Our area is doing really good, we've had a bit of a crazy week, but we've seen lots of miracles! I was disappointed in the work we did last week, but this week we worked SUPER hard and met tons of awesome new people. Part of our zone goal for this week was to testify of the Book of Mormon at least 5 times each day. It was really neat to see the miracles that came from it. We testified to the carpet cleaner, the people on the streets, each other, and random people at gas stations. One of my favorite moments of the week was that as we were giving Blake, a kid at the gas station, a Book of Mormon, this other cholo walked over and asked if we were giving out Bibles. We told him they were Book of Mormons and would he like one? He said yes, so we gave one to him and he walked away and sat on the curb and started reading right away :) It was really neat.
We have also been able to find some less actives and start working more regularly with them. We met Velma yesterday and right away she proposed that she wants to work on her family history and go to the temple for her
Hermana Green is doing great. I'm so happy with her! She has been exclaiming all week, "I'll so excited to go out and work!" and "I never thought I would like studies in the morning!" among other things. I love listening to her excitement for missionary work. She has really grown so much this transfer. :)
So funny story of the week. Mom, you will really appreciate this. So this week I wanted to do something really nice. And there are a few people in our branch and some of the other missionaries who are a bit sick. So I thought: MAGIC HOT ORANGE LEMON DRINK! Since my mom conveniently sent me the recipe a few weeks ago, I bought all the supplies and got to work. I didn't have much time to make it, I was in a rush, so I followed the recipe:
1 can orange juice
1 can lemonade
1 cup sugar
almond extract
salt
Put it in a pot and mix. Great. Done. Put it in some mason jars and made deliveries. Good deed, done. The next morning, I got up and was looking at the leftovers in the pot on the stove and began to ponder...hmm...this looks thicker than when Mom makes it....hmm...kinda darker, too...and it didn't really make very much...interesting. So I grabbed and spoon and stirred it up, shrugged my shoulders and licked the spoon off. And almost DIED! hahaha! So if any of you have experience making juice from concentrate from a can that's frozen, you might know that you are supposed to add a BUNCH of water, right? Right. Well, I didn't do that.
So the magic hot orange lemon drink tasted like melted lollipops. GROSS! I felt SO bad and SO embarrassed! But, because people are so nice, they all said it tasted great....lies. I spent the next few minutes pouring bunches and bunches and bunches of water into the pot of VERY concentrated drink mix and ended up with two big pots of magic hot orange lemon drink to share to redeem myself :) Aw man. It was too funny.
It was a learning experience.
I guess that in a way it ties in with my testimony this week. My testimony this week is that we absolutely cannot do it on our own. For whatever reason, this week has been difficult. I have felt a bit burdened this week. In a lot of ways, this area has been very trying. (But don't get me wrong, it has also been a little slice of heaven!) In the moments of weakness and difficulty, however, I have felt the influence of Satan tempting me and causing me to doubt my abilities and skills as a missionary. Isn't he the worst? He amplifies our weaknesses and shortcomings and things just go downhill from there. This week was trying because, amidst all the miracles, were little raisins of disappointments. My testimony therefore, is that the Atonement of Jesus Christ covers all shortcomings and failures and excuses and weaknesses. I have felt the very real strength that comes from the enabling power of grace and the Atonement. There were a few moments of doubt or fear, I guess you could say, throughout this week, but I know that when we have desires to do good and we admit that we really just cannot do it on our own and we trust that the Lord will enable us, HE DOES. Even though I had the best of intentions with my hot orange lemon drink, I couldn't do it on my own. Sometimes our good intentions and righteous desires can't carry us all the way. We NEED the Savior. And when we depend on him, everything turns out wonderfully. He makes our good intentions and righteous desires into miraculous moments. That's my testimony this week.
Thanks for everything!
Hermana Clark