May 26, 2014

I can not wait to write about this week.  Not going to lie, this was the week that Satan threw EVERYTHING at us!  We are lucky to have made it out alive!  But we did it, so no stress.

   So I will start with Monday.  It was P-day and we explored the Belmar mall a bit, went to a fancy tea shop, and then hit it up in mini Mexico.  Going to all the Carnicerias and Mercados.  It was such a blast and truly brought out my inner brownness (which is getting stronger and stronger everyday, just so you know:)  Then we went to a member's house for dinner.  Hispanics are not satisfied with just giving you a regular portion size. No, they have to see how high they can truly get the food before it falls over.  I think it is a cultural competition.  Oh and if you don't eat it all, it offends them, their entire family, and all the tiny chihuahuas they have.  So I finished eating this huge meal and we start getting to work.  Until I realized that things were not okay with my stomach.  It turns out that I had the flu, and I spent all night throwing up that huge, SPICY meal that I had just ate.  One of the worst nights of my life.  

   Then on Tuesday I was still recovering and it was just a long day.  That ended with us realizing we had bedbugs in our apartment.  Yes.  One of my biggest fears just became reality.  We realized it when this super sketchy bug crawled out of Sister Marley's planner..... Then we decided to strip our beds and check everything.  And of course, because everything happens to me, we found a live bug crawling on my bed.  It was horrible.  So bedbugs are super contagious and the next day we were under house arrest.  We had to dry ALL of our clothes to kill any eggs that could have been on them.  Then some guy came in our apartment and sprayed it and I was honestly to the point of ripping my hair out and pacing our tiny apartment.  The worst thing that could happen to a missionary is not being able to work.  All I can say is that bedbugs are the crawling spawn of Satan, and I made sure all of them were destroyed.  With a smile on my face of course :).  

  Ok, and then the weather here has been crae.  The other day it rained so much that the streets were flooded.  Think of the scene from Jamanji, thats what it was here.  I half expected to see crocodiles floating besides our car.  But we survived driving through that and had a hilarious dinner with the other sisters after wading through the river into our dinner appointment.  But did you know that Tornado's can happen here in Denver?  Because I didn't haha.  We have been on Tornado watch all week and it got super intense on Saturday.  As missionaries we have no connection to the world and what is going on.  So we are driving in this intense storm and see a funnel cloud that keeps getting closer and closer to the ground.  (I have a picture, it was the real deal)  Then the tornado sirens go off and we are like, "oh my gosh, we're going to die."  But the best thing is that Sis Marley gets super nervous with things.  So when she heard the sirens she freaked out so much and suddenly stopped the car and ran into this sketchy mexican beauty salon.  I had no idea what was going on but just ran after her as she ran inside and yelled "tengo una emergencia!  Necesito usar su bano!"  She got so nervous that her bladder almost exploded haha.  And I got to sit there awkwardly while everyone started at the 2 weird white girls.

   We got emergency texts and had to go back to our house to stay safe.  Outside it was hailing marbles and raining and the wind was crazy.  We survived the night and I am not sure that the tornado actually touched down.  But I am not going to lie, I was a little bit excited to live through my childhood fear of Twister.  

  AND it is a holiday weekend so NO ONE was home and the work was slow even though we worked so hard.  

    That was a very long rant about the craziness of this week.  Satan truly tried to knock us down.  BUT he did not succeed!  We had some huge miracles this week.

   We are teaching a woman named Margarita and she has had a lot of hard things going on in her life, so she asked for a blessing.  Hermano Cardenas in our ward came and he is so awesome.  He is this ex-gang member who is covered in tattoos but is the sweetest man with the sweetest family and the biggest testimony.  He gave her the blessing and she just sobbed.  She said she had never felt like that before and knew that God was with her at the moment.  She knows it was the true power of God and begged us to come to church next week.  She is so great and the Lord truly prepared her!  I felt the spirit so strong and couldn't help but testify her that this gospel was going to change her life.  It was the first time that I started crying when I was testifying to an investigator.  I don't know if she felt the spirit with my words or not, but that moment was very special to me.  Because I knew without a doubt that I had a Father in Heaven who loved me.  And that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that the exact same church he set up here on the was restored through Joseph Smith.  I KNOW without a doubt that this church is true and that it will bless and change the lives of anyone who accepts it.  I know this because it has changed my life completely.  And it was the most amazing experience to be able to look this woman in the eyes and know that I was telling her the truth.  And to feel the love that our Father in Heaven has for her.  We are very excited to teach her and know she is truly prepared!    

   Then we had a perfect member lesson last night that flowed and was guided by the spirit.  As a missionary there was nothing else I could ask for!  It was with a couple who are a little older but can't have any kids.  And it turns out that they were taught by Elders almost 5 yrs ago.  I was a little worried that they weren't going to open up, but last night they did and we can't wait for them to progress.  And today we had a great Sisters Conference where the spirit was very strong.  It helped get all of the sisters motivated and realized that with Faith we can do anything and even see miracles.  

    I love my mission and have grown so much and I love the people that I have met.  And today in Sisters Conference the shared a scripture that describes a mission perfectly, especially this week. 
  Alma 28:8 And this is the account of Ammon and his brethren, their journeyings in the land of Nephi, their sufferings in the land, their sorrows, and their afflictions, and their INCOMPREHENSIBLE joy, with the reception and safety of their brethren.  And now may the Lord, the Redeemer of all men, bless their souls forever.  

   As you can see from my letter, crazy things are thrown at you during your mission.  People mock us, yell at us, and a lot of things happen that just plain suck.  But there is truly a joy here that is incomprehensible.  It is like nothing I've ever felt before in my life.  I truly am happier then I have ever been before.  I remember thinking how crazy it was that I was going on my mission to Colorado.  Just a few hours from my house.  But I love Colorado just like the people loved the Waters of Mormon.(Mosiah 18:30)  I love Colorado because this is the place where I have come to know my God.  I have come to the knowledge and truth of my Savior here.  And it will always be a special place to me.  

   This letter was a long rant and I apologize.  But thank you so much for all of the support and love I have back home.  !Hasta la proxima semana!!

Con am

   Hermana Adair or,

May 19, 2014

Dear family!

   This week I do not have much time to write.  Things get a little crazy here in Denver.  But things are great.  We have finally built up our teaching pool and we have some really solid investigators.  I am very excited to see them grow and help them find the path to baptism, and ultimately Eternal happiness.  

   I forgot to mention that I went to the temple finally!!  I loved the Denver temple!  It felt so good to be inside again and truly leave the things of the world behind.  When a mission is full of stress it makes a huge difference to just feel complete peace and comfort for an hour or 2.  

    We were able to see so many miracles this week and truly feel the Lord's hand in our lives.  I have such a strong testimony that this is the Lord's work, not ours.  As long as we do the things we are asked to do, and work hard, the Lord will provide a way.  And everything that happens is for a purpose.  

   Oh, crazy story this week.  On Friday we went into a lesson with a couple and we also brought a member.  The member and this couple LOVE to talk.  So they went off immediately and we couldn't even get a word in.  And all of the sudden this man puts in this video about a man's testimony and faith.  It was a super ghetto video that looked like it was taped in the 1970's! The movie starts playing with Mexican Christian music and we see pictures of dead and diseased people.  I'm thinking, what is this...   Then this mexican man is up on the stage and turning all Evangelical on us.  Preaching like there is no tomorrow.  This man is a transvestite turned preacher.  He starts telling of his life as a tranny and showing pictures of his "former self."  It was the most awkward thing ever.  And we couldn't get a word in because the couple were so into it and talking.  and even the member we brought was mesmorized.  She moved her chair front and center to better see the tv.  There haven't been too many moments so far where I have been lost as of what to do.  But this was one of those moments for me.  And Sister Marley was just trying not to laugh out loud, because the night before we had a discussion about trannys haha and how could this be a coincidance.  But it got to the point where he was talking about STD's that I knew we had to be done.  So I grabbed Sis. Marley's wrist with her watch, very dramatically, and said, "we have another appointment and really don't have time, can I share a bible scripture before we leave?"  

   And that ended that.  Sis Marley thanked me after for saving the lesson, she had no idea what to do.  So now I know what the word for transvestite is in spanish.  It was one of the weirdest things that have happened to me haha especially with hispanics.  usually they stay away from that kind of stuff.  

  Next week I will have more stories of crazy things that happened and the miracles we have been seeing!  I love you all!!  Thanks for everything!  I love my mission so much and my testimony grows so much every single day!!!

May 12, 2014

This letter will probably be really short.  Nothing new happened this week and I feel like I've already told you everything.  This area is a little slow at the moment, and this was our worst week for numbers and lessons.  Everything we had planned fell through!  Sometimes it is so frustrating, but it really helps me to learn diligence and how to keep a positive attitude on things.  But this week we tried to do a lot of finding; so that we can have more investigators and really build this area.  

   We went to some really ghetto and sketchy apartments but were able to find this amazing family!  It is a young single mother with 5 kids.  She is back to getting her life in order but she really has so much faith and is so ready to accept this gospel.  She loves us and it was really fun to get to know her.  And then the dad of her oldest daughter came in, we thought it would be awkward but it wasn't, and he loves us to!!  He asked if we could come to his house on saturday and he would make us carne asada and he is thrilled to have his daughter listen to us!!  We were like, "heck ya!  You can totally make us carne asada while we teach you the gospel!!!"  We are really excited for them!

   This week was really hot.  And then it was a blizzard.  It has literally been snowing for 2 days and it is still going strong.  But luckily here, the snow does not stick as bad.  But because I sent most of my winter stuff home, my toes are a little bit cold haha.  But it only makes me appreciate the blessings of getting into a warm and toasty home and filling it with the spirit!!  

   So I love the Hispanic ward here.  Very chill and very warm.  Just like a hispanic ward should be haha.  But they had a huge Mothers Day Activity Saturday night that EVERYONE came to!  It was so much fun!  We had homemade carne asada and amazing cake.  Then they had a mariachi band(killed that spelling) and some of the sisters took turns singing with them.  and everyone danced!  And all of the little girls wanted us to dance with them!  They love us and are so adorable!!!  I will have to send pictures!  

    and then it was Sunday, and I talked to my family.  Which was honestly a little weird at first haha.  Just kidding guys :)  And that is about it.  Maybe next week I will have some better stories. 

   I love you all!  And I love my mission.  My testimony has grown so much these past 6 months and I feel so lucky that I have a yr left to learn and grow so much more!!!

Hasta la proxima semana!

May 5, 2014

Time is going by so fast and I can't believe that I have already been in Denver for 2 weeks!  And I'm starting the 3rd week, which means that the transfer is almost half way over!  It's hard to wrap my head around at times. 

   But I LOVE Denver!  I love the people here and I love having the privledge to help this area grow.  I found out that President Murdock put me here in this area to help it build up more.  That he was calling my Sister Leader Trainers, Sister Noffz, my Ward Mission Leader, and Sister Flores to see if I could do it.  Wow, I did not like hearing that.  Now it seems like a much bigger responsibility.  But I guess it is a good sign that I am actually doing my job right.  Or at least I am trying.  Being a missionary is not easy.  There are so many people to think about and so many different decisions to make.  But I love being in this area.

   This week we have been in the process of finding more people.  We don't have too many investigators and most of them are hard to catch at home.  Our area is so big we basically just drive back and forth trying to see people.  It's not like Eagle where there are people to see down every street.  But I also love it because there are SO MANY PEOPLE!  Especially Hispanics.  They are literally everywhere and there is always the opportunity to find someone knew to teach.  It is just decided who really is ready that is hard.  

   But we found a woman named Karina and her mother Yvonne who are AMAZING!  Yvonne's son just got put in jail and they are both looking for something to bring them closer to God and be an example to the rest of their family.  They loved our first lesson and understood everything perfectly.  They even said they would get baptized if they learned this was true.  We're excited for them.

   Then the Cardenaz Family.  I LOVE THIS FAMILY!  It is a mother named Monica, her husband Francisco, their 3 kids, and their niece Victoria who is 16 yrs old.  The entire family LOVES the restoration and have been praying for a way to change their lives.  Even the Dad was completely interested in our lesson, which is odd for Hispanic men.  They all want to read the Book of Mormon and know for themselves.  And they love a member who is a recent convert.  She invited them to church and they were thrilled to go.  But turns out they didn't come, and the member didn't either, and we're not sure why :(  But its fine, that happens all the time here.  And I love the 16 yr old girl Victoria!  She is so special!  Her mom is making really bad decisions and it wasn't safe for her to live there anymore.  Which is why she is staying with her aunt and uncle.  But Victoria wants to know more about God so she can be that example for her mom and help her have more hope in her life.  Victoria is the sweetest girl and has such a innocent and special way of thinking about things.  She reminds me so much of Karina back in Eagle.  Which makes me worried that my heart will be shattered again :(  But we will do everything in our power to help them.  

   Then we have a woman named Gloria and her 2 kids.  Gloria has 2 mormon friends and loves the example of their families.  She loves everything but it is just so new to her that she needs time to pray and figure it out.  We had such a spiritual lesson with her two friends, who are in a different english ward, about temples.  And how we can be with our families forever.  And then her friend Monica up and invited her to be baptized!  WHAT!!?  We were shocked!  But it was amazing that it came from her friend, because she felt so much love from them.  She said she would read the Book of Mormon and get baptized if she knew it all was true.  

   So we are excited for quite a few people who seem to really be prepared for the Gospel in their lives.  So Sister Marley and I work really well together.  We have found a way to teach with unity, which is shocking.  Usually it is hard to find that balance.  And we have the same humor, which makes things fun.  But Sister Marley has Epilepsy, which means our schedule is a little different.  She needs to make sure she gets enough sleep so she won't have seizures, which is super scary.  So we go in at 8 and then in the morning she sleeps an extra hour.  I still wake up the same time, but it does push our studies back.  It makes it harder to get lessons, because most people are easier to find later at night after work.  But then we also plan better and more effectively.  

   Today is Cinco de Mayo, and let me tell you, you can tell.  Technically hispanics don't really celebrate it, but because they're in America, it is a great excuse to get completely drunk.  So we have seen Mexican flags duck taped to cars, cop cars are everywhere trying to control things.  And we are really excited to go proselyting tonight!  The things we will see haha.  

   Oh, yesterday we totally saw a stripper work her magic and try to see who was the highest bidder.  Then she got in his car and drove off.  We laughed for a long time over that.  

   I love this hispanic ward.  I cannot describe how hilarious it is.  During sunday school they talked a lot about their novela's (soap operas.)  For those of you who don't know, Novelas are everything to the hispanic woman, their life revolves around what time it is on.  And one lady in Sunday school stood up and said "God wants us to practice discipline.  So to discipline myself I will not watch another novela.  And God knows how hard that will be for me so it is truly a huge sacrifice on my part."  Or something like that.  She was completely serious and committed before the entire sunday school class that she was going to change her life.  But everyone was laughing because they knew it wouldn't be possible.  And did you know that hispanics are tonedeath?  I love them all but they can not carry a tune, and it is hilarious.  And I realized probably the reason I was called to speak spanish haha.

   And last funny story of the week.  I went dumpster diving the other day.  yes.  I was intelligent enough to throw our house keys in the dumpster next door.  So I made a run for it and hopped over.  And I promise it was as graceful as that just sounded.  The situation could have been a lot worse, because there were only a few sacks of garbage amongst the cigarretes and spilt beer bottles.  But then I was stuck.  That dumpster was deep and I had nothing to grab on to.  So I basically did a super woman move and pulled myself up completely with my arms.  So now, of course all of the missionaries in Denver knew what happened, and I am pretty sure I will never be able to live it down haha.  But whatever, I gained respect from it.  :)

   I love my mission and can't wait to work hard this week and teach all of these incredible people.  Thanks for all of the support and love I have back home!  

Love, 

  Hermana Adair