M. I. A.

I am writing this asap today because last week was one of the only weeks in my whole mission I didn't send an email. 

This week was awesome! 

Some quick updates:

Vanessa is getting baptized on the 12th of September! Please pray for her to be able to reach that goal! She came to her family's sacrament meeting yesterday with her husband and her daughter! It was soo tender!

Sister Stock and I are thriving and have been working HARD this week! We get home and crash every night because we're exhausted! It is great though! I hit my 14 month mark last week and only have 3 months and two weeks left so I'm full sending!

Our friend Sergio is doing really great and so is Melissa! They both have amazing faith and are loving the gospel!

We had follow up training in Oxnard this week and interviews and also exchanges ALL ON THE SAME DAY! It was a crazy day but sooo fun! I went with Sister Lehauli and Sister Stock went with Sister Jacobsen! It was so fun to see missionaries I've served around in the past! ALSO...Last week we went on exchanges with Sister Keele and Sister Gowans! 

Funny story: After district council on Friday, we stuck around in Santa Paula to do food share (service)! We packed lunches and were eating them outside in the back parking lot of the church (which is fenced in) with all the sisters. One sister kindly gathered up all the garbage and took it over to the dumpster because we aren't allowed to throw things away in the church. She climbed the little wall surrounding the dumpster and was about to throw the trash in, but ran back with it instead whisper-yelling ,"There's a man in the garbage!" We look over and there is a man peaking out of the dumpster at us. We were all dying laughing (an uncomfortable laugh) and ran inside the church. It was definitely an experience!

I love my mission and never want to leave! 

Sister Hadden 

Re-Stock the Mission

Our mission received 34 missionaries this week, all new missionaries, many reassigned. Sister Lee and I drove to Oxnard last Monday and picked up our new companions! My new companion is from Texas and her name is Sister Stock (hence the title of this email)! (I'm hilarious). She is awesome! She was originally assigned to the London England mission, Portuguese-speaking. 

This week was one of the busiest I've had in a while. Sister Stock took it like a champ and crushed it! We taught eight non-member lessons and 10 member lessons! We helped a less active member move, served at food share, helped a member make bookmarks for the primary kids, and had many, many meetings! 

Sister Stock and I got a call on Tuesday asking us to be facebook support missionaries, meaning we call and remind other missionaries of the posts they should be making, and help them brainstorm ideas and make quality material for the page! Kinda fun!

Our people are doing great! On Monday the ward put together a drive-by welcome party for Charlotte. They all drove by her house, cars decorated, armed with posters and presents, honking and yelling hello! It was a highlight! The ward has shown so much support and love to her! Our other friends Melissa and Sergio are cruising through the lessons and loving the Gospel! 

Fillmore is HOTTT! Not just because there is a fire close by, but because it is 112°F every other day! If you ever visit Fillmore (I don't know why you would) DON'T DO IT IN AUGUST! You will die!

Loving the mission and the experiences I'm having. It's been a learning curve this week and I'm excited to learn more next week! The harder things are, the more I rely on my Savior, and the more he builds me up! 

"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest in your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." -Matt 11:28-30 

Sister Hadden 

Oh, also: I got into BYU PROVO 🏻 

Pictures: wildlife encounters, food share, zoom meetings, on a walk with Ele, first taste of Sothen California mexican food!

(More pictures to come...we took so many this week)

Baptism Week, and--oh! --Transfers

 

What a week it has been!! First and foremost, Charlotte was baptized!! It was pure insanity trying to make that happen, but we did it!! We got a call the night before saying that due to new COVID restrictions, we are not allowed to have baptisms in the church. So Sister Lee and I called our leaders, Charlotte, and the members involved, and told them all we needed to change the venue. MIRACLE: A Sister in the ward offered her pool and let us have the baptism there...(well, we basically begged her, but she said 'yes' right away!). There was some other craziness that happened, one being that Charlotte stepped right into the deep end and almost drowned, but the man baptizing her caught her, so all is well! BUT she had an amazing experience. I love her so much and am in awe of her resilience and her faith!

We are still teaching Sergio. We had awesome lessons with Melissa and Tomas this Sunday, and started teaching a new friend over FB! The area is doing so well! 

Okay, so what you've all been waiting for: transfer calls. We got a leadership call on Saturday night, and Sister Lee is training!!! I'm so proud of her. THEN we got another call saying I am training too! What?! Crazy! THEEEENNNNN we got a third call saying that I'm going to be a Sister Training leader next transfer! I'm terrified but excited. 

President Carter asked me to pray for confirmation that both my call to be a Sister Training leader and trainer were from God! I did and I feel humbled that Heavenly Father would trust me this much. I know he has a plan for my mission. 

Also, I'm staying here in Fillmore!!! YAY!!

Sister Hadden

I'm not creative any more

I can't think of anymore email titles...if anyone has some extra time on their hands ;) and wants to help me come up with some titles, lmk! 

This was an awesome week! We saw MIRACLES! 

1: Charlotte passed her baptismal interview with flying colors, and will be getting baptized next Saturday at 1pm! She is so excited and so ready!

2&3: We found TWO new friends to teach this week! One we found over Facebook. His name is Meno. We started messaging him, and he said he wanted to learn more! The second one is a lady named Melissa. We found her by calling old friends in ABP.  When we called, she got super excited and said she had been needing spiritual upliftment! We've had two lessons with hi

Haha I sent that halfway through! 

We had two lessons with her this week and she has an awesome desire to learn and understand the scriptures!

4: It was Sister Lee's month-mark and birthday this week, and we were given sooo muuucchhh food and cake... mostly cake! Cupcakes, two whole cheesecakes, a giant chocolate cake, cake pops, and donuts!

5: One of those cheesecakes was given to us by a former person being taught, named George! We thought he was done with learning about the Church. He called us and was like, "Sister Lee, I saw it's your birthday. I'm going to bring you a cake!". It was so random, but awesome because we talked to him and he said he's been super busy and hasn't been trying to avoid us, which is nice to know! 

6: Our friend Ele, a less-active member, asked us to come over one night this week just before we had to be in for the night. We went to her house and she said, "Oh goody! You're here! You're going to help me quit smoking tonight." She had us put her first patch on her so she could start right then! It was so sweet that she wanted us to be a part of that big step in her life!

Ele and her patch

It was just an awesome week and I'm loving my mission, and the people I get to meet and serve! 

Sister Hadden 

Pictures: ,  

Yummy food

Dropping off cookies on Sergio's truck

Hermana Kerr was emergency transferred so we dropped her off :( 

Footbridge to a member's house to get dinner!