Sister Macey Gates // Week Forty-Four // "Crazy Week!! :)"

This week was crazy haha But thats okay! Mercedes dropped us... it broke my heart. She was supposed to get baptized this week, but her family asked that we stopped coming over. Camila my baby duck died.. she got eaten by a crow, but we are buying more today cause Baumgarts aunt gave us money to. Saturday we were on our way to pick up some sisters who were getting their car fixed and we were driving on the freeway back, and i just feel the car start swerving a little but and i told the sisters that something was wrong... they said we are fine just keep going... but i didn't feel comfortable so i told them i'm getting off at this exit cause i couldn't control the car very good... so we got off the exit and our tire popped haha but luckily i didn't freak out while i was driving and had so much help from my heavenly father. So we got everything out to change the tire, we acted like we totally knew what we were doing and totally didn't but this guy stopped and helped us. I could not be more grateful for the protection i had while driving. I knew that angels were there helping me steer and keep control of the car. So the Part member family that we have been working with are doing really awesome:) I love them with all my heart! We read the talk "Choose you this day" By President Monson and they were bawling by the end and committed to a baptismal date at the end of september! We have been able to work with the cousins of that family, Their son Carlos we have been teaching him because he needed to be baptized. BUT he wanted to be baptized before he turned nine(its his birthday today) he said he was born ready to be baptized haha he has helped his family come back to church. We are now helping that family be prepared to go and be sealed for time and all eternity:) What a blessing!! Carlos was baptized yesterday and it was amazing. After we got a call from our mission president saying we were going to be in a trio. One of the other sisters had to go home this morning on a medical release.  We got to have breakfast with them at the mission home this morning so that was fun:) Her name is Hermana Glenn. Im super excited. Its going to be challenging because Baumgart went through the same thing that sister glenn is going through now so we are just going to work one day at a time:) Wow its been crazy haha but i have seen so many miracles. This has been the hardest thing i have ever done but i wouldn't trade these 10 months for anything. Happy 10 months to me and Mitz:) I love this work. Im grateful to be here to help these cute sisters go through all that they are and let them help me too. Thank you for all the support from everyone!!:)

love you!!

Hermanita Gates:)

This is my baby:) She died haha

We took beer from our part member family. We got permission. But we had to dump it out of the cans and into the sink. SUPER GROSS. Don't drink beer please.

Our busted up tire haha

Carlos' baptism:)

Popcorn and journal writing:)

Sister Macey Gates // Week Forty-Three // "SOY UN CUATA jeje:)‏"

I am so in love with this place, and these people. We have seen miracle after miracle and my companion is awesome guys:) She has been through A LOT in her life and it makes me so sad to hear about it but she says she loves me so thats a good sign i think!! We have so much fun and we teach so well together. The spirit is SO powerful. So we basically have the best gators in the world. We have a part member family, the Pereidas, and there are 3 potential baptisms, this is an awesome family. The first night we went there we had FHE so we watched the Restoration video with them and they really understood it. Then we kinda divided an conquered so Hermana Juarez was with us that night so me and Juarez talked to one of the sisters that just moved in while baumgart talked to the other people. We were just having a normal conversation and of course you easily glide into the gospel. We started talking about the gospel and i surprisingly had an english BOM in my bag and so she willingly accepted it and loves to read it. This family is amazing. They have some things to change but they WILL be baptized:) We have a girl named Jocelyn and she is the only nonmember in her family and she is on date for the 24th but she has to stop smoking. She loves the gospel, its just those little temptations she gives into to smoke. But we are working hard with her:) We have a cute little kid named Ceasar, he is 9 years old and part of a part member family, and he is so shy so we are coming up with different ways for him to talk with us. We are excited for him to be baptized:) Then we have this girl named Mercedes. SHE IS AMAZING. She loves reading the BOM, and the other night we were talking about prophets and we told her that we have one on earth today. She freaked out and was like that is the coolest thing in the world. So we brought over mormon messages and showed her a little clip of Thomas S. Monson speaking and she was amazed. We got her little brother involved and little sister. And they came to church and LOVED IT. Her little sister Natalia said after taking the sacrament that she wants to be baptized. She turned 8 on the 6th of December so its not too far away and hopefully Mercedes is getting baptized this sunday or next:) I love these people with all my heart. 

     So this week..... I BOUGHT A DUCK!!!! She is the cutest little thang i ever did see:):) I named her Camila:) She is so shy and so cute! Baumgarts great aunt and uncle live close to where we do and have a little farm so she sleeps there:) We get to go visit them sometimes during lunch. 

    So yesterday we go to dinner right... and they start talking to us about breeding their dogs... and give us all the details. Were just like oh wow thanks for letting us know! THEN their daughters told us their whole life story and one told us she was lez....she is 15... and she is sitting there painting my nails. I have never felt more uncomfortable in my whole life. And then they were like twerking and putting on this crazy music.... WOWWW man the spirit was GONE. I really hope we don't have to go back over there again. Anywho...

This week i was thinking about prayer. I have no doubts that God answers our prayers. But i was thinking that all the time we say that we just want answers, and God isn't answering us. But one thing came to my mind: Are we listening to the answers he gives us? Are we living worthy to hear the spirit speak to us? I challenge all of you to act on the answers that he gives you. I know he loves every single one of us. I love you all ok!!! Que tengan buena semana:)

Hermanita Gates:)

P.S. Also we did crossfit witht he mission this morning. I was able to finish the workout but holy moly i am so out of shape and then we got to play soccer for 2 hours. That was the best:) Just letting you know how content i am:)

We fit me and Bowen's stuff in the car haha we rock.

We decorated the elders door cause they now have a new greenie haha

I took popcorn to DDM and this is my compie:)

This is my new baby :)

Sister Macey Gates // Week Forty-Two // "ME VOY ULTRA VEZ!!‏"

      I just decided I'm never coming home. I love this work con TODO mi corazon. I love the scriptures. I have grown to love reading in my spanish scriptures every day. I love it. I love learning new words and the cool thing is, is that when you learn a new word, i feel like God puts you in a situation that day to use it! So Im getting transferred to a place called Jurupa. Its where cars basically dont exist cause people ride horses haha im so excited. It makes me so sad to leave this place and the people that you love so much. Thats why im never coming home. My new companion is Hna Baumgart. She has been going through alot on her mission so president wants me to go and help her out a little bit. I am so excited. She is super cute! Bowen got called to be the next STL so that means we are still living together haha just different companions. This week we went on bike alot. I LOVED IT!! ITs so fun to just look so dang cute in our helmets and talk to everyone you see. We had a blast! 

    This week i truly came to know how important the Book of Mormon is. We were in a lesson with a lady named Francis, and her son Jorge just got baptized, but his mom is just not ready i think. BUT we were trying to teach her about what side she is on. And then i got this big impression to ask Jorge what made the difference for him to choose to be baptized. He said the Book of Mormon. It hit me so hard, and so i changed the subject and started talking about the Book of Mormon, Bowen was a little confused and then we both realized that she didnt understand the basics of the gospel. The book of mormon is so powerful guys. But it blesses us the most when we read it, and live it. 

    So we found this girl named Jocelyn, she is super into the Catholic church and explained everything that she is doing in that church. Then we were like hey can we come back and we can share little messages to each other? So we went back and she told us everything that she was doing with, church school, and what not right? So we asked her, " Do you ever feel like something is missing in your life?" And she said" yeah, i do." We then taught her the first lesson and the spirit was so strong. And she already had a book of mormon cause her and one of her friends saw the San Diego temple and wanted to go inside it! So they walked in side haha and then someone gave them a Book of Mormon. It makes us sad cause we are getting transfered but i know God is going to take care of her:)

   So we went to go visit cute little Leonarda and when we were leaving, she walks us out(never has before) and pulls out of her shirt haha 4 pairs of her earings. We always compliment her on her earings cause she loves them! She said i dont want you to forget about me. Ayy she is so cute!! 

    We also found this lady named Alejandra, so we went to go visit her and she lets us in and starts crying. And were just like oh boy what did we do haha she told us that her son had just gotten in a crash and she had been praying for angels. And right after her prayer we knocked on her door. We then taught her about the restoration. I dont think the spirit has been so strong before. It was amazing. We then put her on date for the 7 de september. What an amazing experience, to be led to those who need our Heavenly Father in the exact moment. What an amazing experience to be apart of this:)

    So when we got home one night im like running the door to let our homeshares dog out to pee cause hes been in there all day and i turn the key to unlock it and it BROKE IN HALF....... i couldnt help but laugh. I walk to the car and im just like Bowen, call the Elders... So they came and helped us, we didnt ever get the lock out so the westerns had to buy a new one. I felt so bad. But they jsut laughed and were pretty good about it.

    This Friday we got to go to a baseball game, the Storm game. I think their AA but our mission prez was there and it was SO fun! It was mormon night so they had us missionaries come out on the field and introduce ourselves and then they asked us to do activites in between innings. It was hilarious. I miss baseball!

     EDGAR GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT was the most amazing thing to see that guy change. I was able to work with him about 7 months in corona and then he got permission to be baptized after i left. He completely changed. I am so proud of him!! 

What an amazing week. I feel my saviors love every single day. Not only for me but everyone else around me. Choosing to go on a mission was the best decision i have ever made in my entire life. 

Love you guys!!:)

Hermanita Gates

Do you like my zebra skirt Bowen gave me?

our cool new door knob hahha

BASEBALL GAME

IT pays off knowing people cause then you get to go into the suites:)

They threw popcorn out of the top of the stadium, and the elders caught some and then they gave it to me hehe

Saying bye:(

Edgar got baptized!!!!

YESSSSSSSSSSSS

Sister Macey Gates // Week Forty-One

Este semana era una lacura jaja Well last week we died everyone in our zones pee blue, i forgot to mention that. We got this chemical stuff from someone in our ward and put it in some browning, it was the funniest thing!! People thought they were gonna die. Then we had to have lunch with the elders in our ward, were not supposed to, but we didn't have an option, so we were eating carne asada, and i had just gotten done eating this big piece and our district leader told Hermana Arriaga that i was embarrassed to get more.... so that would mean i would have to eat more. It was so mad, he used to always do this to us. He was gaining up on all of us. Then i went and got the biggest piece, took a little off of it, and when Hermana Arriaga wasn't looking i slammed the rest right on his plate.... hahhaha he was SO mad haha we still cant stop laughing about it. Everyone loves playing pranks on each other haha. 

                So me and Bowen got bikes!!!!! We use our bikes in the morning and car in the afternoon. I am so out of shape haha but has been a complete blast!! Besides the fact that my bike is broken, and i'm the only one that has a backpack so i get to carry two times the stuff, its so awesome. We are seeing miracles.  

               This week i had the chance to go on exchanges with my trainer, Hermana Nelson. I was a little scared but it was probably one of my favorite days in my mission. She is like a completely different person. I haven't laughed as much as i did with her in a long time. And the best part of it, was when i got to see Santoyo!!!!!!!! So Santoyo's companion is going through a rough time so they weren't allowed to go out of the appt. We planned on going to lunch with them, so nelson just handed me the keys to the car and said you and Santoyo go get lunch. Thats totally like we would get in trouble for it if Bro king found out. BUT i got to talk with Santoyo and got to help her out a little bit:) She listens to me and does what i tell her to do hehe It was such a great day. I can say that Hermana Nelson is one of my best friends. She apologized for everything that happened and i did too. It was such a tender moment!! 

               This week me and Bowen haven't gotten any sleep. Our room is 90 degrees, but we are getting through it and are so grateful for our home share and all that they have done for us! We are moving home shares next week so i'm so excited!!!  We have had lots of miracles in finding people who are ready, we found a girl named Haylin, and she is on date for the 24th. She is looking for her purpose, and wants to know the truth. We also found someone yesterday looking for someone else. She was sitting on the porch crying and we introduced ourselves and asked if we could say a little prayer with her. She said that the prayer touched her so much. She didn't accept baptism, and she didn't live there but she wants to listen more when she is in town. Even though we haven't had the hugest success that we have been praying for, i love the little opportunities that we have to plant little seeds and touch some hearts:)  

               The best part about this week was when Leonarda received the spirit:) The bishop presented her at the pulpit and she felt like she was queen haha She wanted me to walk her out to the car, but on her way she made sure to shake everyones hands and give everyone big hugs haha she has never done that before! As we were walking out too the car, she says "I feel so good!!! I don't have pain right now!" What a tender mercy:) She is the cutest little thing i ever did see:)

              This week i truly learned who i am here for. Its so easy to get caught up trying to learn things to help yourself, but when we do things for other people, thats when we grow the most. I love this gospel with all my heart!!

  Have a fabulous week!!!!!

Hermanitititititiita Geets:) 

We drove up the Ortega highway and watched the sunset this morning:)

And me and bowen cant take a normal picy worth our lives

Exchanges:)

Sister Macey Gates // Week Forty // "HAPPY 9 MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!!!!‏"

This week was an emotional roller coaster haha so monday... i chopped my hair off. Worst decision i have EVER made in a long time. I told the lady i only wanted 6 inches off and then she was like no you need to donate it. I promise it will be longer than Hermana Bowen's hair after i cut it. So i'm just like freaking out and i said ok. So she took a lot of time on Bowen's hair, hers looks SO cute!! Then she took about 7 min on my hair and was like i have to go i have an appt. ill fix it later if i need to. I walk into the bathroom to look at it... i almost started crying. It was so much shorter than Bowen's. I look like dora the explorer. I was crying for the rest of the day. What made it even worse was that we went to the other sisters homeshare and she is a retired hair stylist and she couldn't believe how bad it was. So she fixed it for me, which meant she had to cut off even more. So in all i cut off about 10 inches. I hate it. haha I wouldn't mind it if she didn't cut it so short. But there is nothing i can do about it and we donated it so i guess thats good. Ive gotten the worst compliments about it so thats fun too:) So this sunday was absolutely amazing. When i took the sacrament this week, i felt the spirit so strong. There is so much power in the ordinances in the church. Then cute little Leonarda had to get a second interview and she passed!! Then after church we went and visited a few potentials. We met a guy named Cesar, he is really awesome. We talked to him about prayer, prayer is so amazing to me. Its so cool to help people realize that we are actually talking to God, and that he hears every word we say to him. Then his wife came outside and started chewing him out, she was so mad, she just kept saying how catholic she was and Cesar kept inviting her to come pray with us, which made her even more mad, but all we could do was keep going with our conversation and let her know that this is okay. Then we made a return appt. with Cesar which his wife wasn't very happy about but i think her heart will be softened with time:) Then we went and visited these little girls we talked to the other day. They opened the door and said Abuela! Its our friends!! She thought we were really their friends haha so she was so welcoming. Then she realized we were missionaries haha We were able to pray with that family and the spirit was so strong. After the prayer they were all the like wow, we feel so much peace. And we were able to set a return appt. with them. Then right when we walked outside, we saw a lady walking, so of course we go and talk with her. She said she had just moved here and she was looking for a church. 3 miracles in a row. blessings. Then cute little Leonarda got baptized!!!!!!!!! Ahh she is the cutest littlest thing i ever did see:) She had 5 generations of her family there. She is so little and fragile so we were a little worried, but Elder Blanchard is in the army and is super strong so he just kinda spun her around in a circle and dunked her cause she wouldn't bend her knees to be dunked. When she came up out of the door from being changed she had the biggest smile on her cute little face:) I will never forget that moment. I went up and talked with her after and she told me thanks for teaching her and helping her understand. And then she said " Ive never gone swimming before" hahha I couldn't stop laughing and neither could she. She did not stop smiling. Then i went and said bye to her in the car, and she's just sittin' in the front seat, she so small you can barely even see her haha and she's just waving at me with a huge smile on her face. It was such an amazing baptism, it truly meant the world to be part of that. Families are forever. I love this gospel. I love studying it every single day. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. Im truly in the BEST mission in the whole wide world. This is my family here:)

I love you all:)

Hermana Gates:)

Leonardas baptism:) Families are forever!!

Sister Macey Gates // Week Thirty-Nine

9 months down, forever and beyond to go. I  love this work. I wont ever stop doing it. This work is changing me. This week was good! Cute little Leonarda is getting baptized next week!! Awe she is the funniest person i have ever met in my life. I love teaching that little lady so much!! This week her great grandson went and got her a paper towel to wiper her eyes and in the mean time killed a fly. He didn't know it landed on the paper towel and so when leonarda used it she wiped the fly across her face... we were all dying!!!! Like she doesn't even know whats going on, so that was a good thing but we have the best times with her. And she made it to church:) We picked up a guy named Pedro, he was on the street in his electric wheel chair so we stopped so see if he needed help. We got talking to him and told us he didn't believe in Jesus Christ. By the end of that conversation he was on date. He is going to be a little hard cause he smokes tobacco, and drinks, but we are going to get him in that water! Saturday we told him he was going to church and he said there is no way he's was going. With time the spirit convinced him:) But then Sunday morning we go to get him and he said, hermanas i cant go today, i have an enfermedad en mi estomago, i don't know how to say that haha, he said "i have diarrhea, do you know what that is?" No Pedro could you please explain? oh my gosh we were just like yeah we do, we hope you get feeling better! hahahah This week we definitely could have worked harder. Bowen died again this week. We went over to mama yokshas house almost everyday while Bowen laid on their couch for 4 hours. It killed me. I just wanna work. But i'm helping her build up her desire!! Yesterday was her birthday so i got up at 5:30 in the morning, put streamers up, made confetti and threw all over her while she was sleeping and wrote all over our mirror. Then when she woke up, i had shaving cream in my hand and i SMASHED that stuff in her face. I got her GOOD hahah Then i wrote her the funniest letter, so sometimes i just think i'm funny okay? Yesterday was so good until the end. So i got a call earlier this week saying Edgar from corona who we worked with to stop smoking got the approval from the first presidency to get baptized. Then last night i got a call from Santoyo saying that Edgar wants to investigate another church to know for sure that this is the right church. We cried together. That made me SO sad. I feel like every time we get dropped by gators, i'm getting dropped by a boyfriend or something. It breaks your heart. Cause you work and work with them and see how much progress they have made and then they quit. Then Bowen was sad too last night cause she didn't get very many birthday calls from other missionary or letters from her friends, she felt like no one loved her so we stayed up till 1 o' clock. But i tried to make it a good day for her. I do love that girl so much. We are seriously like sisters haha we are pretty funny. This week has taught me so much patience and to really rely on the lord. I love reading the BOM everyday, i can never put it down and i hate reading. This gospel is amazing. I feel like we get trial after trial here, but blessing after blessing. It never get easier, it only gets better. I know this church is true. I am in the best mission in the whole wide world. I love you all okay!!!

Hermana Gates:)

p.s. I have this like little lisp sometimes when i speak spanish i don't know why but i sound like anthony requa....  just saying.

last night when we were sad:(

Bowens Birthday:)!

Leonardas great grandkids, Josue and Daniela:) I love this family with my whole heart!!