So last Saturday was Commemoration Day in Old Town. We celebrated when the Mormon battalion came to San Diego in 1847. In the Old Town State Park they set up booths and everyone dresses up in pioneer clothes, there's a little parade which i got to participate in and people just walk around. At the battalion it was madness! We had 1065 people come through which is our record amount!!! I was sooooo tired at the end of the day and I don't think I've ever smiled that much in my life! We got bombarded by a group of Chinese people. Oh man do they like taking pictures or what! Sis. Benfield and I were walking around and they came up and asked us to take a picture and we thought that it would be one group picture but nope! We took individual pictures with every one of them! Then more people started adding on; it was never ending but it was fun!
Sunday was the best day ever!!!!!! Carlos and Cynthia, our investigators, went to church!!!!!! Aghhhhhhh! I almost freaked out when I saw them sitting there! They even went out and bought clothes to come to church!!!! They are so awesome!!! We chatted with them a little after sacrament but they had to leave so we set up a time to go visit them on Friday. Later in the day we got a missed call from them and a voicemail asking if we could go on Wednesday instead!!! Agh! We are so excited! They are super prepared and are reading and praying. It's amazing!! I love missionary work!
Here's the update on Joaquin: He sent us a text earlier this week telling us that he has set a date for baptism!!!!!! His baptismal date is April 12! I know it's kind of a long way away but he's praying for a sooner date!! Yay!!
We are also teaching Guillermina, she has a baptismal date for Feb 22 but it's a little hard getting her to church just because she doesn't have a car and also the fact that she has 6 grandchildren that she would need to take as well. But we are going over a couple times a week and teaching her. We watched the Restoration movie with her and she understood it! One of her grandchildren is named Mariana. Oh my goodness she is the smartest girl ever! She's been reading the Book of Mormon and she understands it!!! They are praying together and this week we'll be teaching them the Plan of Salvation!
Even though we've seen great things happening there were some down parts to our week. About 3 people have been dropped, or dropped us! It's really sad just because we have this gospel that we know will help them and bless them! But its okay, we will have to try again later.
We did find some other people to teach, we found a girl named Eliza. She's probably in her 20's, is going to school and has 2 jobs! We told her how the church that Jesus Christ established on the earth has once again been restored after it was lost. We asked if she would like to learn more and her response was funny. Ha she said, "yeah I'm down for that." Ha it was great! It kind of reminded me of people in Rhode Island, anyways were looking forward to seeing her again!
We also talked to this guy named Mel. We think he lives in a house with a druggy but he really wants to learn more and is so interested in the gospel! He's been taught before and he knows about the Restoration and The Plan of Salvation and agreed with everything! I'm excited to see how he progresses!
We went to visit a family in our ward, the Malfabones and talked about missionary work and how they can be missionaries. We gave them 3 books of Mormon, told them to write their testimonies in them, and give them to their friends. Their goal is to give out those books of Mormon in a month! But the funniest thing happened! At the end we asked the father to give the prayer and during it he asked for the protection of those crossing the border! Sis Benfield and I were laughing about it at the end of the day. They are an awesome family!
I love everything I do! Being at the Mormon battalion historic site is awesome! I love taking people on tours, telling them about the journey that the men and women took as they walked over 2000 miles! We get people from all over the world! We talk about the first principle of the gospel which is faith! Faith in God the Eternal Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The men who enlisted weren't experienced soldiers, they were just ordinary people who did something extraordinary because of their faith. It's something that all of us can relate too! We all face challenges at some point in our life, we all have to go through something that seems impossible for us to do, but as we trust in the lord, stay faithful and obedient, he helps us! We sometimes wonder "why me?" What I've learned is that we are given these problems so that they can help us be stronger, help us be better. At the moment we don't know why but God does and that's why when we put our trust in him, and have faith, he will help us. We will overcome anything that is thrown at us. One of my favorite quotes from the tour is "God has given us what we wanted the most from where we least expected it." It is so true! So this week try and see all the blessings you've received. Have faith that what you are going through (Whether good or bad) will help you! Love you all!
-Hermana Recinos
sis benfield and I in our bonnets and pioneer dresses!
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