Time is going by so fast!

Time is literally going by so fast. 

We've done something cool this week, we began last Sunday and did a full week of Gratitude-Only prayers! It was so cool! A real faith tester and builder, to not ask for anything. But knowing that my Heavenly Father knows the desires of my heart, and he already knows what I need, and he knows better how to help me. So to go for a week without asking anything, I know we truly did his will, completely. It was amazing. Plus with us being so sick this week, he blessed us immensely with the energy and strength we've needed to do his work!

We have been finding some really cool people! 

We have a girl named Monserrat, and her mom-Yolanda, and her mom -rosa, and her mom-....something Hispanicky..#4GENERATIONS. They know two members, Monserrat works with them, and we've started teaching them!:) they walked into church yesterday!!!!! They loved it! And the second lesson we had with them, Yolanda asked about baptism! Oh my gosh earlier that day we were talking and praying about setting a date. We're thinking October 3rd :) never lose the faith that people are prepared by his hand :)

Something I've learned/realized this week is that we need to treat everyone we meet not only as Jesus would, but as we would treat Jesus Christ himself. I've been thinking a lot about that, and His Atonement. I know he suffered and died for me personally, because he loves me. I know his atonement paid for every single one of us, out of his never ending love for us.

Also, I know yall are not tired yet of our never ending adventures with bikes and rain.. Literally biked through a river this week. Life is so good. 

Ps tender mercies: an Hermana from the branch gave us a HUGE jar of peanut butter, (crunchy ;) ) AND NUTELLA. S/o to you sweet girl Hermana Kilgore!;) #GodBlessAmerica

We took our friend Joselyn (baptized last year) out with us on Friday night, and we were running around for 2 hours finding people to teach, she was so sweet though! Says going out with the missionaries makes her excited to serve! She's 16! So sweet:) we ended the night with ice cream, the only reasonable explanation to a very sick week haha. We smart. 

I've realized we only learn as we struggle, we only grow when we fall. This week I had an interesting experience. We were contacting a referral, AWESOME FAMILY from Puerto Rico, we're so excited about them. And we taught them about the restoration, and I was just OFF. I was not feeling like a good missionary or teacher, and I could not understand how I had been doing this for so long...satan was getting to me so strongly. I felt bad, and looked down at my restoration pamphlet and saw the picture of Jesus holding the sheep, and I just felt so much love, and his tender arms around me. After the lesson I expressed how I was feeling, and after I calmed down a little bit, we got to teach a recently baptized family and teach them. It's amazing how bad I was feeling, and once I gave it to the Lord, he helped me so much. He truly carried me that day. 

I love this work, I love growing and learning and struggling and teaching and doing my best. I know when I struggle, I am in his hands, and I know I can't let him down cause I'm doing my best. And I know my weaknesses will not slow down his work, because he is a God of miracles! I am honored to represent his son Jesus Christ, and I know it is him who is working these miracles, not me. I am simply his instrument :)

Hope yall have a happy week (: 

Love,

Hermana Eastwood 

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 

Hola família

Basically Hispanics are my favorite and I never wanna stop being a missionary.

We went out to lunch a couple times with this cute hermana, trying to help her do her visiting teaching, and when hey weren't home, we feasted :) I made hermana hoferitza try cow tongue this week, she didn't really like it....or me that much either for making her do it haha she's the best :) 

We had a fun family lesson with Ody, we talked about FAITH and we all planted seeds :) it was so fun!

We did a lot of knocking and finding new people! It's fun to go places you've never been before, I always lie the adventure. We went a little  farther on the busses this week to Go find the ovejas :) I love this work!nee always have the weirdest things happening when we knock, especially in the Tennessee HEAT. It's so hot here, but I can already tell I'm gonna miss it...anyways.

We had an awesome district meeting, probably the most spiritual ones I've had! I am so done being around dying missionaries. It's so hard. I just love them so much! What I learned from them is that We all just need to be so passionate about the gospel, and let it show :) 

We went to Olive Garden this week, I'm saying that because Hispanics call it Oliver garden and its darling. Then we visited Biviana, she's doing great!:) I LOVE HER. Her son, Hyrum, adopted me as his sister. Score!:)

Friday we planned, which I actually don't hate anymore :) then we visited Amanda, I love her. She's doing great. We all went to the lake on Saturday for a Ward activity, and everyone went swimming and it was fun:) 

That night we got the big phone call. Transfers. I'm leaving Antioch! I felt it coming, but I still am so sad and not ready. 

This is my place!  This is where I've come to know and love the gospel, and missionary work. Where I've strengthened my testimony. Where I've been so loved and where I've loved so much, and I've learned and grown and I know it's time for me to go, because I am comfortable haha. But I've loved my time here. I've been so blessed my whole mission, with wonderful areas, members, companions, and people in general. I am SO grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and my calling to serve him and preach his gospel.

I know the lord has a plan, and a reason for where I am going, and with who :) I am excited for this next part of the adventure that is my mission. 

LES QUIERO!!:)

Ody and her fammmmm

THe Ward missionaries 

My fun district 

Hermana Eastwood 

July 13, 2015

Howdyyy yalll. It's HAWT.

We did a mission fast last Sunday, and wow all I can say is God is real and he loves us and miracles for days. Yesterday at church, Elder Amulfo Valenzuela from the 70 came and talked to our Ward! It was legit. The spirit was so strong and I was just like, yeah he's an apostle of God. He talked about e Book of Mormon and keeping the sabbath day holy. Do it. :)

We had a fun noche de hogar with Biviana and her cute family :) her and Hyrum have been reading the Book of Mormon together, and they're almost finished! My heart was so happy when they told us that :) 

We found a place to go do service! Woo! At an old folks rehab center, it was really fun to go play board games and color with them (: 

We found this less active family, and met with them last week and they gave us lunch cause #hispaniclyfe and we set an appointment for last Thursday, we thought the grandmother was an investigator! So we go over on Thursday, and she tells us how she was the first member of the family! It surprised us a lot haha we had a family home evening with them that afternoon, with all her cute kids! It was darling! They came to church on Sundayand now we just love each other and we're gonna go over and eat dinner with them this week :) 

We taught Ody again, with her husband. She's doing good, not reading the Book of Mormon though. It's hard cause she wants to know its true, but she won't act..we have a lesson planned this week!:)

Amanda is doing good, we taught her the word of wisdom and she gladly gave up Sweet Tea :) she says she'll drink coconut water now, ;) it's been so fun meeting with her, she is so prepared. This area has my heart! My testimony has grown so much, especially in my Calling. I know as missionaries we are called of God, to build up His kingdom here on earth. I know he really is preparing his children to hear this glad message, and he is also preparing them for who we are personally :) 

 On Friday before visiting an investigator family to give their daughter a birthday present, (this family, loooove them but they hurt my heart cause they're totes eternigators but about a month ago I got a strong prompting to not give up on them, and they've really been turning around!:) ) We were walking into their apartment complex to knock, and Hermana hoferitza STEPS ON A BEER BOTTLE AND HER FOOT POURS OUT BLOOD. It was so sad, we called all the mission nurses, the mission presidents wife, the sisters we live with, everyone. And no one answered. So we called the assistants and bless their hearts they came and saved the day and brought us back to our apartment for the night. Pobrecita, my companion. Moral of the story: Don't drink, kids. 

Sunday.

This is where we all learn to understand why my mission is a Novela [and i'd say this is a pretty normal day in the life of Hermana eastwood].

At church, there's this Hermana named Eva, she has diabetes, I've met her only a few times, and I just love her and she loves me! We were jus chatting and she just gave me the biggest hug and then church started.. Then during relief society, another Hermana runs out and grabs the husband of Eva and once he comes in, she FAINTS hardcore. The Hermana giving the class stopped, and we all just freaked out. We called the police and the firefighters came, and the elders have her a blessing. It was a whole Ward affair. It was CRAZY. And so scary. Still haven't heard from anyone how she is now.. But it was really sweet to see how much the ward cares for every member, and how they'll just drop everything To help.

Then, we went and saw one of our dear friends. We've been trying her all transfer and she hasn't been home, but our appointment cancelled and I got a feeling to try again. Loco. And perfect timing. She had just gotten home from being in the hospital for 4 days for her stomach, and we were talking and she said her husband was taken to jail on Wednesday, and it completely innocent and it's her roommates fault and he left and this poor girl is so alone and, man she just cried to us. We sang for her, and she cried more. It was so sad! She really needed someone to talk to and someone to listen to her. We followed the spirit and did what we could. 

NOVELA.

I love being a missionary. I love my mission.

 the end.