Transfer 6 Week 1

Here I am once again in the SJC West Campus library. On the white board there is a note that says "DO NOT USE INTERNET EXPLORER" (You can say that again). To my right is Sister Garcia typing away, and to my left is our temporary third companion, Sister Anderson. Being with Sister Anderson (our sister training leader) has been a great blessing. It started out as an intimidating experience, but we have both grown to love her and value all that she has taught us this past week. I have included a picture of her making very wide eyes (her signature look). She literally uses wide eyes for every emotion.

Happy: Wide eyes with a grin

Surprised: Wide eyes with small mouth

Angry: Wide eyes with gritted teeth 

 

 

 

 

 

She's also very different than Sister Garcia and I, as far as emotional expression goes. We are both very open people, talk freely about our feelings and personal lives and experiences. Sister Anderson has taken a significant amount of time to reveal anything personal. It has been a fun experience to get to know and understand her, and figure out why she is the way she is. Last night she even let us read through some letters that she was throwing away. For the record, I have never and will never throw away letters. I am a hoarder. Opposite of Sister Anderson, who cannot stand having anything even remotely useless in her presence. 

Anyway, the week has been fantastic! I first must tell you about the meal I ate last night:

Bottom layer: off brand ritz crackers smashed up

2nd layer: rice

3rd: beans with ground turkey

4th: Nacho cheese

5th: Lettuce 

Beverage: lukewarm kool aid

None of you should be surprised that I absolutely loved this meal and was practically wiggling in my seat with joy to be eating crackers, beans, and rice all together!!!! It was BEAUTIFUL. 

The sleeptalking did not cease after the first night, and I got quite exhausted after sleepless nights. Some nights I considered throwing things at them. Other nights I would talk back at them. One night I recorded every word they said and the time of night that they said it. Eventually I think my brain learned to sleep through most of it. Though I do remember Sister Anderson two nights ago said "Thank you for letting us come into your home and teach you."

This week we also got to teach a lesson inside a meat factory where our less active Bro. A works. The goat picture I included is from behind the meat factory. I photographed this goat because, you can't tell, but it is half naked. It is the goat equivalent of a shirtless man wearing fuzzy pants. But I sent it only to show the impressiveness of this goats silky smooth beard. Find me a man who can grow a beard similar, if not exactly the same, as this goat, and I will come home and marry him. (Half serious)

I can't remember if I mentioned this, but we have recently dropped a few people who the Sisters here have been teaching forever. It takes a lot of faith to drop people especially in such a small area- cause who else in the world will we teach?! At times it feels like we have knocked on every door, and gotten rejected by every nonmember in the area. But Sister Anderson kept telling us to have the faith to drop people. We worked up the courage and dropped those who we needed to. The Lord blessed us and we now have three new investigators!

Two of them are daughters of a less active, one of them is the grandson of a different less active! The daughters are cute native girls, 12 and 15. They are skinny little things who are baseball fanatics. The grandson is also native and has a strong testimony of Christ. He has always been in the next room when we met with the less active, but I felt very strongly this week that we should ask him to turn off the xbox and join our lesson. (Even though we all know how hard that is to do... ah.. to turn off an xbox..)

And we have one very strong potential who is the son if a lady who kept sending us away saying "Too busy, come back next week."

He has already started to read the Book of Mormon we left with him, and we'll be meeting with him next week. He has a thick southern accent and is 19 years old. 

The Lord is constantly reminding me how much I need to trust him! Abandon fear and hold to faith. 

The most tender moment this week was that our investigator brought her niece to church. The niece, Cailley, has down syndrome and is mostly a quiet girl except when she makes few little outbursts. She is a sweetheart and loves her auntie. During Relief Society I folded her a paper crane out of a Dairy Queen receipt. She held it in the palm of her hand and treated it as if I had given her a golden egg. She didn't put it down even to open up her hymn book. She stared at it for the whole hour long meeting. I made her a second one and I thought she was going to scream with joy. It is amazing how often we miss out on the joy of small and simple things. 

Have a great week, I love you all! 

Sister Valdez

Pictures include: goat

new couch we found in the desert

sister andersons wide eyes

and pretty views