It's Called Caliente Because it's Still Hot

Hey all!

It has been the absolute best week ever in the Monica ward. Such an incredible week. So much happened. It was wild.

So on the fourth we got to head up to Tehachapi to do some baptism interviews, which is where the week really started getting good. We also got to head out to a little town in the mountains called Caliente (if you can call a post office and twenty destroyed houses by the railroad tracks a town.) We had six less active members living up there in the mountains, and the members from our ward rarely make it up there, so we figured we'd head out there to see how everyone was doing. That was cool. Still hot up there. Looks kinda like Utah. More than Bakersfield does at least. 

But yeah the interviews. These two girls were so ready. Seriously. They'd been waiting for two years to be able to be baptized because of some custody trouble, and getting to see their joy in finally being able to make that covenant with God was so so cool. We got to go to their baptism on Saturday too! It was a really special one. There were so many people three they couldn't even all fit in the primary room to watch the baptism when it happened. I saw real fellowship this week- honest love for your fellow men that stirs souls and makes miracles happen. If we all loved each other like the members there loved these girls, we'd build Zion so fast.

We also got some counsel this week about our finding. President Ballard encouraged the mission presidents to have their missionaries each contact at least ten new people each day- twenty total per companionship. On paper that doesn't sound so bad, but apparently not all our finding time is used that effectively. I'm so grateful for that counsel, because it's been a little hard for me to visualize what success should be for me right now- I won't be around to see the results of a lot the invitations I extend right now. But talking to twenty new people in between the lessons we have? Sure. Sounds bomb. I can do that. We're really enthusiastic about it :) 

After church this past Sunday we had a really special lesson. Some members in our ward invited us to come over and teach their niece who has been to church a few times. We sat down and taught her the restoration and it was absolutely incredible. I think it was one of the most spiritual lessons that I've ever taught. I was about to cry when talking about the Book of Mormon. It was so cool. At the end she asked us about patriarchal blessings (they'd talked about them at church) and then we got talking about the gift of the holy ghost and baptism. She sounded like she wanted the blessings, so we invited her to be baptized and she picked out a date herself! I think her poor Aunt was surprised. We don't normally invite to a date on the first lesson anymore! It was the Spirit! The Spirit was really strong! 

And those were the best parts of the week. Gospel is true. It's great. 

Thanks for all your support!