Transfer 11 Week 3

How do I sum up the week in the ten minutes I have left on the computer? Well. It just can't be done. I'll tell you the highlights. We went on exchanges to Gallup and spent the weekend with a couple of very blonde but extremely amazing Sister Missionaries. We rode bikes and I was 200% sure that I was going to die from breathing too much fresh air.
Sister Johnson and I shared a fun moment just laughing. For the very first time we laughed together. Apparently pepper makes her hiccup. She is a very sophisticated person so her hiccuping set me off giggling. "STOP!" I yelled at her. "I DEMAND THAT YOU CEASE THIS INSTANT." She started giggling. And through her giggling she says, very matter of factly
"It's- HICC- spasms of- HICCUH- the vagus nerve!"
I laughed even harder.
The greatest miracle this week is not anything that happened involving the work, but more the things I've seen changing and growing within our companionship. The great miracles are happening as we change our hearts and seek God's will. The great miracle of a mission is not just the things that happen around you, but what happens inside of you. And really, that's the great miracle of life itself and everything we experience in it.
I love you all.
Sorry this is so short.
We'll be in Farmington till Friday.
xoxoxxo

And to make up for my lack of words, here's my main man Benson:
God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to be humble or we can be compelled to be humble. Alma said, “Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble.” (Alma 32:16.)

Let us choose to be humble.

We can choose to humble ourselves by conquering enmity toward our brothers and sisters, esteeming them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher than we are. (See D&C 38:24; D&C 81:5; D&C 84:106.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by receiving counsel and chastisement. (See Jacob 4:10; Hel. 15:3; D&C 63:55; D&C 101:4–5; D&C 108:1; D&C 124:61, 84; D&C 136:31; Prov. 9:8.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by forgiving those who have offended us. (See 3 Ne. 13:11, 14; D&C 64:10.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by rendering selfless service. (See Mosiah 2:16–17.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by going on missions and preaching the word that can humble others. (See Alma 4:19; Alma 31:5; Alma 48:20.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by getting to the temple more frequently.

We can choose to humble ourselves by confessing and forsaking our sins and being born of God. (See D&C 58:43; Mosiah 27:25–26; Alma 5:7–14, 49.)

We can choose to humble ourselves by loving God, submitting our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives. (See 3 Ne. 11:11; 3 Ne. 13:33; Moro. 10:32.)

Let us choose to be humble. We can do it. I know we can.

Transfer 11 Week 2

Before I begin, let me repost my address for all of you who are dying to send me things:
3800 McLaws Rd
Holbrook AZ 86025

Okay now send me things. Thank you.

WELL! I'm exhausted. The week was extremely exhausting. But it was fantastic. Sister Johnson loves Holbrook so far and I'm glad because I'm 200% sure it's the best area in the mission. It's really humbling being somewhere with such awesome members and great potential. I just don't feel worthy to work such a great area.
Saying goodbye to Sister Jeffrey was anti climatic because she went downstairs to get something from the mission office and I got swept into a meeting and we never really got a proper goodbye. Oh well! Worse things have happened. The drive to Farmington was fun, one last road trip together! And Sister Johnson is a very interesting character. Speaking of characters, she's a fiction writer. Did I ever anticipate being companions with Sabrina Valdez's twin? Probably not. They are very similar though, but they're also very different. She started describing herself to me on the drive back to Holbrook and a lot of it was Sabrina to a T. But almost more so. I asked her what Lord of the Rings race she would be (a classic question) and she told me in great description down to the race and social class of the type of elf she would be, and what kingdom she would be from. So. I was entertained.
We've started jogging in the morning. (Well, I jog in circles and she goes "at the speed of Sister Johnson) It's very foggy out on the property and there's a horned owl that hoots at us from the silhouetted trees and I know Sister Johnson is just eating up the scenery.
This week we'll be in Gallup, and next week we'll be in Farmington. I'm super excited for all the traveling and to see what kind of conversation I can squeeze out of Sister Johnson. It seems to me like she grew up in a place that was more like Holbrook rather than Yorba Linda.
We went to teach our recent convert and at the end of the lesson challenged Cory to share the Book of Mormon with someone. Well she did us one better and asked for two copies for two specific people she wanted to share with! If only we had that same zeal for missionary work that converts have. It's amazing.
This week we also found out that one of the less actives we've been teaching is actually not a member. She lives in a huge warehouse full of french bull dogs. We love going to see her and seeing the changes happening in that home. They searched for her records, and found out she's going to have to be baptized! I'm so excited for her, she came out of the bishops office in tears, just ecstatic. She's been through everything, so much darkness and pain. She's gotten really lost. And now watching her make changes to be closer to God is like watching someone come home.
And that's the great miracle I saw this week: transformation. I can't describe what it does to someone to have the gospel in their life. But there's something in their eyes that changes. And the feeling in their home. The power of the spirit, I believe, makes people look more beautiful. And I don't know if it's the light in their eyes, or the glow they get, or if it's more scientific than that. But it's amazing. I love this work. And I love seeing it change people.

The way I've changed this week is with prayer. Golly! I had no idea how to pray, after studying it and reading scriptures on prayer, I've realized that I've been doing it wrong all this time. Prayer should be so much more sacred than I've made it. And as I've changed my prayers, it's changing me. I can feel it. And I love it. So study up, and see what I mean.
I love you all lots. The only picture I have is of my tired squinty asian eyes beacuse I realized in a panic that I've taken none this week.

Transfer 11: Week 1

Transfer news! My new companion will be Sister Johnson from Wyoming- different from the other Sister Johnson I came out with. I haven't met her yet, but I'll meet her this week and I'm so very excited. I also found out that I'm going to get to go on exchanges with the Farmington YSA Sisters this transfer. It's going to be a big travel, but I can't wait.
Holbrook is doing great, the leadership is all excited for the new year. They've set new ward goals and new approaches to ward missionary work. I'm so excited for everything that's about to happen! The excitement is not without a tinge of sorrow for Sister Jeffrey's departure. I have enjoyed our time together so much. We have a funny way of communicating but somehow I know that when she tells me she wants to stab me what she really means is that she enjoys my company, and when she tells me she hates me what she really means is that she wants to be my companion forever. Either that or I've been misreading her insults all this time. That's embarrassing.

Last Tuesday was Zone Conference. Sister Jeffrey gave her departing testimony and didn't even cry- What a champion! I learned so much. They taught us about the simplest of things: The Restoration. We focused on simple teaching, on sticking to Preach My Gospel. We role-played like our life depended on it. The best part of the day was the last role play. We practiced teaching the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I had come to Zone Conference pondering the Atonement. I wondered how I can know that I'm doing my best, how can I know if God is happy with the effort I'm putting in? An Elder, nearing the end of his mission, taught me the atonement. He taught so simply. He handed to me the picture of Christ kneeling in Gethsemane. The spirit hit me like a ton of bricks. He testified of the most simple truths. That God loves me. That Christ suffered, and felt every type of pain- for me. The most important thing is that he said it all from the heart. It wasn't over rehearsed or robotic, it wasn't extravagant- It was simple truth. And that truth brought me to tears. I am in constant awe of the love God has for us. In those small pauses of silence during his teaching, I felt God. And that's exactly what I needed that day. I was so grateful.
We got a new investigator named Debbie. She lives in a broken down old motel with her wiener dog, Jack, and her cat, Snow White. She's Apache Indian. And she's a real interesting one. Have you ever talked to someone and felt like you've always known them? I've felt like that with a few people on my mission and Debbie is one of them.

This week I've had a weird itch to create. I don't know if you know what I mean. But every song I hear, I want to write one! Every time I see a Mormon Message, I want to create one. I have that itch and it's hard to not be able to just sit down and obsess over something, and emerge out of my bedroom with a creation. I'm not sure what to put all of this energy and itch into, but I'll find something. Ironically enough, I haven't taken barely any pictures at all this week so all I have are a million of Sister Jeffrey on the phone, and a couple I took on the way home from Tuba city. Oh! Also we made brookies (brownie/cookies) for the man who got us out of the mud.
This week I am grateful for the constant humbling I receive from my Father in Heaven. There are few things better for the spirit than a good hard humbling from a loving God. I am constantly brought to my knees. Humility is a great gift. It forces us to seek God's will. It turns us in the right direction. It's funny to think how often I have prayed for investigators or less-active members to be humbled. Some people pray for trials to pass, and sometimes the missionaries pray that you'll have trials. Not that I pray for exactly that. But there are times you leave a lesson and say "Man, I love that person so much, I hope God humbles them". And if you can't understand that maybe you need a tad more humbling. Trust me, God will give it to you. And it's a great blessing.
I love you all lots and pinch you wherever it is the squishiest.
- Sister Valdez

Transfer 10 Week 6

So you remember the baptism we had last month? Cory? Her non member grandmother gave a talk at her baptism- and has now been coming with Grandpa every week to church. They've stayed for all three hours! This week in Sunday school the spirit was there so strong. Diane (grandma) said "I could feel the holy spirit like electricity, like lightening when Mark was being confirmed." Mark is the Elder's recent convert. Bishop was in Sunday school, he turned to Diane and said "I testify to you that the feeling you got was the Holy Ghost telling you of truth. He was telling you that confirmation is a true ordinance, that it was being done by priesthood authority and that it was equally true with the proper ordinance of baptism into Christ's church." Mark bore his testimony to Bob (grandpa) and brought tears to his eyes. "It's as if you've read my mind." Said Bob. Oh I love them all. I love every single one of them. We'll be meeting with Grandma and Grandpa and Cory this Friday. 

MLC was great this week! We spent the night in Shiprock in a tiny trailer on the side of the main road. I took the couch and Sister Jeffrey took the mattress. Sister Jeffrey spent Tuesday with Sister Cambell, and I took off with Sister Howells to MLC. It was great, I was feeling a bit sick though and couldn't fully appreciate Sister Batt's baked beans. On the way back the Shiprock Sisters were going on exchanges with Sister Huch and her companion- So anyway, Sister Huch drove me back to Shiprock. It was so much fun! I have not giggled and played that much in a while. I forgot how much I loved being her companion, as silly as life was back then. We swapped stories, patted each others shoulders, teased, and laughed. We got back with our companions and shared a big hug and a wave and silly faces through the passenger window. 

It was fun to get back with Sister Jeffrey and tell her all about the latest and greatest at MLC. But we both were so exhausted. We were sick for a day or so, but got our tushies out to work because Sister Jeffrey now only has 9 days left! We are pushing hard and working our tails off. I'm so excited for this next week. 

This week I realized that I need humbling and the Lord sure is giving it. But not in the way I expected. I prayed to be humbled this week expecting trials and heartache and fire falling from the sky. Instead there was progression, and miracles, and blessings that I know I don't deserve. What an interesting twist on things. I won't complain. But I will say, it is humbling. It's humbling to get that which I know I don't deserve even a fraction of. Which brings me to the scripture I found this week in Corinthians:

 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

I hope this week to labor enough to be worthy of the grace  have and continue to receive. I love and miss you all very much.

- Sister Valdez

snow snow snow this week! Snow everywhere. There's also a picture of the two districts that meet in Holbrook, and one of me looking like a chubby angry Buddha in the snow.