6 MONTHS???? ALREADY????

Hey hey family and friends!! 

This week was SOO crazy!! 

So I have realized that sometimes on our missions people think we are marriage councilors. Oh boy was that fun trying to talk to (name with held). I really feel bad for them. But they aren't doing anything to fix the situation, they have stopped reading the Book of Mormon, they have stopped praying, and they aren't coming to church. It's really sad to see them not progress. Hopefully we can help them but they need to be willing to do their part as well.

Tuesday night we got back to our apartment and we kneel to pray before we start planning and I look up and there is a GIANT Cockroach on our wall. I SCREAMED!!! It was so scary!!! we tried to kill it but as we would get close to it, it WOULD FLY!! yes, they fly!!! Scariest thing of my life.... So what did we do?? We called the Elders to come and kill it! :) How do you think they killed it? Well of course by torching it with fire. I didn't mind as long as it was DEAD. I am happy.....Texas and its Giant bugs!!!

So this week we did TONS of service! Painting and building a house... not big deal! it was really nice to get out of my dress and work hard :) yes I got my hands dirty.. but this doesn't mean I will pull weeds! (so mom don't get any crazy ideas)

Friday night we had a lesson with Valentine after the lesson we were all chatting and talking. I got a really strong impression to share a quote by Elder Holland with Christina. She loved it and told me to write it down. Well the next day she calls me like screaming and said she put that quote on facebook and a man has been talking to her about the gospel. (she is all about missionary work right now) anyways she told us she shared the Plan of Salvation with him and he wants to learn more. So I ask her were he lives and we can send the missionaries in his area the referral.. she said, Accra GHANA!!!!!!! I about died. She got all his information phone # and all that and he wants to meet missionaries. So umm... Huntie I have got a Referral for you! :) Crazy how the Lord works.....hopefully we can send it into the referral hot line and they can find out who his missionaries are. Christina was so excited to find someone and teach them about the church. I'm pretty sure this could be an Ensign story....... you know, siblings working together to baptize the world!!! haha.... no but It was a really cool miracle for me and Christina. 

Saturday afternoon we went to hunt down one of our less actives.. He is 17 and doesn't really like us.....he  lies to us all the time about his age.. and says he can't understand us.. umm,I'm sorry I have only been speaking Spanish for 6 months, but everyone else can understand me!!! Oh and he said he doesn't know English.... but always texts us in English?? Teenage boys...ugh! 

Well we know if his bike is home, he is home! So Saturday we knocked for like 15 minutes because his bike was home....no answer..... so I got a brilliant idea to steal his bike.....I mean we do have a bike rack on the back of our car!! :) But then I was like.... ummm probably not a good idea!!! So instead I got lots of Mormon.org cards and Jesus Cards and tapped them all over his bike and on the back I wrote CALL US!! Well it's Monday and still no call... maybe he is very sick or umm on vacation??? :) 

You don't answer your door for the Hermana's??? Take that!

We NEVER give up!

Saturday night we had a ward activity La Noche De Hispanidad. Hispanics know how to party that for sure!! Dang! We had so much fun! Lots of our investigators came and had a blast as well. We were celebrating all the Latino countries so everyone brought food from their country. Lots of people did cultural dances and all that fun stuff! 

Our Bishop's little girl

It has been a crazy but awesome week!! I can't even believe how fast it's going. I'm in love with my area and all the people I get to serve! Our ward is SO awesome!!  Shout out to Paola Casco!! She got her braces off! She is one of the Young Women in my ward! SUPER amazing girl! She has got so much going for her!! I can't wait until she serves a mission in Utah! so I can take care of her just like her family takes care of me! Her sister in law Naysel is From SPANISH FORK!! so she is my little piece of home! I totally love this family!!  

Check out that smile!!! She got her braces off.....I LOVE this girl!! My friend Paola!

Well have a GREAT WEEKKKKKKKK!!! GOOOOO BBBBBYYYYUUUUU!!!!  ALL my family and friends better cheer loud Saturday for me!

Thanks for all your support and love! 

Les Quiero Mucho! 

Texas Forever! 

Hermana Crandall 

Faith is POWER!

My Dearest FAMILY!!!

HOW ARE WE THIS WEEK!? Man Its crazy how fast this week went! I had a really awesome week!! SUPER HAPPY BYU WON!! WOOHOOO!!!!

Well where to begin.. probably at the sad part of my week, We have been teaching a girl She is SOOO prepared it amazes me. She is ready to accept the Gospel.. One problem.. Her husband.

In the Latino culture the women have no say in ANYTHING! Seriously it is the saddest thing on earth!! We went over to her house on Tuesday and she started telling us that this would be the last time we could come over. she handed me all the pamphlets and Book of Mormon back. My heart broke. As she was telling us this she was sobbing. I couldn't help not crying as well. I asked her if we could as least share one last scripture, she said of course she wouldn't want anything else for her last lesson. We ended up sharing proverbs 3 and talked about putting our trust in God. She says she prays everyday for her husband to have a soft heart. One day I know it will happen and she will be able to accept the Gospel.

 

Back to happy stuff.. so Last Sunday we set goals. How many new investigators we want to get, how many lessons ect. Well we had set to get 5 New Investigators so all week we had NO LUCK contacting or anything. After Zone Meeting we had no set plans so we decided to go to these apartments. We started walking around and talked to 2 Ladies. They were super excited to talk with us, we taught them how to pray and they wanted to learn more. We were so excited and then about 30 mins later, I see this window close and I tell Hermana Auten lets go try that apartment. So we go over knock and she answers and LETS US IN!!! like super huge miracle!!! We sang a hymn and told her our purpose. She set up another appointment with us for tomorrow!!!

Then after, we are in total shock and we are driving and find this random street. neither of us had ever noticed it before so we turned and found tons of trailers (JACKPOT). We start knocking but no one was home. The next house we tried RUTH was home. We started talking to her and she wasn't very interested but out of NO WHERE it begins to POUR RAIN like Hurricane Sandy Style! So guess who got invited in :) yup you guessed it! we did!! the power goes off and we are just chillin in a random Ladies house.... so what do we do....we start singing hymns. SHE LOVED it! She began talking us about all the pictures in her house, showing us her kids and grand kids. She really opened up with us! We were able to share a message and she said please come next week! We didn't even have to ask for a return appointment!!! SO many miracles it was awesome!! As we set our numbers through Faith and do our best to complete them God blesses us!!

 

So Sunday was super awesome! We tried so hard allllll WEEEEK to invite our investigators to church. We get to church and President and Sister Pingree are speaking in our ward! I was so happy to hear and be with them! I love them so much! Anyways we are greeting the members and talking to people before Sacrament and 4 of our investigators WALK IN THE DOOR!!!! Seriously it is the happiest moment when you see your friends walk into church. I wanted to cry, so we are introducing them to people in the Ward and to President and Sister Pingree and we all sit down and start singing and VALENTINE AND CHRISTINA WALK IN!! ahhhhh HUGE MIRACLE because they can never make sacrament meeting because Valentine has to work until 4 everyday!! So they were able to come and see Sacrament meeting! I was so happy!! I was sitting looking around and just felts so excited to have them there!!  6 investigators at church!!!  

 

This week I was reading in the end of Alma and beginning of Helaman. Can y'all just imagine Moroni.. Dang like this guys is AWESOME!! I love how through all this trials and afflictions he goes to the Lord first. He also is so patriotic He loves is Country His Freedom his Family. He never once fights for anything besides that. I love in Alma 48:17...

"Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto ^aMoroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the ^bdevil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men".

 

I heard this quote this week and I LOVE IT!!!!!  Sorry I don't know who its by.

OBEDIENCE is the  PRICE,

FAITH is the POWER,

LOVE is the  MOTIVE ,

THE SPIRIT is the  KEY,

 CHRIST IS THE REASON

 

I hope you all have a great week! Thank you for your prayers they are being felt!

P.S Shout out to the Packer Family!! Aunt Sandy, Courtnie, and Madison!! I loved getting your letters!! and Emily Otterstrom!!! Don't have to much fun in NYC with out me! I accept I <3 Ny shirts ;)

Love ya'll!!!

TEXAS FOREVER!!!

Hermana Crandall

When you pass cleaning checks you get Blue Bell Ice Cream....HOLLA!

Hey look who we found!

We saw this cookie....a sign BYU Football is missing me!! :)

It's September!!

Hey Hey Family!

I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!!

 

Well First off all of you know I'M STILL IN OAKCREST!!! YAY!! I'm super happy I stayed here! The ward feels like my family ward. I love all the people here so I was super happy to be staying here in Oakcrest.

Second..... all of our investigators are doing really good!!

Last week we were able to talk to Fransisco and commit him to baptism for Sept. 28! He needs to come to church so we are praying that he will be able to. He works EVERY DAY!! yes.... every latino works everyday of the week.. so it makes it really hard to get our peeps to come to church. I honestly have never met people who work harder in my life. They do the hardest jobs for next to nothing and it breaks my heart. Fransisco wants to be baptized so bad! He is always saying Hermanita I want to go to church so I can get baptized, but if I don't work i'll be fired.. what do you say to that?? I'm not really sure.

Me and Fransisco

We are teaching a family who we met a couple weeks ago. Last Thursday we taught the Restoration. She was asking so many questions about Prophets and the Book of Mormon, she asked about the Word of Wisdom and was ready to stop drinking coffee.. It was so crazy! She was so excited to learn more. We are hoping we can get her family to church. She is nervous to come to church because in the pamphlet it shows a picture of a church and everyone is all dressed up and she doesn't have nice clothes.

 

Yesterday was a REALLY fun day! Hermana Auten and I and the other Oakcrest Hermana's went to Old town Spring with Christina.. ( our investigator) It was SOO fun. Old Town Spring has tons of cute little stores and boutiques. We walked around and window shopped :) We met some members who live in the East mission and the Hermana comes up to me and is like " Do I know you?"  umm no, I don't think so.. Anyways long story short. we are pretty much best friends. I was a little homesick that weekend and she totally made me feel like I was with family! "Tender Mercy"

The Friend I met from the Houston East mission

Old Town Spring

Texas Forever!

Window Shopping

Later we took one of the young women Michelle with us to a lesson. we were going to see Miguel he is 15 and Michelle and him know each other.. so we go and knock on his door and no answer.. I was like oh HECK no. We are not getting ditched so we sat on his porch for a second and he friend comes up and grabs Miguel's soccer cleats... Yes, from now on we are going to start collecting soccer balls and cleats, they will definitely want to listen to us then ;) So we walk up the street and see tons of latinos playing soccer.. PERFECT! We walk over and look who is there..... Miguel!.... so we start talking to him and then his friends come over and by the end we were teaching the whole soccer team the 10 commandment (with actions) :) It was super funny. Michelle was like Miguel don't mess with the Hermana's they will find you"!! We asked them all to come to the church Thursday night only 6 of them said they would but whateves it was an awesome lesson!  

 

Anyways, I'm sorry this is kinda a random, short letter! I hope you all have a great week!! THANK YOU TO THE BEST MOM IN THE WORLD FOR SENDING MY VERY OWN BYU PACKAGE! When I got it and opened it I seriously started crying.. I'm a baby.. Oh well..

 

Les Quiero Mucho!

Texas Forever

Hermana Crandall