Goodbye Hermana Crowley! - Hermana Hardy Stuck in TX Snow - He Knows Us

 

Alright everyone! Gonna probably be a shorter one this week! I know my emails are already pretty short but really only one thing happened this week haha! 

We had transfers on Wednesday and I said goodbye to another AMAZING companion who I will miss so much. But I was going to be receiving a new one so everything was okay :) when I got to the transfer lot I was told that my new companion wasn't going to be there until 10 PM (because she was flying in from Texas and we all know about the snow in Texas) So I was going to be in a quad with Sister  Burch, Apelu, and Whitney until later that night. Well. Later that day the assistants tell me that the other flight was canceled...and that she wasn't coming until SATURDAY NIGHT! This was sad but also exciting because I got to be companions for a few days with Sister Burch again!!! 

I got to teach in their area for 4 days, in English! I always thought that people were joking when they say it's harder to teach in English... they aren't joking. My brain could only think of some Spanish words sometimes haha! We had a lot of fun those few days. I even had to do some tours around the visitors' center with just the senior couple. Kinda wild. 

Eventually Sister Hardy arrived!! She got here late Saturday night, and when she got here our car wouldn't start or unlock...turns out she has really bad luck because the battery was bad. We had to get a new car! We got home and she got settled in fast. She's so excited to get to work and change some lives. It's going to be a good transfer :)

Today I've been thinking a lot a out the atonement. There's a verse in the Book of Mormon talking about the Savior. It says "He shall go forth suffering pain, afflictions, and temptations of every kind". I read that scripture so often when I'm giving a tour at the visitors center. He quite literally knows every. single. feeling. I have. Physical, spiritual, and emotional. He knows me. And He knows you. If there is one thing I know, it's that He sacrificed Himself for all of us and that none of us ever need to feel alone. He didn't atone for perfect people. No one is perfect. He atoned for the sinners, for us. I'm so grateful for his love.

Love you all. Have a great week.

Hermana Graves

1- I was getting ready to give a tour on Tuesday when I recognized Kelly Allen! Turns out, this was a ward activity for a ward in my home stake!!! Crazy! 100% unplanned. I felt so at home 

2- the christus <3

3- another temple pic. you already know.

4- honestly has become one of my best friends

5- any of you ever had a California burrito? Let me tell you, my life has been CHANGED.

6- a high quality pic of the quad squad. Love them and miss them.

7- practicing tours with the quad squad

8- reunited with sister burch. Literally the coolest human on earth.

Voy A Recibir Un Bebe?(Training) - Gave Spanish Tour In English (Oops :) ) - I Need Him The Most When I Am Down

We got our new transfer board this week! Turns out, I'm going to be training! Crazy! My trainee (also known as - baby) will get here on Wednesday and her adventure will begin. It honestly is weird that I've been out long enough where they trust me enough to teach someone how to be a missionary. It's kinda funny because I still feel like I have no clue what I'm doing. I just take it one day at a time. I'm really excited tho. Nervous but excited :) I got a chance to talk to her a little bit today and she seems like she is going to be a killer missionary. She has that fire in her, I can already tell. Can't wait to meet her on Wednesday!!

We got to have district council in person for the first time in about 4 months!! It was kinda crazy to see the elders in person again. We usually only see the missionaries that cover the same ward as us. It was so fun to see everyone and talk about how to be better missionaries and how to improve ourselves. I think I'm learning more and more on this mission that I really need social interaction. We all already know that I like to talk a lot...so my interaction with humans is important.

Another funny story is that at district council we were SO excited to do it in person that we decided to go do it in a forest. Naturally, there are no seats in the forest right? Well the elders saw a big log and thought it would be smart to bring it over to us so we could sit on it... well...all was well until they set it down...I'll attach the video if you want to see what went down.

Nothing that profound happened this week but I do have another funny story. We give tours in English and in Spanish at the visitors center right? Well we were doing a Spanish tour that consists of about 6 videos and us talking about the videos after. I started the tour and it was going well. Everyone was happy and excited. Sister Crowley got really flustered when she needed to introduce the videos that she just like totally forgot how to speak any Spanish whatsoever. I was on the other side of the camera trying to mouth to her what she should say...didn't work very well. Everyone was giggling a little bit...then she was really embarrassed. She clicked play on the presentation and about 6 minutes in we realized that she played it in ENGLISH. So embarrassing. I had to play it off after and testify about eternal families even tho they probably had no clue what the tour was about hahahahahaha. Super awkward. 

With Valentine's day yesterday, I've been thinking a lot about the love of God. The most important love we have. And goodness I am grateful for it. As I was thinking about when I have felt His love the most, I realized that it has been during my lowest moments. I feel closest to Him in my hard times. Because that's when I need Him the most. The mission is not easy. Not at all. But goodness it is so worth it. And I grow closer to Heavenly Father and His son every single day as I feel His love for me. And as I struggle I feel Him pick me up and carry me on. What a miracle that we have the opportunity to know that we have a savior. I am so thankful.

Have a great week everyone :)

Hermana Graves

1- a funny picture of President Durham hahahahaha

2-another temple picture. *insert eye roll from everyone* haha

3- pretty sunset view of the bay

4- *highlight of my week* doing a tour with my amazing MTV companion. I miss hearing her testimony. She is thriving in Arizona and we both have faith that someday we will meet up in the Costa Rica Jan José airport :)

5- me :)

6- district council IN PERSON!!

7- me, holding a book of mormon upside down 

8- me, crying after the assistants called me to ask me to train because I knew Sister Crowley would leave me haha

9- the vc sisters had service this week and we went around the streets and cleaned the signs. I'm 100% confident that my scrubbing did not increase the clarity of the sign.

10- valentines day strawberry;)

11- some of the best chocolate I've ever had (thanks mama crowley)

12- we wore matching dresses on Valentine's day and during zone testimony meeting hehe

13- we got these facemasks...I am supposed to be a unicorn...? Weird.

14- last/only district activity today before transfers!!

Love - Galentines - Teaching - Speaking Spanish - Giving Tours - Transfers coming up

We have officially reached the most uncelebrated holiday of all missionaries. Valentines day. But we've decided to make it a fun day. Galentines!!! Sister Crowley's mom sent her a package with a bunch of fun things to do on Valentine's day so we are going to have lost of fun (eating lots of treats hehe).

We are also getting the transfer board on Saturday. crazy how I always think that 6 weeks can't go by any faster...but here we are...again! Our prediction is that I will stay here in Oakland and Sister Crowley will leave and we will both get new people to train in the VC. We are running dry of Spanish VC sisters...so we anticipate that there will be more here soon. We are hoping to stay together for another transfer tho. Fingers crossed! 

Here's a funny story for everyone. Our bishop called us a little while ago and asked us to call a man who is the husband of a member in our area. So we call and talk to him for a minute and set up a lesson with him. The day comes around and we call him right? We have a really good lesson about the plan of salvation. At the end, his wife tells us that we need to coordinate with the elders who teaches what. And we were like....why would we have to coordinate with the elders....? He's in our area...? So we call the elders ready to get tell them to pretty please get out of our area...then turns out...our bishop was wrong and the guy was in the elders area the whole time!! But the family really liked us so they want us to keep teaching them haha!!

Been another busy week! We've had lots of lessons and been giving lots of tours at the visitors center. We love being busy! Nothing better! We are always either teaching someone, at the visitors center, or volunteering. It's literally the best. 

Here's something I've realized in the past week or two. Nothing makes me feel better about myself than when a latino tells me I speak Spanish really well. I've been learning a lot of Spanish the past few weeks and it's been so nice. We have been exposing ourselves to more and more Spanish by going to the temple and walking around the outside and talking to people there and there is also a Hispanic family that cleans the visitors center. So we talk to them too. So fun!! :))

Sister Crowley does this thing were she has a month "theme" for her personal studies. For example, January she studies goals (because of new years resolutions) and now that we are in February she is studying love (#Valentines day). Kinda funny. So we have listened to a few really good talks about love. Here's a quote from a good one! 

"One of the dangers in this life is forgetting what you already know and have experienced. Remember what Father in Heaven has already done for you. Refresh your memories and seek new spiritual experiences; it is all too easy to forget and to deceive yourself. These tender mercies and life‑altering experiences are there to give you hope, faith, and understanding. Remember that your Father in Heaven has already shown His love for you, and just because an answer may be no or, more frustrating, there is no response, that does not mean that He does not love you."

God loves you. The most important love! So happy valentines day everyone. Don't forget He loves you!!! 

Hermana Graves

1- I'm sure you're all sick of the temple pics but it's just so so so pretty!

2- we don't usually get dinner from members in this area but we had 2 in one day this week! 

3-for anyone who hasn't tried dragonfruit...it tastes like a vegetable version of a kiwis with no flavor. Not very enjoyable. 

4- temple again

5- temple 3.0

6- the beautiful view of the bay from the roof top garden at the temple 

7- no one was talking to us today so we facetimed each other haha good times

8-due to the fact that tons of missionaries have been returning to their original assignments we have had a lot of emergency transfers haha so we have multiple new elders in our district!

Busiest Week! - Service Through Flowers - Everything Is Better Through Him!

 

So we said goodbye to Sister Oblad on Wednesday morning. So she's back in the Bury!

Since she left we have put ourselves to work! We haven't had a single second to rest. We've been doing a lot of phone calls to members to introduce ourselves and get to know them a little but better and calling some people that used to be taught too. We've also kept ourselves busy by continuing to volunteer at the place that give out boxes of food! 

The week at service they had a guy bring in a ton of bouquets of flowers! The coordinator told me I should take a few. So I put a bunch in a box and thought it would be a great opportunity to take them around to the older single women in our ward! We called a woman in our ward that night that neither of us had met before and she was telling us how no one ever calls her and she feels like no one cares sometimes about her. She was emotional as we shared a thought with her about how we have a savior walking by our side every step of the way! We were so happy that we followed the promoting to call her and talk with her! The next day we took her a bouquet of flowers and she was so happy to see us and told us we were her angels. She is such a sweet heart. 

We've had a bunch of lessons the past few days and dropped off a few Book of Mormons to some people! We even got a referral from a member (idk how it is in other places but that's a big deal in this area apparently)! Honestly we have just been cranking out the work. And we've been having fun doing it too! Lots and lots of laughs.

This is a cute little quote from Jeffery R Holland, "If you are lonely, please know you can find comfort. If you are discouraged, please know you can find hope. If you are poor in spirit, please know you can be strengthened. If you feel you are broken, please know you can be mended". Perfectly encompasses all of us in some way or another right? Good thing we have Jesus on our side. The only person who really knows what we are each going through. I don't know about each of you but I definitely have felt lonely, discouraged, poor in spirit, and a little bit broken. I can definitely testify that the only way that I got through the lowest of the lows was through Jesus Christ. Once I finally accepted that he was there for me, comforting me, everything was easier. That doesn't mean everything was rainbows and butterflies immediately...but it definitely gets easier.

That's my short weekly email :)

Adiós!!

Hermana Graves 

I have LOTS of photos this week so get ready!

1- Sister Oblads last night in the vc ft. Elder Andrews

2- so we have the only Chick-fil-A in the entire mission in our area...and we went for the first time!!!

3- Dropping of a LDM

4-me...trying to peel a SUPER hot boiled egg

5- Getting ready for zone conference!!:))

6- a rainy week 

7- in the car

8- getting ready for a tour!!

9- a last minute tour with mom and dad <3

10-temple hill!

11- got to have a tour with Elder Olson and his friend crystal! She's so cute!

12- another LDM drop off!

13-this tomato made me laugh haha

14- last district call before Elder Mickelson heads back down to Chile!

15- my box of flowers!!

16- ministering walks around the temple

17- Chick-fil-A round 2

18- Hermana Cifuentes 

19- the stewardship call :)