There were two earthquakes here in Cali this week. One was centered here in Fontana where I live and the other in Sierra Lakes which is in my ward boundaries so very close. I don't know the exact stats, you'll have to use all your fancy technology and look it up, but from the stories we heard one was a 4.7 or so and the other a 4.1, more or less. I however did not feel either one. They both occurred during the night and Hermana Rosales and I found out about them the next day when an investigator mentioned it. We were zonked out. But when they said what time it happened I vaguely remembered waking up, looking at the clock at that time, rolling over and going back to sleep. So maybe I felt a little something but let's just say we take advantage of the time we get to sleep!
Another surprise, I am getting transferred. Remember when I said we're 99% sure we were both staying? Well the 1% happened and here's why. Remember when I said I had an interview with the mission president? Well I don't know if I told you but at the beginning he asked me to say a prayer, and since I never pray in English anymore, out of habit I prayed in Spanish. After the prayer his words were, "Wow hermana, you have been blessed with the gift of tongues" I said thank you and shrugged it off and told him I'm still struggling with Spanish and whatnot. Well after that he figured I am good enough at Spanish that I don't need a native speaker as a companion so I am being sent to be companions with an hermana who has only been here 3 months more than me and needs help with Spanish. I am being sent to help HER. So this will be interesting. It's also hard to be getting transferred because I am only halfway through my training and have just started to learn the area and talk to the members more. Half of them have just started to remember my name and now everything is changing. Plus I have to leave the people we're teaching. I am so sad to think that I will not be here to see Veronica's sons get baptized in a couple weeks. But it is all for a reason, and I will learn a lot from this move. (I'm just kicking myself for saying that prayer in Spanish)
Speaking of which...
Last night we taught Veronica's sons and they speak English so all our lessons with them are in English. Veronica asked me to say the prayer and I was really struggling because I has to translate the words from Spanish to English in my head. It was really hard til about half way through the prayer, then I thought this isn't so bad, that was when I realized I had slipped back into Spanish.
Anyway, I am being transferred to Rialto which is right next to Fontana where I am right now. But as a missionary everything is different, I will have different missionaries in my district and zone and different boundaries to teach people and the ward will be different. Might as well be on the other side of California! My new companion's name is really long and I don't remember how to spell it. She is Polynesian I heard and I also heard she is the nicest girl ever and very outgoing and fun. I'll tell you more next week after I actually meet her. But to say I'm sad to leave Hermana Rosales is an understatement. I feel like we've just gotten into a good groove and started working really well together and now I'm leaving. But like I said, it's a learning experience. Everything for the next 18 months is going to be a learning experience! And I will learn to love no matter where I serve. But the address you have in Highland is still good, that is the address for the mission office and they forward everything to me wherever I am.
Other than that this week has been normal, good but normal. We're working hard and teaching lots. We're working with the members more and they have been coming to our lessons to help teach the investigators. That's always good because the people we teach see us in skirts with name tags and think we're not real people so it's good to have a "real" person there to help share experiences and stories. I have grown to love so many of the people in my area and I know I won't forget them.
We had stake conference this week, it was really good and inspirational. Even though the conference is for all the families that live in this area it was all about missionary work. How they can get involved and be missionaries in their own lives with their families and stuff. Very good messages. Plus we sang in one session of it so of course the spirit was strong :)
One thing I learned this week is that you can control your choices but you cannot control the consequences. When I heard that I just loved it. It applies to all parts of our lives. We can always choose how we act or what we do or say. But once we make our decision, we can't control what that decision will cause. It is just a reminder for me to be more conscious of what I say and do. Our decisions determine our destiny.
No fun sports stories for you this week, some of the elders played basketball yesterday while we all passed around journals for people to write in. Kind of like a makeshift yearbook of missionaries. We don't want to forget a thing!
Well, I have to get going, I love you all so much and I really do feel your support. Thank you so much for keeping in touch with me, I hope all is going well and that everyone is happy and healthy and doing well at work and in school. I love you all VERY much and I think of you daily. Talk to you all next week from Rialto :)
Love,
Hermana Granado
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