Sister Heather Crofts

January 29, 2018

If Nobody else loves you, at least Hermana Vargas does. :)

Lots of good happened this week.

We started doing service for this sweet lady Cecilia. She’s 8 months pregnant & her husband is in Mexico. She’s already got 2 kids and she needs a lot of help. Last week, we stopped in to meet her and while we were talking we told her we'd love to help her out with anything anytime. She needed to paint her room and we were getting ready to leave and she said "Can you help me paint now?" So we painted her room bright pink and in our dresses hahahahh. We told her we'd come back to finish it. We brought the Elders with us so that we could power through it.

Wednesday we had service project at Hatcher Garden. We love Hatcher!!! We were in charge of collecting and the Elders made like a nest on the back the golf cart hahahahh. There were lots of mixed emotions this week just because we had a cute little district family and they all had helped me so much and we were getting split up!!! So there were lots of sad little goodbyes but they're going to do so great in their next area. We got to have a sleepover with Sister Pew and Sister Larsen on Wednesday night which consisted of lots of stories and it was so fun!

Sister Larsen was our companion for the day and we debated keeping her forever. But her companion came and we had to let her go.

We are eating really healthy when we are in the house (probably healthier than I have ever eaten before). I feel really good!! We go on a short run every morning. MMA (mixed martial arts) is really helping me stay in good shape and stay motivated!!!! While we were at MMA, we learned how to choke each other. It is a really good thing that Hermana Jensen and I like each other because otherwise that could get bad real quick hahahah.

So I need to clarify the Hernandez family. Guadalupe and Tina are married. Tina and 2 daughters were baptized in December and Adailya is the oldest daughter and still deciding. Troy is 7 and turns 8 in March and wants to get baptized then. Friday we were planning for the week and started to get really stressed. Adailya fell off her baptismal date and Guadalupe is impossible to see. There just aren't enough days in the week to get everything done that we need to! I was getting way stressed and then we just decided that we'd leave and try and tackle it all later. That is when the blessings all started coming. We went to Hermana Vargas's house. I have appointed her my mission Abuela (Grandma). When we answer the phone she just says "AHHHHH MIS MUCHACHAS!!!!" We went over and she has prepared a meal for us but was so distraught because a glass had dropped and ruined it all. She ended up making us something else but just is like a grandma to us. Feeds you a little too much, gives you the biggest hugs, and always makes sure we feel loved. Abuelita Vargas :). (She is a member and her husband is one of our investigators.)

While trying to visit some other people, we felt impressed to try this cute little house. Inside we found two cute black people, Eugene and Janet. She invited us in and kept saying how she didn't like the JW's, and one time the Mormons came. I kinda laughed and then said "We're the Mormons." She just went off and said "no no no but there is something different about you." We asked them if we could send some English missionaries over to visit. She reluctantly agreed and then I said a prayer for them and she just cried. She was so grateful. Eugene told us a story for like 8 minutes. He was speaking English but his southern accent was harder than any Spanish I have ever heard. Thankfully as a missionary I have perfected my head-nod-listen-face.

We visited Robert last. He is kinda a funny story. We met him our first week here. He was kinda in a rough spot in his life. His mom is an inactive member but we often visit his grandma. He's 29 and just became one of our best friends here. We have seen him grow a lot just by having us around. We love Robert. On Friday, while talking to him he expressed that he wants to come to church but he works 7 days a week and just can't. He also asked us about baptism and he is progressing sooooooo much!!!! We told him about the YSA branch here and invited him. He told us he'd only go if we could go with him. So on Saturday night by some miracle he got work off and told us "Hey I wanna go to that thing." Our plans for Sunday cancelled and so we went to 6 hours of church. Our Spanish group, and YSA. It was so weird being at YSA I just felt like I was in the afterlife and it was too strange hahhahah. BUT Robert loved it. We might be passing him off to YSA missionaries... :'( But it would be so good for him.

Saturday!!! We did service for Cecilia in the morning. Adailya didn't get Baptized. When we met with her on Monday we just talked about it all. She has started doing her personal progress and for the first time praying and reading and asking. We shared a lot of our personal experiences and it just hit me while talking to her just how grateful I am for the gospel and how many witnesses I have received that it is true. But we are going to try and get her back on date tonight.

I felt feeling really blessed because Raiana and Elmir, my favorite Brazilian investigators from Charleston were baptized. I didn't get to go but I was definitely there in spirit. I got to Skype in and that was the best. It made my heart ache for Charleston and for the two of them. Those two people have the most special place in my heart. Watching them get baptized made me so happy. Raiana is my soul sister and as Elmir would say "I am like his daughter in the spirit." hahahah. They know it's true and their cute family will be eternal. :))

This last week we have been listening to all of President Nelson’s talks in the car. We drive a lot because our area is so big so it makes it so nice to listen to them all. We are listening to them all and are currently in 2009.

I hope y'all have the most blessed week. I know that the church is true. Being a missionary is not always easy and sometimes wayyyyy too stressful. But I just love what we get to do and I am so so happy.

Con mucho amor

Hermanita Crofts