Good morning everyone 
I hope you all are splendid! Hopefully you're not melting in this July heat 
Most of my emails are usually about what I've been up to, but this week I'm gonna switch it up and tell you all about the AMAZING people we get to teach here in California 
(yes, I know that's the Welsh flag - but there's no CA flag emoji and the Welsh flag is cool 
)
BeatrizWe met Beatriz about 3 weeks ago when we were knocking doors. She is from Venezula, in her early 20s, and she's been in the US for about a year. She is so cute and so funny - every time we see her she has a story for us! Yesterday was her 2nd time at church. Before she came for the first time, she asked us if there was a dress code. We told her that people usually wear dresses and skirts to church, but at she can come however she feels comfortable. She doesn't really like dresses, so she was very happy to hear that! But on Saturday, she decided to go buy a dress for church. It may not sound like a big deal, but the fact that she went so out of her way for something as small as that shows how strong her faith and her desire to follow God is!
AndresAndres met with missionaries years ago and called us out of the blue about a week ago! Our first lesson with him was...kind of a disaster 
his dad joined us and basically talked the whole time and wouldn't let us share anything with Andres. We didn't even set up a time to go back. But we ended up going back and talking to him and even with everything going on with immigration - he was determined to come to church so he could get baptized. Yesterday was his first time at church and he loved it! One of our amazing members sat with him and took him to class and everything. We're meeting with him basically throughout this week and he plans to get baptized on Sunday!!!
his dad joined us and basically talked the whole time and wouldn't let us share anything with Andres. We didn't even set up a time to go back. But we ended up going back and talking to him and even with everything going on with immigration - he was determined to come to church so he could get baptized. Yesterday was his first time at church and he loved it! One of our amazing members sat with him and took him to class and everything. We're meeting with him basically throughout this week and he plans to get baptized on Sunday!!!
RobertMissionaries have been teaching Robert since before I got here and he's pretty cool! He has a really strong desire to grow his testimony and get closer to God. He works a lot and doesn't have a ton of free time so he went a bought earbuds so that he would be able to listen to the scriptures while he works! He loves coming to church and meeting with us - whenever we ask when we can come back he always says that we can stop by any time. He also has a parrot that will randomly say "Robert" and other things throughout our lessons!
Oscar, Helen, and HaileyWe met this family for the first time yesterday. They're from El Salvador and have been here for about 9 years. When they lived in El Salvador, the faith was really strong and they were really close to God. But after moving here, that relationship with their Heavenly Father became weaker. They had been talking about going back to church, finding God again, when two (english speaking) missionaries knocked on their door. Oscar, determined to never shut the door on God, told them they could send their spanish speaking friends (us) his phone number. We got in contact with him and set up a time to go by. Yesterday, we met them for the first time. As Oscar and then Helen shared their stories with us and their desires to have a strong connection to God, tears started flowing. They had gone to a church that morning for the first time since moving to the United States and they loved it. Unfortunatly, that church was an hour away and they needed something closer. When we said our building was only a 10 minute drive, they took it as a sign that that's where they need to be.
Spiritual thoughtAs I've listened to the heartbreak and the fears of our friends this week it's really made me ponder and reflect. Am I treating the things of God with the respect they deserve? If I was any one of these people, would I have the faith to act - to push through fears, doubts, and the business of life to choose God? Seeing the faith of the people around me, other missionaries, members, and friends has made me have the desire to trust more in God. One of my favorite scripture passages is Matthew 6:24-34 and I would love to invite you all to read it and ponder what it means to you.
I love you all 
Have an amazing week!!
Have an amazing week!!
Hna. EricksonGoogle photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/
Our friend Aristeo
The temple
Hno. Sanchez
Jump starting their car
Getting everyone to church
Gizell
Celebrating my 9 months!
No comments:
Post a Comment