Wow, this week has been the best week so far! (Well I guess week and a half. Gotta count the last part of the CCM in there as well!) What has happened since my last email... hmm. Seriously so much has been jammed into the last week and a half I hope I remember everything. Well, here we go:
The last few days at the CCM were so fun. It was so sad to say goodbye to my district and my awesome teachers. I am so grateful for everything they taught me. They helped me to have confidence in my Spanish and how to help and teach people. They were wonderful examples of good missionaries! I hope I can apply all the many things I learned in the CCM to real missionary life. I also asked one of the Elders in my district, Elder Webster, for a priesthood blessing for my foot. He blessed me that I would be able to do all the things the Lord asks me to do without any pain. As soon as I got into the field, all pain in my foot was completely gone. Priesthood blessings are so amazing and I am so grateful for them!
My district at the CCM
We left the CCM at 2:00 in the morning. It was a long day of traveling. I had many conversations with people in the airport and on the planes about our church. They would say things like "I have seen people like you before." or "You are giving up school and work and choosing to be away from your family for a year and a half??" When someone told me that, I realized how crazy it is to people that we as missionaries would give up these things to serve the Lord. And it is a little hard! But I know with all my heart that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ and I want to share that with everyone. That is why I have chosen to put my life on hold and serve the Lord. Because He needs our help to share the gospel with all of our brothers and sisters.
When we arrived in Burbank, our mission president, President Hall and his Spanish assistants (who are actually also in my district), Elders Neff and Hoyt, came to pick us up from the airport. We drove to the closest church building where we packed a night bag because transfers weren't until the next day. They fed us lunch and gave us newbies a little orientation. I was so tired. I just wanted to sleep after such a long day. But then some missionaries came to get all of us to go out and talk to people on the street! I went with Hermana Allen. She was so awesome and helped me know what to do. We talked to many people in Spanish and English. We met this really cool guy named Alex who was really interested and were able to teach him the first lesson on the side of the road! We also gave him a Book of Mormon. He told us that he believes that God put us in his path for a reason, because he doesn't usually come home that way. He said how grateful he was to meet us. We told him we would send the missionaries in the area to come teach him more. It was so cool! Heavenly Father prepares people to hear our message in such awesome ways. That night we stayed with the Sister Trainer Leaders. President Hall let us go to bed early and get up late, so we were very refreshed in the morning and I am so grateful for that.
So transfer meeting! We sang called to serve in English and it was so weird! I kept accidentally starting in Spanish. haha. My trainer's name is Hermana Francis. She is from Utah and has been out for a little over a year. She is super experienced and knows Spanish so well. She is amazing! Our area is the biggest in the whole mission! We are in Santa Clarita and in Rama 1. Our area covers Castaic, Val Verde, Valencia, and New Hall. We have a red car and her name is Ruby. haha. Everyone wants to drive her because she has a USB port for music. Our apartment is so awesome because we have our own washer and dryer and don't have to pay for laundry. I guess it's one of two places that has its own, so I am pretty lucky!
Now for two cool stories about my companion and area. Back in the first week of the CCM I had an impression to pray for my trainer. I obviously didn't know her at the time, but Heavenly Father did. And I asked you guys to pray for her too (thank you so much for doing that by the way. My family is so awesome :) Anyway, when I got here and met my companion, and saw just how amazing she was, I decided to tell her. I told her that my family and I had been praying the last few weeks for her and I am so grateful for prayer! I know Heavenly Father answered my prayer, because I have THE BEST trainer in the mission. Hna Francis teared up and told me that something changed in her mission the last month. She told me that she had not had any success the first year in her mission. Then last month she met this cute family from El Salvador, taught them, and was able to see them be baptized. She loves this family so much! And she is so grateful for your prayers! She knows that your prayers helped that miracle happen. Isn't that so awesome? Prayer is amazing and works so many miracles. Okay and the story about the area. When president Hall told us what our area was, I had this feeling that it was where I was supposed to be. I didn't know the area very well, so I didn't know where we would be exactly. I came to find out that Six Flags Magic Mountain was in my area. Heavenly Father really is there and he really know us. Being here, where Heidi and I came on our last trip together before she passed away, has made me so happy. I feel so close to her here. I am so grateful to look around and know that we have such happy memories here! President hall had no idea that I needed to be in this area, but he was inspired of God to put me here. It is so amazing to me. I love the gospel so much! Miracles are real.
I love this area already. It is so beautiful. I am in the north valley, so it is a lot nicer place to live in. Hermana Francis is new to this area as well so we are learning together! Our district is all of the Spanish speaking missionaries in the Santa Clarita Valley. There are 10 of us. So most of the missionaries are in San Fernando. But I am excited to work with this area! And Hermana Jensen (my companion from the CCM) is in our district! I am so excited. I love her so much and she is such an awesome missionary. She and her companion are the bike sisters in our district.
The Beautiful San Clarita Valley
The San Clarita Valley District
We found 2 new investigators this week! Jorge and his brother Jose. We have taught them about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the prophet Joseph Smith and about the Book of Mormon so far. The both were so excited to read the Book of Mormon. They asked us to share our favorite scriptures with them. I shared Ether 12:27 and Jose loved it! He said he was so grateful that we gave him the book! And he has already started reading from it. They are both such amazing people. We have done lots of contacting and sharing the gospel this week. We also have been trying to visit members and menos inactivos and get to know them.
I love my mission so much so far! I am so glad I decided to come. This week was my first Sunday at church all in Spanish. My head was spinning! But I am so excited to learn this language. It is going to be hard, but I know I will be able to do it with the Lord's help. Just like in Ether 12:27, he will make my weak Spanish strong!
Last night when we were contacting we met this cute family with 2 little boys. Their family was interested in our message and so we are going to go back this week sometime to talk to them. Their 5 or 6 year old son picked us flowers and game them to us. We kept calling him "coquete" (flirty) and the family thought it was so funny that we speak Spanish. They were surprised I had only been learning for 6 weeks! So that made me feel really good. :)
I love you so much. I pray for you guys everyday. Aubrey I hope you have a great time starting school and seminary! And congratulations on finishing Personal Progress. I am so proud of you :) That is a huge accomplishment. And you are so smart. I loved all the shark analogies relating to the gospel :) like, you may not die from the bite, but it can leave emotional and physical scars, don't try attracting the sharks (bad influences), when you go into the ocean (world) go to the places you know are safe and stay away from shark infested waters. I am going to use those when I teach some time!
I forgot to take pictures this week, so I will send some next week. I hope you have an amazing week!
Love,
Hermana Buxton