Happy Valentines Day!!!

There is this cute little black baby playing next to me and is totally distracting me. Two minutes ago she was offering me some of her fruit snacks. LOL!! I miss playing with little kids.

Turns out Jorge is not getting baptized this week. He is still working on Sundays. I have complete faith that within these next two weeks he will get baptized. I talked with Dulce about it for a little while on Saturday night. That conversation is sacred to me. She just told me some really great things and an experience she had with the Spirit. She is just a really amazing person. I want you all to meet her.

Last night we were at our dinner appointment and while the food was finishing cooking the little girl decided she wanted to decorate my nails. So now I have a rainbow of designs on all of my fingers. I am not sure that is what the white handbook meant by having "conservative nail polish"....I will have to take it off today. :( But not before I take a picture.

I am getting really distracted today because also the Elders were showing me family pictures.....sorry. I feel like I get too antsy at the computer nowadays. I figure in a few weeks I can fill all of you in.

We went by Hermana Latorre's house because she is still recovering from surgery. She was "teaching" us how to cook. I put teaching in quotations because she is basically blind and it was more than an adventure to have her teach us. She kept telling us(insisting to us) that she is going to teach us how to cook so when we get married we fed our husbands. HAHA!! She is so crazy/awesome! Apparently I was using the wrong type of spoon when mixing and that I needed to put more strength in my arm when I stirred.

Julia gave her testimony last night at a fireside. She did such a good job! She was super nervous and even wrote it out for me to read to make sure it was ok. When she got up there she told me she just decided to follow the spirit and not use her notes. It turned out fabulous!

Our district went bowling last week for an activity and I still stink really bad. They were all trying to teach me/ show me......ya, didn't work. :)

We are having a mission conference every Thursday for the next 3 weeks to get more trainings from the brethern---which means more role-plays! :( I told my comp this morning after we role played in comp. study that I feel like my life is a role play! LOL!!!

Whelp, my mind is blank. I love you all a ton!! Remember that sacrifice brings blessings and that the greatest joy comes when we are living the gospel.

Sarbear

cold much?

Last Thursday and Friday because of the cold we were told that we could not use our cars. We were able to have members help us out a little bit and drive us around but it was difficult to find Hermanas that could and had access to a car. SO we were totally walking! I didn't mind so much walking around everywhere but it was so cold. For both days I wore 8 layers on top and I had 3 pairs of leggings and tights under my skirt. I am surprised I could even walk. LOL! It was kind of a trial. On Thursday Hermana Ruplinger made a birthday cake for one of our members....so we had to walk with the cake to her apartment in the freezing cold. She loved the cake and watching her little 1 year old get chocolate all over her face made it totally worth it!

We received transfer calls this morning. I am staying here with Hermana Ruplinger. So by the time I go home I will have had 7 months in this area. Crazy!! Well, because I know the ward and members so well it feels like home. The hard thing is that I feel as though I have taught my investigators all that I know and not sure what else to do to help them. I need to pray more to receive direction from Heavenly Father.

Jorge is getting his baptismal interview tomorrow and his baptism is scheduled for next week. I hope all things go as planned. The problem is his work. He just needs to have the faith that if he goes to church instead of work that God will provide a way. I am so happy for their family. :)

We had Stake Conference yesterday and it was fabulous! President Monson spoke via satellite and gave an amazing talk. It is amazing to me how I can basically understand anything in Spanish and how it was easy for me to follow and understand his talk in Spanish. He shared some amazing stories that made me cry. I love President Monson! Every time I hear him speak, the spirit testifies that he truly is a prophet of God. The spirit is an amazing gift that our Heavenly Father has given us. Especially to His missionaries.

Thank you for the Valentines package!!!! I gave the cute heart crafty thing to little Lupita and Ashely(Dulce's little girls). I am obsessed with them. After stake conference they saw me and came running down the aisle screaming to give me a hug! literally obsessed.

Well, another week is done. Talk to you next week! Love you bunches!!
Sarah

Happy Birthday Amanda!!!

Another week has gone by. Where do they go?? This week went well. We had zone conference last Wednesday and it is mission tour time so we had a member of the seventy there. It is always such a cool experience to hear from a member of the seventy. He was actually a little difficult to understand because he is from Paraguay and only has been here in the states for a few years. I would rather have had him speak Spanish. I don't know that all the English missionaries would have appreciated that. LOL!

This last week one of my favorite members had a surgery. She(Hna. Latorre) is pretty old and just struggles. She is basically blind as well. We usually go over to her apartment once a week to give her some company. Because she lives alone we decided to go over there more this last week because of her surgery. On Saturday while we were out proselyting I felt an impression to go visit her. Hermana Latorre had felt super sick all morning and thought she needed to go to the hospital. She immediately called her son to come get her and take her to the hospital but he lives 30 minutes away. She didn't know how she was going to make it that long. Right after she got off the phone with him she prayed, and asked Heavenly Father to send the missionaries to come help her. Hermana Ruplinger and I knocked on the door 2 minutes later. Then proceeded to be one of the most scary and stressful 30 minutes of my life. I was about to call an ambulance. At one point I was holding her and rocking her as she cried. I sat there and prayed to my Heavenly Father that it would all work out. As I was picking up the phone to call 911 her son knocked on the door and took her to he hospital. I really don't know if she would have been able to do it if we had not been there. I know that God hears and answers prayers. God knew hat she was in need and sent us there. Not two minutes after her prayer did we knock on the door! That is not just coincidence. I love the quote by Abraham Lincoln "I have been driven to my knees with the conviction that there was no where else to go." Hermana Latorre is now in the hospital. The incision from her surgery had opened and she was internally bleeding. The doctors don't know if she will live for very long. Hurts my soul. She is one of my favorites.

Last night there was a baptism for 3 people in the ward and because there were a lot of nonmembers Hermana Ruplinger and I gave a Restoration message while everyone was changing. There was TONS of people there and I was nervous because Hermana Ruplinger doesn't speak much Spanish and it was in front of such a huge crowd. We had role played the whole thing earlier that day but I really just wanted the people to feel the spirit as we taught. We got up there to teach in front of probably 100 people and my heart was pounding. Who knows why???......I have only taught the Restoration a million times. But it turned out SO well!! As I was saying the 1st vision I just felt the truthfulness of the message I was sharing. I felt the Spanish just flow out of my mouth so easily, almost too easily. I knew at that moment I had divine help. I have never had an easier time teaching and the spirit was strong. I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for that tender mercy that He gave me in that moment. Even Hermana Ruplinger did great!!

Transfers are next week. My last transfer. It is really weird to think about. I really hope I can stay and finish my mission in this area because of the good relationship I have with the ward and investigators. It would be hard to leave for my last transfer. I am praying to stay ;)

I hope all is well with everyone!!! Go Steelers!! HAHA!

I love you! and I hope Amanda has a wonderful Birthday!
Hermana Richards