May 27, 2014

Hello family,

Thank you for all the encouraging words this week, I appreciate it more than you know! I am getting transferred out of Rialto. I am headed to PALM DESERT. Somehow I was expecting to go to the desert in the summer but I'm still in a little shock. I'm really sad to be leaving this area and all the people here. I've grown really attached to these families and I'm going to miss them a lot. But! I know I'll have new experiences and learn a lot in my new area. My new companion will be Hermana Thomas and we'll switch tomorrow morning. ​

 

Last Monday I woke up with a really bad ear ache. It was even worse the next day so I called the mission nurse and she made an appt for me to see a doctor on Wednesday. They told me I had a canal infection and gave me antibiotics and ear drops to use. I couldn't hear in my right ear for the majority of the week, which made for some interesting conversations with Hermana Lauaki-Sablan and some interesting lessons with our investigators who mumble. But now all is well!

 

I've been doing most of my packing yesterday and today, it's crazy how much stuff I have! And I can't seem to live without any of it. I don't have much time to write so I've put together a little week in pictures for you!​ I'm so sorry this is so short. I promise to do better in the future! Just know that I'm happy and healthy (now) and that I'm loving my mission. I'll be sure to give you the down low of the desert!

 

Love,

Hermana Granado

May 19, 2014

Hi Family, 

This week was a struggle. A lot is happening with our investigators to try and stop them from progressing. Satan is attacking hard! I feel as if I watched a family completely fall apart this week and it tears me up because I love them so much! I do have hope that they will have the strength to continue to center their lives on the Gospel because that is the only thing that can help them right now. 

I am seeing more and more clearly that the closer a person gets to accepting the gospel and coming closer to the Savior, the more challenges come into their lives. Even as missionaries we have a lot of challenges, a lot of hard times. And I'm pretty certain that it's because we're out here dedicating this time in our lives to bring others to Christ. That's the last thing Satan wants! But I think I've said it before that when we have hard times it just means that the blessings are right around the corner if we're faithful keep working for those blessings.

We had Zone Conference- which is all day (8 hours) with all the "head honchos" as Alannah put it- like the mission president, his wife, and the two assistants to the president, zone leaders and district leaders. LOTS of note taking and practicing teaching. It was good and I got a lot out of it. I have a lot to improve on as far as improving my teaching skills but I'm working hard!

This may or may not be my last week with Hermana Lauaki-Sablan (I'm hoping for the "may not") but we've been together for... almost 5 months now so we're thinking one of us will leave. More time with my best friend would be too good to be true!

Not much else happened this week...

I LOVE hearing from you all on Mondays, even though my replies may be short I love reading all about your weeks, so keep em coming!

The weather here has been warm and sunny! Just like home... Except at home I don't have to walk around all day in a skirt... so sometimes it gets to be a little much. We drink lots of water but then we have to make sure we get into a house so we can use their bathroom!

Next week the library is closed on Monday for Memorial Day so I'll probably be emailing on Tuesday. 

Love,

your California girl

Hermana Stephanie Granado

May, 12, 2014 - Long time, no talk!

 

It was so good to talk to you all yesterday. Nothing beats seeing you and hearing your voices. I love and miss you all more than you know but I also wouldn't want to be anywhere else at this time in my life. I just love it here in Rialto and I know I am here for a reason.

So glad you got to meet Joseph and his family. People like them are the whole reason I'm here. They are a golden family and we have seen them change so much! Joseph is on fire! He is taking more steps to get baptized and he even asked if we could go teach his friend! His friend lives in Redlands so we can't go there but we sent his address to the missionaries that are serving in that area. Then Joseph asked if he wanted his daughter to convert if he could be the one to baptize her. It is so cool to see how much he is growing and his desire to share that with the other people in his life that he cares about! This is what it's all about.

 

This week was definitely an interesting one. We went tracting on Wednesday. Our appointment with a less-active member fell through so we just decided to go knock on doors around their neighborhood. We got some really nice people! One of them spoke Spanish and was willing to let us come back another time to teach him so hopefully something good will come from that when we go back! Then it was almost time for our next appointment so we decided to knock on one more door. Well... let me tell you. It was interesting to say the least. She came out and ended up talking to us for half an hour. She had spent 32 years of her life preaching for a Christian church and was really proud of her knowledge. At first she thought we were Jehova's Witnesses and she kept telling us why what we believed was wrong. When we could finally get a word in to tell her that we weren't Jehova's Witnesses she asked what we were so we said we were from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She said "you're mormons?!" so we just nodded and she goes "oh my... that's even worse!" then she was even more excited to preach to us. After everything we walked away with a little more knowledge of her church and she said she'd pray for us so that we'd find the truth... it was definitely interesting.

 

This week we have Zone Conference which is pretty much just a training with our mission president and some of our other leaders in the mission. I am excited but I always get a little nervous because we never know when our mission president will call us up to do a role play and demonstrate teaching. I don't like all that attention!

 

We are going to try to take more pictures so I can send them to you. I hope you all have a great week and I love you all!

 

Love,

Hermana Granado

Happy Cinco de Mayo! 

Hey family, hope you're all doing well. Happy Cinco de Mayo! Can't believe it's May already!

 

First things first. I'm Skyping home on Sunday around 2 or 3pm. Auntie Debbie gave me her skype name and I will just call you guys then! Please make sure to have it open because I think I need you to accept me as a contact before I can call you.

 

This week was really good! We had a miracle this week! Our investigator, Joseph, has made incredible progress and we've seen a real change in him. I sent a picture of him a few weeks ago, he had a red shirt on I think, and some tattoos showing. We had a really good lesson on obedience with him and afterwards we felt like we should ask how HE felt he was progressing. We asked if he felt different and he said "It's funny you ask because just the other day someone was telling me how much I've changed." We asked him how he felt about his changes and he told us that he has become more family-oriented, that his whole life now is going to work, going to the gym, going to church and spending time with family. And he's happy with that! We praised him on all the changes we've seen in him and invited him to baptism again. This time, instead of saying he wanted more time or that he'd think about it, he said "Well, when were you guys thinking?" It was such a good lesson and discussion with him. He is happy with his life and doesn't feel the temptations to go back to his old life. We're going to set up an interview for him soon and then we will set a date for his baptism!

 

Then, the next day we were really disappointed with our other investigator. But that's the mission! It's a roller coaster but luckily, I feel like our days are more filled with good experiences than bad ones. I will never forget the bad experiences we have, because I am learning from them. But when I look back on earlier times of my mission I notice so many more good, uplifting experiences. Those are the ones that stick with me. Thank you much for your encouraging words and all your prayers. Keep 'em coming!

 

This week was and is very challenging for me. In a good way! They ask me to pray in at least one class on Sundays- never fails. But this Sunday I was asked to pray in Sacrament meeting! Then we were pulled in to teach a class to a group of teenagers for Sunday school. We were told just a few seconds before we were supposed to start teaching. Crazy stuff! Now our district leader, one of the elders in our ward, wants us to give a training tomorrow to the rest of the missionaries in our district. We're supposed to teach how to "teach people, not lessons." So needless to say I'm being challenged-big time!

The life of a missionary- we get honked at, whistled at, flipped off, doors slammed in our faces, holey shoes, sweaty faces, but at the end of the day it's ALL worth it.

 

Can't wait to talk to you all on Sunday! Love you!

 

Hermana Granado