Caretaker

Such an interesting week!

I started off having an intercambio with THE Hermana Poll (we were in the same district in the CCM). I was able to come back to my first area (Chayavientos; I served there for the first 6 months), and Hermana Poll and I thrived. It might be the best intercambio I have ever had for sooo many different reasons!!! We found SUCH ELECT PEOPLE; somehow we ran into all my favorite members in less than 24 hours, had lunch with the bishop, Hermana Poll and I died laughing and didn't take a break from talking, saw the chicken gang (H. Vasquez, I hope you're reading this), and they went wild seeing me. But most incredible of all was setting a baptismal date with our friend Nicolas, thanks to the SOLID testimony of Natalia (one of my first converts).

A little background... I first met Natalia with Hermana Vasquez right outside of our house towards the beginning of my mission. We started to talk, and she said she had always wondered if she could come play basketball in our church one time. Crazy enough, for the first time ever, we had actually planned a sports activity that same Saturday with the youth in our ward. We were like, "AHH, IT'S A SIGN!!!!" We waited for Natalia the next morning for an hour, and she never showed up.

She finally texted us back, and we planned another time we could meet with her. After a lot of teaching, questions, prayers, and fasting... one month later, Natalia was baptized. It's crazy to think that she began as just one of our neighbors and is now LITERALLY such an inspirational person in my life.

However, after Hermana Vasquez and I left the area, it was really hard for her. On top of that, she deals with a lot of personal/family problems. For the past 2 months, the other missionaries have told me she was really struggling, and all I wanted to do was just give her the biggest hug and help her keep going.

So... fast forward to this past week during my intercambio; we planned a lesson with Nicolas (a friend who was so close to accepting a baptismal date but just didn't feel the need to be baptized), and the ward member we had planned to accompany us canceled. Natalia came to my mind, so we called her, and we met up at the church. I WAS SO HAPPY TO SEE HER.

We started the lesson, and before I knew it, Natalia completely took control of the lesson and shared THE MOST INCREDIBLE TESTIMONY about the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and her process of becoming a member of our church. She explained that after her baptism, she lost a lot of friends, family relationships worsened, and she felt so lonely. She even explained that, at first, she was embarrassed to tell people at school that she was even a member of the church.

BUT THEN she so beautifully and powerfully explained how she overcame all of these trials with Christ. When she didn't want to pray, she could hear Hermana Vasquez's voice reminding her to pray. Or when she felt lonely and sad, she remembered me answering all her questions with the Book of Mormon and knew where she could turn to for peace and help.

Being able to listen to the conversion of Natalia from HER perspective just brought me to complete tears (I promise I don't cry every time I feel happy or the Spirit). Yet again, it was personal evidence to me that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, put into action, changes lives for the better. She ended her testimony by saying (it sounded better in Spanish hehe), "If my teacher in school asked all the members of the church to stand up, I would be the first one to proudly say that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ."

Tears. Tears. Tears. One of the happiest moments of my life.

Our friend Nicolas, whom we were teaching, was just shocked at the love he could feel in the room and happily accepted a baptismal date. The Spirit completely softened his heart through the power of Natalia's testimony.

Following Christ is not easy. It takes focus, patience, trust, and humility. However, when we follow Him, He leads us to greater peace, happiness, and hope than we can even imagine.

Matthew 7

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

We can be part of the "few" who enter in the gate, which leads to eternal life if we choose daily to follow Christ and His example.

My experience with Natalia inspired me in so many ways but specifically testified to me that IT IS SO WORTH the sacrifices I make to be part of Christ's fold.

Highs:

Being a missionary (I feel like I was truly born on the mission and will die on the mission. It's my life now, and I LOVE IT! It is crazy I actually had a normal life before this BAHAHA).

Agustina is a QUEEN and broke up with her boyfriend so she could keep the law of chastity and be baptized.

She also took out her tongue piercing, and I asked her why? She told me it is a sign of her giving her ALL to Christ.

We found out our homeless friend ISN'T homeless and was baptized.

Hermana Vania teaching us how to make fried tuna rolls (it's delish).

Intercambio with Hermana Riz on Las Nieves. She was so worried that I am unsafe due to the amount of attention I got for having blonde hair hahaha so funny.

Leadership council and sitting next to Hermana Arne.

After the second hospital run (see lows for more information), my companion and I were so hungry, so we found a Starbucks and drank hot chocolate together while waiting to be picked up.

Ward mission activity. Elders Parker/Jones and I represented America with PB&J's but we didn't have jelly so we used Nutella. The members roasted us.

Patricio's baptism.

Talking in the car with President and Hermana Dos Santos for a long ratito (time) in traffic.

Paula made me a drawing and has been waiting for 2 weeks to give it to me.

The house I live in right now.

Tour of all of our mission in an Uber Saturday morning.

Banana pudding.

Bringing candy for the youth in our ward that remember my name.

Lows:

MY COMP GOT IN A CAR ACCIDENT while I was gone for a meeting . I was in an interview with my mission president, and he got a call that Hermana Chavez got in an accident while on intercambios. We raced to go see them at the hospital, BUT IT TOOK SOOO LONG TO GET THERE because it was a Friday at 5 pm. The hospital was GHETTO, but thankfully nothing major happened to the hermanas. Only a sprained neck. We waited there for a very long time and then went back to the house. The next morning we went all the way to the north of our mission to the nicest hospital I have ever been to, and she was given medication and a neck brace. SHE IS SO PRECIOUS, and I am so happy she is OK.

I think I got sick from being in the first hospital, and now I feel like crap but I'll get better soon wujuu.

Dogs liked to try and attack me this week.

It feels like I am rarely in my area, BUT I KNOW THERE ARE SO MANY MORE MIRACLES COMING. Better to be busy than bored.

There was a big fire next to Hermana Nani's house.

Follow Christ.

Hermana Pickett