Week 64

So much happened this week and I don't even have the words to explain it all! So crazy!

Last p-day, we danced with the Hermanas! It was such a good workout! Holy cow! We danced to EFY music and MOTAB. So that was super fun! 

After our p-day activities, we went and visited a former, Stacy*. She is from Kenya (which, by the way, is the same name and same country of origin as Stacy, our RC from Kelowna! What?!). We went there and she had some cute kids running around, but when we sat down, it was us and Stacy, as well as Stacy's oldest daughter. We did HTBT and she invited us back. We visited them on Wednesday, but this time, we invited the girls to meet with us. Just the youngest two girls listened, as well as Stacy's niece. Their names are Tiffany* (8), Heidi* (4), and Kiara* (5), the niece. We planned on teaching the Restoration, but because Stacy is learning English, and mainly speaks Arabic, Swahili, and Kiswahili, Sister Yonk helped her understand simpler words as I taught Restoration to the little girls. At the end, I invited Tiffany to be baptized and she said yes for April 16th! At the end of the lesson, we explained baptism to Stact and showed her a picture of Christ being baptized. We invited her to be baptized as well on the same day and she agreed! Her and her girls begged us to stay, and then to come back any time.

Later Stacy said, "I know God sent you here. We wanted to learn more about Jesus and no one came. But then you came and I know God sent you. You can come whenever you want!"

We ended up visiting them every day the rest of the week! We switch off every other day teaching a lesson, and teaching English, as well as how to read Kiswahili (there isn't a Book of Mormon in Swahili and as it turns out, Kiswahili isn't too hard to read for us Americans) so she can eventually read the Book of Mormon. We taught Stacy and her kids how to pray in English and they all love praying for us when we are there! It's going so well! In one of the lessons, we had Rachel* (14) come to help us translate, and she ended up asking a lot of questions about Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and Joseph Smith. She is now on date for the 16th as well! They came to our baptism on Saturday, and stayed the whole day at church yesterday and loved it! 

We are spending p-day with them today:) 

Victoria and Tom got baptized on Saturday! It was a beautiful and simple service! Oh my goodness. Victoria was baptized first, and then ran out and around to see Tom be baptized right after. Right after they came up out of the water, they each had the most  beautiful smiles on! They were just glowing all day! And Irene was right there along side them, shining! 

We were heading to stop by a former after a lesson this week, and I looked at the map. I figured out where we were going and I directed Sister Yonk there. And then I realized I took us in the wrong direction, even though I was certain that was where it should have been. We looked up and saw a cute family of little kids running around outside. We had to go talk to the mom. We walked up to the porch as all the little kids stared at us. The mom answered the door. They were from South Sudan. We talked to her and asked if we could come visit them another day and they agreed!

A couple days later, we went back. She was there with her husband. We got to know them and did HTBT and taught a brief Restoration lesson. Her name is Hiba* and his name is Kamal*. They have 6 beautiful children! We are going back to teach them this week. 

As we were going through the area book that night after their lesson, we found a record for a family from Sudan, but it said she only had 2 kids and was pregnant, and her name was Hiba*. We felt like we should visit them and see if it was the same person or not. The next morning, we dropped by and we were let in to the apartment complex. We found the door and knocked. And Hiba, from Sudan, let us in! We talked with her and set up a return appointment and she is SO EXCITED to learn! She has 4 cute kids and a husband! We can't wait!

I went on exchanges with Sister Steele in White Rock! She is so amazing! We worked super hard that exchange. We did a lot of finding, and we had some really quality conversations in the funniest of places! 

I gave a talk in church yesterday about yielding our hearts to God. I love it. We just need to trust and let God take control. All throughout the scriptures, Jesus is saying , "fear not". He is the Master and we need to allow Him to do His work.

All for now! It was an amazing week!! Enjoy the pictures! 

Con amor, 

Hermana Lewis

Dancing!

Some of Grace's kids and grandkids after our first lesson

Getting her hair done!

Tiffany and Kiara!

She's so wonderful!

Sister Yonk says I look like a dude.

We're not sure.

After the water...

Before the fire!

Stacy and crew!

Praying!

Weekly planning with the Hermanas! Happy St. Patrick's day!!

Week 63

We're just going to get right to it.

We got to teach Irene, Victoria, Tom and Mike this week a couple times! They are going strong for their baptismal date this Saturday! We read from the Book of Mormon with them and talked about faith and repentance. We also taught Law of Chastity and Tithing, and reviewed the interview questions. They have got the sweetest testimonies! They had their interviews yesterday, and both passed, of course! They have so much family coming in, as far as Hawaii, to be there for their baptism! 

We taught Andrea Nunez*. She started meeting with us, because before her husband got temporarily hospitalized, he researched churches and new he wanted to join ours (thank goodness). We did HTBT and figured out her real intent, part of which is they want it for their daughter, Isabel* (8 years old). Which sounds quality, but doesn't seem so solid yet. But we met with her again later in the week so we could teach both her and  Isabel. We walked in and the house was not in the best order and Andrea was in pain with some leg/hip problems, so we started cleaning and doing dishes. It felt good to be able to serve, and at the same time we taught about the Restoration in a kid-friendly way! 

We are teaching a less active member, Anna*. She hasn't been to church in a couple years and just had a little baby, Tyler*. She has a daughter, Bobbie*, who really wants to read the scriptures, come to church, and learn about Christ (8 years old), and another little boy Alex* (2 years old). Alex is a heart-melter. He is the cutest little guy. Everytime we come over, he climbs on the couch near where I am sitting and asks in the highest voice with the cutest smile, getting 1.5 millimeters away from my face, "what are you doooing?" Oh my goodness. I could die! He will ask it until you answer, and once you start talking to someone else, he'll ask again and again. Haha he also lines up little hot wheels all over my legs and arms and shoulders. Goodness gracious. I'll keep you updated!

We taught Jessica and Keri (Stephanie was at a friends house). We read from the scriptures with them as well. Keri is getting really good with reading the Book of Mormon! Jessica is starting to feel comfortable with still needing medication and being baptized at the same time, so we are hoping to get a date soon! She is going to be in Kelowna for the next 2 weeks, though, to visit family. We went back on Friday morning and were going to review the Restoration. We got as far as The Gospel Blesses Families and Individuals, and she broke down crying. She talked about how she feels like she is trying so hard to be a good mom, but it's really hard. She voiced a lot of concerns. We were able to help her out and watched a Mormon Message. She felt so relieved and said, "I hadn't even realized how much the Gospel of Jesus Christ has blessed me!! I had no idea! I guess you're right!" 

We taught Evangeline again this week! We taught the Restoration. She felt the Spirit and testified that she knew it was all true, from the beginning until Jospeh Smith and the restoration of the priesthood. When we introduced the Book of Mormon, she had a really hard time with that. She loves the bible and, like many, didn't want there to be another book. Sister Yonk and I testified and she was grateful. She said she would read part of it. We just hope she will and that she will feel the Spirit! She gave us bananas as we left again, so she took it well:)

We did weekly planning with the Delta Sisters, Sister Cornia and Sister Hoffman! It was really good! We made some good plans! And got to know the sisters better! They are in a basement apartment and their landlord is really strict. They have to open a window and turn on 2 fans any time they want to use the oven. We followed the rules, as we cooked 2 bison stakes, pasta, and rice. We all went to look at something super funny in the other room, just for a second, and when we came back, the stake was smoking so bad, the rice was steaming a ton, and the boiling water for the pasta was freaking out! We quickly do everything we can to take care of it when the loudest fire alarm starts screaming at us. Oh my. It was so loud! probably 180 decibels or something. But it just kept going! We opened all the windows and doors, turned off every source of heat, and Sister Yonk started fanning down the smoke detector. It turns off just as one in a closet turns on. She goes to get that one, and the other one turns back on. Then Sister Hoffman comes. They were both fanning the detectors down, as I held the stake in the pan outside the window. It was still smoking so bad! Long story short, it was hilarious and we felt super bad. But it turns out the Landlord wasn't even home, so we're fine!

On one of my first days here, we were walking down the street and this tall man walked up to me smiling! Usually that means he wants to bible-bash. But no! It was actually a super cool conversation. And he is from South Sudan (connections!). Well, I called him on Saturday night, and he came to church! He liked it, too! He's coming again next week!!

That's all for now! Hope you have a great week! 

Con amor,

Hermana Lewis

From exchanges a couple weeks ago in Kamloops

Getting a solid maybe from an investigator for Sacrament meeting.

From Sister Huszti

Buying groceries!

Victoria!!

Irene, Tom and Mike waiting for the interviews after church!

Meeting with Bishop DeVera!!

Week 62

I send my happiest greetings from the land of Surrey! This week has been so long and so great! I LOVE SURREY! I left Kelowna as it was snowing and came to the rainy Lower Mainland again, where the rain triumphs all waterproofing.  

On Tuesday, once I arrived at the airport in Vancouver, we went to the Mission Office to go pick up other missionaries and bring them to Surrey/Delta with us. We walked into the office and there were some Elders and they said that there were a bunch of sisters taking a picture in the other room. I turned and saw Hermana Polanco and Hermana Cobb! They are now companions in Vancouver Spanish! But we were so excited to see each other! I'm so grateful for all the tender mercies God gives!

Sister Yonk is my new companion! She is from Logan, Utah. She is an Irish dancer and is so amazing! I look up to her so much! We have goals for what we want to do and what we want to see happen! This transfer is a long one (7 weeks), and it is going to be full of us on the Lord's errand!

We are teaching the cutest family, Irene* (a returning Less-active) and her sons, Tom* (8) and Mike* (5) and her neice, Victoria* (11). Victoria and Tom have baptismal dates for the 19 of March! They are so cute! Victoria and Tom love reading from the Book of Mormon. They soak up everything we teach them! 

We are teaching a wonderful lady, Jessica*. Her daughters, Keri* and Stephanie*, were both baptized last Saturday. Jessica is preparing and doesn't have a date, but has a strong testimony! Elder Ellis and Elder Maurer actually found here when we were in Kelowna, and then we sent the text passing her to the Sisters here in Surrey, and now we're teaching them! No missionary efforts are wasted! Each soul is precious:)

On Wednesday, we got some Chinese food for lunch. Sister Yonk had some chili peppers in her food and we decided to eat them. If it got to hot, then we got ice cream. We both put one into our mouths. The outside was leathery and not flavorful. It looked like it wouldn't be bad. We chewed a little. Nothing. One more bite and a rush of seeds went bursting in my mouth. Yup. There it was. Jajajajajaja oh my goodness. It was hot. It wasn't the hottest thing I had eaten, but it was definitely HOT! So we keep chewing. And swallowed and it was hot. Sister Yonk's tongue was a little discolored. It hurt to breath out, so we just kept inhaling. It BURNED our mouths so bad! We had nothing to help with the heat, so we walk as quickly as we can to Dairy Queen. With every second, it just got hotter and hotter. We walked up to the lady and she asked what she could get us. Sister Yonk quickly said while breathing deeply, "We just ate a really hot pepper and we need ice cream now". The worker got us 2 blizzards and we began to eat them as we hunched over the counter. We kept eating more and more, but it wasn't putting out the fire. We got close to the end of our ice cream and got nervous that we would run out before our mouths felt better. We tried to see how long we could go in-between bites, and it wasn't very long. By the end of our ice cream, things were better. Our stomachs felt off for the rest of the day, but it was totally worth it!

We were walking around the Fleetwood area, meeting people. We met this cute old man from Jamaica named Peter*. He said we could come back on Sunday and meet with him and his wife, Dawn*. We showed up on Sunday after church and met his wife. They are so cute! We started with some How to Begin Teaching, when there is a knock at the door. Peter answers it, and in the other room we heard them talking. Lynette told us it was their son's pastor. He came in and joined us. You could see the slight shock on his face and in his heart when he saw us sitting there. We stood up and introduced ourselves. Pastor George. He started talking to us about his beliefs and they were what we believed. Then he asked us if we believed in the Rapture. He went on a little sermon for a couple minutes. We politely listened and told him we believed in the second coming and we look forward to the day that Christ will come. He had nothing else to say, but as he was leaving, decided to heal Dawn (she has a kidney disease). He puts on hand on the side of her cheek and the other in the air and starts shouting this prayer of healing. And this was all before we taught about the restoration of the priesthood. He left, and we began teaching the Restoration. It was a really nice lesson! Right as we are starting to talk about Joseph Smith, the door opens again. It was Peter and Dawn's daughter, Erin*, and her son Steven* (8). They came right in and sat down. We finished teaching and gave them a Book of Mormon. We asked Erin if she wanted one and she told us she had just met some missionaries who knocked into her door and gave her one. So we gave Steven his very own book and he was so excited! We have a return appointment with them, but it isn't for a while. I'll keep you updated!

We were walking to visit some formers on Saturday, and we met this wonderful christian lady from India named Evangeline*. She said we could come by on Sunday after 5:30. Sister Sutton came with us and we visited her. She expressed to us experiences from her past that have helped her have faith in Jesus Christ. She said that she used to be afraid, but now she just trusts in God and His will for her, and knows that everything will be alright as long as she has faith. I felt the Spirit so strong as she talked. We did How To Begin Teaching with her and it was such a simple but beautiful experience as we sat on the floor in the basement of her one room apartment. She told us that she used to live upstairs. That the hole place was her house, but that her husband banned her to the basement. But she knows that God's will will be done and she prays for her husband, that his heart will be softened and he can begin to believe in God and Jesus Christ. She was so anxious to learn more and had so many questions, and we set up a return appointment for Wednesday. 

On Thursday nights, we have a Book of Mormon study, and it went really well! We got to read and study 1 Nephi 5. 

We've just loved the past few days we have had together in Surrey. We have gone on so many adventures and have seen the love of God all around. 

I've been able to use my Spanish a lot more! There is a member family in the ward from Peru, and last night they told us we could come over for dinner soon and have monkey brains! I'm so excited! 

We have Zone Conference this Friday and the last two hours are combined with the stake. I'm super excited! 

I'm serving in the same area as Hermana Cendreda and Hermana Hoth! One thing I didn't think would be so crazy is the difference in Spanish and English work! I've been noticing the difference a lot more recently! But I love it all! This is definitely the Lord's work. I have gone through a lot of experiences that are making up who I am. I don't think I would have learned all of these things in any other way. I'm eternally grateful for my mission and EVERYTHING that makes it up!

I think that's all for this week! 

Hermana Lewis

(Jeffrey R.) Holland Park

We asked this couple straight out of China to take our picture after this one. They did with Sister Yonk's camera, and then a photo-shoot with their own. The wife even came up with poses for us!

So sad.

Sister Yonk thought it was so cute that I was making eggs and took a picture.

Monster of a truck. Thanks Shay!