ENGORDASTE??? uhhhh

 January 26, 2015

So highlight of the week: seeing my bestest friend Mariah Eames! Whose family lives here and she came with us to our lessons in Spanish and even tried to pray for us in Spanish! She leaves to the MTC on Wednesday and I am so excited for her because she is going to be the most incredible missionary that California has ever seen.

  We had a cool experience this week. We were tracting in the District- this huge apartment complex chuck full of Hispanics. We knocked on a door and a mom and a daughter were home. They let us come in and we started teaching them the Restoration. The daughter didn't participate much, and she looked kind of skeptical. At the end of the lesson, we asked her what she thought. And she totally opened up to us and started telling us her whole life story and how she really needed God in her life to get her through her depression. She said she would pray to know if the things we taught were true. We were so surprised because she thought she wasn't interested at all in what we were saying, but the Spirit in the lesson really touched her heart and even though we were complete strangers, she felt she could trust us.

  We also have recent converts here named Dayanara and Carlos. They're cousins and they got baptized 2 months ago. We started working on Personal Progress with Dayanara and she is so excited. She's also working on going to the temple soon. She's only 12, but she seems like a 16 year old because she's soo sassy. Hahaha. She feels like my annoying little sister (who I love to death). It makes me realize how sweet little Sydney is! Haha her and Dayanara are both 12, but they are like night and day.

  So, confession: I have gained a little weight this transfer- but I'm 90% sure it's muscle weight from all the biking up and down hills we do. That's possible, right? Haha maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better.  Along with theme, funny story that highlights one of the inherent characteristics of the Hispanic people. Haha. We went to knock on a formers door, and there was this huge family celebrating a birthday complete with tres leche cake (it's basically the most delicious thing ever) and lots of alcohol. So Cesar opens the door, who Hermana Miller was teaching a few months ago. The first thing out of his mouth: Hola Hermana, como esta? Engordaste? (Hi Hermana. How are you? Did you gain weight?) We were both standing there like, ummmmm excuse me? Haha. He meant it in a loving way, but americans do NOT take that kindly. And then they fed us tres leches cake and we were like Well, I wonder why we've gained all this weight! Whose fault is this? Ha Spanish speaking probs.

  Also, I learned a cool lesson this week about measuring my success by obedience. People have their agency, and as much as you'd like to, you can't force them to pray or read or come to church, even though you KNOW that it will bless their lives more than anything. Soo you just stand there, with doors being closed in your face time and time again. And it's frustrating because none of your investigators are progressing. But I've learned that if I'm being obedient to the T, then that is success! And with that in mind, everything is so much more joyful as I seek to put the will of the Lord first! Never forget the blessings of obedience. Like President Uchtdorf said, the commandments are like light posts that light our path of life.  

Love,

Hermana Webb

My best friend Mariah Eames teaching a lesson with us