They're already talking about Christmas tamales

 

Entonces hola! Cómo están? This week was interesting but good. And yes, the Latinas are already talking about feeding us tamales during Christmas. Last year, I had 4 dinners on Christmas eve and all 4 I had tamales, and I was so sick so prayers up for real. 

I don't remember much of what happened this week tbh. Thanksgiving was alright, we got turkey, which was good but besides that, we didn't do much because we couldn't go out really. Thanksgiving was good though. I'm extremely grateful for Jesus Christ. He is my main source of joy and I'm thankful for that. 

Milagros 

We had a few miracles this week! On Tuesday I had put a friend back into the Lords hands because he wasn't progressing so when that happens, we put the people on "pause" so he got paused. The next day, we had English class, and it was the day before Thanksgiving so we weren't sure if anyone would show up. At about 7pm on the dot my friend who I paused the day before called me and asked if we still had English class which he's never been to. We said yes and he came! He was the only one, but it was super cool! He's unpaused now too! 

Anotha one 

We had another cool miracle on exchanges this week. The whole Lake Elsinore zone of missionaries went on and exchange. I was with two other sisters for the day in English land. We went to do service for this old guy and his granddaughter. The granddaughter is taking the lessons and is super sweet. We weeded the whole front and back yard and then taught our lesson. The lesson was SO GOOD and SO SPIRITUAL, I had never met this girl that we were teaching but she was so familiar to me and that's happened a lot to me on my mission. Definitely one I met in the premortal life, I'm sure. During our lesson she was very open, and I related to her so much, I followed the spirit and invited her to pray for a date to be baptized and she was so excited. I'm going to try everything I can to be at that baptism because she was amazing and I'm so excited for her. Exchange miracles are real. 

Pues eso es todo 

Go light the world! 

God is good.

Jesus loves you.

♡ hermana b 

1. The comps

2. Turkey din din 

3. Face masks instead of black Friday 

4. Whole crew pulled up for dinner

5. The glasses I'm wearing are ugly 

6. This little 8-year-old girl sang driver's license so dang well it put me in my feels

The Holy Trio

 Pues hola! It's been an eventful 5 days to say the least. 

Adiós Hermanita 

So, my amazing companion finished her mission this week. She flew home Saturday, and it was sad news. Before she left, we wanted to just go out and find all day long. We knocked lots of doors and talked to lots of people, it was so good. We ended our night with a Bible study with some friends of ours who aren't really progressing, but we just read the Bible with them. Hermana Allen bore a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon and we invited each of them to read it. They said they would! It was a very spiritual lesson. I love Hermana Allen and I already miss her! She taught me a lot about loving the mess and resilience. I want to be like her when I grow up. 

Trio miracles 

Saturday, my roommates and I were put into a trio. I haven't been in a trio since the MTC so kinda crazy. We have seen so many miracles though! The first would be Saturday morning. We went to teach a lesson and had a couple from our ward who came to fellowship. The lesson didn't go through, and our backup fell through too which is like literally the worst but the sweet couple we were with invited us to breakfast with them, we couldn't say no because you never say no to Latinos, so we went. As we were finishing up and cleaning up the couple next to us complimented us missionaries on how well behaved we were. They were talking us up and were very kind. We got talking with them and our members literally became fellowship. We talked to the couple for about 20 mins. They had gone through a lot and our fellowship was perfect for them. We all ended up a little teary-eyed at the situation. It was really special. We got into the car after and all just felt so grateful for that experience. God is in the details. 

Part 2 

We had another super cool miracle! We got a referral on Saturday, and he was interested in English class as well as learning more about the gospel. We set up a time to meet but also asked him if he had time Sunday at 10:30 and he said yes, so we said "well come to church!" Usually when that happens, we never seen them at church. Well, he came. And he loved it. It was so cool! 

Not even going to lie. This past month has sucked. I've really struggled to feel like my prayers are getting anywhere besides just hitting the ceiling. But I know Heavenly Father is in the details. Every day I get some tender little love notes left from my angels above and they keep me going. I also know Jesus Christ is on my right and on my left and sometimes carrying me through. I love him and I know him. Something that has stuck with me from my last mission President was a saying he always used and it was "We've got this, because He's got us" I stick to that. I've got this because He's got me. Have a great week. 

God is good. 

Jesus lives and loves you! 

Go tell someone you love them. 

♡ hermana b 

Send me an E-bike and you get the first hug

 Welp 9 tires later...  biking is not my thing. Not even gonna lie, not much happened this week. I was constantly fixing the stupid bike but luckily, I don't have to be on it anymore after Saturday so that's a tender mercy for real. 

Reina

This area is something very different for me. We have been on the finding grind for sure and have had very little success. I was getting super frustrated one day because I felt like I wasn't doing anything here and all I've wanted to do is stay busy. I prayed and prayed to find just someone to teach. Monday came around and we had exchanges and we had time to stop by one house before dinner, we couldn't find the house and it was getting dark and it's sketchy here, so we were trying to hurry. We walk past a house and there's two ladies sitting inside so we're like welp might as well. We knock the door and meet Reina and her daughter. They were super sweet, and I straight up just asked them if they were interested in coming to church and they told us they had been looking for a church to go to. It was a miracle. Simple but perfect miracle. I'm praying that Reina comes to church! 

Edgar 

One day, my compa and I were trying to find this neighborhood where people got taught in the past... couldn't find it. We ended up on some dirt road in like the middle of nowhere but there were houses there that were far apart, so we got out and knocked some. And on the way to another we were walking along the roadside in literally the middle of nowhere and met Edgar! He was lookin at land for his job. He was super cool! We started talking to him and he said in his broken English "this is no coincidence that I ran into you" we were like exactly!! It was so awesome! Edgar wanted to learn more and was super excited when we gave him a Book of Mormon. He lives in another part of the mission but I'm excited for the elders to teach him! 

Anyways, that's pretty much it. God is providing. He always does. Missions are hard but I do it for my Savior. He lives! 

God is good.

Jesus loves you. 

♡ hermana b 

C H A N G E

 A week of change. Something I used to be very not good at. But something that is now so refreshing and needed. I got the transfer news that I would be transferred to a small town named Lake Elsinore. I was actually very excited! I was packing everything up when I got the text saying "Sister Broadbent, you will be on bike this transfer" UH what? I looked at my comp and said "I don't have a bike" soo right then I knew this was gonna be fun. 

Day 1: the goatheads

After about 3 miles on bike, we biked through a little dirt road of goatheads. Pop pop pop went all 4 tires. Good stuff. We didn't even make it to our area. It was really something. Luckily, we locked our wrecked bikes on a pole and knocked the house right by the pole. God is so good because a member opened the door and said we could store our bikes in her backyard so they wouldn't get stolen. Yes, bikes get stolen here. It was a tender mercy for sure. We knocked lots of doors and met two new friends. Our area is brand new, so we are starting from ground 0. There is a lot of work to do but I'm excited. 

Jim and Jen 

Woot woot! Jim and Jen got baptized on Saturday! It was so tender. I loved serving in the Temecula creek English ward! I met some amazing people there. Jim and Jen will do great things for that ward! I'm grateful I was able to take part in watching their conversion process. They are amazing! 

Spiritual thought 

I appreciate all who have reached out so much. This week was hard. It's going to be hard. The hurt isn't going to go away but the Savior is right alongside me and quite frankly, he carries me somedays. Grief sucks and I'm still trying to figure it out, but I know I am exactly where I'm supposed to be. I know I have a lot of work to do in the little time I have left out here. I was reading in my scriptures this week in Alma 62 and there is a lot of bad stuff going on and a lot of hardships. And as I was reading along with my institute manual had a little quote in it from Elder Dallin H Oaks and he said "Surely these great adversities are not without some eternal purpose or effect. They can turn our hearts to God... Even as adversities inflict mortal hardships, they can also be the means of leading men and women to eternal blessings" I believe this with my whole heart. I'm really trying to think Celestial and trying to trust that God has an eternal purpose for everything even if we don't quite understand it right now. 

After reading in those scriptures, I went to a book I'm reading called "The Unexpected Deliverer" I love it. I was reading in a chapter that talks about the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and I loved where it said, "Who would have imagined such a rough group would bring forth such a great cause?" This is talking about the 12 apostles and then it continues saying "God loves qualifying the unqualified, equipping the unequipped, increasing the capacity to those who seem incapable. There are miracles just waiting to be counted, his message waiting to be shared the way only you can". I AM unqualified. I AM unequipped. I AM rough around the edges, but I AM and always will be a disciple of Jesus Christ. I love Jesus Christ and know that he is qualified, equipped, and perfect around the edges and He's got me. And I KNOW that He's got YOU too. 

I love my Jesus. My personal Savior. I know he lives. He is my unexpected deliverer always. 

♡ hermana b

1. Halloclean 

2. Besties 

3. Jim and Jen!! 

4. Sammy is my twinny twin 

5. Ya all those in my tires RIP

6. More bike fixin 

7. Hermana Allen my compa!