Feliz Navidad

Wow!


What a week! IT's so weird the days blend into the weeks and the weeks blend into the rest of the mission! I normally keep notes on what I want to write about but this week just flew y and now its time to write and I haven't written anything down. But don't worry I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve.

First off, Friday was the was the ward christmas party. How I love the ward. I live in a big Spanish Ward and the Latino Ward Parties are just way different than than the normal ones back home and such. Sister Stephens and I actually ended up stopping by the English ward party the next night for some odd reason and we commented on how the two contrasted. The English ward was peaceful music with christmas lights and nice ettiquette dinner where everything is cleaned up and put away nicely by 10pm where the Spanish is Loud fun mexican christmas music, lots of decorations, dancing, authentic food and the party doesn't even start until an hour after the prearranged time of 7:30 and etc. Haha oh I love it and the ward members just love on me and sister Stephens. they are so good to us. We have 8 missionaries in our ward. Sister stephens and me, and then 6 other elders. Sista's I have the funniest story to tell you about the christmas party and the bishops daughter. You ahve to remind me. The elders made me promise I wouldn't tell it till I talked to the fam on christmas.

The other really cool Christmas even that took place last night was the Christmas Concert with Chad Hoopes and his 2 sisters. Chad Hoopes is a 16 year old violinist and his 2 sisters who study at Julliard. They are absolutely phenomenal. It was put together by the mission and was for all of those in the the mission boundary. It was so beautiful and had a really great Christmas message behind it. All three of them are members of the church and told how for them they expressed their testimonies through their talents god had given them through their music. They were super awesome and it was just mezmerizing to watch and listen. Plus it was fun for me to see some of the other missionaries that I flew into the mission with. It is so crazy to me to think I made it through my first transfer already and there is a new batch of greenies coming in on Tuesday.... weird. Sister Stephens could have gone home last weekend! Yet she didn't because she extended and now because of that she has got to train me and we will be staying this next transfer together as well. I told her she has to teach me all she knows and leave her legacy behind. I feel so lucky to have had her as my companion. I dont know what I'm going to do when she goes home in February! That will leave me as the trained greeny in the area and I will have to show my new companion the ropes of the area. Pray for Sister Stephens and I that we will thrive this last transfer together. That our hearts and desires will work together in unity to bring about the work of the Lord and see the miracles that are waiting for us this transfer. Pray that she will be filled with a new light and hope to finish the mission strong and that we will accomplish both our goals together. So many of our investigators are so close to baptism and the committment it takes to leave old habits behind and pick up a new life to start a new but it really takes a burning of the spirit and the desire. I pray for that every night.
Ana came to church this week again! Yeah for Ana! She really is so awesome! I can't wait! I really would like her to be baptized! Come on ana your almost there! "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can" She is so close! We just need to get her moved out and living the law of chastity and then I think we will be prettty much good.

This is what I've kind of formulated in my head. I LOVE the latino people. They are so kind, usually humble, and so nice to always listen what you have to say. They listen and they love to learn and then they commit to and want to change to be better for almost anything. But what I DON"T like about the culture is USUALLY it is all talk and they RARELY follow through. Haha but I guess you have a little struggle with it that in every mission. People in New York just have no time to listen. They are always on the run. Running running running. Remember the song "BE Still my soul" it is a necessity in life people for receiving revelation. I'm telling you its essential. :)

We had a really neat experience this last week about acting on the spirit. My companion is super awesome about following the spirit. We had our night all planned out as usual yet my companion says, " I feel that we should go look up this former that is in the records" We had never met her yet we both agreed to head out on the far side of our area to go and find her. We got there and her son Antonio let us in to the building he went to go find his mom Rosa for us and we followed him to the door. He came back trying to tell us she was busy and about to head out when all of the sudden she decided to come to the door and she automatically said "Pasan, Pasan" which means come in. So that was a good sign. We ended up teaching her a beautiful lesson about the importance of the book of mormon. She talked about how she just loves to read and she will read the book. I felt the spirit so strong and we read with her a little bit. At this point in her life she is just so prepared and has been humbled. Is really concerned about her two boys and wants to know how to help them. She cares about her family. We talked about how the gospel blesses and strengthens families. How through god we can overcome all things. She really ate that up and we are going to go and visit her later this week I think. Pray that she has read and that her heart will be open to looking up more. Then after that we had a really great time going to teach Louis. We actually got a baptismal commit from him for the 16th of January. First lesson with him but his parents are members and were sitting in on the lesson with us. They are from Equador and were converted by the missionaries there a couple of years back. Oh man it would be awesome if we could get him prepared. What a good chrismtas gift for his family. He just works all the time! So we will pray things will work out there but. BUt the work is progressing and I have good experiences every day. Its the best. Very much an emotional rollercoaster which is weird but I 'm growing lots.

Talk to you this week! Love you all

Love hermana Lewis