A Once in a Lifetime Experience

Holy smokes where does the time go?! Is it even possible that I'm writing yet another email?! wowowow life is crazy!

First of all, MUCHAS GRACIAS for all of the birthday wishes. Crazy that I'm turning 20 right? so pumped to have this birthday here in the mission. The best birthday gift I have been given is the confidence the Lord has in me to be a representative of Jesus Christ and proclaim to his children the true and restored gospel! Oh what a blessing it is!

This week we did an incredible amount of travel to Pachuca. A general authority, one of the 70's from the 1st quorum, visited our mission. Elder Pino is his name. Man was that awesome or what!! It truly was super duper crazy awesome. In this special conference we had, he focused a ton on our calling as missionaries. He used a comparison of 2 mission calls found in doctrine and covenants. The only difference was the name used but it specifically says the call was personal. He explained to us that the calling as a missionary is personal. The Lord has called me, Hermana Cross, to be a missionary. The Lord trusts in me, an imperfect person, to declare the perfection of the atonement of Christ. I have learned in these past months that the Lord does not expect baptism after baptism from his servants. He expects a lot from us. But He does not leave us alone to do His work. We are but instruments in his glorious work.

In that same conference my companion and I were called on the spot by elder Pino to do a practice in front of all the missionaries, him and the mission president. HOW NERVE WRECKING!! But it was so awesome. I felt so in harmony with my companion even though we only had 1 whole day together. The spirit was strong and we invited these 2 "investigators" to baptism. We searched their needs and invited again. I felt a love for these people very quickly even though they were a senior couple and serve in the offices that played a part. The spirit is real in all situations. But that was a once in a life time experience really haha.  

The following Friday we had a special leadership counsel in which Elder Pino presided. Talk about a powerful counsel! he really dug into the scriptures and we studied them together. We applied them, and we felt the power of the Holy Ghost.More and more in these days, I've felt the power of the holy ghost. And that He not only brings happy feelings to our hearts, but understanding. And that's what I love. He testifies but helping us understand the scriptures. 

We've been searching a lot this week for new people. No one went to church, but without a doubt I know we will have success this cycle. I know it. My dad reminded me that we as missionaries are not only harvesters, but also planters.I couldn't agree more! This work is glorious. It rains a lot, sometimes we fall on bikes (as did my companion this week...and my bike fell on me), people reject the beautiful message, and we get tired. But I know with out a doubt this church is true. Jesus is the Christ. We as missionaries are His representatives and we will do what ever it takes to help those who do not know Him. I love this work. I LOVE IT!!!!

1 Nephi 17

15 Wherefore, I, Nephi, did strive to keep the commandments of the Lord, and I did exhort my brethren to faithfulness and diligence.​

 51 And now, if the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men,how is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should build a ship?

The Lord can do all things. Even help us "build a ship".

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!! THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!!!

Hermana Cross

Sometimes the outlets don't work so you pull out the sketchy way to cook rice

A couple of scratches...my companion might have fallen very hard on
her first full day in San Juan (I'm on the right with my battle wound)

Understood by the Famous

Hello hello family and friends!!

Super crazy but this week as flown by and guess what? We have had cambios! Yep you read that right! My 3 months with Hna Mori have come to a close and now I'm with Hna Quevedo here in San Juan. She's from the northern part of Mexico. the pattern of a non Mexican companion to a Mexican companion continues!! I'm excited to see what this cycle brings.

So this week is easily described by a famous song that we all know...Hot n' Cold-Katy Perry. And let me tell you why little by little :)

"Cause you're Hot n you're cold"

These past 2 weeks have been nuts in the weather. Super rainy one week and this week BLAZING hot. And I mean scorching. I have been sweating more than I would like haha. Mexico just doesn't want to decide.

"your'e yes then you're no"

This part I'm not super thrilled to be telling. If you've been keeping up with me you have heard a little about Cesar and Elena. Well, I'm sad to tell you that they have officially dropped us. We showed up at our lesson, planning to talk about marriage, but after verifying their reading they became quiet. We said the prayer and they began to tell us that they are going to attend their old church. There are some personal reasons that they don't want to attend with us anymore. It's heart breaking when I know they have felt the spirit and the truth of the message but they choose to deny it. It was a good run and I learned a lot from them and really did learn to love them from the Lord's point of view. 

There are some great people ready to learn though. Some old investigators that are seeing true miracles and seeing how the Lord works in HIS time. He has answered there many prayers. When you hear an investigator...or better said a couple who are investigators bare testimony, it just brings a special spirit that I cant describe. It's beautiful. 

"you're in then you're out, you're up then you're down"

As I was saying, this week was super hot. We had a ton of lessons with members. A lot of members don't have bikes...so here's where I come in and my bike saves the day. For 3 days straight I carried some YW on my bike pegs. And you got it. we went up all of those hills....then we got to cruise down all of the hills :)

I know it was just part of the song but I thought it was the best way to describe the week haha. I have felt super blessed in these past 3 months. I learned an incredible amount with Hna Mori. These changes come and they go. But the most important thing is that we enjoy every moment that the Lord has given us. we cant turn back time, but we can remember how we have used our time. 

Love you all!!!

Hna Cross

My granddaughter, me and my daughter

Last district class with the best district ever!

The Cruz Family!

Cambios.  The struggle of transportation

Hermana Quevedo and I

Late Nights and Early Mornings

Okay wow again i am very short on time. These weeks have been nuts! But I'm doing super super

great I promise! this week it was filled with traveling. And lots of it. We went to another area or zone every day this week. All starting with Monday. I think Sunday was our only free day because today we went to Pachuca as well to renew some of my visa stuff and also ate some super delish chinese food.ANYWAY. It rained a ton this week. and I mean a ton. We got drenched. Some people offered us dry clothes but we kindly declined because every time we left a house it began to start again. We entered a house and yeah no rain. But you gotta love it haha. It's still pouring rain right now. Its that time of year. You would think it would be blazing hot (and sometimes it is) but that's how you know its going to dump rain. It just helps you see all of the beauty of the earth! 

As for investigators, we have found some new people! lots of potential...but no one wants to go to church. They are all younger folk and so I think it's just hard for them to wrap their mind around everything. But all is in the time of the Lord :) Elena and Cesar couldn't go to church and well it's getting into a rough patch. They don't want to accept baptism nor a date. Stuck on their traditions. But all will come.  

We did have zone training and a leadership counsel. super fun. but lots and lots of small reminders. It took up the majority of the time (like 2 hours haha). But I'm really enjoying what's happening in the mission. 

Just becoming a mission full of true converts....us. I love it. I love the culture of Christ!! 

That's basically everything in a nutshell! Love you all! 

And I invite you all to study and ponder Alma 5:26-29. It hit me hard this morning in my studies and I love it.  Ahhhh the scriptures are so great! 

Love Hermana Cross

Leadership Counsel

Some of my generation at the leadership counsel

Hermana Haddock and I

My district leader in a drawing in the Liahona

Iron Kid!

A member's kid & I....such a cutie patootie!

Confidence Boost

Time is really fast. And time is really short today haha. So I'm going to jump right into the good stuff.

Well there wasn't a lot that happened this week. It was strangely a normal week. I feel like I've never had a normal week. Its strange as well because we had 2 intercambios but who knows haha. This week just flew by. Without a doubt. There were some cool experiences though. 

We are still teaching Elena and Cesar. The only bummer deal is that they don't want to accept a baptism date. They went to church yesterday and they stayed for all three hours this time! That was super awesome.The 2 of them have more confidence in us and in the lessons. That's super cool. They participate more and are more interested. Also, Elena´s son actually sat down for an entire lesson!!! That has NEVER happened. He has a small (large) problem with drugs, and has always avoided us and never really talked with us. But a miracle has happened!! He now talks with us and listened for the whole lesson. It made me incredibly happy. I also held one of their new baby goats. That was fantastic. 

 

here are just some other fun facts of the week:

• a catholic woman invited us to attend her mass so we could eaat the barbacoa she was making
  
• people take our contacts as a joke...but oyu just shake it off and keep contacting!!!
  
• for the first time ever we had 3 different members join us to visit
  
• I gave an unprepared talk in church. I talked about the phrase "Lord, is it I" and well....maybe I gave the ward a little bit of a strong talking...oops! But really we need to look at our own faults instead those of others  

I think that's about it! Sorry everyone probably one of the lamer emails haha but I love you all!!!

Hna Cross

Speak kind words...Recieve kind echos

Hello lovely friends and family of mine!

I hope you all had a spectacular week. I know it was an eventful one for my fam. Shout out to my big brother and sister law for GRADUATING COLLEGE!!! WOOOO. Wow talk about a huge accomplishment. so proud of you two! and well all of you! your'e a great bunch of people. 

Anyway just going to hit you guys up on the highlights of the week! We only had one intercambio this week because we had our interviews with the president. So those were normal and nothing out of the ordinary. We'll just jump ahead to the great stuff :) The first interviews with President Kimball were this week. A little different than from what President Egbert did but they were still cool and spiritually uplifting. He testified of Christ in our interview. He told the story about Jesus when he washed the feet of the 12 Apostles. The then asked what that meant for me. I finished my answer then President asked me "Will you give me permission to wash your shoes?" I was a little startled but responded that he could. It was a moment of silence as he kneeled down and washed my shoes. I cannot explain what I felt. I felt a love. A feeling of dedication. A feeling of peace. The spirit was present and it witnessed to me that Jesus is the Christ. He loves us. And he will do anything for us. 

After I went with my companion and Sister Kimball to visit all of the houses in our zone. Only because Sister Kimball still doesn't know Spanish that well. I had to translate and holy smokes. My English is TERRIBLE! I basically don't remember anything. I forget that it's possible. And poor sister Kimball some of the time I replied in Spanish without thinking about it. So look out USA, you're basically getting another foreigner in the future haha

And last of all. the BEST part of the week. We visited some of our old investigators and they have never accepted to go to church. It's a goal of the zone to talk about the sacrament and focus on that. So we decided to only talk about the reason we go to church: the sacrament. When we invited them they said..... YES!! so then we had to confirm on Saturday that is was the real deal. They confirmed it and wait for it....wait for it.... THEY WENT TO CHURCH!!!! WOW GUYS I'M SO HAPPY! After the lesson with them I was literally grinning from ear to ear. probs made it super obvious but I was STOKED! Seriously. We've waited about 7 or 8 weeks. The Lord does answer prayers. Sometimes it just takes time.  

i love this work. I love the Lord and I love the power of the sacrament. When we truly understand why we go to church, we will never want to miss a Sunday. Thank you all for well everything! LOVE YOU!!!! 

Oh to and to explain the title. when we really are speaking with a heart full of love and with a sincere desire, we will receive the echo. We will see the work progressing

Hermana Cross

Reaching the Cerro

Comp and I

The best "missionary" dog.
He always follows us around with a ton of energy to do the work!
Did I say I love doggies!

73% milk?  and the other parts...?

My trainer met a good friend of mine
(Elder Riley McClure from Fort Collins).
What a small world!!!!

Better than Super Powers

Another week in the glorious work of the Lord!

it was a good one. A super fast one. Time is FLYING. But without a doubt it's because the work is AWESOME. Hmmm well it was so fast that I hardly remember what happened. oops! sometimes that happens (a lot of times).   

This was our first week having intercambios. Man I just love intercambios. It's a great chance to see the other sisters, leave the area, see the progression in other parts and learn new things. An experience I am beyond grateful for. In these intercambios I learned that the spirit guides us a ton. The spirit is crucial in missionary work. We contacted a reference and well her husband died about a week ago. What a blessing it is to just tell someone that there is a perfect plan that God has made for us. Seriously it's the best. Also that even when someone isn't in your plans, if the spirit says "Go there" we go there. if the spirit says "Go here" we go. The impressions are not huge. They are small. Very very subtle. We passed some girl in the street and I just felt I should contact her. It wasn't an experience super spiritual but she gave us her information and was open to the idea. So we knows what could happen. Even when people reject us, that person needed, for some reason, contact with the gospel. So that happened in the intercambios :)  

President & Sister Kimball with my comp and me

Also we had a change in the way we have our district meetings. The classes before, we would receive a super awesome letter from president and then we would learn something from that letter. But pres Kimball doesn't write letters. He wants us to have a class focused on our needs as a district. Let me just say that our district leader is super inspired. We talked about loving every person as a child of God...because that's what they are. We had pictures of our family and used them to do a practice contact. Pretend that we were contacting our family. it really opened my mind and helped me change a little bit more. But the best was at the end of the class.

Our district leader said that sometimes we need a priesthood blessing to help us in our areas and give us more hope. I haven't received a blessing since I left for the mission. We one by one received a blessing. It was incredible. Something so special. I knew Elder Fox was inspired because he mentioned somethings that I was truly hoping he would say. Without saying a word to him, he was impressed to say those things. The priesthood power is better than super powers. 

Really those were the things that called me attention this week. WE are having a hard time finding our investigators. But sometimes that's how life works. We have looked for some previous investigators and we will just keep working hard with our eyes focused on the Lord. Thank you for your love and support! Lots of love!! 

Hermana Cross

I love puppies!

Hurricane San Juan

WOOO new week! there were some super great experiences this week.  

Yesterday was full of adventures. A normal Sunday in reality. Our investigators went to church so SUPER score. We taught them as well after church. just super prepared. Manual is kind of in a rough patch with his progress. His wife (well not yet) doesn't want to get married because of things that have happened in the past. But we have promised if he does what the Lord asks, she will have a desire to listen and get married. Also in sacrament meeting, we heard from some great talks...from who? THE FAMILIA CRUZ!!!! AHHH so awesome. love them. okay. now in the afternoon is when the adventure starts. We were far from the church and we needed to get there in 15 minutes. it's possible. but, we decided to take the dirt road path so we didn't bikes up hills. all was great. but then, rain. a little rain. then a little more. then a lot. then HAIL. all while biking. there weren't houses where we were biking. It was a little painful but I was just laughing so hard. partially because I was in my white skirt and it got covered in mud. it was a blast. But we finally pulled aside a house. The kind lady let us into her house. now THAT is a person who understands ¨love thy neighbor as thyself¨ super kind. it made me feel super happy. No worries mom, I went home and changed after so I wouldn't get sick. But it was seriously like a hurricane was going to happen. there's no ocean but with a  grody canal near by, who knows what could happen hahahaha.

We had our first leadership counsel with the new President. It was super cool. It was more talking and

participating than it was listening and writing. It was a neat change. We had it in the presidents house. Holy cow. It is a dang nice house. I just wanted to ask the stranger running in the neighborhood what he does for a job because wow.

We talked about the new motto for the mission. We all know that with Pres Egbert it was obedience with exactness and now its The Culture of Christ. What does that mean? well it means a lot haha. President Kimball is super loving and has a heart full of love for us and the Savior. And I'm super pumped for what will come in these following months.  

The Culture of Christ. What is it? Well, the focus of President Kimball is that the missionaries can have a true conversion. Yes, it is important that we focus on others and those we teach, but the thing is, we can teach and convert others, but if we ourselves do not become converted, we may live the same life that is not in line with the Savior and on the path to eternal life. Yes we helped others become converted but now in this time, we must also come to know our testimony of the Savior. 

These are some questions that have crossed my mind in the process of learning about the culture of Christ.

• Is my testimony weak? or is it strong? 
• Will my testimony last and stay strong even during my trials?
• Do I focus on the Savior throughout the week? And in every moment?
• Do I prepare for the sacrament and repent daily so that I am worthy to partake of the sacrament?

There are many more that you can make. But in reality, we need to focus on Christ in all we do. If we are members, we have promised that we will always remember Him. Sometimes we really do need to ask: what would Jesus do?

I just want to share my testimony with you all. It's simple. But I know that Jesus is the Christ. I know He is our Savior and He is the Savior of the world. Through the atonement we can be saved. I have felt the healing power of the atonement and I know for certain that God forgives everyone if we are willing to act. I feel the Savior's love every day. I love this work because it is His work. I say all of this with a smile  because His true gospel brings me a joy I cannot explain. I know this life is short, so we have to work really really hard so we can have eternal life (Moses 1:39). He lives! I know it! :) 

LOVE YOU ALL!!

Hermana Cross