Abrir Ya Bocas

My Superhero Meal from Subway

This week has definitely been harder than the last, but so rewarding also! I think the hardest thing for me is people not wanting to listen. If  they only knew what happiness the gospel has brought me! They would come running towards us if they could see the amount of blessings I have received. But, the Lord has a plan for me, my companionship, and this area. We just need to find out what it is, and trust in it!

I was able to meet President Snow and his wife this week. They are both so nice and so supportive; I feel that I have a new set of grandparents! President Snow already trusts in me and knows that I can have an amazing mission if I continue to work hard. We also had a zone conference, and I learned so much! Especially about the importance of obedience. If we as missionaries are not obedient, the Spirit cannot work with us, and we cannot teach. Obedience is essential for success in the mission and after the mission! But, my favorite thing from zone conf was when our housing leader spoke. He said "If ya know the church is true, Y'ULL CLEAN YA HOUSE!" ha ha!

Las Vegas after the rain

Red Nose Day for Children

We had some amazing lessons this week!  Our new investigator from last week is amazing! He is so prepared, and I cannot wait to teach him more! He committed to be baptized, and next lesson we will be committing him to a date.  Our other  investigator is closest to baptism. He is struggling with wanting to know everything before he gets baptized. He has so much faith, but he doesn't think that it is enough. During our lesson with him, the Spirit prompted me to say different things. I was afraid that it would not make any sense in Spanish, but all the words I needed came into my mind, and I knew exactly what to say. It was such an amazing and humbling experience to have the Spirit speak through me! I truly felt that the Savior was right there with us.

Hometown Juice Here in Nevada

Our huge miracle for the week: We had a hard day. No one was answering doors and we had had no street contacts at all. Members and investigators had cancelled.....it was hard! For the last hour of our day we decided to contact potentials around our apartment complex. We came around the corner to the next house we were going to, and a lady was coming down to walk her dog. We started talking to her, and she wasn't the person we were looking for, but lived with that person. She invited us into her house to teach her the first lesson. The Spirit was so strong, and both me and my companion were able to speak really good Spanish. It was amazing! I was also able to do the First Vision from memory, which was crazy! The Spirit was tangible, I could almost touch it.

CCM Compa in Nevada!

I know that this church is true with all of my heart! I know that my Heavenly Father knows me personally. That has been testified to me so much this week. Whenever we felt like nothing was going right, the Lord would hand us another miracle. I'm not going to lie--at times it is so hard and all I feel like doing is collapsing. But the Lord has a plan for me and for each of us. I am here because the Lord needs me here and knows that I can change lives. This gospel is amazing!

Las Vegas or Bust!

Leaving Mexico City

I arrived in Las Vegas around 4 pm on Tuesday. My mission president and his wife were in Texas that day for a conference, so we were met by his counselors, ​APs, and the Sister Trainer Leaders. We went to the Mission Home (which was beautiful!), and were interviewed. They asked me to say the prayer, and it was so hard in English. I was tripping over the words, and it felt so foreign to not be saying it in Spanish! One of the counselors asked me what my goal was for my mission. I realized that my goal is to do whatever Heavenly Father needs of my for the next 16 months. He said that if I do that, I will find so much joy and that all my experiences will be for my good.

My new companion and trainer

Afterwards we met our companions! My new companion is from Wyoming. She has been out 7 months, and she is amazing!  She is exactly what I needed. She is ready to work and is so excited for our time together. She is an absolute sweetheart, and I love her already! That same day, we had a dinner appt and lesson to teach. The dinner appt was nothing like I had ever experienced. It was so quiet....! I did not know what to say because I was so nervous, and they probably assumed that I did not know any Spanish (which at that moment I felt like I didn't). Ha ha! They were very sweet, so I am excited to become more acquainted with our ward.

We taught a man who has a date for baptism, but has a lot of questions that make it hard for us to teach a full lesson. He is very nice, and he attended Church with us on Sunday. We have 4 investigators at the moment. All are Spanish-speaking, and we are not allowed to have English investigators. At the end of the day sometimes, my head hurts from trying to constantly translate in my head.

The Las Vegas Strip (from a distance)

For most of this week, we have been contacting. No one was answering their doors. When they did, they either weren't the right person, or weren't interested. We did a lot of street contacting (I had some people basically run away from me. Yay!), but most weren't interested. I thought I would be really depressed about it, but it just made me and my trainer work harder. Because of our hard work and faith, God blessed us with an amazing miracle! We recieved a referral from a recent convert who wanted her mom to be taught. We almost did not have time to go to the lady's house, but we decided to stop by really quick. When we knocked on the door, she answered and said "I've been waiting for you! Come in please!!!". My companion and I could not believe it. She is an inactive member of 21 years, but wants to reactivate. Her goal is to go through the temple with her daughter. She was so happy, she started to cry, asked us for a Book of Mormon, and took a picture with us. A true miracle!

Bikes!

If that is how my mission is going to go, hard times but a miracle, then I cannot wait to get to work. This gospel is absolutely amazing, and it brings me so much joy in my life. That is all I want to do--share the joy that I have each and every day. Thank you for all of your support and love. I feel it each and every day.

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Love,

Hermana Erickson