BAPTISM!!!

To Friends and Family,

ALICIA GOT BAPTIZED!!!! Ahhh! It was such a cool experience. We came over this week one night, and we watched a video of what a baptism is like from the District DVDs and we asked her if she had any doubts or concerns, and she said no.  It's crazy how prepared she is.  I learned that is stressful to plan a baptism though. We eventually got a Priest to baptize her, but then we discovered that  the assistants filled the font with cold water! It was great that she still had a good attitude and was able to be happy after. She even brought her kids to the baptism too! I am unsure of their interest level, but we set up a lesson with them this week. So we'll see. Also, Sister Villatoro made her a card, and we bought her favorite candy bars as her present.  I love how detail-oriented Sister Villatoro is to think of stuff like that.  I made cupcakes as well for the baptism, but we ran out of frosting, so we just gave out a few. At least I tried haha.

Also, this week, we had exchanges, and I was out of my area for the first time on the mission! Crazy, right?? That is also where the picture of the dog with the glasses is from.

Last P-day we, as an apartment, went to the mall with one of the members in the ward. She is so sweet. At the mall, we all got face masks from Sephora. So fun!! I love living with the other sisters in the apartment. Their names are Sister Villalobos and Sister Jensen.  We all have so much fun together, and we love scaring each other. One night, Sister Villatoro and I played a prank on them and put our bags inside and hid outside. Then we started shooting nerf darts at them, and they got pretty scared haha.

Oh, one crazy thing this week was that Sister  Villatoro and I had planned a bike day, then we discovered that my tire was flat, so we ended up walking 7 miles!! It was tiring, and it made me really appreciate my bike and car.

One talk that I read this week during personal study is a talk called Beware of Pride. I think it is by Ezra Taft Benson. It was so good, and it just talks about how every challenging thing were  going through can be from pride. I challenge you all to read it this week.

Love You,

Sister Findlay

Spiritually Filled Week

Sorry I don't have a lot of time to write this week, but it has been a spiritually filled week.  I saw two members of the seventy and shook their hands two days in a row.  Their names are Elder Corbridge and Elder Greer. 

Elder Corbridge talked in a Texas McAllen Mission training, and he talked about how we need to baptize converts and how if people understand the why, then they will accept baptism and all the other things we commit them to do.  Yesterday, we heard Elder Greer in Stake Conference talk about true conversion with Sabbath-day observance and how we need to never give up on family members by keeping and praying for them.  Also, President Maluenda bore his testimony in Stake Conference, and he told all of the missionaries there to stand up.  My companion and I were the one sisters that were there because we are the only sister missionaries serving in a Spanish Ward in the stake. He talked about the importance of missionaries and how they are so willing to give up their time for the Lord. 

In stake conference, I was really worried because I didn't see Alicia there, but it turns out she went in through the back, and she is so prepared for her baptism on Sunday!!  So excited for her.

Also, we had another zone exchange this week.  I stayed in my area yet again.  I have never been in another area even through 5 exchanges.  I don't know why, but it is pretty funny.

Also, the picture of the bananas was the apt. joke this week.  We ate 6 bunchesin 6 days! I think today we are going to buy even more!

Also, I got a haircut this week, and I love the length of my hair now because you can see my name tag all the time!

Love you all,

Sister Findlay

I have definitely seen miracles when I have unshakable faith in the Lord

Group email:

This week we taught the following in one lesson with Alicia:  The gospel of Jesus Christ, the law of chastity, and the word of wisdom.  When we were explaining the law of chastity, she told us that she got married to her fiance on Monday!! That was without us even telling her.  Crazy right?  Then, she readily accepted the word of wisdom even though she was used to drinking alcohol and coffee, but she wants to get baptized really bad.  Now we want her to have some friends in the ward so hopefully that will go well tonight.

 This week we had a funny experience.  We were biking to the church to pick up the bikes, and there was a congress man in the parking lot because they were getting ready to campaign for him for the election happening today.  Anyway, we ended up talking to him and he asked us what church this was, and he shared how grateful he was for the Mormons because they helped him out during the Mormon Helping Hands project. We later invited him to church and he said he would try it out!  It was cool that I could be a missionary to even a congressman! 

Also, there was a stake Valentine's party on Saturday night, so we went for a little bit to see if there were any non-members there.  There was a bunch of people there dancing to the Latin music.  I enjoyed seeing them dance, and there were some really good chocolate strawberries there too!

Also, one of the Elders in my district had his birthday on Friday, so we made him a cake and I had the privilege of smashing it in his face haha.  It's a tradition here in the mission.  Also, we got him a little stuffed animal giraffe, chocolates, and I made him a green smoothie because he keeps asking me how to eat healthier.  It was pretty funny because we made it a surprise party by turning off the lights in the gym in the church and then had lunch together. He ended up leaving the frosting on his face until he finished his lunch haha.

The other picture is of me on the tightrope is at a sister's meeting that we had.  It was with all the sisters in the zone with the APs and the zone leaders, and they taught us how to change the tire of a car and how to assemble a bike (putting on the tire and such).  I am learning so many valuable things on my mission.  Now, I will be prepared if we get a flat tire.  Also, we got to try walking across that slack line.  So cool! I wasn't that good at it, but the zone leader related that to our faith.  That it should not be shaky.  We should have the faith that we will find prepared people each day.  I have definitely seen miracles when I have unshakable faith in the Lord.

Well have a good week everyone!

Love you all,

Sister Findlay

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"Missionary work is the best. No other thing in my life has brought me this much joy."

I have an amazing story to tell all of you about!! So this week, one of the people we taught is named Alicia.  She first attended church in the English ward two weeks ago, but her fiance is more comfortable in the Spanish ward, so they came to our ward, and the Bishop introduced her to us.  We set up an appointment to teach her this last week, and we found out her fiance is less active, but he wants to come to church.  Alicia has been exploring different churches, and she said about four months ago, she prayed to know which church would be for her, and that same week, she went on a date with Jorge (the less active) and he explained that he wanted to come back to church in hopes that she would too.  Anyway, she is pretty much a golden investigator, and she is really interested in the restoration of the church and the Book of Mormon.  In our second lesson this week, Sis. Villatoro looked at me to extend that baptismal invitation, and she accepted to be baptized on Feb. 28.  She is so prepared, and after our lesson I screamed out of excitement for a good five minutes.  I could not contain my energy so Sis. Villatoro and I had a dance party in the car.  She has already been to church 3 times, and she is my first investigator that actually has been keeping our commitments.  Oh man, missionary work is the best. No other thing in my life has brought me this much joy. 

Another thing this week that happened was we had exchanges! We contacted a referral, and after explaining our purpose, he was like, "Yeah, I want to be baptized!"  Miracles happen so much!  It goes along with the chapter I read this week in the Book of Mormon in 4 Nephi 1.  I challenge all of you to read it because I have definitely seen the power of God in my life if I am doing all I can so that he actually can bless me with a miracle.  Sister Villatoro is awesome, and I love how much I can enjoy the mission with her.  I don't think I have understood the mission until this transfer, and it makes the work progress that much more.

A funny thing that happened this week was that we saw a grapefruit tree one day when we were contacting, and we knocked on that door and asked if we could have one.  He was not interested in hearing about the church, but he gave us grapefruits! It was so good!!!! Best grapefruit I have ever had.

Love You,

Sister Findlay

First Week of Transfers

Everyone! I GOT A NEW COMPANION!!!! And she is a native...moved from Mexico to Utah at 6-years-old, and she almost bikes at the same pace I do.  She has been on her mission for about 7 months, and she has already made me such a better missionary in just one week.

The day of transfers was pretty weird though.  We didn't have a transfer meeting, so people just got picked up and dropped off in vans.  My old comp left at around noon, and I didn't see Sister Villatoro until about 7:30 that night.  I was able to go with the office sisters for a few hours, and they had dinner with a white family.  It was such a culture shock!! They had everything set on the table, there was vegetables (yes!!), and they actually ate with us. I kind of forgot about what it was like...Super weird.

We have been working so hard this week!! I absolutely love it.  I believe that's how you enjoy the mission--by working the hardest you can to bless a lot more lives. 

Sis. Villatoro and I are basically starting new in our area because there hasn't been a lot of success in finding people to get baptized, so I am now seeing neighborhoods and areas that I have never seen.  One particular neighborhood that we found is in the middle of nowhere in the middle of all this farm land with orange trees and a bunch of other crops.  Anyway, I am getting really good at looking at a map haha.  But anyway, over there the people are so humble and they always let you come in no matter what. 

We have seen so many miracles this week.  One girl that we talked to even asked if baptism is something we do in our church because her dad really wants to get baptized.  So many miracles!! I honestly think it is because we worked as hard as we possibly could, and then the miracles came.  I love the mission.  I love Sister Villatoro.  We laugh so much together!

Also, my district leader really knows how to have fun...This week, I have gone to Taco P, Whataburger, we've played soccer, and played a really fun dice game all together.

Love you all,

Sister Findlay

I forgot to mention:

I was sitting and teaching a member, and all the sudden her dog brings a rat near the circle, and all I could pay attention to were the crunching of the bones.  So gross!!