Pioneers

How are you all doing!? I hope you are all doing great. (: 

So this week we had interviews with the President.  I like President Frandsen a lot.  I especially love sister Frandsen.  She is the bestttt. Seriously, she is so cute.  Mom and dad.. I guess she started a parents facebook page for parents of the missionaries here? you should find it.

We also had Zone Training this week, which was great!  We gave a training.  Fun stuff.  You know, giving trainings has actually kind of grown on me. 

I went on an exchange with Hna McCarthy! I don't know if you remember, but she was in my zone when I was first STL, now she is in my zone again! We were in her area, so it was fun because I got to meet a bunch of her spanish branch. (:

Okay the weekend was definitely the highlight of our week. Saturday we had a stake picnic! For Pioneer day! It was soooo fun. I love Pioneer day. (:  Us missionaries were in charge of some of the booths and stuff. it was really fun.  There were tons of members there, and we had 2 less actives and 4 investigators there! So that was really exciting for us. and all but one of those people were spanish. (:  I will have pictures next week hopefully.

Then Sunday was awesome!! We had 5 less actives at church!! and some of our investigators! Ah it was so exciting. Also, then we had Por Que Yo Creo!!! So fun. I saw a bunch of people from San Mateo. (: it was awesome !(:  

That's pretty much it.  Oh also! So the Medinas are this cute old peruvian couple in our ward. They are AWESOME. seriously, I love them so much. haha(:  Anyway, So Hna Medina has been praying for missionary opportunities for a long time.  She always tells us about how much she wants to share the gospel.  Well she invited her neighbor to come over for us to watch the restoration!!!! So awesome! Her neighbor is now our investigator! Her name is Celina, and she is from Portugal! So she speaks Portuguese but since it's so close to spanish, she knows spanish pretty well too.  So we teach her, since there are no portuguese missionaries.  But we watched the restoration in Portuguese!  It was so awesome! She has a lot of struggles right now , so it will be good to work with her.  Ah I am just so amazed.  See everyone! If you pray for missionary opportunities and really act on your impressions.. it will happen!!! I challenge you all to pray for a way you can share this amazing gospel.  

I love this church so much. Thank you for all you do to support me!

Hermana Stokes

1:we went bowling last week as a district. it was fun. (:

2. me and my comp before the picnic!

3. our recent converts doing the pie eating contest. (: love them.

Por Que Yo Creo.(: Saw Angel. and Sergio.. but hes not in the pic. 

heres my zone after zone training! 

The sisters are back

Okay so Brentwood is HOT.  

But also, it's great! It's honestly weird being in an English ward because it reminds me a lot of home... its weird. but one thing I love about it is getting fed every single day!!! and american food!!!! i missed good homemade american food so much. also, we are having a huge pioneer day picnic this week. so yeah.. english ward has its perks.(:

But I still get to spend a lot of time with spanish people! Our group is small, but it's there. So like we go to classes still in spanish on Sundays. I'm happy about that part.  We have a lot of spanish investigators too! It's about half and half.  So it's good. (:  Ha everyone here is impressed with my spanish.  It's cool because the last two areas at the beginning I was still pretty new.. but now I'm not so new anymore. 

I love being with Hna Hilton again!!! she is so great. And I already love my zone!! yay Antioch zone.  Life is really good.  I love the mission so much.  We teach soooooooo many lessons here. It's a big difference from San Mateo.  I miss San Mateo so much.. But I know that this change was good for me.  Our apartment is amazing!!! We have roommates! The Tongan sisters. (: So that's fun.  But yeah I have like no time today, I'm sorry! Have a good week! I love you all!!!! 

The Church is true. (: 

pic #1: transfer van!! woo fun ride. 

#2&3... so in case you were wondering what brentwood looks like.... hahahahahahaa yeah i lilterallly switched sides of the mission. I went from the city to the country. I love it though!!!!! I love smaller towns sooo much better. Not all of brentwood is like this. there are neighborhoods and stuff. there are 3 wards in brentwood! But it's like lehi... it used to be a teeennnnnyyyy town.. then in 2009 it started growing. (: so yeah, its a nice area. (: i prefer this over the city. 

Hermana Stokes

we went to the farmers market and chalked a little. it was fun. (:

I left my heart in San Francisco......

So as you can see.. I left.. or I'm leaving.. my heart in San Francisco.  Meaning I am being transferred.  Ahhhh so many feelings.  But I know it is good, I think I am ready to leave. (:  I have been in the El Camino ward for 9 months now.  I think they are sick of me.  But I am so grateful to have spent half my mission on the San Francisco peninsula.  I love it so much here.  I am being transferred to the other side.. like the way other side.. meaning the edge of the mission!!! I am going to brentwood.  And guess who my companion is!?!??!?! HERMANA HILTON!!!!!! We are being put back together!!!!! Oh my goodness I am so excited about that part!!!!!!!! But yeah, I will be in the Brentwood 1st ward.  It is an English ward... with a Spanish group.  I don't know how that will be yet. I will let you know.  I'm honestly really scared to be in an English ward again.  Plus, we are the only missionaries in the ward, and I've never had that.  So that will be weird.  But I am trusting God, I know that this is part of his plan.  I am really excited.  But the thing is... its HOT THERE. LIKE DEATH HOT. it's over 100 all the time.  I may melt.  But it's okay, God knows what I can handle!(:

This week was really great!!! We had MLC with President Frandsen! It was cool.  There are already so many differences.  Not too many, you can just tell that they are different people.  But yeah it's crazy!!! It is a really cool experience that I am so grateful to have.

The only other things I really have to talk about is goodbyes.  So I found out Saturday morning that I was leaving because President called me.  It was really nice to know early so I could have an extra day to say goodbyes.  When I told Sergio, he cried.  Oh man it was so sad! Angel was really upset as well and said he will just move to Brentwood. (:  haha I love them.  Everyone was sad, but people understand.  The ward loves me, but they know I am needed somewhere else now.  They all made me promise to go back and visit though. (:  which I will! ah I love them so much.

Okay the only other thing I have to talk about is JOSE.  Thank you so much for all your prayers for him!!!! they are working!!!! please continue, even though I am leaving the area.

So Saturday we had the most amazing lesson with him!!!!!! oh my goodness.  So we taught about missionary work. it was awesome.  the story about Abinadi blew him away.  He was really impressed and I could tell that he really is converted to the book of Mormon.  So after we finished the lesson he asked us a question. He said "is it really necessary to be baptized in order to be a member?  because I've been baptized before.. but I really want to be a member."  So we spent about 30 minutes teaching about the authority.  finally, I had the impression to show him DyC 22... even though it's really harsh.  So we showed it to him and he read it and it looked like something just clicked.  He looked up and went ooohhhh. Then I just started testifying.  I don't even know what came out of my mouth, the spirit was fully guiding me and my companion.  Then after we both testified I felt really impressed to end the lesson right there.  And what came out of my mouth kind of surprised me.  Because again, it was the spirit talking.  But we asked Jose if we could all kneel and have him pray and ask God if the church is true.  We did.  And it was a long prayer.  He asked with all of his heart what God wants him to do right now.  Jose, Angel, Sergio, and Hna Molina were all crying by the end of the prayer.  We all sat there for a second just feeling the spirit.  The spirit was so strong.  I felt impressed to ask Jose what he felt that God wanted him to do.  Jose said "he wants me to get baptized."  So we asked when and he said his birthday.  So he has a baptismal date for August 31st!!!! And I know it's really going to happen.  He truly is becoming converted.  He knows this church is true.  It was the most amazing lesson I had in my life.  AHH I am soo grateful that I had the opportunity to be a part of Jose's conversion.  Please continue praying for him and his baptismal date. 

Okay that is it! I love you all and I know this church is true. (: 

Hermana Stokes

TONS of pictures today.  this is my district!!! Half of us are getting transferred. 

1. sisters at MLC!

2. I saw sister cefalo!!!

3. Doris and Gilberto. (:

1. You can finally see Jose!! haha he's the one on the right.

2&3. throw back to the last MLC with President Meredith.  This is the whole crew. (:  Almost everyone is changed now though.

so this is sister cammans and sister astilla!

also its my zone from with President Frandsen! so you can see what he looks like. kind of an awkward picture.. oh well. he's 6'5". super awesome. i love his wife. (: they are from highland, so super close. Sister Frandsen calls me her little Lehite(: hahaha i love it.

Also, I forgot to say that with transfers, I am still a Sister Training Leader.  So I am still on mission leadership council, so I still get to see Hna Housley!(: I am just covering the Antioch and Concord zone now. (:  So yes, I am closer to concord. still forever far away though hahaha. and when I was in concord, I was in the Walnut Creek zone. just so there's no confusion. (:

Meet the President (:

So email today is shorter because we are going to san fran(: hahah so sorry if I have shorter replies. 

So this week was great!! We met President Frandsen!! He is so tall! ha and so nice.  He gave an awesome training on Work, doctrine, and faith. It was really good.  He is going to do great things for the mission. (:

We had one exchange this week!(:  it was fun! I was with Sister Cammans in our area.  She is so awesome and taught me a lot.(:

Jose met with Bishop yesterday.  Bishop said it went really well! We were really excited about that... definitely means Bishop probably changed his life.  Ha we talked to him, and he really enjoyed it. He really is coming closer to truly understanding that this is the only church.  He came to the elders baptism this past Saturday, and loved it.  Then Sunday, church was all about how this is the only true church.  He will get baptized soon. (:

Happy 4th of July!!!!!!!!!!! yay I love it.  We went to a pancake breakfast for the ward. It was fun.  Then Angel and Sergio and Marcia took us to a taqueria.  That was fun as well. (:  But then.. we couldn't see any fireworks from our window because we live at the bottom of a hill:( I was so disappointed. dang.  But yeah! It was still a good day!(:

I think that's all I have to say... Oh also.. if you are gonna write me, you should just write the mission home because transfers are next week and I think I might leave:(

Okay love you all! have a great week.  Remember the church is true.  I have it confirmed to me every day out here on the mission.  I mean but really, how could the church not be true? it just doesn't make sense that way.  I love this gospel. (:

Hermana Stokes

PS also.. I hit my year in the field this week.. that's weird. 

  pic 1: we went to a potential right by the bay.. so of course we took a picture(:

2 and 3: Thank you Ginger and Sam for the fourth of july toys.. we fully enjoyed them.