Missionary Tan Line

Hello everyone! How is everybody? Is life moving fast and slow? 

This has been a really hard week but it's a great story for this weekly email. I'll give you a snippet of a journal entry I had this week:

I had this spiritual thought that I wrote down right after a lesson I had this week. To me I find it interesting to see non members that are close to Baptism that get worried because they feel like they need to know everything before they are members, but I realized I has the same fear before my mission. I felt like I needed to know Spanish right away, memorize all of the lessons, get the right clothes and equipment, to be the best Missionary possible. But the thing is, I can't be the best missionary I can be until I actually put the tag on and preach what I know! I can't beat myself up for not being my best right now because I am in a new place learning how to live a new way of life, learning how to teach in a completely different language than mine that I have only been practicing for 6 weeks. And I can see how that happens to new converts as well. But the thing is, you have to make that Baptism commitment to start being a new member.

I have seen so many new challenges this week that I have never faced before, a Convert canceling his baptism, dropping 60% of People that we were teaching, and running into a Bible basher and praying that I won't listen to his words and lose my reason for being here. 

But then you guys... PLOT TWIST as I was writing this paragraph after we had a lesson with a growing Convert named Hernando and some members, and I felt impressed to share this thought with him in Spanish and the members started to share and testify about what I said and then they asked him if he wanted to be baptized, but I had no idea that they asked that, so then Hermana Arriagada asked me "August 8th?and then Hernando got scared so then randomly I said "August 13th?"and then he smiled and that was finally the moment I realized he accepted a date for Baptism!!!! 

AAAAAAAAAA you guys may never know how I felt but that joy that someone is going to make that commitment is the reason why I am here. Just to know that they are taking the step to come to christ is all that I hope for when teaching others.

I would like to testify that the spirit is real and it has testified to me of everything I know to be true. I know that Christ lives. I know that Joseph Smith is the prophet of the restored gospel and the Book of Mormón is another testament of Jesus Christ. I hope that you get to feel the spirit and know these things to be true as I write it. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Also I don't know if any other language speaking missionaries feel this way but it is so hard to testify in English now! It's so weird

Also I've been walking around in the sun for a week and a half now and I have a hilarious missionary/farmers tan line now.

If you guys want to see the fun announcement we made for Hernando's Baptism date or want to hear about the Bible basher story let me know! I don't want this email to be too big 

Hermana Vestel

Photos:

1. This is our church building

2. We went to the quarterly temple trip in the ogden temple!

3 and 4 We got to attend the Ogden rodeo and it was so cool

5 made some caprese salad for my companion

6 we got to participate in the Ogden pioneer day parade!