"New Jersey is Magical"

Buenas!

We are emailing a day late today because on P-day we had an mission activity/meeting on Monday with all of the sisters in the whole mission! We all did yoga in the gym together and had lunch! We listened to inspiring messages from the most bubbly and adorable senior sister missionaries, Sis. Dunning and Sis. Woodruff, and from President and Sister Jeppson, who are some of the most amazing people I have ever met. They told us a lot of the things I've been told in young womens, like that we need to love ourselves as daughters of God. I am realizing more that these things are not just words, but they are true.

 

One thing that stood out to me is that Sister Jeppson said that we need to "fill ourselves up." We can't really on anyone or anything else to fill the holes of low self-esteem or insecurities in order to feel good about ourselves- that is not their job, it's ours! I struggle with this sometimes, but I want to do that more and rely on the Lord and take it upon myself to be happy and grateful so that I can serve better rather than waiting for someone to tell me I'm good enough.

 

On Sunday night we were about to wander around finding people in an apartment complex when my trainee thought we should pause to think of a more productive idea. So we decided to call and visit some less-active members who we can rarely get in touch with. Miraculously, we were about to have 2 great visits with them that night and meet some of their non-member family members/ friends. That's the way to do it! It is easy for these people to slip away when work and other things become more important than "that fruit which is most desirable" or "the love of God" that we read about in 1 Nephi 11. People have so many hard life challenges here that I honestly can't relate to being so young, but I know that God knows them and will take care of them if they do what is right.

 

Rigoberto is still excited and a little nervous to be baptized on Sept. 1! We are excited to see what he shares in his testimony at the service after he is baptized because he has been thinking about it for a long time, and like he says, he has no "verguenza" to say what he thinks or how he feels! We love him. I never knew I'd find my own little Peruvian grandpa! 

 

We have been meeting with an investigator, Cesar, who has had a lot of hardships and little miracles in his life. He was baptized Catholic and was a missionary for his church in Guatemala. He moved away from his family to come here to Princeton to work, where he passed by some elders and felt the spirit strongly. He met with sister missionaries for a while but they eventually dropped him because he wasn't keeping commitments and then my last companions and I finally found him again. He wants to go to the temple someday- we just need to keep praying that he will make the sacrifices he needs to to stop working on Sundays and commit to be baptized. Our poor Jorge, the 19-year-old, is slipping into the abyss because we haven't been able to get in contact with him... :(

 

A long time ago we met a man named Johnny near where we live and we recently got in touch with him and are hoping to meet with him, his wife, and teenage daughter who is a dancer (yay!)  After we leave this library, we will head to an apartment to talk about what happens after we die with a group of Seventh Day Adventists and Evangelicals! Pray for us! I never realized that whether we keep Saturday or Sunday holy could be such a big issue...

 

New Jersey is magical!

 

Mucho amor!!

Hermana Martin