Called to Serve: week 31: somos las hermanas de SERVICIO

SERVICE SERVICE SERVICE! Our week was full of it and it made the week fly! Summer missionary work is the best! Tuesday we did trash pick up with the English elders, Wednesday was weeding, Thursday was spent in dry creek cleaning out moss, and Saturday we fed animals on a farm and did yard work! It was so fun and so busy!!

Our friend Paulo is a beast y'all!! He and bishop exchanged contact info on Sunday at church so bishop could invite him to the young men activity and the ward picnic this week. When we showed up for dodgeball on Tuesday with the YM/YW, he wasn't there and we were confused until bishop told us that the other priests had taken him to mission and temple prep with them!!! How amazing is that?! And he loved it!! It was so so so good and that man is so ready for baptism next Tuesday! He is so involved, so excited to learn, and just loves the happiness he has been feeling as he reads the scriptures, comes to church, etc. Everyone needs to be more like Paulo!! (ps he asks us daily what we ate for lunch and it cracks us up!! "Que almorzaron?" )

Annabelle, our new 9 year old, is on date for baptism May 30! We taught her first lesson this week, played Jesus Jenga (which she loved btw!), and gave her both a kids book of Mormon and a painted one in her favorite color. We invited her to read the entire kid's Book of Mormon and she was so excited!! We have an FHE planned for tonight with a bunch of girls her age to learn about the plan of salvation and watch Soul. Should be fun!!

Hispanic wards are the best hands down!! We had ward conference at church on Sunday and apparently in South American countries, ward conference is a huge deal. So we had a big ward picnic on Saturday afternoon that was so so fun! We played soccer with all the guys and gained some mad respect! All the members of the barrio pulled out their soccer cleats and I was barefoot so they were v impressed that we held up against their Latino skills haha. I have a feeling this will be my last transfer with this ward and it makes me sad because I LOVE THESE PEOPLE!!

MILAGRO: We received 2 referrals out of the blue on Friday morning! One was from a member in the English ward-they had gone ministering to their neighbors who said they wanted to learn more about the church! We visited them on Friday night and our old friend Hector(VICTORS COUSIN?!?!) opened the door!!! I was shocked bc we had been trying to teach him before, but he was always busy. He admitted that he was busy and hadn't read the book of Mormon, but was ready to change and come to church with us. Wowzers. The other referral was from a guy who took English classes in Salt Lake, but lives here in Springville, that sent us a text and we set up a lesson for Tuesday evening! It was cool because in my interview with President, he told me that as we work hard, even when it seems pointless, the Lord will bless our efforts and lead us to people who are ready to hear the gospel! Our teaching pool was emptying out the last 2 weeks, but it's filling back up with some solid potential yayay!

other fun stuff:

-met a kangaroo named Simon who tried to bite my hair!!! luckily I'm not bald now haha

-someone paid for our entire district's lunch at Art City Trolley!!! people are seriously too kind!(but I saved them $ by splitting a full rack of ribs w Elder Heilner and then got roasted by hna Holt bc it looked like a date...oops

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-found out 3 of my friends are leaving for Mexico, England, and Germany this week so I'm probably not too far behind! mixed feelings there :/

-interviews with President and probably the last one because he leaves in a month too ahhhh

-also prank war ended when elder Richins got sent to red rock...sad, but now we're service buddies

-shattered my screen when it fell of my bike in front of bishops house. Oops!

-soooo many animals this week, it was great haha (see pics)

Spiritual thought for the week comes from ether 12:41 that says, "And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever." I love the simplicity of what we are being encouraged to do. Simply, SEEK THIS JESUS! Do whatever will help you come to know Jesus Christ better in your life. Reading the scriptures, going to church, praying, serving others, the list goes one. I would encourage all of you to do one thing this week that helps you to seek Jesus in your life and see how much joy you feel as you come closer to Him! Jesu Cristo te ama mucho!

Y yo tambien! Con amor, hermana dougall