Hello everyone! Hope you all had an amazing week! I just
wanted to say thank you for all of the awesome birthday wishes that I got
through email, cards, and the posts on Facebook that my mom let me know about!
This birthday was really different because it was strange to not be home for my
birthday but I had a lot of people that made it very special here in San
Fernando:)
First, I will tell you of some things that happened on my
birthday then I would love to share an awesome experience I had this week in the
mission field! For my birthday, we spent a lot of time eating... haha. We went and got Free Slurpee’s (because it was
7-11 day) with one of our awesome investigators Alondra. Then for lunch we went
over to Juli Hernandez' house who is one of Hermana Starke’s converts and her
daughter is in YSA! She put together a whole Disney Princess themed birthday
party with Lasagna (one of my favorite foods) and cupcakes and balloons... and everything!
It was so fun and I felt like I was 6 again!
Later we knocked doors for 2 hours and then we met up with
Elder and Sister Dowell who are our Senior Missionaries and they took us to
Pizza Riv for dinner:). After dinner,
the Elder’s surprised us and took us to go get Frozen yogurt. I was going to
have to start rolling around everywhere from how much food I ate that day but
it was so much fun and I am so thankful for everyone who made it such a great
20th Birthday!
This week we had an awesome Zone Conference with 2 other
zones, it was a lot of fun and we had some amazing trainings. Hna Starke and I
did a musical number of “I Need Thee Every Hour” that was beautiful! I played
the piano and Hna Starke and another Elder sang. It was very beautiful and it
really invited the Spirit!
We had a lot of trainings on OYM which means Open
Your Mouth. We have been putting that into practice and talking with everyone
that we see. We have already seen so many miracles come from pushing out of our
comfort zones and talking with everyone.
We have been teaching this awesome investigator named
Roberto and he is so solid! He is so excited to be baptized on the 29th of July
but it may have to be moved because there is a huge YSA conference happening
with all of Southern California. Our whole Branch will be gone to this
conference so he will probably be baptized on the 5th of August which is ok:).
We taught a lesson to Roberto this last Saturday with some
of our members right before they had a party haha.... they are always having
parties! But we had 3 return missionaries and a recent convert at that lesson
and it was so great to have that support! I am so lucky to have this time to
teach Roberto! He is so prepared and I am excited for this journey he is on
right now! He has been coming to church and has been loving all of the classes.
Speaking of church. This week we started Sacrament Meeting
with only 5 members. It was strange, so Hermana Starke and I have decided we
need to go find out where our Branch disappeared too. We are going to be doing
a lot of less active work because it is hard to bring your investigators to a Branch
that doesn't really exist. But we got this!!! Have an awesome week everyone!!!
Hermana Hadley
This is a screen shot of a video Hermana Hadley's family received the night before her Birthday. This was the best present we could have received. Hermana Starke and Hermana Hadley have been sharing the gospel and their testimonies through song with investigators and when they have dinner appointments. So thankful to witness them singing "I Know My Redeemer Lives" in Spanish through a text from a Branch President while they were having dinner in the San Fernando Valley Monday night.
The video is posted on Facebook.
Special P-Day Picnic that Hermana Starke arranged for my B-Day with our District and Chick-fil-A!
Birthday Morning! Thank you everyone for the LOVE!
Mom Note: Forgot to ask how the Popcorn Balls tasted since they were 12 days old by the time McKay gets her mail in the mission. :)
Hermana Starke made a Cheese Cake for me!!! <3
7-11 Day!
Free Slurpee's with our investegator Alondra
Mom Note: These were surprise pictures we received on McKay's Birthday from Hermana Hernandez during a very special lunch! Hermana Starke and Hermana Hadley's birthdays are only 6 days apart and they were true Princesses for the afternoon!!!
So greatful for sweet Hermana Hernandez who texted me and said don't worry I will be her second mom today! We sure love this sweet lady who is a recent convert and showed such love to our cute missionaries!!!
Birthday Dinner with Elder and Sister Dowell! They are so kind and we just love them!
Also enjoying pizza around the table is Hermana Starke, Hermana Gomez
and Hermana Dunn!
When our members Facetime our other members (who we were with at the time) while in the pool to say "Hi" to us and brag that they are swimming and how cool their underwater phones are. Haha.
No swimming or cool phones for these Hermanas!
Pictures from the CASF Facebook Page of their Zone Conference
The Great San Fernando Zone
Doing some Role Playing with Hermana's Hadley, Starke, Gomez and Dunn
The Missionaries always sing "Called to Serve" as a thank you to those
who provided their lunch. <3
These next pictures are how the Hadley Family celebrated McKay's 20th Birthday! We also had a great day celebrating our cute missionary!
Waiting in line for the free Slurpee because we knew that was what McKay would do.
Later, she let us know she did not have a line at her 7-11.
Yes that is Logan waving from the back of the line!
Still smiling and almost there.
We have arrived finally!
It was worth the wait to know she was also enjoying her Birthday Slurpee! <3
Another favorite of McKay's Birthday is "World's Best Corndogs"
truck stand in Kaysville. Don't forget the Honey!
Our dear friends Shawnette and Emily Page decided we needed some cake on this special day and surprised us that night with these incredible homemade cupcakes with a Disney touch knowing how much McKay loves Disney!!!
We all felt so loved just like our missionary on 7-11!
