no time..

hello everyone! today, i have no time. because we went to the temple! so i am sorry about that. i will make this quick and everything i miss i will just tell you next week!!

the temple was amazing!!! oh my. beautiful. after the mission, we can all come back so you can all go through the oakland temple. because it is amazing. 

this past week.... i went on splits. with vilma. who is from el salvador. and doesnt speak english. and we visited less actives. who obviously dont speak english. so i had to just speak spanish, with no one around like my companion to lean on. ahhh and i made it! i was soooo scared. like you have no idea. but i made it!!!!!!! i surprised myself.. i know more spanish than i thought... it was really helpful actually, to see how i do without my trainer. i was so happy. and the members were all sooo supportive and so excited for me. they are really the best. when they asked me if i would split with my comp, i started tearing up. instantly, maria elena comes and hugs me. and i guess all night as she was with my comp, she was saying i have nothing to worry about because my spanish is great. and vilma told me the same thing. she just kept saying how great my spanish is. and that i dont have to worry. and carlos was so excited and supportful too. our members are the BEST. And i was praying the whole time, and i am so glad that heavenly father was able to help me remember all the spanish i know. i am never alone.(:

Here is a miracle we had this week.. It was a new investigator.  Her name is Viri.  And she is amazingly prepared by the Lord.  First, we asked her if she goes to church.  To which she replied with that her husband is catholic and worships the virgin mary. but that she was raised catholic but does not call herself catholic. she says she has read the bible and it clearly says not to worship anyone but God, so she doesn't understand why people worship the virgin mary.  Then, she goes on to tell us that she has a great relationship with god.  She prays to him all the time.  And she said that every prayer she has ever said, he has answered.  She said she doesn't pray for crazy things, like every time she needs money, she prays for a job. and she said that every time she has prayed for a job, she has gotten one.  And one time, she had a temporary job.  and on her last day she started stressing because she just needed three more days of money.  she immediately said a prayer, and the second she said amen, her boss came over and asked her if she could stay three more days.  Also, she said one time she did pray for money.  It was her birthday, and she didn't have enough money to buy food for her party.  The food was $40 and she only had $20.  She prayed, and then the lady next to her in line randomly offered to pay for all her food.  How amazing is that??? I really was in awe after the lesson.  Viri is so prepared by the Lord.  He has made sure that she has that relationship with him for a reason.  I cannot wait to keep teaching her.  I know it will be a struggle with her husband, but I have faith it will all work out.  

Thank you for all you all do for me!! i love you all so much.  I do have pictures, but i don't have time for the pictures to upload.. sorry! i promise i will send them next week!! anyway, have a great week! you are all in my prayers!!

ps. the earthquake wasnt too bad here. i woke up and just continued laying in bed.. it felt like i was on a boat and i was very confused at what was happening.(: hahaha. anyway, love you all! and to my family, i am glad no one got hurt from the kitchen collapsing.  Everything happens for a reason.. maybe it was just the kitchens time.(: ahh earthquakes. haha well bye!

Hermana Stokes

Alma 38:9.

Note from Dad (Paul): I think Sadie thought that Rachelle told her that we had an earthquake here in Utah because the cupboards fell off our Kitchen Wall on Sunday night. Crazy!!!  Rachelle was just telling Sadie that we must have had an aftershock from the California earthquake because our kitch cupboards fell off the wall.  And fortunately, we were very blessed that no one was in the kitchen when it happened so no one got hurt.  Here are a couple of pictures of the "Utah aftershock":

Hello!!

Dear friends and family,

Hola! How are you all doing??

My week was great.  Bike is great.  It's hot. hahah but we are surviving! I am just on a mission bike right now, waiting till we get a car with a bike rack to go buy bikes.  But yeah, it's fun.  If it wasn't hot, I really wouldn't mind it at all.  Like when we ride home at night, I LOVE IT.  The first night I was just laughing because it was so fun.  Because I love being outside at night, and its even more fun on bikes.(:  But yeah, there are definitely pros and cons to being on bikes. 

This week.  My branch figured out that I can play the piano.  Well actually, they already knew.  Some did.  But I always used my thumb as an excuse. And that I really don't play well. Well this week they told me to play anyway. So Wednesday for PMG class I played without using my thumb.  It was horrible, but probably not too bad considering I was only playing with 9 fingers.  Then I had to play for Diana's baptism on Saturday... I wanted this to sound better so I played with my thumb.  It doesn't hurt too bad anymore, my thumb is really healing, and playing the piano was fine as long as I didn't bend my thumb! so It was okay. but then, since the branch presidency was there at the baptism, they know that I can play.  SO THEN about 30 seconds before sacrament meeting started on sunday.... modesto came and asked me if I could play, because the piano player wasn't there.  I was going to have a panick attack.  It was the scariest thing ever and it was completely horrible.  But my comp pointed out that it's way better than if we were to sing a capella.  That day I played for relief society too.  I'm gonna have to get over the fact that I can't sight read hymns. Oh well.  I figure it can only get better.

So yeah Diana Espinoza got baptized!!! sooo happy! Her family all got baptized a few months ago, but she was 7. So it was so cool to see her dad baptize her.  She is the cutest!  I just really love that family so much.  Here's a picture of us and their family.  Oh and hna espinozas brother is in the picture too, hes not a member but isnt interested:(  and also, dianas friend that she invited to her baptism (little missionary!!!) is in the picture. but yeah. super fun!!

Sorry, that is really all of my week.  Haha nothing else really happened.  But you should all go read DyC 90:24.  Thanks so much for all you do! I love you all! Sorry that todays email was short!!

Oh and also, next week, WE ARE GOING TO THE TEMPLE. So we are going on tuesday, which means our p day will be tuesday, so don't freak out when you don't get an email on monday.(: hahah sorry that you will have to wait an extra day.:(

okay love you all!!

Hermana Stokes

ps i just checked.. i forgot my camera cord:(( sorry! i will send pictures soon! 


Sadie answered a few questions from Rachelle so I wanted to post them here:

my skirts are rough on bike. its always either that they fly up the whole time, which isnt that big of a deal.. because im wearing bike shorts. so its whatever. but then the ones that actually stay down.. they are too flowey and long and get caught in the tire. haha so i am still figuring things out. its interesting riding in a skirt. i dont like it.  the shoes are great! just dont have any socks hahaa. members just dont like that we are sisters and have to ride bike in the heat.

I'm glad you are all doing well.  I'm sorry about spencer.  But it's true.  Remember that heavenly Father has a plan for him.. if he is supposed to be the keeper for that team, he will.  But if hes not, then heavenly father has a greater plan! so don't worry!!! 

thank you for all your help and fasting and prayers. i had been home sick, but i am good now.(:

hahah mom i always forget to take pictures of the apt... and then i come and see it on the email.. but then by the time i get home i still always forget. sorry! its just a normal apt tho. and we might have bed bugs right now.....:/ ugh. and no i dont get to do that (practice the piano)... if we dont have lessons we just ride our bikes all day trying to visit people or opening our mouths. 

i miss seven peaks!

love you!

First transfer call.

Hola!!

How are you all doing? I had another great week here in Concord!! 

I really am trying to remember what to tell you about this week.... honestly.. it's such a blur. I don't remember hardly anything from it. haha time flies here! but I guess we can start with transfers!

No worries everyone, I am staying here in concord with my companion! which is good because Diana Espinoza is getting baptized this saturday... (she just turned 8 a couple months ago)... and if I would've missed that I would've been soo sad. but yeah. plus, I just love it here. buuuut there was a change to our area. WE ARE BEING PUT ON BIKE. yep. you are reading that right. I hope you believe me, because most of the members here don't believe us when we tell them that. hahaha it's funny. But yeah, anyway, yes. I have to buy a bike. we are going to be sharing a car with the elders. so when we go to the further parts of our area like martinez and walnut creek, we will drive. but pretty much all the time we will be riding our bikes! I am actually really excited. because I love bikes. like they are fun. and i hear that bikes bring miracles. and when i ride a bike i feel like a true missionary. hahaha. but yeah. plus, I just know that this transfer is going to be great!!! I'm so excited. Bring on the heat. man, I am just going to accept the fact now that I will always be gross. 

The sad part of transfers is that elder wells and hermana arellano are leaving us:((( I'm really sad about that. but I'm sure the people coming into our district will be great!! 

But yeah, that's pretty much it about our week.  Stephanie got her appendix out, so we went and visited her in the hospital.  She's the sweetest, we love her. 

But yeah. Sorry, really though I just have nothing special to tell.

I want you all to go look up the talk "I stand all amazed" by Jeffrey R Holland on lds.org.  It is amazing.  the story at the end is amazing and will make you cry.  I taught training at district meeting this week and shared that story at the end. the spirit was so strong.  Christ has done so much for us.  The least we can do is remember him, and try our best to be like him.  I love this gospel so much.  My testimony is strengthened every day while I'm here.  I am so grateful to be out here teaching it, and I hope these people start to realize how amazing the gospel is.

Another thing you should read is Alma 36.  I read it this morning, and really it is just the greatest chapter.  You see alma go through all the steps of repentance using the atonement. then the first thing he wants to do is share the gospel, and help others repent, because he wants everyone to feel what he has felt.  It's just so amazing.  I think that should be the first thing we all want to do.

Okay well I love you all so much!! have an amazing week!!

Hermana Stokes

Hello!

Okay sooo sorry if todays email doesn't have as much stuff in it.  I feel like a basket case because this morning we were so rushed and I ended up forgetting my planner, our phone, and my nametag... so yeah I guess I'm just a failure of a missionary haha.

Anyway hopefully I remember everything I was gonna tell you all! Right now I'm trying to remember...

Diller. Mannnnn Diller. hahah okay sooo this kid. We added him as an investigator last week i think? Anyway, first lesson was really weird. but we were like okay we'll see, the gospel could change his whole mind set. yeah so then this week we went to have a second lesson with him. He's this 20 year old kid. so he knows both spanish and english but we teach him in english because it's more comfortable for him. yeah well we found out during this lesson that he's crazy. Like.. um... wow. hahaha. So just an overview of how the lesson went. He denied everything we said, and had explanations of why. So basically he believes that we can't do anything through Jesus Christ. And that Christ has already tried to come back but has failed. And that now Christ is mad so he's gonna come back as a bad person. And he also believes that satan is a really good person, just needs his light turned on. So when my companion said something about how through Jesus Christ we can overcome the temptations of satan, he denied it because he said satan doesnt tempt us. Oh and he also believes that he is the one that needs to save the world. as in diller believes he, himself, has been called by PIRATES to turn on satans light. And also, he says he has a ring that he got from a different world and he has to go back to the other world and destroy the ring because if he doesn't it will hurt people.

So yeah, that was our lesson with Diller. We left him with a book of mormon and said if he ever decides  to read it and likes it he can call us. 

Hmmm what else. We dropped the Garcias...:((( well. just for 2 weeks. we actually had an amazing lesson on friday. I talked soooo much, all in spanish. and i don't even know how. I just kept saying what the spirit told me too. My companion was totally following the spirit too. And following the spirit, we told them that we are going to not visit for 2 weeks and we want them to see how they feel about baptism during this time.  So yeah, Heavenly Father definitely has a plan for them.  I have faith that during this two weeks they are going to notice the difference, and they are going to want to have this gospel in their lives.(: Please keep them in your prayers.

Carlitos wants to get baptized!!! he told us on saturday! but only one problem... his mom said no. his mom wants him to be raised catholic.  So yeah, carlitos is sad. and his dad is so mad. but We talked about prayers and miracles with carlitos, and now everytime he prays he prays that his mom will change her mind about baptism. ahh sweetest boy. so please keep him in your prayers too(:  He's a 10 year old, so sometimes teaching him is rough, but you can tell that he really does want a life like his dads.  The way he was looking at the kids passing the sacrament on sunday was adorable. He told me he wants to do that one day! 

We had to cancel marcelino's baptism... sad day. but it's okay.  It's because he's not ready, and we know that it will be better to make sure he is ready first.(: we are hoping to set another date today with him!

Ummm I think that's pretty much it.  There is probably a ton I'm forgetting.. but yeah I don't have my planner. Soo sorry guys!! 

Oh also, I had the best food ever this week. Well, Saturday and Sunday. Saturday we had carneasada and chips and salsa... most amazing salsa ever. and guac. and sunday we had salmon and it was delicious. so yeah that was definitely a highlight of my week.(:

Here are some pictures. the other girl in them is Stephanie(: she is 18, just waiting to start her mission papers! so she comes out with her a ton. I loooove her! Seriously, she is the best. And her mom is from El Salvador so that makes her even cooler because Salvadorians are awesome. Also, the sunset last night, because it was gorgeous.

Love you all! thanks for all your love and support!

Mark 11:23-24

Hermana Stokes