Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Sister Macey Gates // Week Thirty-One // "SEVEN MONTHS CRAZYAYYY"

Fue una buena semana:) So my companion Hermana Howell is awesome. The first thing she told me was that she was super sassy... i was like oh good!! haha but she definitely has mellowed out. She's super funny and she works hard. I love it. This week we taught 35 lessons. Thats our record! She has been out for 11 months. I have really enjoyed this week, its probably been the hardest week for me cause i have to answer all the phone calls, haven't done that in years cause of Santoyo, its hard to understand everyone but i love the challenge. I really have to pay attention in lessons and follow the spirit because i don't have Santoyo here to just back me up the whole lesson. Hermana Howells spanish is pretty good, we are pretty much at the same level. I love that we can speak spanish with each other all the time, and that she is willing to with me. So Santoyo calls me EVERYDAY haha freakin Santoyo. She only misses me a little bit haha it makes me happy that she does tho. Im glad she doesn't hate me. I love her haha i literally had to push her out the door to leave. Poor girl but she is doing good!! This week we have been finding and dropping. For Edgar this week, I shared a story in Mark 9 about a kid who had evil spirits in him but because the dad had faith in Christ he was healed. Then Edgar read the vs that said through prayer and fasting he can get through this. Right after that guys he said " Im done, i'm done with smoking forever" We went outside and picked up all his little cigarette buds and got all the cigarettes he had left and took them with us. He had millions! But don't worry we were wearing gloves;) Then we left him with Alma 24 about burring your weapons of war and he totally applied it to him. He hasn't smoked since and actually got dressed up for church. He has been reading the scriptures and praying everyday with his family. Its been amazing so see his progress. He get his interview with prez in 2 weeks and then he can write a letter to the first presidency to find out if he can be baptized. So many miracles out here. For p-day, we did like nothing. It was the best p-day ever haha we bought food and then played volleyball and soccer at the church with some of the sisters and some boys that thought we were elders, i'm completely out of shape its fine. Then we made smoothies and put our feet in the Goudy's pool. It was great. I truly do have a testimony of prayer and its so important that we prayerfully do everything we do. I hope you all had a good week!! I love you all and don't ever forget it:)

Hermanitititita Gates:)
Sisters lunch last monday:)
Last moments with Santoyo:(
TWINNERS:) cutest twins but not as cute and me and mitzi;) no?
This cute girl vivian in our ward got baptized. She absolutely loves the missionaries. I looked real cute this day too its fine.
Lilys farewell:) she did so good. Gonna be the cutest missionary!!

Monday, May 19, 2014

Sister Macey Gates // Week Thirty

Its crazy to hear all this news in just a couple days...This week was interesting. But i am staying here in corona again haha and Santoyo is leaving. My new companions name is Hermana Howell. I don't know her so i'm super excited!! This week Santoyo was freaking out cause we knew one of us would be leaving. She wasn't very nice to me for a couple days but its was fine. She was just scared, cause she doesn't wanna leave me.(that made me happy she likes me:)) When we got the transfer call on Saturday, it was super hard. I thought for sure i would be leaving. I didn't know why i was staying. Santoyo hasn't stopped crying since saturday night. Its super sad. But i'm ready for the new adventure. This weekend as we were saying bye to everyone, everyone said " Awe now we don't have anyone who can speak spanish anymore!!:(" Everyone we visited said that. I know they thought i couldn't understand but i could. Thats been the hardest thing for me this weekend. No one trusts me or tries to understand me. BUT i'm not giving up. I know i'm staying to gain the trust of this people here. Im excited to finally get the opportunity to share my testimony and not just sit there like a dead rock cause Santoyo wont stop talking hahhahahha but really. Its taught me a lot of patience and i have learned so much from it. I know i can do this. Julio got baptized!!!!!! He is the cutest boy ever. He has been so fun to teach and i have never met anyone who loves to read and pray so much. We teach Antonio and Julio together. In english and spanish haha Julio came up to me after the baptism and said " Hermana Gates!! I feel so clean!!" He is perfect. The baptism was perfect. Im actually really grateful for the opportunity to play the piano at every baptism because you can really feel the spirit through music. We actually had someone in our ward get baptized and they called us 10 min before and asked if i could play the piano. haha yep that was nice of them!! I was happy to do it. Thats the good news this week! I really have learned a whole lot this week. It was so hard to hear about the deaths this week but i know God has a plan for everyone. Everything is going to be okay:) We just have to put all or trust in our Heavenly Father. I know he has a perfect love for every single one of us. I love you all!!!!
Hermana Gates:)


me and elder Catchatoorian haha
I saw hna pfeil!! I missed her!!
Someone in our ward washed our car, so we just enjoyed haha
CUTEST BABY!!
on our walk hehe
Antonio and julio!!
our handshake haha
Vivian the cutest girl! we're besties!
Brother and Sister Ludvicson, they are my favorite people ever. We're besties tambien!

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Mother's Day Skyping with Macey


Sister Macey Gates // Week Twenty-Nine // "Hey!!"

This week was super crazayyy. Monday we went to Riverside so Santoyo could get her drivers license...she totes didn't pass hahahha she was so mad, i just laughed at her. Tuesday we went to the beautiful Redlands Temple. It was absolutely amazing. We had the coolest experience. So one of the ladies that took some of the sisters just came up and hugged all the sisters in the celestial room, she's just bawling right? After we asked the sisters what was the matter and they said that the lady had this thought "Tell my daughter i love her" So she didn't know which daughter it was so she just hugged all of us. It turns out that Hermana Dulongs mom passed away when she was 8, and it was her ride that hugged all the girls. When Hermana Dulong told me the story she said "Hermana Gates! That was my mom!:)" Coolest experience of my life. I get the chills every time i think about it. I love the temple. I know Gods loves his children so much. Im so grateful for forever families. Thursday i went on exchanges with Hermana Williams, she is seriously the cutest. I learned so much from her. I want to become the best person i can be and i'm so grateful for all the people that are will to help me like all of you:) We found out Edgar did drugs on Tuesday and when we went to visit him he was super mean, it was on saturday which is mothers day in Mexico. So his mom was crying cause he was being mean to her. It makes me so sad but they call us over every time to get everything settled. He wasn't very nice to us but the thing i learned from that lesson is no matter what you just have to show people that you love them. I have so much love for the people here. We also got the opportunity to teach Julio and Antonio this week. Cutest thing. We taught the plan of salvation, with the little pictures Mitzi made me and then we read 3 Nephi 11 together in english and Spanish. Every time Julio read a verse he said "Oh my gosh this chapter is so cool!!!" I have never met anyone so excited to read the BOM. He has the sweetest spirit:) I do love being a missionary. With all my heart. I will never ever regret going. I love you all, it was the best thing talking to all of you!!!!!!!! I couldn't even focus in church i was so excited haha I cant wait till christmas!!:)
Love you:)
Hermana Gates

Dulce:) haha she gives me the biggest hugs every time!
Me and Sister Williams!
The hike!
The temple:)

Monday, May 5, 2014

Sister Macey Gates // Week Twenty-Eight // "HAPPY MOTHERS DAY IN A WEEK!!!"

This week was great. Every week is great. Being a missionary is great. I don't wanna go home. haha but i'm willing to talk to all ya'll this sunday:) Im so excited. you have no idea. And president said we can talk for as long as we want. We just have to use our own judgement. This week was kinda slow. We visited a lot of recent converts. Bringing them back;) oh yeahhh hahha Antonio received the holy ghost this sunday and the priesthood! He was so happy. We put his little grandson Julio on date for the 18th too and his daughter gloria, less active, came to church! This week has been hard with Santoyo but i love her to death. She just doesn't have a desire to do anything, and is super cranky hahah but we talk for about 2 hours everyday about it and work it out. Sometimes i feel like half the time here i'm counseling her but its totally fine. I actually pep talk myself hahha lessons have been hard for me personally. hahha Santoyo LOVES to talk. I really get lucky if i get to share my testimony. One lesson she taught the whole thing hahaha then after she was so embarrassed. I said good job santoyo!!!!!!!!!! its super funny. We are learning so much from one another. I feel like my spanish isn't getting any better cause i'm trying to help her overcome all her challenges with the mission,  english and other stuff to but i know it will come:) Im happy to be here for her. She is my favorite person. She totally failed her two driving tests hahhaha she's so mad right now. haha i just laugh at her. Yesterday we had the most spiritual experience. We went and visited Sandra, one of our gators. She is on parole cause she hit her ex husband, any ways such a long ordeal with that. She loves the missionaries, they have been coming for years, she just doesn't do anything about it. She's been having more trials, and we just testified to her that we know that if she acts on her faith, she will be so blessed and see gods help in her life. Right after that she said "hermanas i cant come to church today, but i WILL be there next week. I know i need to change my life" Then she said that the other missionaries wanted her to watch this certain movie with christ but she never got to and has wanted to. (The Testaments) We told her that we actually ordered it and we didn't know why. And that we actually got it on saturday. CHILLS RUNNING DOWN OUR ARMS. She started bawling. Something as simple as that made her cry. We are going over tonight for FHE to watch it, i'm providing the popcorn:) Yesterday i had menudo(cow stomach) and fish. Yes please. man that was nice. Missions are great let me tell ya. I love it here. I cant wait for Sunday!! Love you all so much okay? okay:)
 
Also everyone here calls me guera or guera vende quesos cause thats all santoyo calls me. EVERYONE. We talked to a guy 1 time and then saw him yesterday and he said" GUERA!!! donde esta su queso??" I said that i sold it all. haha yep. Im guera (whitey)
 
Love Hermanititititititiititita Gates:)
LOVE
YOU
MOM:) HAPPY MOTHERS DAY
Hiking today!! skyline hike
Me and Santoyo bought new bikes. They're cute right??
Back flip in my skirt hahha adventurous:)
We slept on the Goudys balcony while they were gone. hahah
FHE con la familia Ramirez:)