HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY! 

I wore green all day so you can put those pinchers away! I made that up just now, I even impressed myself.

 

This week was great but I spent a lot of time emailing my mission president so I don't have much more. Here's why: WE WANT BIKES! so bad. Hermana Lauaki-Sablan and I have been talking about it for a while now but we really really want to be put on bikes instead of driving around. I want to be out and be seen. A lot of people don't even know there are sister missionaries because we're always hidden in a car. I know it will be hard but that's why I want to do it so badly. I want to sacrifice more and give it my all. I only have 13 months left out here and this is a time I'm never going to get back. I want to look back on this experience and know I gave my all to the Lord, not that I was sitting in a car with AC on my way to our appointments. Our area is the furthest away in the ward and we have the most hills but - even better! There are sister missionaries on bike in different places in California. Remember Hermana Baird from the MTC? She's in San Jose and she's on bike (yes, in a skirt) and she loves it! Plus with these dinners we're having, I need to burn a few more calories during the day.

 

On Saturday we had the opportunity to hear from Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorom of the Twelve Apostles and also Elder Anthony Perkins and Elder Douglas Higham both from the Seventy. It was our entire mission and the Rancho Cucamonga mission, so probably over 500 missionaries. And Elder Andersen wanted to take the time to shake each one of our hands! So I shook hands with an Apostle for the first time and after hearing his remarks, I know he is an Apostle of the Lord. While we were sitting there waiting for them to arrive, we were sitting quietly and pondering. I remembered that I should have a question in mind. I bowed my head and said a prayer, asked a couple questions, and continued to wait patiently and ponder. One of the questions I had in mind was "How can I enjoy my mission more and learn to love every part of it" about halfway through Elder Andersen's message, he said "The key to loving your mission is learning more about and understanding the Atonement" there was my answer! Clear as day. Another insight I got was that I need to stop comparing myself to other missionaries and other people I know. I am a unique daughter of God and I was called to the California Redlands mission for a unique purpose. I need to be patient with myself but not excuse myself. It is a constant struggle to try to accept and do the will of the Lord but it is something I am slowly learning. I can see the beauty of the Master's plan when I step out of the way and let Him work. Another thing I liked was when Elder Andersen said that when we are feeling discouraged or worried, it's because we're trying to do the work ourselves. I am also learning to lean more on the Lord and not my own efforts or understanding. This work cannot be done withour the Lord's help and I am learning that more and more everyday. When I make mistakes it's because I'm trying to do it myself and when I have success it's because Heavenly Father took over and is helping me.

We heard a story this weekend from one of the general authorities about missionaries running from door to door and appointment to appointment and it really touched me. He said that anywhere they would go, they would run. At first I thought it sounded a little strange but then I thought, what do we think when we see people running? That there is something important, right? The message we're sharing is the most important message I've ever heard and it is so important that others hear it. Since then I have had a desire lately to do more and serve more and sacrifice more. That is why I would really like is to be put on a bike. I have thought about it a lot and have a lot of reasons I think it would be good for me. I know it will be very difficult but I want to do it because I want to stretch myself and push myself. I feel like I would have the ability to talk to more people and be seen. If we were able to get out on the streets we could be seen and have more street contacts. It would use less miles on mission cars and when we need a ride, we can find a sister to give us one and there is a good chance of her staying for our lesson and raise our member presents.. If safety is an issue, we can bike during the day and drive at night. I am just so excited for missionary work and have such a desire to do more. Hermana Lauaki-Sablan and I even talked to some members about our desires to be on bikes and they really respect it. The Luna family, who are very strong in our ward and very active in missionary work are completely supportive of the idea. They said that as members if they were to see us biking around, they'd instantly think of the sacrifice missionaries are making and the sacrifice of the Savior. They said that it would make them more excited about missionary work and more willing to help. I know it won't be easy but that is part of the reason I want this opportunity. I want to push myself completely out of my comfort zone and give everything I have to the Lord these next 18 months. I hope you will be willing to let us try this and at least give it a shot.

I feel like after having the privilege to hear from Elder Andersen, Elder Perkins and Elder Higham I am more excited for missionary work and just ready to give it my all. I have such a strong testimony that he is an Apostle of the Lord and was sent to the Redlands mission for a purpose. I hope we will have the opportunity to learn and grow and work more on bikes, I don't want to be a lukewarm missionary.

 

One story this week is that we taught a man yesterday for the first time and it was pretty interesting. We found his wife while we were knocking on doors and she said we could come back but when we did she didn't want to talk to us. Luckily her husband let us in. As we were talking to him we shared John 3:16 which talks about how Heavenly Father sent his son to atone for our sins. As we were talking, I bore my testimony telling him that the atonement is such a great gift to us but he cut me off and told me that the fact that Jesus Christ came to the earth and died doesn't do him much good. That it doesn't help him much. He doesn't believe God created Adam and Eve and he put his hand on my bible and looked me in the eye and said "Estas son mentiras" which means "These are lies" I just stared at his hand on my scriptures and was so hurt. We talked to him for a little bit longer, we weren't fighting or offending one another but his beliefs were something I have never heard on my mission before. Since I've been out here I haven't met someone who doesn't believe in anything. It was a learning experience for sure. It was a testimony builder to me for sure, I KNOW that Heavenly Father sent his son for me. And I KNOW that without that one act, I couldn't have eternal life and I couldn't become the person that Heavenly Father wants me to be. I work hard, I do my best, I do everything I can, and the grace of God makes up the rest. I need it. And that is our message to the world. And this man was willing to let us come back so we'll see what happens...

 

Please say a special prayer that my companion and I are able to start biking, I love you all!

Hermana Granado

Hey family,

 

This will be a short one, but I had a great week! This week we had the most lessons of any other week here. It was a busy one. Those are always the best! I have been told I need to send more pictures so I'll find some. I take lots of them but always forget to send them.

 

Saturday we went to clean the chapel, that was fun. And we're going to go help a lady clean up her yard this week hopefully. Also, there is a member who is in a wheelchair so we're going to go help her organize her room. I love doing service! It's the best way to show our love for these people and help them do what they really need done.

Last night we had dinner with a member and while we were helping her set the table, two members from the Sierra ward (my first area) walked in. At first we didn't recognize each other but I looked at them and put down the plate and all of a sudden the woman screams "HERMANA!!!! OH HERMANA!!!" It was so good to see them.

 

Hope everyone is doing well. I can't really think of anything fun to tell ya'll. Two of the elders in our ward got transferred last week. Elder Torgersen came in for Elder Robles, and Elder Fonseca came in and replaced Elder Bird. Elder Fonseca is from Mexico but moved to Arizona when he was 14. And guess where his family lives - 7th ave and Bethany! So close! He went to Washington High School which is in the same district as Apollo. Small world.

 

On Saturday we're having a conference with our whole mission and the Rancho Cucamonga mission. An apostle and a member of the Seventy is coming to speak to us. We'll be hearing from Elder Neil A. Anderson and he wants to come around and shake all of our hands which will be really cool. I'm so excited! Hermana Lauaki-Sablan and I have been counting down the days!

 

It's getting warm here so I'm sure ya'll are starting to sweat in Arizona. I gotta go, time's up. But I miss you and love you sooooo much! xoxoxoxo

 

Love you all,

Hermana Granado

I LOVE RIALTO!

Hey family!

 

So first things first. We got transfer news this morning and.... WE'RE STAYING TOGETHER!!!! We were so happy that we started jumping up and down and hugging. I guess you could say Hermana Lauaki-Sablan and I are pretty much besties :) and this will make her the companion I've been with the longest, plus there are a bunch of fun things coming up in the next few weeks so I'm pretty excited :)

 

I LOVE RIALTO!

 

We got lots of rain this week and we loved it. California needed it! We had two whole days of rain. It was intense. The most rain I've seen like ever. Well, I guess that's not saying much considering I'm from the good ole AZ. But this week was a good one! Unfortunately this email will probably be short because we're gonna go celebrate the fact that our week was awesome and that we're staying together. And by celebrate I mean there's this burger place we always wanted to try so we're treating ourselves. We do it up big!

 

Just a couple stories from this week:

 

Last night we went to visit a less active member and we missed her but her son opened the door. He usually just tells us his mom isn't home and we go on about our way but this time he told us that he was really glad we were there. So we started talking to him in the doorway. He was the only one home so we couldn't go inside (it's a mission rule that we can't go in unless a woman is there too) but we stood in the doorway and talked for almost an hour about his whole life. Turns out he was baptized when he was 14 and he told us all about why he doesn't go to church anymore and how he had a rough past but that he wants to come back. He said that he likes it when we come to visit because he can see that we care (We really do!) and that when we come over he can feel something different in the house (the Spirit!) and that ever since we've started coming over his parents have stopped fighting and the whole house seems better and calmer. He told us how he found the birthday card we left for his mom and how he knows we're doing a good thing. He even said that we should expect him at church next week! We said a prayer on the door step and asked for a special blessing on him at this time, he was just in a really bad car accident and is going through a lot. But he has a new desire to come back to church which is awesome!

 

We went to visit an active member, we see her once a week and she is the only active member that we visit that often. I don't really know why we do but we started seeing her when we got into the area. Well this last lesson when we sat down with her she told us that the first time we came over to share a message, she was a bit nervous and didn't really understand why we were there. But that now she knows we were sent from God. She is a single lady in her 50s or 60s and she is lonely sometimes. She said that it feels really good to have someone to talk to and she loves our visits.

 

The other night we went and taught a lesson to the Iglesias family. They're amazing and Hermana Lauaki-Sablan and I are pretty sure we were sent here just for them. The first night we met them the mom said we looked really familiar and she could have sworn that I came and knocked on her door before. She said she had seen my face before. Well in our last lesson we just bore our testimonies at the end and we told them how much we love them and how much we love teaching them. That's when the mom, who is usually the quietest and most reserved, looked at us and said that she knew that we knew God. We were a little confused so we asked what she meant. She said that when she looks at us she knows that we know Him and she can tell that we carry Him with us. Then she turned specifically to me and pointed at me and said that when I smile she can see a light around me and she can feel that I carry a piece of God with me. It was such a good feeling to hear that!

 

Last one. We have an investigator Joseph who is married to a member and her daughters are members too. So he's been taking the lessons and going to church but doesn't really know if it's the right path for him. So one night my companion went over to teach a lesson (I was with another member teaching a lesson to the Iglesias.) and she taught them about the importance of prayer and how we can get answers to prayers. Then Joseph said "it's really interesting you bring that up" then he told his step-daughter to go get his plant. Everyone was really confused why he was talking about a plant right then but they just went with it. Turns out he prayed. And got an answer! He said "You see this plant? It was dead. Completely dead. For almost a year! and one night I prayed to know what to do. I like when you guys come over and teach but I still didn't know if it's what I should do. So I asked to know if all this was true and if this is the path that God wants me to take. I asked for a sign that this is right. Now look at this plant. (it's green and growing and sprounting.) IT WAS DEAD and now... now I have an answer." It was so cool that he told us that! He doesn't open up at all. Ever. It was a miracle. This week was a miracle week.  

 

Gotta go, love you lots, talk to you next week!

 

Hermana Granado

Hola familia! 

So sorry last week's email was so short. But I'll do my best to make up for it this week!

 

On Monday we played sports with our ward and got all the kids to come and even a lot of leaders too since it was a holiday and they didn't have school. They also brought friends who aren't members so it was a good opportunity to meet new people and get them to a non-threatening activity. We played soccer and volleyball and had a blast! Tuesday was pretty much a normal day. We got to go to the temple on Wednesday. The Redlands temple is tiny but so SO pretty! 

We finally got pictures of the six of us that are serving in the ward together so I'll attach that. From left to right is Elder Morris, Elder Robles, me, Hermana Lauaki-Sablan, Elder Bird and Elder Allen. We have gotten to be pretty good friends the past six weeks! Hermana Lauaki-Sablan and I have been busy taking lots of pictures and making memories! 

Transfers are coming up, we find out on Monday who is going and who is staying. We're pretty sure at least one elder in the ward is leaving because he's been here for awhile. But Hermana Lauaki-Sablan and I are both hoping that we stay together, at least for one more transfer! We think we will because we're both new to the area and everything but we all remember what happened that last time I made a prediction! Either way, I'll let you know next week. But just remember the address in Highland will stay the same so feel free to send letters :)

 

The Spanish is coming along. I understand a lot more than I used to and am getting more confident in speaking. The members compliment us a lot and help us realize that we are still learning and we're learning faster than we realize. I mean 4 months ago I couldn't say five sentences without resorting to memorization. Now I have 1-hour lessons and don't think twice about it.

Also, I am learning to speak Tongan from Hermana Lauaki-Sablan! I only know how to say "Hi, how are you, very good, yes and no" but it's a start! The other day she asked me a question in Spanish and I answered in Togan and we just felt so cultured!

I met my new best friend at a member's house. This little puppy was so stinking cute I wanted to put her in my bag and take her home. But I didn't… 

While we were at this home, though, we had prepared to share a message but my companion told me she wanted to change it and share something else. I didn't know why but I just went with the flow. While we were sharing our scripture and talking about it, the woman started crying and said that she was going through a really tough time. She said she knows Heavenly Father is with her but that she really needed to hear what we said. I'm so glad Hermana Lauaki-Sablan was in tune to the Spirit so she could know what this lady needed.

 

On a funny note, today we went shopping and I am probably the most awkward person I've ever met. I wouldn't even tell this story but Hermana Lauaki-Sablan is crying just thinking about it so I figured I'd give you all a good laugh too. Today while we were at the store we were walking to the cash register and I was following Hermana Lauaki-Sablan. I tried to squeeze past this lady who was standing there counting all the pens in her basket. As I'm walking past her, my bad got stuck on a hook. I told her I was stuck but she wouldn't move for me. I tried to unhook it but I had a package of toilet paper in my hand. So I figured the only way to get out of this without making a scene or knocking something down was to switch the toilet paper to my other hand and reach back and unhook myself. But as I brought the toilet paper over to the other hand, the package hit this lady in the head. I put my hand on her back and apologized but she didn't even look at me, she just kept counting her pens. Meanwhile my companion and the cashier are dying of quiet laughter. I felt awful but if she didn't even take the time to look up at me I guess it didn't bother her too much. I did make the effort to apologize though!

 

On Saturday we volunteered at the Bishop's storehouse which fills food orders for people who are going through a really hard time. They can go to their bishop and order what their family needs then they come to the bishop's storehouse and get their order filled. It's like a warehouse/grocery store. And this one is the 2nd largest one in the western United States so that was cool to work there. I helped bag apples and bananas and helped fill some food orders for people. They were so sweet and so grateful for the charity of others that made it possible for them to have this food. And it was good for me to see where some of my contributions go and how it all works. The Lord's house is a house of order and I love that!

After the storehouse we came home, had lunch and studied for a bit. Then we got a call to help some members move out of their house. So we were on the road again, packing up boxes for them and cleaning and loading up the trucks. Luckily the other four elders were there too so we didn't have to do too much heavy lifting, just sorting and packing and cleaning.

 

A good spiritual experience we had this week was with a lady that we haven't taught yet but they day we met her went like this: We had her name and address given to us by the elders in the ward so we went to visit her. We went to her apartment and she came to the door, we told her who we are and why we were there. She said she didn't have time for us at that moment so we exchanged phone numbers and planned to come back at another time. Then before we left we did our usual "Is there anything we can do to help you?" She shook her head no but then looked down and started crying. She kept shaking her head and saying there was nothing we could do but she told us that she was sad. Very very sad. And she just kept crying. So my companion offered to give her a hug and she started crying harder and said "I just needed to know everything would be okay, then you guys came. Thank you, thank you." It was a really tender experience.

Another day we were driving and we had tried to see everyone that we had planned but they either weren't home or didn't let us in. So we sat there for a second and decided to try someone else. As we pull us to her house we're parking an at the exact same second we both said "OH!! Wait..." Then we just looked at each other startled and I said "What were you thinking?" Hermana Lauaki-Sablan said she just had an idea of who we could go see. And I said "Me too! Who did you think of?" So Hermana Lauaki-Sablan said "You first..." Right when I said the name she said that was the person she was thinking of! And it was someone who we haven't been teaching or even talked about for a while. So it was really cool to see that the Holy Ghost would put into both of our minds who we needed to see at that time.

 

I love being a missionary and I am loving California. We go running every morning and all I have to do is throw a sweatshirt on with my capris and it is perfect weather. Sometimes it gets a little warm but I remember the Arizona summers and I'm grateful to be here! We're working hard and having fun at the same time. I can't believe this week will be my four month mark. Time is just flying by! I am making memories that will last a lifetime! I am one lucky, lucky girl. Love and miss you all! Enjoy your week :)

 

 

Mucho amor,

Hermana Granado

Reading more about Stephanie's Mission on the Mission Blog - http://californiaredlandsmission.blogspot.com

Hey guys, 

Sorry this is so late, and it's going to be very short as well. Everything is great here in Rialto, me and Hermana Lauaki-Sablan are getting along great and working harder than ever. We got to go to the temple in Redlands today with our whole zone which is about 16 missionaries. The Redlands temple is very small but so beautiful. I got to reply to a few of your emails earlier before we went. I hope you are all doing great. I don't have much time to write, we're having dinner in about 20 minutes so I have to make this short.

This week I have gotten a lot of opportunites to develop patience. Both with myself and with others. I am grateful for the opportunity but it is hard sometimes. Its not always easy to learn the lessons that Heavenly Father has for us. But it's worth it!

Thank you all for all the mail and prizes I've been getting, I feel very loved and have gotten the opportunity to share that with my companion and the girls we live with, so thank you! And I just love the pictures.

 

I am so so happy here, most days I don't even have time to think about myself or my needs I'm so busy trying to get other things done. Even on our preparation days we're making phone calls and planning for our lessons with our investigators (the people we're teaching.)

 

Love you all, talk to you next week.

Be expecting some good pics and stories :)

 

Con amor,

Hermana Granado

This has been the hardest and BEST week of my entire mission.

 

The beginning of this week was rough. Sunday night I was feeling a lot of unnessesary pressure from our district leader for the amount of lessons we had taught. He made us feel like we weren't working because our numbers were low. But we have been working harder than ever! Skipping dinners to see people. Running to and from appointments to get there on time. Getting up early, staying up and planning. It was hard work. And since our numbers didn't reflect it, our leaders were on our backs trying to get us to have more lessons. But we were frustrated because we're still new and we're starting from scratch in this area. And some of the elders in our ward were making us feel like they didn't trust us as missionaries. 

So by the time Tuesday came around, we both had had enough. We were discouraged, we were stressed, we were literally worrying ourselves sick. So that night we asked two elders in our ward to give us priesthood blessings of comfort. We met up with them and told them a little of how we were feeling, even though they could see it in our faces, they gave us beautiful priesthood blessings and  afterward we just felt peace. We felt okay with where we are and what we're doing. And we decided to re-evaluate why we're here and what we want to see happen and then we got to work! And let me tell you, we've seen miracles!

This week we set a baptismal date, picked up a new investigator and almost doubled the amount of lessons we taught! We took to skipping dinners again and it never failed - every time we skipped a dinner for a lesson, we got in. They were always home and happy to talk to us. We were blessed for our sacrifices.

We just kept working, I don't know how else to describe it. We threw ourselves into the work and didn't let ourselves think of anything else. Then before we knew it, it was Friday and we were going on exchanges...

I went with Sister Folsom to San Bernardino and Hermana Lauaki-Sablan stayed in our area with sister McCoy. Our new companions didn't speak Spanish so Sister Folsom said she was going to make the most of it and use my skills to get into houses they could never get into before since the family only speaks Spanish. It was fun and was a little more comfortable going into Spanish homes than trying to teach white people. It was a lot different than I imagined. I learned a lot and so did Hermana Lauaki-Sablan and we were able to put our new skills in play in our own area :) We did miss each other though!

 

A couple of you asked about the lady who we got the info to for the apartment. She is our new investigator! She came to church yesterday and when she saw me she got really excited and came and gave me a hug! Her daughter is getting baptized March 1st and I'm hoping she will too :)

The three boys I taught in Fontana were baptized the other day. Their mom emailed me pictures and said "thank you for all your teaching" It was so good to see the pictures!

 

One of the elders serving in my ward is from my district in Fontana. I actually met him my very first day in California. The other day he looked at me at dinner and just said "Hermana Granado, you're a completely different person here than you were in Fontana" and I asked if that was good or bad and he said good, I guess I didn't talk much when I was in Fontana. But the main point is that I feel different here too. I feel more sure of myself and more sure of my decision to serve a mission. Most of all I'm more sure of my trust in the Lord. And I am seeing more and more that He knows exactly what I need at every step in my life. And when I fall short or I second guess myself, I don't worry because Heavenly Father is in control and I have all my trust in Him.

I don't know if I can explain to you all how happy I am at this point of my mission and my life. I am enjoying every minute of this crazy experience. I can't even begin to tell you all the things I experience from day to day. From slammed doors to heart breaks to spiritual lessons and answers to prayers. I need to be better at writing in my journal so I don't forget these things but if there's one thing I've learned in the past 3 months is to be happy! Because there is always going to be challenges, there are always going to be disappointments. It's part of life! But we have the ability to look past those things and focus on our blessings. They are many! If we just trust Him and follow Him, we don't need to worry about the rest. It's a liberating and relieving feeling and I never want to lose it.

 

Love you all so much! Talk to you next week :)

 

Con amor,

Hermana Granado

Hello again! 

Another week has passed and it was so good to get all your emails and hear how all of you are doing! This week was tough, we're still trying to figure out our area and find people to teach. But I do love serving a mission! I am learning so much. Also, since we don't know the area we got a map and I have developed some pretty great map skills! I surprise myself when we actually pull up to the right house once in a while!

One of the families we've started teaching has two dogs- a pit bull and a pit bull/mastif mix. They're both big and one is mean. One day when we went by we walked up to her door and we were so worried about keeping our eye on her two dogs that we didn't notice the neighbor's dog got out and was not happy about us being there! Needless to say the note I was writing was a bit shaky at the end but all is well! Reminded me of Puerto Rico and getting chased by those dogs.But we're both in one piece, happy and healthy. Well, except for one sick spell after some mole... I really don't like that stuff.

Hermana Lauaki-Sablan is great, so helpful and I'm learning a lot from her. She's really fun and loves to laugh. It's easy to enjoy our day when we're constantly laughing. The other day at church I held the door open for an older man and he walks up and asks where I'm from and told him Arizona. He looks around and says "Beautiful women come from Arizona" it was not what anyone expected to hear from this sweet old man but it made us all laugh.

I'm sorry I don't have much to share with you, we're still new in our area. We're serving with four other elders in our ward which is fun but also stressful sometimes trying to work with all of them. We are so determined though! We want to build this area up so much and just blow everyone out of the water. We're both young missionaries, I'm 3 months and she's 7 months but we are hard workers! We even skipped our dinner appointment the other night so that we could teach more people.

This Friday I am going on exchanges with a sister training leader. So me and Hermana Lauaki-Sablan will spilt up, she'll stay in our area and another girl will take my place for 24 hrs and I will go with another sister in her area. They told me where but I forgot... So that will surely be intersting!

One cool experience was the other day we went out to the only lesson we had set up and I felt very very strongly that I should ask the woman a certain question about her prayers. Even though I wasn't too sure how she'd react, I asked her and she just started crying and for the first time we really got an idea of where she's at in her life right now. We finally got her to open up! Then we got in the car and I realized I forgot my planner that had all the addresses and everything in it so we decided to go to the only house we knew how to find without an address. When we parked I turned and saw a "for rent" sign on the apartment next door. This normally wouldn't mean anything to me but a couple days before a lady we were trying to teach wasn't interested in anything we had to say. So finally we asked if we could help her with anything and she just asked us to find a place for them to rent. I wrote down the info and we went back to that lady. She was less than excited to see us standing at her door but when we said we didn't need to come in, just that we had some info she asked for, her face lit up and she was so so grateful. We told her to have a good night and she asked us if we could come back. She asked us! So we set up a time to go back and talk with her some more. I was a really cool experience of being completely led by the spirit and doing what the Lord needed us to do.

On to another week! Enjoy work and school and count your blessings! Try to find one thing everyday where you saw the Lord's hand because I PROMISE it was there.

Love,

Hermana Granado

PS. Can someone send or email me pictures of my mom and dad? No one here believes I'm Mexican...