"IS YOUR HEART LOCKED?"

MLC WITH OUR MAMAS

 Yay for 2016!

It was a good week! Definitely staying busy. My new year’s resolution to "say no to treats" lasted till this fast Sunday, so it’s been a good start. This year I'm going to try to be more honest with myself and set realistic goals.. haha

Anywho, we got invited to attend Mission Leadership Conference. President and AP's instructed and it was definitely the pump up that I needed. I've missed these meetings. President talked about his vision for the "culture of the mission." We set goals for 2016 and brainstormed as zones how we can improve this upcoming month specifically. Something our zone is working on is maintaining energy! We are setting up some competitions between districts and trying new ideas to keep us motivated. I'm not competitive at all so it’s not going to be any fun ;) We also focused on reaching the standard of excellence better and lots of advice on how we can do better this year. It's always fun to be with everyone and come home with lots of notes to refer to. And Sister Wakolo now wants a pair of purple Hunter boots ;)

We had interviews with President. We start together as a district and discuss the area and do a little Ipad audit and then we each have a personal interview with him. It’s always a little nerve wracking because I feel like he can see my sins. It's kind of like in the Goonies where the little kid starts confessing every sin, like eating all of the ice cream and stuff. haha I feel like it’s like that. It went real well though. He is such an amazing man. I wish I had more alone time to just pick at his brain. He always asks 2 main questions; "Are you worthy of your temple recommend in every way?" and "Is your heart locked?" He warns us now that if we unlock our heart on the mission that we are spending time on someone else's husband/wife. haha His accent makes conversations even more fun.  I want to be President Wakolo when I grow up. 

We have some solid potential baptisms right now but things just seem to be going forward slowly.  Various reasons, out of town for the holidays, need to get married, hard to set up appointments etc, etc. It gets so frustrating. And there’s just too much to do it seems like. I've definitely come to gain a stronger testimony of the timing of God. I feel like just right as I feel like I can't take anymore, or I'm too overwhelmed or frustrating something awesome happens. He comes in clutch every time :) On Friday we were doing some teaching with a member visiting some less actives. As we were walking out of a home Sister Fish is out in the drive way with a friend in the passenger seat. (Sister Fish is Breece's grandma) One of the first things she says to us is "This is my friend and she is ready to talk with missionaries!" Best. Feeling. Ever. She had met with missionaries years before but now feels like God is giving her one last chance to accept the gospel and she feels like she is ready and is currently living with Sister Fish! So we are working to set a time to see her. This kind of things happen all the time. I can be so quick to doubt and it’s frustrating. But big tender mercies happen at the most perfect timing without fail. I haven't mastered patience yet...

Some funnies:

We went teaching with Sister Hardway. Bless her heart. We love her to death and at one point she needed help backing up so Mac had to get out and back her out of a driveway. I pulled out my iPad and started recording because I thought it was the funniest thing ever, jokes on me though because I didn't push the button hard enough so it didn't record.  :/ Also somehow the song from Dora about the map was stuck in my head ya know the one that goes "I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the MAP!" Well Mac starts singing "If there’s a place ya gotta get, I can back ya there I bet I'm the Mac, I'm the Mac, I'm the MAC!" hahaha yea it’s definitely not funny over email but it’s funny I promise. 

We also have been trying some gators for a good 2 weeks. Hermanas Lewis and Ponce set a date with them and we went back to continue teaching them and they never opened the door. After trying 4 times we decided to try one last time. As we approached the door we found a sign that said "Hey church people stop knocking our door, we have a church” darn. haha we got a good kick out of this. We tried to discretely take a picture of it without looking too creepy but it didn't turn out. Hence the lack of pics this week. 

We had a dinner with The McArthurs (members)  and a returning less active family.  They have a daughter that should be getting baptized soon! yippee! All 7 of our top progressing gators right now are part member families which has been awesome. 

I bought myself a Christian pop CD for Christmas and it’s our most favorite thing these days. Haha only on a mission ya know? 

I still love Russellville and I still want to stay here forever :) 

The day that I get to come home from church and take a nap will be the best day ever. Sundays are always so hard. But also are the best because I love sacrament meeting. And I love that I get to attend 2 of them in Russellville! I feel like I walk in with a week full of worries, questions, weaknesses and sins and I get to dump them all while taking the sacrament and leave feeling recharged and clean. It’s the greatest feeling.  It's like unloading a backpack full of rocks that I've been carrying around all week. What's even cooler is that by the time I leave I don't even remember the worries that I had when I arrived that morning. I get to start completely fresh with a new week! It’s the best. There is so much power in the ordinance of the sacrament and so much relief that comes on the Sabbath. 

Speaking of starting new :)...

Elder Holland said:

"As a new year starts and we try to benefit from a proper view of what has gone before, I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone, nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterday's may have been. The past is to be learned from not to be lived in. Keep your eyes on your dreams, however distant and far away. Live to see the miracles of repentance and forgiveness, of trust and divine love that will transform your life today, tomorrow and forever. This is a New Year’s resolution I ask you to keep this year." 

Happy New Year! 

(Go sign up at Wasatch Crossfit;) 

Love y'all

Te quiero ️

NEW YEARS EVE PART ONE

LEAL/GALLARDO FAMILY

NEW YEARS EVE PART TWO

LAMB TACOS AT BARRERAS

COCO KILLING IT WITH HIS ABC'S