood was "Now our new missionary Hermana Layton will come up and share her testimony." Hahaa! So funny. It didn't surprise me though because we had dinner at the first counselors house the night before and he didn't think I could understand him when he told my companions that he would have me bear my testimony, but I could. Haha!

The members are great and they have us over for dinner almost every night. Usually the Mexican food is really good but there was one night where they fed us pig skin and something else really strange. We have a BBQ outside of our apt, so when we don't have an appointment to go to we like to go outside. The weather is great during the day but cools down some as it gets later.

One of my companions really likes cooking. She loves making us breakfast. She's made pancakes, french toast, eggs, and biscuits and gravy since I've been here. Then my other companion and I do the dishes. Today we have a zone activity and guess what we are doing! All of the Elder wanted to play soccer!! Wooo! So excited since I couldn't play when I was at the MTC. I love being a missionary. It is hard sometimes but so worth it! :)

I love you guys and tell Sean that I felt so bad that I couldn't talk to him on the phone. Love you all so much!

Adios! :)

Last MTC Letter

Hola! This was such a great week!!! I am really going to miss it here.

I just spent most of my day packing. I leave at 5 in the morning Tuesday to meet at the travel office and then head to the airport. I don't think my plane leaves until 8 something though. I'm nervous, excited, and don't really know what to expect.

Guess who came for my last devotional... Elder Holland! I have been so lucky. I've been able to hear from Elder Holland twice and Elder Nelson twice. No one had any idea that he was coming so there weren't lines to get in. I sat in the middle about half way back. We were singing a hymn when he walked in and everyone stood up. At first I didn't know what was going on and I was so excited when I saw who it was. There were ushers in the front holding up two fingers meaning that there were two seats open up there. I waited a few minutes and no one went up so I looked at my companion and said, "lets go!" I ended up sitting in the third row right in the middle. I was so close! He talked a lot about the Book of Mormon and how important it is to use when we are teaching.

One of my favorite parts was when he talked about how we are God's investigators. When I want one of my investigators do do something like read more from the Book of Mormon on pray more, that is what Heavenly Father wants of me. Just like we don't want the investigators to fall back, Heavenly Father doesn't want us to fall back. It's so important to continually be progressing. I have a lot of notes from his talk and wish I had more time to share them. It was very powerful though and made me want to be so much better then I am.

Have I told you that I LOVE being a missionary? Anyways, not much time left, but please please pray for the people in Anaheim! I love them so much already.

I think it Gabe's Birthday. Please tell him happy birthday for me! Also happy birthday to Sean on Tuesday! I am going to send him a letter.

Lets see, about the call card. I will figure it out, so don't worry about sending me one. I can call in the airport for a few minutes only if there is time. I will do my best though! Oh, and I got a Spanish hymn book! wahoo! Our Branch President's wife spoils us and she said once we leave she might call our moms for us. :) One night she brought us Cafe Rio and we had a little party. haha. Shes great.

This week in church I am playing "Let us All Press On" on the piano with Hermana Newton and our district is singing for our goodbye song.

Love you familia so much! Adios! :)