Fifth day in Houston

HOUSTON IS BEAUTIFUL(ly hot and humid and sticky and wet and happy and big and crazy and hot and sweaty and full of bugs and hot and full of wonderful people and hot and hot and it’s only like 80 to 90 degrees and raining and hot.) Haha.

WOW. “The air is sticking to my skin. I am loving it here in Houston, the place is wonderful and I love the people! So southern, and kind (most of the time, sometimes they just shut their doors on us.) There are fire ants, everywhere. I have a huge bite on my foot that I swear all the ants are biting in the same place. It’s been overcast most of the time here but today the water faucet must have turned on because it is pouring!!! And the thunder and lightning is pretty sweet here. The mosquito are horrible as well.

SO. I am in the Bridgeland area. Which is in Cypress, TX. Its the second most southern part of our mission. I am companions with the bestest Sister out here. Her name is Sister Heaps and we work together so well! She is completely mom’s personality. She has been out for 8 months I think? She went to BYU I as well, (I don’t know her from there) and she is 20. I know her cousin from there. He worked(works?) at Porters in the frame shop.

This area is so prepared. I feel like I came in at the best time. The field is so ripe and it is bearing much fruit here.” We have baptisms coming out our ears. Our mission goal is one every week. I think we might be doing that for the next month- ish. We have one for Joshua on the 5th of July. One on the 19th (Katie), one on the 26th (Brandi) and a sweet girl preparing to be baptized on the 2nd of August (Ikelynn). We have MANY less active, part member, and recent converts in this area that really really really need our help. The members are great but the area here is divided so as a whole, isn’t quite unified. We go tracting and have found so many prepared people in the last couple of days.

Some awesome people:

April and Kim- met them walking down the street. Just moved in, nice, interested in hearing more.

Andy- knocked on his door down a street we felt prompted to go on, ex-wife is a member, super open to learning more. Young, just moved in.

Ray- sweet open old gentleman who is just wonderful. He just looked at us after we introduced ourselves and said, “You know, God is love. God loves us and I just want to hear more from you girls.” We’re definitely going to give him and his wife a visit with our most recent member, Phyllis (sweet older lady who just got baptized a week or 2 ago.)

Lauren- Young mother (single?) who wants to hear more. Visiting her soon!

Jose- He’s a cool story, we were walking down the street and he drove up in his car and yelled, “HERMANAS!” (no one ever does that, unless their members) we talked with him and he told us that he lived in Utah for a bit and met with missionaries then. He spoke little English so we handed him off to the Spanish sisters.

Phyllis- mentioned above. We went to teach family history and temple work with her and we had a blast. She found A BUNCH of her family through a census in New Orleans area. Sister and Brother Alba from the ward came and taught her and us and helped us. We learned so much. We have an hour a week for family history and so I learned how I can work on more and I want to ask both Grandma’s what they need help with, in regards to our family history…

Sister Heaps says she thinks I’m a miracle and that I will work many miracle while here. Her and her other companion had white washed the area- being the first sisters here after a long while of elders- and have had a lot of success but recently struggled. They both had prayed and felt it needed a change. I was that change. President Pingree expressed the same. We had welcome interviews and he said he can just feel something special about me and my assignment to be in Bridgeland. I am so blessed and humbled every single day. I am learning so much. I came in at a busy time and have hardly been able to breathe. I just barely unpacked an hour ago. We’ve had appointments every hour and still people who have been neglected because we don’t have enough time in the day. Things fall through, obviously, so have had time to tract. I’ve experienced by first “bible bash”. A man who was a JW (Jehovah witness) just preached and preached and preached until our ears fell off. We just gave him a mormon.org card and left. He wouldn’t ever listen to us but we patiently listened to him. He even shared a scripture about meekness saying you must be meek to be saved. How hypocritical. He did know his scriptures though, so props for that. I wish I knew the bible better.

The second I got to Houston, I was driving. People here drive CRAZY. I think we are so so so protected as missionaries. I think we should have died a few times because people cut us off or just drive super duper close.

So guess what? My flight was like 8 hours long. We left at 9 20 am heading for Houston, and got to Houston at 1:20 pm but they wouldn’t let us land because the lightning and thunder was too bad over the airport. They re-directed our flight to Louisiana, then to Austin to fill the plane up with gas, then we finally got to Houston at 5 or 6 pm. I was exhausted. Hermana De La O and I traveled together. She is super sweet and hardly knew English.

Anyways.

There is just so many people I wish to tell you about and so little time!

I feel super overwhelmed when it comes to remembering things. Also, I am so scared of role playing, if that’s not weird. I can go out and talk to real people and talk to them, but when it comes to role playing, I feel super nervous or even judged. Maybe I’m just weird. I also sometimes get self conscious, like when walking around with my name badge in the grocery store or something. Weird huh. I should be confident in being a missionary!

I am learning so much and have definitely felt the Spirit guide me as I have been here, working with the people. I also have recognized when the Spirit wasn’t guiding me and I was relying on my own strength or knowledge, and boy does nothing go right. The Spirit is key. No one will experience conversion or even understand unless taught by the Spirit.

This church is true and I have come to understand so much about my Heavenly Father’s plan for me and Christ Atonement, and the Restoration, and just everything in so great of detail, that my soul doesn’t seem large enough to contain the joy and excitement I feel when learning! I feel as though I’m busting at the seams of my spiritual knowledge, at my testimony because it’s growing so much. It’s only day 5 and I would be content if all I got to serve was these past five days. I hope to treasure each day I’m here and make the most of all I do.

The church is true. Use the Atonement everyday!