A Stormy Week in McMinnville

All I remember of this week is that I was wet the entire time. Rain and bikes is a really fun, dangerous adventure :) 

On Wednesday I gave a training at District Meeting on prayer. It was really nice be able to reflect on my relationship with my Heavenly Father and to think about how big of a blessing it is that we pray. 

I've definitely strengthened my testimony of prayer so much on my mission. I know our father in heaven truly cares about every single one of us, and that he listens. And more than that, I know he answers us. I am so grateful for the Holy Ghost, the comforter we have been blessed with to get us through the best and hardest times. 

This week specifically I have strengthened/gained my testimony of having s prayer in your heart all the time. For example, When you're biking in a storm, sometimes it gets hard.. But as you pour your heart out to God, thanking him for the many blessings and realize you're communicating with a he sent being, you're filled with the spirit and strength you need :) #GratitudePrayers.

One day the Elders had mercy on us and gave us the car for a few hours. Blessings, Let me tell ya. It's like we're a little McMinnville missionary family-there are 4 elders here and we all live SO CLOSE. It's so fun!

LA CAZONA. so on Friday we had planned on eating dinner with this less active Hermana, and she invited a member too. So we all go over there, anddddd she doesn't feed us so we teach her and ya know be missionaries and do missionary work and what not.. Then we leave and the member is like, do you wanna go eat with me? So we go to La CAZONA where almost every Hispanic in this town works, and we eat dinner :) some delicious chicken with cheesy sauce, and fried ice cream! And the best part was our investigator was our Waiter! It was so awesome!:) 

I just love serving in the south. These southern women, man I'm telling you...so many good memories!:) 

I'm so happy to be serving my mission.

“… It is not enough to serve God with all of our might and strength. He who looks into our hearts and knows our minds demands more than this. In order to stand blameless before God at the last day, we must also serve him with all our heart and mind.

...Service with all of our heart and mind is a high challenge for all of us. Such service must be free of selfish ambition. It must be motivated only by the pure love of Christ”-Dallin H. Oaks.

 

Love yall, have a great week!:) 

Hermana Eastwood 

Temple trip in Tennessee

WE WENT TO THE TEMPLE ON WEDNESDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a double blessing cause we drove through MURFREESBORO!!!!:) ah. My heart just aches for the Boro I love it so much.

The temple was amazing. I love the spirit one feels there, I didn't want to leave. It's so peaceful, I felt so loved. I am so grateful for this gospel.

Friday night we had the FUNNIEST LESSON EVER.

there's this man named Bernardo the hermanas met a few weeks ago I think, he's really cool. We've pursued and feel like he is our transfer miracle!! We went over on Friday to visit him, and his brother Juan came out too....oh my gosh. It was crazy, it was such a good lesson, Bernardo has so much interest!! But it was the funniest lesson and the most crazy as well. Juan was all drunk and being all distracting and weird...Hispanic men sometimes I swear haha but we were able to teach Bernardo a solid lesson about the restoration of the gospel and the Book of Mormon!  It was a hard lesson cause wow lots of distractions (and patience is definitely a virtue), but it was AWESOME because it showed how much Bernardo has :):) 

Saturday-

We helped the branch president (Caten)and his familia clean the church! Then we went to Smithville with his mom to visit a less active named Xochitl -new favorite name. (Zo-cheee).

Then I lived my county dream and we worked on a farm!!!! Sister Caten has like 30 cows!!!!

I realized something huge while In a lesson with Onesimo Saturdays night, a man who's been investigating for a while, and reads and comes to church and everything (is unsure about life cause he's already been baptized). I was sharing an experience I'd had on my mission, about how i had obtained my testimony on a certain principle.  

A testimony is something so precious and personal. Your testimony is never shared without all your heart. i give a piece of myself to these people as i testify to them, I feel the spirit working through me to touch their hearts. Never miss a chance to bear your testimony of your savior Jesus Christ :) 

I have never felt more certain that I by myself am nothing, but I am an instrument in the hands of my God, being led and guided through him to help his children find their way back.:) 

I wouldn't want to be doing anything else at this time.

On Sunday during branch council I was told I would be giving a talk. Awesome.. on missionary work and why I am here and how I got here. AWESOME. It was good to reflect on my mission and on my decision to serve, and the difference I've seen in myself and all I've learned. 

I am so grateful for my mission :) for my family and the support I have from them and their examples, I am so grateful for how much I have come to know my savior Jesus Christ, and to wear his name over my heart everyday, and to testify of him in his name. THis has been the best experience I've ever had, I love sharing the message of the restoration,  and helping others come closer to Christ and find purpose in this life. 

Hope you all have an amazing week!!!!:)

Love,

Hermana Eastwood

It's definitely August in TN

What a great week!

On Wednesday we had Exchanges!! The Love of my life Sis Svedin came here to McMinnville with me! (These people are crazy, letting me take over the area after a week....haha. We biked all day, and had fun in the rain too...;) livin that missionary life. I love sister Svedin so MUCH!!!!! We had an awesome day, sip learned so much from her. We lived together for three months in Antioch:) she's an amazing teacher and so happy and sweet. 

On Thursday We had ZONE CONFERENCE. I loved it. I love being around all the missionaries, the spirit just makes me so happy. We learned about obedience, the spirit, faith and prayers and finding. It was an amazing day! 

On Fridays We go and do service for an assisted living center, we push the ladies around in wheelchairs and it's so fun :) 

Saturday.....aka LA MUERTE. But actually such a really good day. Let me explain.

We were SO TIRED. we had been riding our bikes since 10 am and no one was home/if they were they said they were busy..aka taking a Siesta #hispanicprobz so we just were goin and going and we did not have any idea how we were going to live this day. It. was. so. hot! But we ended having two lessons before dinner, 

-with PAUBLO a recent convert, so amazing. He's read the Book of Mormon, the doctrine and covenants and the pearl of great price. And now he's on round two. Also he started Jesus the Christ last week, and is almost done. He reads and reads and reads. I love him though cause he says, always, I'm happy

-And the next lesson was with  Andres and Lucy, Andrés fell off his roof before I got here, and got really injured. But they're a very nice couple, and said they'll be baptized!!!!:)

-After that, we went to the church and had a lesson with Onesimo. We teach him multiple times a week, cause he loves it but it's hard cause he tries to teach us...Pentecostal problems..and he talks SO... MUCH...but we are learning how to try to control it..but he's praying about baptism too! :)

-After that, Alberto another recent convert called and asked if we were busy and he said he was coming to the church with his kids, so we had a lesson with him:) BEST PART WAS: we were waiting inside for him, then grabbed some chairs to bring outside and we LOCKED OURSELVES OUT OF THE CHURCH. Everything, the keys, our iPads, our bags and our phone...so we use Alberto's phone to call the elders, and they come save the day! It was so funny! 

We ended up having a really great day on Saturday, even though it was so hot, we were happy cause we had the spirit with us. 

That's something I say all he time, but i think that's what I've learned the most on my mission, is how important and precious the spirit is, and the difference it can make. I know I was happy before my mission, but I'm just so much happier now. I just want to serve and I want to help every smile person in any way I can. I am so grateful to be a missionary,I love this work :) 

I'll end this letter with a quote and some over random things from Hermana Eastwood. 

"In sunshine and in shadow we look to Him, and He is there to assure and smile upon us." Gordon B. Hinckley.

LOVE YOU ALL:)

Fun facts:

-Yall already know this, but Taco Bell just makes everything better:) 

-Don't take Benadryl at 2 in the afternoon...and then ride your bike. Just don't. But on the plus side, I slept really well that night ;)

-DADDY! I ate grits this week! ...not my favorite..

-I LOVE TENNESSEE.

HOLA HOLA from McMinnville!

HOLA HOLA.

So to start off, Last Monday was probably one of the saddest nights of my entire mission..

We went to a noche de hogar at our Ward mission leaders house, and we invited our investigators and some members as well. We talked about missionary work and we all bore our testimonies and wow oh wow there was not a dry eye in the house! It was so hard to leave Antioch.. It's like Disneyland:the happiest place on earth. BUT we're on to new things, new places new people and new adventures!:) 

Tuesday was transfers! So fun to see all my mission friends, and so hard to say goodbye!): I'm now serving in McMinnville, TN with Hermana Sorensen, she's from South Jordan Utah, we graduated at the same time, she's served in Murfreesboro and with Hermana Kilgore my fav!;) her Spanish is absolutely unreal, and she's a very obedient and diligent missionary :) I'm really excited to work with her this transfer, I just hope I can learn this area and be able to help these people as best as I can, and as fast as I can. I always feel kind of helpless and hopeless at the beginning of the transfers...but I know things will get better :) 

We've had a long week of moving in, (elders apartment haha) and knock knock knocking!! It's seemed as if no one has been home..but I was able to meet a couple members and investigators! It's been nice, I've made some good friends already :)

We're In a little Spanish branch here, and the members are so good and strong! That's what I've loved about my mission, seeing the strength of the church in the members I've served. 

We went hiking today, with a girl leaving on her mission soon and her siblings. and it was so fun! And exciting. We got chased by a swarm of bees! And We all got stung and all we were saying was how we're so blessed compared to the pioneers. They couldnt outrun the bees cause they didn't have good food like us and medicine and stuff like that. We are blessed. Ive been thinking of how I really have been so blessed. We have cars, AC, showers, food, medicine, ipAds, (haha) we have everything. I've been blest with the most amazing family and support, keep me going every day. I've been blessed with wonderful parents, who taught me so well, and helped me grow up in the gospel, <<---blessing. This gospel is amazing. To know we have such a strong purpose in this life, I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father :) 

Now that I've babbled on for long enough, I Hope you have a good week :) xoxoxo.

Here's some pics!

My Antioch family 

My fishy meal with my new comp!!:)

We like to hike!

Hermana Eastwood