happy labor day(:

Hello my dear friends and family.

Well. This was the hardest week of my mission. but i am okay!!!(: that's the wonderful thing about missions...Even in the hardest times, we can still be happy. We can still do this. 

Some highlights of my week. 

I bought a bike! the bike store is ordering one in for me because i didnt need the newest model(: it should be here this week! woo im excited. now lets hope i stay in a bike area for more than one transfer(:

Dagoberto.  Dagoberto is our less active member who we have decided we want to get him coming back to church.. well. we had an amazing lesson friday night with him.  it had been the hardest day of my mission, and i was really emotional.  but it was 8:30 and i was determined to turn the day around with this lesson.  So then we are about to start.. and i kept getting the impression to sing i know that my redeemer lives.  i kept pushing it away because i knew that if we sang that song, i would start crying... and i didn't want to start crying again.  But i knew i couldn't deny an impression from the Holy Ghost. so i said a prayer in my heart and asked heavenly father that i would be able to sing strong and not cry.  So i suggested that we sing it.. and in this lesson we had dagoberto, carlos(member), and Maria Elena (member). So as we were singing everyone kind of faded away and i was just singing. And I was able to sing strong and clear and not cry(: and the spirit was strong.. and by the end.. Dagoberto was crying. He told us he hadn't felt the spirit like that in a long time. Yeah it was amazing. I'm glad I followed that prompting(:

So some things I forgot to tell you last week... Cuco! Cuco is an investigator of the sisters.. but I wanted to tell you a little about him.  He has been being taught by the missionaries for about a year.  And he has always wanted to get baptized.. but he is 13, and his mom never gave him permission.  Well... last month we all fasted for it.  And the next day we got a call from him that his mom signed the paper.  When he announced it in a family home evening with the branch members.. everyone stood up cheering!!! the spirit was so strong. all the branch members were so excited for him. it was amazing. i almost started crying.  then he got baptized by his dad on saturday.. at the end they just hugged and cried.  it was the sweetest thing ever. Miracles!!!

Thank you everyone for all of your support and love. I love you all so much.  I know this church and I am so grateful to be here doing the lords work.  I love it so much and wouldn't want anything else.  The mission is hard sometimes just because it is so hard to see people reject this amazing gospel.  But when you see it bless someones lives... it is all worth it.  I love this work so much and am so blessed to be sharing it with others.  I love you all! always remember that if you desire it, this gospel will bless your life.

Hermana Stokes

the pictures.. one is taken from the top of the oakland temple.. it is looking over oakland and you can see in the back san francisco.. but the picture doesnt show it nearly as beautiful as it is in real life.(:  and the others are of the temple.(: haha but yeahhh thanks love you all!