Live, Laugh, Love and Baptize

" if the time ever comes when we cant laugh at our selves that will be a sad time"- Pres. Gordon B. Hinkley 

it was a stressful, crazy funny week that I can laugh at, trying to get our 9yrd. Geniva baptized. 

(back story, Geniva is granddaughter to less active grandma, we found her and then taught her everything, set 3 different bapt. dates that didnt happen cause she didnt come to church,  then she moved to the elders area :-( and they FINALLY made the date happen so she is a kid that took 4 missionaries to get baptized.) 

Thursday, she had scheduled her bapt. Interview, and we were gonna take her after to get out all her lice, but she showed up 2hrs. late for the interview... so we couldint

Friday we decided we may as well do it and get it over with,so went to her apartment and it took us 5 hours. 5 flippen hours, we sat a 9yrold in a chair and pulled on her hair. BUT SHE WAS A CHAMP!!!! she did so good! we did bribe her with millions of oreos I gave her those elsa things momma sent me, and she did watch shrek the whole time BUT! we did it! we got every little thing out and she looked BEAUTIFUL! her grama cried when we were done, and she told us "my head doesnt hurt anymore" so it was 10000000000 awful, but 100000000000000000 worth it! 

Saturday, bapt. starts at 4 we get there at 2 to fill the font and set everything up, Grandma calls at 3 saying "we are still at work, we cant bring Geniva!" what the heck! so hna. Hilton and I are driving to Genivas while the elders fill the font and all of us are calling EVERYONE to pick her up cause we cant have people in our car, we get to her house, she is not ready. hna. Hilton finds her something to wear while I am calling 40 people. Long story short, she made it to the church, her mom (non member) and Grandma came just after 4, and it was the most beautiful baptism in the world!

SUNDAY: confirmation day, we pull up to Genivas with the elders to wait for her ride to pick her up, her mom comes out saying "we cant come we are going to work! and geniva isint here she is at her aunts!" FLIP! so we have to find the aunts apartment across town. knocked 10000 doors at 8am to find her cause her salvation was on the line!

We got her to church only 40 minutes late, and luckily sacrament meeting is last. 

It was an adventurous week, lots of milagros happend and lots of fun and crazy stress.. but I can Laugh it it!

The spirit was so strong this week, and the Lord was guiding us the whole way! I know for a fact he helped us in so many things this week, and he helps me all the time. We just need to get on our knees and talk to him. he is the father of our spirits and he loves us. 

Te amo!

-Sid

Us last p-day the red-cross service crew with the sickest english elders in history

The Zoo

Well, I have lost the motivation to email... So I dont know how good tyhis one will be today!

Last week for P-day we went to the zoo! it was a good change from what we usually do! 

we also had all our appointments cancel on us, cause of weather, and cause when there are tornados there is a LOT of work. there goes our construction workers... which is 90% of our inv. haha But we will get them back on the roll again!

Hna. Hilton is legit, she doesnt even need training which is good for me. We were reading in this red stress librito que tenemos y it was talking about how sometimes you get own on your self. we were switch off who reads the paragraphs out loud cause we read it together. the parts I read out loud 

" you may be a bit disorganized" "you may get lost in the area" "you may be tired everyday"

so haha we had a good good laugh. those all qualify under my belt. 

The weathers been CRAZY! ITS 100 THEN ITS 50 THEN ITS 80 AND THUINDERSTORM I dont even 

I love my mission and I love these crazy Okies! The weather is weird but always an adventure! there is nothing like being a missionary! its really cool to see these people learn grow and change! Ive been converted to be an OKIE for life!

hope yalls are good!

Les Quiero mucho!

-Sid

Driving to the Zoo (I got to drive the fancy ZL truck wahoo!) 

Hump Day

Dang its been a fast 9 months! but Glad yalls are enjoying my tornado videos and all! ;-) 

this past week!

Monday: had sports at the church, ate at campos, and I think we did some late night knocking (best time to do so for spanishland!) 

Tuesday: visited our inv. Maria Sanchez to have a church lesson, but she friend was there and she gave us a Blessing. as different as that experience was, I am good to never do that again. she was yelling and shaking us and I was scared she was trying to cast a demon out of me or something.. haha!

wed: we saw Jose, and he played the guitar for us and we just had a jam session in his doorway cause we cant go inside cause we didnt have a woman with us, so he just played all the Jesus songs he wrote and it was so funny! ive got a video that ill send in like 6 months haha!

thursday: red cross service, and we celabrated my hump day by trying a hole in the wall Dinner "the Hungry Frog" best place I have ever eaten my whole mission!

Friday: went to the Alonso familys home and ate arepas! my favorite food in the entire world! ill make em when I get home, cause hna. Alonso lets me cook with her so I was stoked!

Saturday: we went to the Red cross "volunteer carnival" they were saying thank you to us and we got to kareoke some of our christan spanish music and it was so funny! of course I have video of that also.. 

Sunday: Maria Mendez came to church! so we were stoked! and we had an orcestre (spanish or ingles I dont know?!) but it was cool to just listen to music and sit and not be runing around all sunday night!

Spiritual: this week we decided none of our inv. were really progressing, so we went to the lord in fasting and prayer and decided who ever did NOT come to church we were dropping, aside from part memberfamily and those we had found just this past week. It was so scary, but we decided if the lord wanted them to progress, he would have them at church. The lord knows exactly what he wants, we just needed to do what he wanted! and we felt we needed to do a lot of evaluating and dropping and cleaning up completely the area. its gonna be a LOT of work, but we know how to have fun also! 

So now we are gladly teaching Maria M. Genoveva our 9 yrld. And Amparo! we went from 12 unprogressing inv. to 3 progressing inv!

Something I learned in church this week: we arnt striving for perfection, but for salvation. Even the little things count, to receive salvation we need to be perfect. But lucky for us we have help from a savior and our loving Father in heaven! 

p.s. if you ever have missionaries eat at your home, feed them cold cereal. I want nothing more!

Funny Story: E. Steed had to give a talk on sunday, so that ment I got to translate sacrement for an old english man who always comes to spanish branch. Bro. Barney. so I had to translate and I hate translating... haha but thats all good cause you kinda just make it up anyways. thats the secret to translating, youll never be 100% so hopefully you are a good teacher! haha

good long email for mi mama feliz cumpleanos a ti! la amo mucho mama!

love yall! 

-Sid

Elder Corbbridge and me

So yesterday we had a meeting from E. Corbridge a 70. It was a really great training, it was all about our purpose and what we want to get out of a mission. We are here to teach about Jesus Christ. Teach that there is more than just this life. there is more than just doing the same thing everyday. We can change our character. We can become something more than we can imagine. 

it was pretty cool... and so that is why I have p-day today! 

We also had exchanges this week, so I stayed in spanish land, and Hna. Beltetone (our stl) came with me, she is hispanic so it was cool to have an actual hispanic as a companion for a day! (I've had 2 brown comps and neither have been Hispanic? really? haha I love sis. Tutasi y hna. Pine dont worry!)

 

then we had Interviews with pres. We have them every other month, and I love it. Its cool to just be one on one with this 7ft tall spiritual giant who has the same humor as my daddy!

And pres let me call yall for jessi's wedding! that was really cool! Glad it was a fantastic day for yall! The pictures looked great and everything looked perfect! especially the Bride! she was a catch!

Sunday we went to a famous Mexican birthday party for our inv.'s esopso. It was really fun to get to know all the family and we even got to share a TON about our church, they may have been drinking Corona, but we shared so much and made good friends laughed a ton! and the best part Amparo (our inv.) was testifying of everything we have ever taught her! IT WAS SO COOL!

I got to see hna. failner yesterday also at the meeting so that was fun! Shes doing good and preparing the South for me when i go there in 3 transfers to die. (the mission term for die.) haha PRAY I STAY SPANISH FOREVER!!! i LOVE THESE PEOPLE! But I know its where the Lord wants to send me so I can be humble. English people need the gospel too I guess.. BUT I WANT  TO STAY WITH MY BEANS FOREVER!!

Lots of work here and we are having lots of sucess! Thank you all for you prayers! we can see the blessings of them everyday! I want you all to know you have a savior named Jesus Christ, and a loving Father in Heaven. They have a perfect plan and we are so blessed to have the knowledge of it. 

LOVE YOU ALL!

-Sid

I love my mission

hello! 

this week was good, still having trouble getting people to do anything, like pray, read go to church and getting married so they can be baptized and have eternal families.... but it will come! actually people are reading! so the rest will follow!

we had our branch pres. Daughter come and serve a mini-Mission with us! so she was with us thursday night-sunday that was so funny! I love being with fresh new missionaries who do quite yet know whats going on, im pretty sure I am one of them, But dang its fun being with the newbies!

we found lots of miracles this week, a former inv. stopped us and asked us for the direction on the church and a BOM so we will be picking him back up after 2 years he hasnt seen the missionaries! 

We also found some really cool families who we have started teaching! so this area is going to EXPLODE anyday with baptisms, hopefully it will be in July cause I am so ready for that! 

Hungry Frog! i dont know if I have told you about this place, its a hole in the wall that hna. Hilton and I found coming home from red-cross one day so we ate it, SO FLIPPEN GOOD! we took our mini missionary there and she loved it! so first place we are eating at when we come back to Okie-la-homie is the Hungry Frog!

home work :watch the video "After The Storm" on mormonchannel.org 

Christ is our savior, I know it, I have a huge testimony of the book Of Mormon and it is the most wonderful book of war stories, and testifies of the love our father in heaven has for us, the christ is our savior. I know its all real. 

-Love you all and have a wonderful week!

-Sid

Humbling Week

 it very much was a humbling week, and also a week of miracles so win win. There is a Video where E. Uchtorf is speaking about a farmer who cuts down a bush to make it better, this we I was the bush that got cut down. 

We have really been trying to set B-dates with everyone, ended up getting dropped, cancelled on and just not a lot of success with our current inv! none came to church and we have been praying and fasting for baptisms so we can have over 60 baptisms as a mission for the month on June!

the Elderes dont have a car, so we have to pick them up and drive them to meetings/dinners/bike shop and its taking a lot of time away but im learning patience so thats okay.

BUT with all the cutting down and rebuking and hard week we had a marvelous miracle!

We decided if none of our inv. want to progress its time for new ones, so we did this thing called special finding find street names on the map and what ever ones you and your comp match with you try out! Well on the first door of the street we matched on we met a nice lady from guatemala named Karen, she let us in with a little bit of hesitation, but we taught her the restoration, she cried when I stated the first vision, and she told us she could feel something really good. The spirit was incredible! and she accepted a Baptism date for June 27th! (she did not come to church so we have to set it back, but thats okay!) but it was an incredible lesson and I know Gods hand is in this work. 

Alma 17:11 y 26:27 are what i found in my studies this week, the Book of Mormon is such an incredible tool we have. I know with out doubt it is the word of God. 

Yup it was a very good learning week and we are going to have such an incredible week miracles now! the Lord is shaping me to be something more, and I am excited to live up to the calling!

les amo mucho!

-Sid