Blisters and Blessings: Hard Work for Great Rewards

 
 Well, It's been another week in paradise. The week started off a little rough, but I can't make people make better choices, so I just do my best to fulfill my purpose :)

   This week has actually been really fun overall! We went to go visit a less active member on Wednesday and when we drove up to their house they were outside working on pouring cement for a patio. We decided that this was a great service opportunity and got out to help them! It was a lot of fun! Jeff, the less active member, was also very impressed that we were willing to help out even though we were wearing our missionary clothes. We went back later and have been working with him all week to help him finish the patio. As we helped him physically, we also taught him the first lesson! We even struck a deal with him! He agreed to let us teach him all of the lessons and keep all of the commitments that we give to him if we come back and help him with his projects on Saturday afternoons! We have been trying to get in with this family for a very long time! Sister Gillespie was saying all week, "The harder the cement gets, the softer their hearts get!" It's true. When we put forth that charity and show people that we really care about them and want to help them, they want to know more about us and why we have the character we do. Jeff just kept telling us that he was impressed that two girls without a clue of how to make a patio would work that hard and listen well to his instructions! It was so fun to serve him and get to know him as we did. He is pretty much the coolest guy you will ever meet. He is a teacher at a school for juvenile delinquents. When he talked about his students, you could tell that he loved them and wanted to help them even though most of them were people that were really in the slumps at a young age. I can't wait to see where the gospel takes him!

 

   Also this week we put one of our investigators on date. His name is Carlos. He is pretty interesting and has been going to church since I have been here. He seems to understand everything that we teach and asks a lot of questions. He also always comments though that it just makes sense to think about things the way that we teach them.

This week I also got a package from the best mom ever, so, shout out to her :) Enjoy all of the pictures!

 

Love, 

Sister Hope 

Missionary work is hard work, but it is fun work!

We got to go to Young Women's this week! It was so fun!

 "I 'mustache' you a question, but I'm 'shaving' it for later!"

Who knew making you had to be acrobatic to make a patio? :)

Jeff even had us leave our mark on the patio! :)

Blisters to prove it :)

In case anyone wondered, my mom is the best mom. and yes, she did send me potatoes, because California just doesnt know how to do them right! :)

This is the view of the orange trees from our front door. The are all around us though. We go running in the orange grove in the mornings for our exercise. Sister Gillespie and I have both decided though that if you really want to know what it looks like, just watch a tropicana commercial because we are pretty sure at any moment some guy's hand is going to reach out of a tree looking for juice. :)