I Finished My Training!

As you can tell from this mountain of poop, we found the mouse's hiding spot. Fun story...We have  mouse traps, but he is a smart little fella. We put peanut butter on the traps and we woke up in the morning to find all the traps licked clean. but NO MOUSE!! are you kidding me? I thought Sister Martin got up and cleaned the traps as a joke, but she swears on her bisrthday presents that she didn't. This is a tricky little guy. We have no idea what to do. Hopefully my new companion has some experience with mice. We also have poison, but that hasn't worked either. We're stumped.

Well, as of yesterday, I am not in training any more! Can you believe that? My training is over! So crazy and it kind of scares me a little bit. I have been here for 2 transfers now, and today is the first day of my 3rd transfer. If y'all couldn't tell, it is transfer week, which is a really exciting time in the mission... It is my first time really experiencing the excitement of transfers. The last transfers wasn't really that exciting because I was still in training which meant that we were pretty certain that Sister Martin and I were going to stay together in West New York to finish my training. This weekend was a whole different story though.

 

Fall in WNY

Everyone was just so anxious all week because we knew a lot of changes were probably coming because I'm finished with my training and a lot of people have been together in their areas for a long time. You don't find out who is going to be transferred until Sunday night though, the last night of the transfer, then the transfer conference is the next Tuesday, so you don't really have that much time to pack up and say goodbye to everyone you work with. So, with that in mind, we were going all week wondering if we were ever going to see these people again and they were asking us about it, too. ITS SO CRAZY!!!

 

 

SO, last night, were doing our planning KNOWING in the back of our heads that the transfer text would be coming some time. Its hard to concentrate when there is something so big coming up and you have no idea when to expect it... So were doing our nightly planning then we hear the phone.. I look down and it was PRESIDENT JEPPSON. We kind of freaked out in our minds a little and gave each other a look like "why in the world is he calling us tonight" We knew he couldn't be calling one of us to be a trainer because the trainers get called on Thursday nights, but our hearts kind of dropped in fear. I answer the phone with a shaky voice "Hello, this is Sister Clark" then, much to my relief he asked for sister Martin... Her eyes get all big and she answers nervously. HE CALLED HER TO BE A SISTER TRAINING LEADER!!!! MY COMPANION IS LEAVING ME SO SHE CAN GO BE A SISTER TRAINING LEADER!!!! She's the best! She is so excited and I am so proud of her. I'm going to miss her like crazy though. We then struggled through the rest of our nightly planning, then we got the transfer text, sure enough we read, "transfers: S. Martin"... I love West New York and I love the people here, but I gotta say I'm kind of bummed to be staying here just because it's so darn cold and I am definitely a desert girl. Man, Heavenly Father is really trying my patience right now. hahaha I'M EXCITED THOUGH!! We are going to see some baptisms this transfer, I'm sure of it. 

 

Us this morning at 8 AM doing laundry at the llavanderia down the street. We have personal study while we wait for our laundry.

 

I took Sister Martin out for birthday lunch today. We went to this little Mexican place that we found last week... My new obsession. Tortas Hawaiiana. OH MY HEAVENS. Also, I now have the new skill of ordering food in Spanish. :) Can't wait to show it off to you all when I get home. We have to go to a super duper Mexican hole in the wall place so I can order in Spanish. I'm proud of myself.

 

Sister Martin with her Taquitos.

Speaking of baptisms and stuff, we found an incredible investigator this week. I think I might have mentioned her last week, when I was talking about how last Sunday we worked with zero success for about 3 hours, then we contacted a really neat woman on the street and set a return appointment with her while we were on our way home. We went for the appointment and we had a little bit of trouble finding her door, it is hard to know which door with all of these difficult apartments around. We didn't really know what to do then we heard "Hermanas!" from around the corner. We turned around and it was her waving at us. She was excited to see us, which NEVER happens. She happily invited us into her little basement apartment and introduced us to her 15 year old son. We then had an AMAZING first lesson. I think it was the best first lesson I've had on my mission... It was like a perfect Preach My Gospel first lesson. We ended with a prayer and committed her to read and to pray about the Book of Mormon. She said that of course she would. We set a return appointment and she walked us outside. She stood outside and talked to us for a while and it just felt so good. I felt like she really trusts us and I felt a really neat friendship and connection. Sister Martin and I hugged her goodbye and walked down the street. When we got to the corner where she couldn't see us anymore, we just looked at each other and hugged and semi cried because after all of our hard work, we FINALLY found someone who is prepared to accept this message. It was probably one of the happiest and most rewarding nights of this transfer. She is so wonderful and SO prepared. I am SO SO EXCITED for this opportunity that I will have to stay here in West New York and continue to teach her and her son. I feel really privileged that God trusts me with her... It is kind of a scary thought, but I just feel so... I don't know, right. It just feels right. Sister Martin is sad to leave her, but I know that I will get a companion who is ready to teach her and who will be able to connect with her too. Its going to be such a good transfer. 

 

Our last PDay together

 

MEXICO!! MMMM I love me some tortas.

Other miracles, this week we made some progress in our lesson with these investigators from El Salvador. This family has been investigating for a LONG time, but we just love them and feel a very unique and special spirit when we are with them... We have prayed hard about dropping them because they weren't committing to baptism, but it just never felt right. So, this week we go over, not really knowing how the night was going to turn out. BUT, we had a very good visit with them and he told us that he wanted to be baptised in January. HUGE MIRACLE. Now we just need to make it happen. She told us that she has a testimony of prophets and of the Book of Mormon. She has had a hard time warming up to us, she has a lot of character and I really just love her. We had a feeling that we should stick around for a little while after the closing prayer and help her pick up her daughter's toys. We helped her and we could tell she was thankful. We talked a little bit then we jokingly told her that she needed to teach us how to make pupusas. She smiled and looked up at us and told us to come over on Saturday and she would teach us how. THIS IS SO HUGE!!! SHE LIKES US!! SHE WANTS TO TEACH US HOW TO MAKE PUPUSAS!! It was cool how a small act of service and taking the time to just talk to her opened her up to us so much and we were able to build that trust with her. I think we will see a lot of progress with her now. I'm so excited to go over next Saturday. She is wonderful!

 

Saturday we had a fun Thanksgiving Dinner activity at the church. In case I haven't said this enough, being a Spanish missionary is the best. All these people are crazy party animals, which causes for church activities full of amazing food and of course, dancing! I loved it. Wish you all could have come! :)

Thanksgiving Dinner

All the cute little girls in our ward! Love them!

 

Jose Cedillo. Best recent convert ever!

Well, that's about all. I'm excited to email you again next week. There is going to be a lot of exciting things happening this week, from Transfer conference, Thanksgiving and Pupusas with Olinda. Its going to be a great week!

 

I love you all and I am thankful for your love and support! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I will be thinking of you and missing you all.

 

-Becca