Jan 12 letter

Hello everyone!!!!

This week was AWESOME! Mostly because I love having a companion that's a missionary!!!!!!!! Hermana González and I are going to be a MACHINE this transfer...and next transfer if we're lucky. I hope we're together for two transfers again, that would be so awesome!
We received a reference from a member in our district leader's area of a guy who passed by the church one day when this member was randomly standing outside. He asked her when the meetings were. She told him and wrote down his information. We called him Saturday night to set up an appointment for Sunday night at 8. We also invited him to church, he said he would come. Sunday comes and we are crazy trying to pass by for everyone and get everything settled for the meetings. Karen's dad was sick and he made her stay home to take care of him (what a freaking vago). I almost wanted to tell him, "if you let her come to church with us, you'll get better faster." I was kind of upset at him though so I didn't say anything. Lucas (the reference from the member) didn't come though. =(
At the end of everything, none of our investigators we're teaching came to church, but there was a man there who is not a member and his wife and daughter are so we were happy about that. We're probably going to start teaching him this week.
At the beginning of every transfer, we receive blessings from our bishop. Blessings of comfort and to be able to handle the area and be able to work well with the members and things like that. The second counselor gave me my blessing and the bishop gave Hermana González her blessing. Hermano Spitale (the second counselor), blessed me that I would be able to wake up spiritually and find new strengths to work in the area. We were both blessed with the capacity to know who will progress and who will not. It was so awesome and it is what I needed. I fell so ready for these next two transfers and I'm so excited for what I'm going to learn.
Okay, the appointment with Lucas. Prepare yourselves because it is amazing! We got to his house and he immediately walks outside and invites us in. He tells us that he is separated from his wife, she is a member, and his daughter as well. They don't live with him, they live in Jesús María, a different pueblo kinda far...really far from Rosedal. His daughter had given him a Book of Mormon to read and he knows more about the Book of Mormon than the Bible! WOOHOO! Anyway, he doesn't know much about the gospel or anything religious really, but he believes in God and he has an amazing desire to learn. Every principle we taught, he had like 2 or 3 questions to be able to understand everything. He knows it's good because he said his daughter and his wife have had such an amazing change in them that he knows it's a good good thing.
He told us that he went to church, almost went inside and then got nervous and went back home. AGH! ¿POR QUÉ? It's okay, he's going to come this next week and he will feel the spirit soooooo strong! He was loving what we taught him last night. My companion did awesome. Unfortunately, the spirit was not giving me anything to say. I still taught, but my companion touched him a lot more this time around. Kinda sad, but I've been in the mission long enough to know that you shouldn't try to speak if the words aren't leaving your mouth right. Hermana González was so excited after the lesson and said, "Hermana, the thoughts and the words were just flowing so easily! It was amazing!" I told her that's why I let her do most of the teaching cuz that's not how it was workin our for me! Next time! C: We have an appointment with him tonight so pray please please please that he will be able to understand and be able to be baptized this month!
I'm so glad Dad has a house to build! I'm excited to help with all the stuff I helped with before--washing windows, painting, etc. That's so great, Dad! Have fun, you'll do awesome! How's Grandma Lyon feeling? I've been praying for her all week so I hope she's better!
Well, I must be going, I hope you all have an amazing amazing week and that you are just feeling so blessed! We have an amazing family and we should always be trying to recognize all the blessings in our lives instead of focusing on everything that's going wrong. The Lord will bless us. He loves us. That's reason enough to exhert yourself and trust in Him to get through trials right? I think so!

Chau amores!
Hermana Shumway