Sister Macey Gates // Week Sixty-Six

Happy transfers!! So i got a call from President Mullen saturday morning and he asked me if i would be will to be an STL, sister training leader..... and i was like ehhhhhhhhhh ehhhhhhh... haha just killing. I said i would be more than willing! And i will be staying here in Moreno Valley and my companions name is Hermanita Juarez:) So i'm just moving apptointments down the street. Im so sad to leave Hermana Lindsey. She is one of the most amazing missionaries and has taught me so much! But i am in the same zone as her, so it stressed her out a little less. She will do great:) This week Robert got baptized!! He was more than ready, it was an amazing time for their family.  Hermana Martin gave me the biggest hug after the baptism and told me that I will always be part of their family.  They brought some of their non-member friends and family to the baptism, and the spirit was so strong. You can never deny that feeling!! Saturday night we had movie night with them. We all piled on Marinas, ate popcorn and watched the Restoration:) We are still working with Rigo, we had a lesson with him about the priesthood and he told us he wanted to be able to testify that it was true just like we do. We shared some of our experiences with the priesthood and at the end we put him on date! It was awesome! We are also still working with La familia cruz/macias, we had two lessons with them this week. This was the first time the mom, who is actually a member sat in the lesson with us. She listened both times. The second time we went over she had dug out her old gospel principles book, and i was able to explain it to her. Its been the most amazing thing seeing that family come together and change their lives little by little. Luciano, the daughters boyfriend was the only one that came to church out of that family, but we are making so much progress with them. Some of the kids claim to be atheists, but they sit in on every lesson and the other day told us that they have cut back drinking a lot of coffee. That is a HUGE step for them.  We also had the chance to eat with a LA family, and we ended up talking about the word of wisdom cause they are trying to cut back on the treats. They told us all of their ideas, like using shots from the doctor and all this stuff but we helped them to realize that there are simpler ways to do it, like exercising and eating fruits and veggies. They just got so excited when ever we said something haha and at the end they couldn't stop thanking us and they gave us a referral. God works miracles everyday, and helps people to realize his plan and his ways. I LOVE THIS WORK! I am super excited to be staying here in Moreno Valley, I am honestly in the best mission ever!! I hope you all have a great week!! LOVE YOU!!!

Hermanita Gates:)

Hermana Garcias birthday party!!

She's so tooooooot!!!!

Hermano Hernani!!

La familia Martin:)

Roberts baptism!!

Sister Macey Gates // Week Sixty-Five

This week was so good:)! On monday we got to go on a hike with our zone, we just barely started doing p-day zone activities again.  We hiked up to the M, like the D in St. Geezy. It was super beautiful!!  I wore my popcorn socks too! On tuesday we had interviews with President and the advice he gave us was to have fun! So were just partying it up like missionaries do! This week we got permission and taught Robert (he's 9). We pretty much taught him all the lessons and he passed his interview. That kid is so smart and so so excited to be baptized!! He will be baptized this sunday! Gloria is doing good still:) Were always over at her house forever cause she always asks us all the interesting questions, like ufos and stuff. Just things she sees on TV but she thanked us for listening to her and helping her. She made it to church on time this week so we were pretty happy about it:)! So this Wednesday me and Hermana Juarez had to teach the bible class, she was on exchanges with an english sister so she asked me to start it and teach with her, i had no idea what the chapter was on, but it ended up being really good. Just follow the spirit right? So this week we did a lot of finding. We were outside trying to visit a LA member, that doesn't actually live there anymore but there was a guy name Otto outside that we just walked up and talked to. He told us that he went to our church for about 18 years, but was never baptized and his daughter that lives with him is actually a member! We had a lesson with them, he has a hard time believing in God. We had a really powerful lesson on faith, and the atonement and at one point he just got up and walked out, he started to cry. But he offered to feed us tomorrow so we are super excited about that! This week we finally had a lesson with Luciano, the boyfriend of Maria, a very less active member and we definitely had to call him to repentance on the Word of Wisdom, It was awesome. Sometimes you just have to be straight up with people. We also met this homeless lady named Torlene at the park, we invited her to see the video He is the Gift and when we got ready to leave she told us that she really needed that. So many people are in need of the gospel! So Hermana Santoyo called me the other night and she told me that President Mullen had called her. She had no idea who was calling but picked up the phone and said "WHATS UP MAN!!!" hahah She said President Mullen just had to laugh. Freakin Santoyo i just love her!! Do you remember how i told you that some people we taught in corona got baptized, that i didn't know about? Well the moms name is Lupita, and she just barely got back from Mexico. She showed up in church on sunday, and i don't think i've ever been more happy in my life. I taught that lady almost a year ago, with Hermana Santoyo and she remembered me and thanked me for teaching her cause she is now a member. Sometimes you don't ever see the outcomes but when you do, and they remember you, its the best feeling in the world:) I LOVE THIS WORK!!! This is my last week training Hermana Lindsey, the time has gone by so fast! We had a lesson with Rigo one of our investigators, and at the end he just stared at us... and said to me and Hermana Lindsey "You guys are best friends aren't you?" I have grown to love Hermana Lindsey so much, she has taught me so much patience and love. I don't know what will happen at transfers but what ever happens, i will go and do! I absolutely love love love the scriptures!! Make it a goal to read them every day!! I love you all so much!!!

Hermanita Gates:)

On our hike,  probably the best picys Hermana Lindsey has ever taken!

Yogurtland for cena!!

We made bambasos!

The best letter i've ever received haha!

This is Lupita:)

Bowling today for zone activity!!

Sister Mitzi Gates // Week Sixty-Four

This week was just one of those weeks hahahha we did lots of finding and lots of dropping! I was able to go on exchanges with Hermana Dulong, she is so cute! I got to go to riverside again.  And Hermana Lindsey stayed in Moval, she totally got lost all day, but i'm still so proud of her!! We were able to put this 9 year old named Robert on date. His family is less active and they just barely started to come to church again. I love that family with all my heart, one night we had a movie night with them and watched the Testaments. That is such a special movie and we had popcorn too so that was super special:) haha Its been a huge blessing having the relationship we have with that family. They love when we come over! Sunday we had the chance to help out in the primary, those little kids are so special!! Even tho they are so crazy sometimes, when we talked about Jesus they all were so quiet and listened. I have been learning so much patience! Hermana Lindsey saw our counselor this week, and it helped her so much, we still have comp inventory for all of companion study, but i'm willing to do whatever is best for Hermana Lindsey, she is such a sweet girl! Yesterday i was sick, and she served me all day, she teaches me so much patience and love everyday. I love this gospel so much. This is the best blessing to be out here, teaching something that i love so much, and even tho its hard sometimes, vale la pena, Its worth it! Im sorry i don't have much time today but i love you all so much!! Have a great week!:)

Hermana Gates:)

Mom sent me popcorn socks and right before that i had popped a bag of carn at the mission office haha super funny!

Exchanges with hermana Dulong:)

I taught Sister Lindsey how to ride a bike:)

This guy asked me to marry him hahaha i had to turn him down

Homemade pizzas:)

Sister Macey Gates // Week Sixty-Three

I love this work more than anyone else. 

Monday: We have been praying for a way to get in with this Less Active, part-member, half atheist family. We have tried so hard, but they just keep telling us they are atheist.  So we made them pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and stopped by. We were able to talk to Maria, one of the daughters who is a member, she was baptized when she was 8 but doesn't remember, she only remembers being in water.  BUT we tried to get to know them and be their friends and we gave them the cookies and asked for a return apt. They TOTALLY SAID YES! I could not believe it! 

Tuesday: We went to the temple, I love that place with all my heart, the spirit there is so sweet! There was actually two weddings going on so we probs may have popped up in a couple of their picy's. Then that night we went and taught a couple, on is a member, and his girlfriend isn't. They have been taught by missionaries for a long time, and they elders have tried to tell them they are living in sin but the member wouldn't listen. But then we taught them, told them straight up they are living in sin and that they have no excuses, and they shut their mouths hahah it was AWESOME! They actually have been making a plan, a plan to be married or separated. They ended up moving in the other sisters area so we cant teach them anymore. But we definitely showed love to them too, no worries!

Wednesday: We had a lesson with a girl named Claudia, she was 16 and had her first child. She said she almost went on 16 and pregnant, she is now 22 and has 3 kids, and just walked away from her relationship. That girl had no support growing up with anything. She believes in God but doesn't know anything about him. It made me realize how grateful i am to have been born in the covenant with amazing parents. And then for News Years we played soccer:) It was awesome!!!!!!

This is what happened the rest of the week, i don't remember what day it was hahha:

So we went and taught this family, they have this awesome parrot named pacito, he ate a banana for us, and sat on my shoulder for quite sometime haha we are still trying to work with that family, they are going through really hard times.  We went and saw Juan and Elizabeth and they surprised us with matching black leather boots! They told us that they wanted to get us something to remember them, and since its been cold, they got us boots:) They are the most amazing couple and help us with anything!  There was one night that we came out of a lesson and la familia Martin popped up in my head and i felt sick about it kinda. I told hermana Lindsey and we decided that something was wrong, so we went and visited them.  Marina, one of the girls tore her ligaments in her knee falling off a quad, and she was so depressed. She had been praying for us to come over.  We had such an awesome lesson with her, and helped her recognize all that she has learned from this experience.  I love that family with all my heart.  NEVER NOT FOLLOW A PROMPTING.  We also met this guy named Rigo this week. He was involved in a church in Texas but was lied to so much that he lost a lot of his faith in God. We have the most amazing lesson with him on faith, and he committed to come to church. He actually showed up 20 min early, and loved church. We were in Gospel Principals class and Hermano Pravia gave us a list of 17 things the true church has to have and told us that if we see, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has all they points. After the class Rigo asked me how he can get to the point of baptism. It was the best question anyone has ever asked me. We also had an amazing experience in Relief Society. We have been working with la familia Sanchez, a less active family, and Saturday we talked about sharing our testimonies. We told Hermana Sanchez we thought she had an amazing testimony and that she should share it. So in relief society, with the time they gave us to bear our testimonies, she was the first one up and shared her testimony with such confidence and power, and her daughter came to church for the first time in a long time. After relief society she came up to me and thanked me for helping her know what kind of testimony she had and promised to share it the next time in sacrament meeting. She is an amazing lady, she reminds me of you mom! After church we were pulling out and remembered that we had to print off a ward list, we took a min to decided whether to get it right then or wait so we decided to go back. We ended up meeting this lady who is a member and her non member husband, we immediately got a BOM for him and invited him to read it. That guy had the biggest smile on his face. I don't think he has much of a religious background cause he has never read the bible. We are so excited to teach them! I know that we didn't just go back to get the ward list, but that God had prepared someone else for us to teach. This we has been amazing. It definitely has been a challenge with Hermana Lindsey, but she called the nurse and is getting all the help that she needs, along with our 3 hour comp inventory everyday. I love that girl so much, and she is teaching me so much everyday. I know God loves each and everyone of us SO much, I am so grateful to have the companion that i have and to be able to see all the miracles each and everyday. Could this gospel be any more amazing?

Love you!!!!!

Hermanita Gates:)

This is pacito!!

our new boots!!

and someone stole the fence haha this is a really ghetto area.