Hermana in Houston: Week 47: Member missionaries are the best!

November 24, 2014

Y'all are going to see exactly what the scriptures mean by "the hastening of the work" in the next few weeks. Not going to ruin the surprise... but this is going to be BIG {like, 220 million people big}. We got a sneak peak this week and I felt the Spirit hit me like a ton of bricks. In the words of President Mortensen, "It's go time."

This week we found 2 MORE menos activos (less active)! One is the mother of a girl we are teaching, and the girl wasn't home so we shared a scripture with her mom. At the end of the lesson she said, "I remember that little black nametag, I've seen it before." After walking down memory lane for a couple more minutes and telling us about "that one time I was baptized in a church in a font by a man in white" we realized she was baptized 20+ years ago in Honduras! THEN we went and contacted a referral last night and taught him the restoration. At the end of the lesson Hermana Perry invited him to be baptized and he said, "I've already been baptized." Hermana Miller pointed to her plaquita and said, "In this church??" yep. He was baptized here ten years ago. That makes 5 menos activos that we have found in the same apartment complex in my time in this area.

Whenever we finally find members to come to lessons with us, the lesson inevitably cancels. This week was no exception. One day we trekked around for almost 3 hours with different members trying to find an investigator at home, and we ended up finding a lot of new people to teach. My favorite part of the day was giving the 15-year-old that was with us a pass-along card and having her give it to someone. She was so nervous, but she did such a good job! SO PROUD OF HER! Member missionaries are the best!

This week we had zone conference! It always blows my mind, and it takes a while to put it back together again. haha Hearing Hermana Miller and Hermana Koch's "dying testimonies" (last testimony before leaving a mission) was so heart wrenching! Ahh! It helped me put everything into perspective, because as hard as my mission has been, I really do love it and it will be hard to leave. Living it up these last six months! :)

{side note: Hermana Hill in Woodlands told me J--- went to church and brought his siblings! And that he wants to baptize them!! Ahh! And that R--- said he would get baptized if I came back! haha}

We had our ward Thanksgiving fiesta! So much fun! So many people came and there is always such good food and music. Our investigator E--- wanted to come so one of our members drove 45 min round trip to pick him up and bring him!!! And he loved it so much he came to church on Sunday!!! The ward absolutely loves him. He is this 17-year-old from Honduras, living here by himself and working to support his family. It makes me think of Nick so much. We are inviting him to be baptized tonight!

We had a lesson with our investigator L--- this week. Miracles just surround her! How we found her, how she heard about us from everyone, the fact that we met her brother months ago, how she is so prepared, and THEN this time her best friend happened to be there and is so prepared as well and they want to be baptized together! WOW.

Yesterday we had ward council. It is typically a bit loco, but this week was even more so. Missionaries struggling to give their little reports, everyone arguing about what to do, the ward mission leader snoring in the corner... and the whole time I had the impression to talk about magnifying our callings. At the end, the bishop ended up pulling out a scripture that said just that! So I finally raised my hand and said my little two cents about how we all need to step it up if we want to see any changes. The look on their faces was priceless. Got lots of firm handshakes and invitations to thanksgiving! "Open your mouth and it shall be filled!"

{HUG to my beehive who contributed to my mission fund- I cried when my dad told me! You are an angel & you will never know how huge of an impact you made on my mission.}

Funnies of the Week:

"Les van a robar" is the most commonly heard phrase of the week, second only to, "I haven't seen you in forever! I figured you were kidnapped!" Welcome to Houston, Spanish speaking.

President asked if all of the Sisters were "appropriately curved" for the group picture in front of Elder Corbridge.

"Where's Perry?" -Phineas and Ferb, or McOmber and Miller.

We were invited to a birthday party of a ward member for dinner one night and we were the only ones on time, so it was us and the hermano and hermana and their poodle munching on chips and salsa in their art gallery of a living room listening to "That's the way, uh huh uh huh, I like it, uh huh uh huh."

A random group of guys in the apartments were making tacos and invited us to eat with them when we walked by. Super fun... until the jealous wife came out. ha!

I love being a missionary and I encourage EVERY SINGLE YOUNG WOMAN to serve a mission. I could not imagine my life without it.

Hermana McOmber