If you're wondering what "yokwe" is, it's Marshallese for hello. We have lots of Marshallese speaking missionaries here, and half of our leaders are from/live in Hawaii, so we say "yokwe and aloha!!!"
This week has been amazing and eventful and miracles have happened! I'll only have time for a few of my favorite parts, though. The pictures are me enjoying the grass and the sun last P-day (we had a bbq at the park!), Sis Baker and me with our investigator Tyler, the Newport Beach temple (we spend a lot of time there), and a comic one of the elders drew titled "Companionship Inventory." Companionship Inventory is everyone's favorite :P it's when we sit down once a week and discuss with our companion how we're doing and if we have any problems to work out and basically just smooth out the waters and make new goals for the coming week. So basically, in the comic one of the elders is being lazy and needs to "clean himself up," so the other elder decides to jump in with him :) That's the nice part. Companionship unity achieved. Speaking of, Sis. Baker rocks! We are both so excited and determined to do absolutely every little thing we can to serve!
So my favorite parts of the week/most eventful moments:
One of our investigators, Jasmine, set a date for baptism!!! :D August 22, though we're hoping to move it up. She is so much happier this week and it's amazing to watch her turning her life toward Christ. Thanks for those prayers :)
Trish, a woman in our apartment complex, talks to us nearly every morning at the gym. Well, one morning this week she asked if she could go see our temple. We nearly burst with excitement. We went with her on a tour of the temple grounds Wednesday night and gave her a Book of Mormon (which she asked us for) and we hope to keep working with her this week. We actually ran into her a few minutes ago on our way into the library!
I found my scriptures!!!!! :)
We had an awesome "greenies" (new missionaries) dinner at Pres. Orgill's house on Wednesday night and I got to see all my wonderful friends from my MTC district family. My favorite part was when Pres. Orgill talked to Sis. Hixson and me and told us he'd never had a prompting so powerful when assigning companions as when he assigned me with Sis. Baker, and Sis. Hixson with her companion. I really do know that Sis. Baker and I were put together to do great things.
I got to take the lead in a dinner appointment this week with a member named Maureen because I was on an exchange with another new sister. (Sis. Baker really trusted me a lot, letting me drive our car, Jack, and pretty much take charge of the day. It was really cool!) I was a little nervous since I had been warned that Maureen would ask some hard questions about the nature of the Godhead, which she did. But as I tried my best to think of a way to help her understand who God is, (I had also been told several missionaries had already tried to help with this) I just knew that even though I didn't know how, God knew how to explain it to her. So I opened my mouth. And it worked. Somehow He put the words right in my mouth. It was like everything I'd ever learned about the relationship of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost just came out in one clear, complete, coherent thought. It was so powerful to feel the Spirit speak through me and it filled me with so much joy to see Maureen growing closer to her Savior and understanding. I am so thankful for opportunities like this that God has given me, and I grow so much from them. I don't think I understood half of what I said until I said it!
Last but not least, we had a traumatizing experience last night with spiders. I was sitting at my desk writing in my journal, when Sis. Baker pointed out a spider on the wall. I was quite proud of myself for remaining calm and trying to find a shoe. But then, I looked down, and there was another identical one on the desk. I did not remain calm. We both jumped back five feet, screaming. Somehow amid the chaos two spiders were killed and we both survived :D But we sincerely prayed that that was the last of them. It's our fault. We complained Saturday that we didn't have many hard things to challenge us. (rather jokingly) So God sent us spiders. I suppose He thought it was funny ;) But seriously. SoCal is perfect. Gorgeous land. Gorgeous weather. It even rained the last two days!!! :)
That's really all I have time for but I really love y'all and I really appreciate the prayers.
Mosiah 4:9
" Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."
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Sister Heather BambasCalifornia Irvine Mission
heather.bambas@myldsmail.net