Hermana in Houston: Week 58: Best of the Best!

February 9, 2015

Just finished moving into my new apartment! HALLELUJIAH.

This week started out so hard. A..., one of my very best friends from the mission and our top progressing investigator, went back to Mexico... and she didn't even say goodbye. I had overheard her talking about getting her baby's passport, and getting a job as a nurse in Mexico, but I never imagined she would leave without telling us, and so soon! Her husband told me that she knew that it would have been too hard to tell us, that they thought it was better this way. It felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest. I was so in shock I couldn't even cry. All week I've heard her voice in my head and it's so hard to walk by her apartment. We visited her every single day for two months! She fed us all the time, threw a birthday party for Hermana Provost, and bought us Christmas presents! It was such a miracle that we met her and she was so prepared for the Gospel! I am so scared that I am never, ever going to see her again. My heart was completely broken.

Heavenly Father is so aware of what we go through. Just at my lowest of lows, a woman came up to me after I taught the English class on Tuesday night and hugged me! She said that she had seen me walking around her apartments for the last seven months and had always wanted to talk to us, but never found the courage to do it, until she walked into our English class and realized I was the teacher! She had tears in her eyes and just kept repeating in her broken English, "I am so happy! I am so happy!"

An enormous blessing is that this weekend was Rosabel's baptism.

A little bit of background story {I'm going to ask her to attatch it in her own words next week}: Rosabel works for a company based in Salt Lake. She was hired a month ago and went to a training in downtown SLC, where she saw the temple. Her boss, Brandon, was able to explain its significance to her, and the Spirit touched her heart. Before I had even received her referral she had read a lot of the Book of Mormon, watched General Conference, and arranged her life in a way to be able to be baptized. And the rest is history!

Her baptism was the best of the best. Let me tell you, it makes a huge difference being able to hug them. hahahaha! It was so tender to stand on the side of the font and hug her before she went in. Brandon flew all the way from Salt Lake to baptize her, and it was perfect. The Spirit was so strong, & after she came out of the water they embraced and she cried in his arms. SO TENDER! Then she came up and hugged me and it felt indescribable. Then she dried off and came back in and told her conversion story and bore her testimony- so sweet! Words are so inadequate to describe how perfect and special and amazing it was. After it ended Francisco came up to shake her hand, and I don't even remember what he said to her, but it was something about how I was his little angel too... I kept it together the whole baptism until that point, but I couldn't hold back the tears as the Spirit pierced my soul and confirmed that I had accomplished what Heavenly Father needed me to accomplish. I felt this little piece of my heart click into place, this little emptiness inside me was filled, and I felt pure joy. Every single hard thing in the process of serving a mission is worth it. I absolutely love being a missionary. I know that He has a perfect plan for each of us, that His timing is perfect. I am so humbled to know that He allows us to serve in this work and feel a little bit of His love for these people. Rosie is so special, and I am so grateful I chose to come on a mission & love her with my whole heart, to teach her and see her take her first few steps closer to her Savior. I am so proud of Brandon for being an example of what he believes, and for sharing the Gospel, he has changed many lives in the process. I think if we all could see and understand the ripple effect that occurs when we open our mouths and invite others to come unto Christ we would all try a little harder to be a little better.

Thank you for your love and support! I feel it lifting me up and keeping me going!

God is Good.

Funnies of the Week:

Both Brandon & Hermano BerRios gave me dating advice this weekend. I don't come home THAT soon, people.

Everyone tells me I sound like a fairy when I speak in Spanish, & the Hermanita from Guatemala has started saying, "All you need is faith, trust, and McOmber dust!"

Ran into Carol in the laundry room at her apartments and she let us in to visit her and we walked into her living room with Francisco curled up on the couch eating dinner and watching a movie. He was so surprised/excited to see me he shouted, "HERMANA!!" {this coming from a VERY quiet, reserved man who whispers when he talks} I've never seen him so animated EVER! hahahahah I fell next to him on the couch and we just laughed & laughed.

Please send mail to the mission office!

Hermana McOmber