Que Honda

Que Honda familia?!


Hey wow, so right when you start to get comfortable with an idea the whole scenery starts to change once again. God has a way of keeping you on your toes. I know that this is the all part of the growing process. Yet sometimes I wonder.... lol. Last thing I was expecting was President to call me up for another interview on Friday. He has asked me to train another greeny for this upcoming transfer and train once again. So Hermana Jasso will be headed to Midwood to serve with Sister Lambert. My greeny isn't going to be a native this time so it is going to be a little bit different with different challenges. It's going to be cool to serve in this area for another transfer. I told president my hesitancies for training again but he told me he was feeling good about it and that it was exactly where he needed me right now. So I said fine. He then made a joke and told me I could take sister banszhevsky's spot if I wanted to. They are blinding her into a new area and having her train a greeny as well. I told him no thanks, I'll pass and I'll stick with what i have got :) It's nice because I've started getting some ties to the members and they are starting to feel more like family and they are starting to take better care of me as well.

Oooo, I've got something to tell speaking of members. The Ovalle family is going to Utah this week for their daughter's wedding. Hermano Ovalle offered to take a package for me for you guys. So I sent home some pictures, treats and scarves for you chillens. I gave him your address and numbers so he should be calling you guys up sometime this week. You might invite him and his family over for dinner or something. They speak english too so you don't have to be worried there. They are from Guatemala. Hermana Ovalle works in Utah in West Valley? So they aren't too far from us. They should be in Utah at the end of this week and then staying for another week. Hermano Ovalle also offered to bring back anything if you want to send anything. I'm trying to think of something that I need from Utah that I can't get here. I thought of a couple of things that I really would like that I can get here but are just going to take time to order. First, I want a Gospel Principles Book/Manuel in Spanish (Principios del Evangelio), I also want to find a copy of "Special Witnesses of Christ" DVD. I like to use it when I teach about living prophets. Then they can watch the DVD about Thomas Monson and actually kind of see what he looks like and what he talks about. Something around those lines.
The other cool thing that happened at church the other day is that Tatiana Morales and her husband moved back to Rego Park this month from Virginia so they are back. She is literally one of the answers to my prayers. They absolutely love Hermana Cowley and so it has automatically opened their arms for me. What a great blessing and she is so wonderful. I asked her how jaci is and what the ward was like in Virginia. She said it was good and that Hermana Cowley is a fabulous missionary. I asked her about her language and Hermana Cowley is doing with the language. She said at the beginning of her mission it was hard but that she speaks pretty much perfect now :) I tell myself there is hope for my future :) Tatiana and I exchanged information and she is going to try and come out with us this week. I am excited! She is awesome and I seriously miss Hermana Cowley so stinkin much! It is weird to think we really aren't that far away and that we are doing the same work right now. Tatiana said Hermana Cowley mentioned that we were going to do a road trip after our missions and hit Virginia, and New York. I'm so down for that Idea

As for the work. There were a few things that happened that were really good. The Lord has blessed us with a lot of people that are investigating and that I really like teaching. The only problem is that they aren't progressing as fast as I would like them too. I'm not sure if it is a thing that just needs a little bit more time or if it is something that means we should drop and look for someone more prepared. It's hard to know.

Javier, Kathi,and Austin- They are so fun to teach. They like us teaching them in English because Austin doesn't speak enough spanish to really understand what we are talking about. They have good desire to learn an dwant more in their life. They have a lot of problems with the word of wisdom though and it's one of the things that is separating their family. They just lost a family member this last week so they were really busy with the funeral and family stuff so we weren't able to meet with them but hopefully we will see them this week. We are also teaching one of their in laws that lives in the same apartment complex. His name is Alfonso and he is a friend of a ward member and so he has been listening in that sense. Ward members are the best to teach with! I love it! I think it is a brilliant system #1. They just bear such powerful testimony #2. It brings a built in support system for when the investigator gets baptized. #3. Even though I have the gift of tongues sometimes I just feel like the natives are able to explain the concept better and clarify.

Jonathan- Mom thanks for your letter! I haven't given it to Jonathan yet but I think that he is really going to like it. I really liked it. A lot! He didn't come to church this last week but he did come to members homes with us this last week including a noche de hogar which is really good. We had a really good time at the Arguello's home with him. We had an appointment with another investigator right after and Jonathan ended up coming with us to that too. We have started teaching Altagracia and Tairis again. They are super awesome. We teach them English first. Jonathan helped sister Jasso and I teach english. That was kind of fun. Not going to lie Altagracia really struggles with the whole concept of English but Jonathan was able to do a lot better job helping her form the vowels than I ever have been. I guess it's because he had to learn it himself a few months back. We also watched the restoration video with them that night. We couldn't get the menu to switch to Spanish so it's a good thingJonathan was there becuase then he translated it for us. Really don't know if that lesson would have gone down without his help. He just needs to get baptized already! To me I relate him to the story of Alma. A person that is truely changed by the love and atoning sacrifice of the savior and once they find the fire and the testimony they go on a mission and convert thousands. I could totally see that for Jonathan. It's a continual up and down process yet I believe deep down that for the record at some point it is going to happen. lol. Pray that he gets a really good job soon that he doesn't ever have to work Sundays. I know that is a big stressor for him right now. He's been out of work for a few months and money is getting tight.

Frank, Altagracia, and Tairis- We were walking around this week and I really wanted to go look up altagracia. We stopped visitiing them back in the holidays because of the workschedule eof Altagracia. Altagracia hasn't been answering our phonecalls or anything. So I felt like one day we should go over there and look her up. Then we went over, knocked, and nothing. I was writing a card to leave with saying we had stopped by when the door slowly creaked open and behind the door stood altagracia. I couldn't believe how happy my heart was to see her. So we went in and taught her and then she invited us back for another week. She was really bummed though that sister stephens wasn't with us anymore.

Mildred and her mom Francisca- Seriously this past week I was able to be a part of one of the best lessons I have ever been a part of. I loved it so much! It was right after sister Jasso found out she was being transferred. She was super sad but it gave her a little kick to give it her all in the lessons that we had left together and she kicked trash man! It was one of those lessons where the investigators had tears in their eyes and the spirit was really there. The ONLY thing that could have made it better is if we could have gotten that commit for baptism that we have been searching for from them. They are super nice to us though and I think the lessons we have for them are phenomenal. I just want them to come to church and to join the church for the things that they know are true!

Isaac Morales- Met him this transfer. He is very open and has a lot of interesting views. Honestly I don't know if he is all there but he has a sincere desire to change and called us becuase he wants to know what the mormons have to offer. We stopped by his house this week and he wasn't there. We left him a card and found out that night that he is in the hospital. Back in dec. I guess he had stomach cancer and so they had to remove his stomach and everything else with it. So now he doesn't have a stomach and his intestines have some extra space to float around. What had happened is that his intestine had formed a knot and was cutting off circulation. So they had to cut him open and remove that part of the intestine and get him all untwisted. He's been really sick. We didn't know any of this, Yet sister Jasso kept saying hey are we by Isaac? We need to go see Isaac. I didn't see a lot of potential in Isaac as far as a baptism goes but knew it would be nice to see him but by no means were we close to his area. Later we were walking by Kathi and Javiers when she said it again and i said no we aren't there. But then we both got thinking and we realized we were walking by the hospital and we decided to go in and see if there was a patient there by the name of Isaac Morales. Sure enought there was. He was in the intensive care surgical unit and they told us that we could go up. cool huh? Ya he was really sick and he was really glad to see us. He asked us if we had another church magazine we could have. Ironically we had a visited a Less active who had randomly given us a Ensign to give to one of our investigators of whoever we wanted. It worked out perfectly. To me it was just a witness that you both recieve revelation for the companionship and it is very important to follow and be united in purpose.

Mom, sister Jasso has one of her friends post all her letters home on her blog. it is this... sisterjasso.blogspot.com You can keep up on her newsdates here. I think you should keep writing her inspiring things throughout her mission even though we aren't going to tbe comps anymore.
Mom, Dad, Happy Anniversay! I'm so happy for both of you! And very glad yo uwere married so I could be a part of this great fam! Have fun in Japan in a couple of weeks! I'm so excited! don't forget to take lots of pictures and to mail me something cool! :)So yo ustill going to Japan even though that big disaster happened over there? Oh guess what else dad? I had cherry Blossom herbal tea this last week from a little chinese store. Made me thing of you going to see the cherry blossoms in Japan in a little bit.

Anyway, love you much! Cuidase!

con amor,

Hermana Lewis