Wow! Lots of fun snow pics! I guess I can't complain anymore about the weather here, hearing about your 15° day the other day! We start whining when it gets down to 50 degrees, haha we're so spoiled, though it definitely is getting chilly at night. I'm used to it though, since this is my second December here in Temecula. Thankfully I won't be here in Jan/Feb when it drops to the 30's.
Yes, transfers are the 17th and that will be our Christmas conference as well for the whole mission. There will be a fun talent show (where I will be singing) and then a spiritual part of the devotional as well with lots of musical numbers, but I didn't sign up for that part. Should be fun! Hma. Sheffield and Elder Solomon and I will be practicing today at the Zone activity and then I'll have Sister Johnson record it at the conference so you can see it when I get home ☺ It's too big to email though, sorry.
As for the conference with Elder Richards, I was misinformed. He is coming to the mission, but only to meet with the Mission Leadership Council, and then they will be training us on it tomorrow actually. I think he already came actually, this last weekend. Should be great though, so I'll let you know more about it next week. Paris says they are getting their new proselyting Facebook accounts reviewed right now and are getting the Ipads next month. Wow. I'm glad we are just doing a Family History pilot and hopefully that stuff won't come in until after I'm gone. Sounds like a lot of change, which is a good thing I'm sure, but will require work and trial and error during the transition period.
That's exciting that Nick is home and I was wondering when Marita would be coming home. How fun that they both return within a few weeks of each other ☺
I actually don't know who I will be with next transfer, but it's pretty much for sure that I'm going back to Spanish work. Not only because President loves me, but because several Spanish missionaries are going home on the 17th and only one new missionary is coming in, so they will need me. I'm also almost positive I won't be training this transfer (with only one coming in), so my guess is that I'll get transferred to Vista or Oceanside, but I'm hoping Oceanside. Hermana Bennett and Hermana Woodruff are both up there right now with their companions, and since I trained Hermana Bennett, it would be much more likely that I would go with Hermana Woodruff. She is very cool and was trained my Hermana Eskeets, who is so great. Hermana Woodruff was trained here in Temecula as well and then Hermana Sheffield greenie-broke her. Hermana Sheffield is still here in Temecula training Hermana Williams. I think I will be with whomever I serve with for one transfer, then probably train one more time before I die, but I guess we'll see. Exciting stuff, isn't it? ;)
The dentist was fine. I'll go back this Friday and get the other two filled. The insurance took care of most of it and he was so kind as to wave the other $127. We'll have to make him cookies or something to say thank you. ☺
To be continued....
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| Sister Villaseñor and me in our matching blankets |
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| Well? |
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| The view from our front porch - a great Temecula Sunset! |
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| Our district (not to be confused with "The District" ) ☺ |
These past few transfers have been such great learning experiences for me. I feel like I have been so in tune with the Spirit, and actually able to understand his prompting (which has always been difficult for me) and it's just awesome. I actually feel like we are being instruments in the Lord's hands. Yesterday we went to see a potential named Joy, but her car wasn't in the driveway to we didn't even go to the door. Instead, I kept driving to turn around at the end of the cul-de-sac, and we saw her in her car, just chilling. So we turned around and rolled down our window to talk to her. We ended up parking and coming over to "hang out for a minute" in her car so she could tell us about the books she is writing. As we talked, we naturally brought up the gospel and it turned into a beautiful discussion on the plan of salvation. We left her a chapter to read in the Book of Mormon and she is very willing to pray and seek out the truth. She wants to meet with us again (in her car, ha ha) this week. It was a great surprise.
Other little things, like meeting Alyson and acting on small impressions of where to walk and what turn to take from the Spirit, leading us right to her. She called us the other night, with thoughts of suicide and crying on the phone out in the cold, refusing to go inside her house. With love and listening, to her and the Spirit, we were able to calm her down and she is since doing okay.
Also, Don. Like always, Don is just so awesome. Teaching him shows me how very much Heavenly Father is aware of us, just by the fact that I'm here to work with him. I know the reason I'm back in Temecula, working in the exact same apartments and neighborhoods as I was a year ago, doing English work, is because of Don. And I know that one of my previous friendships/ relationships has prepared me to work specifically with him. Yesterday, he didn't come to church, so of course, we went by to see him. He has struggled with keeping the Sabbath day holy a little bit and yesterday he was just in a terrible mood. He was frustrated and just mad at everyone, so we just listened. We listened to him and we listened to the Spirit, and then the he opened up to us and told us some very personal things. His background is so much like this friend of mine, it's ridiculous. He was feeling so bitter and not understanding of the Atonement. However, thankfully the Spirit told us exactly what he needed to hear, and by the time we left, he was smiling and just laughing at the fact that every time he's struggling or needs some support or is having a bad day, we show up and tell him exactly what he needs to hear. I love being an instrument in the Lord's hand, because everything we shared with him last night came directly from Him. Don is now sure that he will one day be able to have peace in his heart, even though he knows it will take time.
And yes, I do plan on coming back for when he goes through the temple. I hope to be a part of his life forever.
Well, I'm out of time. I'm sure there was more I was going to tell you. Sorry, but I gotta go. Until next week, LOVE YOU!!!!
Hermana Alyssa Nicole Escalante
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