Monday, August 28, 2017

"When the Going Gets Tough...Look Up to Our Savior"

Hey everyone! This week was different than some of my other weeks in the mission. It was filled with many, many growing experiences. In other words, we had a few challenges this week that we learned how to overcome. I have learned how to look outward in times of struggles. I will share a quick experience that I had this week that changed my perspective.

Saturday night, we were walking in a very sketchy part of Van Nuys. We were on our way to meet our Branch President and his wife and then go to some food trucks for dinner and a lady started yelling at us from across the street. She asked us if we were Christian and we said yes and walked over to her. Her name was Jessy, and she was obviously homeless and a little drunk. We sat down on the sidewalk and started talking to her. She then told us her life story and how she had been homeless for 4 years, she was only 24. This was a very tender moment for all of us. We gave her a Book of Mormon and a pass along card of a picture of Mary looking up at our Savior. She started to cry again, and told us that she knew why we gave her this picture. She pointed at Mary and said, “This is me, I need to look up to my Savior at all times, no matter how hard life gets.” 

In my own little world, I thought my life was pretty hard. I was going through a time that was making me think negatively. Until I met this wonderful lady Jess, who has now helped me realize that I need to stop thinking about myself, and what I am going through and realize that many people are going through much worse trials and I need to go help them. Last night we went and visited her again and she was very surprised that we came back to visit her. I am so glad that I am able to help her learn more about our Savior.

I invite you all to find a way to look outward this week .... even when the going gets tough. Because it does get tough sometimes and that is when we should not be focused on the worries in our own lives and look up to our Savior!

Love you and have a great week of serving others:) 

-Hermana Hadley



Jessy, Hermana Starke and Hermana Hadley
Mom Note: We asked McKay who the other person was, but unfortunately she is timed on a computer at the library and right before she was kicked off McKay only said she was a lady who is very ill. 




The Pass Along Card we gave Jessy and her friend



Awesome Zone Conference!



The Welcoming Committee on Sunday!



All 5 Hermanas in our apartment wearing matching stripes ;)



Love the pictures we receive from Hermana Vasquez of their Adventure Mondays! 
Many families are blessed from their great service to our cute Hermanas! <3




Look at the cute Spanish guy photo bombing in their picture! Haha!









Monday, August 21, 2017

"Hidden Valley Ranch..."

Hey everyone! Dang has this week been a crazy week! We are now a Trio!!! It has been so fun to have Hna. Jensen with us! It is really great to see how the three of us have all changed in the course of our missions. Hna. Jensen will be with us until the 2nd of September!

So, this week we have been running around like crazy. We are a little scattered in our living area because of the fact that we have 5 people living in a 2-person apartment with just a few air mattresses and suitcases. It is a bit of a mess, but it’s ok! We are still getting the work done just a little less organized, but it makes life exciting.

I don't have too much time today to email, but I wanted to share a few stories from this week that has made this week great! The first story I wanted to share is about Luis our investigator, remember the guy with tattoos. We went over this week and he shared with us that right before we came over he flushed some drugs down the toilet!!! We were so proud of him because we knew that that was very hard for him to do! He has really made some leaps and bounds in changes!

Also in other news, this week we went to Noche de Hogar (Family Home Evening) with our Branch that ended up being a water fight, let’s just say we got really wet! It started as a "building unity activity" by trying to catch water balloons, that turned into a war and then the sprinklers came on... it was crazy but so much fun!

So here is the funny story for this week, I would like to share part of a ten-minute prayer that was done by an investigator...... get ready.

"God, thank you for Hidden Valley Ranch... it’s not Hidden, it’s not Hidin' it’s actually pretty good...." 

Yep, aren’t we all thankful for Hidden Valley Ranch? :)

I wanted to share a video that our member sent us this week that was really good and actually hit home for me. 

Have a great week everyone!

-Hermana Hadley 





The Trio!!!

Mom Note: Both Hermana Starke and Hadley were companions with Hermana Jensen at different times earlier in their missions. So great that they are all companions for the last few weeks of Hermana Jensen's Mission <3!



Transfer Day with my MTC Companion Hermana Dunn!



Noche De Hogar...before the sprinklers



So a bucket got stuck under our car and we had to get it out on the Freeway!



We went swinging on the swings at a park :) 
It was a ton of fun!



Our New District!



Mom Note: These pictures are from Hermana Vasquez, the YSA Branch President's Wife
The Hermanas are with her cute nieces <3







Picture of a surprise video I received on my Birthday :)!