WEEK 31 "Holladay, Utah or Hollywood, Florida?"
Hola todos! como estan todo?
SOO ever since I got transferred to Hollywood my brain automatically says to everyone that I am serving in Holladay, which for those that don't know... I grew up in a town called Hollada,y Utah. Of course, the names have to be so close!. I think it is a little joke that God played on me. I at least find myself saying that once or twice every week. I'm sure my brain will figure it out as soon as I get transferred again ... that is usually what happens. (This is my neighbor's dog here in Florida...and he looks exactly like my dog back home! See why I get so confused!! hahaha)
We were so happy because Ruth and her three kids came to church with us this week. Every time we go over there she tells us how she wants to be better. How she wants to have more patience with her kids. How she wants to be more loving and righteous. How she wants to read more in the scriptures. Aren't these all things that we want as well? Well, the fact is that we can have all of these things. We just have to be willing to work for it. Through Christ, He can make our weaknesses into strengths and through the power of his redemption and grace, we can change. We taught Ruth about the Atonement and she started bawling to us. She has the purest intentions in coming closer to Christ and I can't wait to see the Atonement and the Gospel of Jesus Christ take full swing in her life.
We also found the most amazing single mom with two kids this week who has met with the missionaries before. We taught her the gospel of Jesus Christ and before we could even ask her... she begged us if she could be baptized as soon as possible. Ana is from Honduras and has been through so much in her life. I am very excited to see her progress as well.
Update on Lilian: Her family is moving and I don't know if they will still be in our area. We will see how things play out with them. This might be one of the hardest goodbyes because I love her kids like my own siblings. keep them in your prayers!
Here in Hollywood, we have two other missionaries that share our same congregation. And guess what? Their incredible friend Eddy was baptized this past week!!! Eddy starting meeting with the missionaries three weeks ago! Can you even believe that! Only three weeks ago!!
Eddy is the most humble man I have met thus far on my mission. Each week I have had the opportunity to talk to him and get to know his story a little bit better at church. He is from Cuba and has no family here. He has spent his whole life looking for Gods true church. As he listened to the missionaries the belief that we can one day become exactly like God struck his heart to the core. He had never heard of this belief in any of the hundreds of churches he had previously studied. After the missionaries taught him the plan of salvation HE knew that this was the plan God had for him. He was baptized this weekended and I have never attended a baptism like his before. At the end of the service, he bore his simple but profound testimony of how he came to know this church was true. He said that he was reading in the Book of Mormon and realized he needed to act on Moroni's invitation. He then knelt down in prayer and prayed all night. He fell asleep on his knees and woke up and kept praying into the morning. He said he wanted to know the truth and wouldn't stop until he found it. God answered his mighty prayer. I will never forget Eddy. He has changed me for the better and his conversion in Jesus Christ will forever have an impact on my testimony.
Each day I have the opportunity to physically carry His name on my chest. I have been thinking and praying a lot about who we are as representatives of Jesus Christ. My answer came to me in Mosiah 5. In this chapter, the people of King Benjamin are renewing their covenants before Mosiah is made king. They all take upon Christ's name in this chapter. I imagine this to be a little bit similar to the sacrament. The sacrament is the most important part of my week. As I deeply reflect on this sacred promise that I made at baptism I am reminded that I need to do everything I can to accept Christ's in my life.
I love Mosiah 5:7 "Because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore ye are born of him and have become his sons and daughters."
Elder Oaks said, "Our willingness to take upon the name of Jesus Christ affirms our commitment to do all that we can to be counted among those whom he will choose to stand at his right hand and be called by his name at the last day."
I cannot wait for this day, to be reunited with my Savior, to receive all the blessings that He enjoys and to be with my family forever which is the greatest gifts of all. I love this gospel and I love being a missionary!
Les Quiero Mucho!
-hermana richards
Highlights:
I tried my first star fruit and Dragonfruit
We had the best empanadas and tequenos one day at the farmers market
We attempted to catch a fish during lunch time (didn't work- if you have any tips for bait lmk:)
