Week 46 (1/21/19): "And then I just like tackled the goat."

Brought to you by Elder Cook.

"Do different sized eggs come from different sized chickens?" We also had a conversation about feeding Venus fly traps uranium. He is the comic relief in our district.

The past 48 hours have been crazy. The senior couple got in an accident on Saturday night, and they had an elder with them. Everyone is okay, mainly just super sore and a couple sprained ankles, but they did go to the hospital to be checked out and make sure nothing was broken. So we thought we might have to bring the senior couple home from the hospital in the middle of the night, and of course we couldn't sleep until we knew everyone was okay for sure. Apparently my way of coping with things like that is to clean and organize everything and sing Primary songs for hours. But our supply closet is super organized now! 

Other than that, not much out of the ordinary happened. We've been working on inviting more people to be baptized and not being afraid to do so. So we try to invite every contact to be baptized, partially because then the Spirit can testify to them that this is the step they need to take, but partially because for me, I just need to do it a bunch of times. Part of what made it scary for me was fear of rejection, but I've come to realize that our purpose is to harvest, and if we don't invite them, they aren't going to have the opportunity to come closer to Jesus Christ. So if they say no, okay, they aren't ready yet, but at least I gave them the opportunity. So we have had some people say no, but we've also had a lot say yes, when they know this is true, they will be baptized. And I think that helps keep that end (which is really a beginning) in mind, so we can help them truly progress. We've gotten a couple weird responses, like "I made an oath with God not to be baptized in any religion." I may have responded with "I don't think God will hold you to that." But we committed him to read the whole Book of Mormon and promised that if he did, he would know for himself without a doubt that it was true. 

Also, there was one time we went to do finding time in Selma and so we went to an apartment complex, and we knocked one building, and went to go to the next, turned a corner, and saw the elders' bikes! It was pretty funny! Also, I gave my first talk in Spanish yesterday, and they asked me like 5 minutes before sacrament meeting started. But the gift of tongues is real!

Also, Sister Sarah Porter (from our stake back home) is in Sister Smith's MTC district!! That is so cool!

Let me know how the cookies challenge from last week went!

Love you, bye!

Sister Cate 

We found the elders' bikes...

I found Buena Vista!!

I may have marked Moroni 10:3-5 in about 115 Book of Mormons

Week 45 (1/14/19): "Cookies are a tool of missionary work."

Seriously, cookies get you in so many doors. So your challenge for this week, should you choose to accept it, is to make cookies and choose a couple names from the ward directory you don't recognize and take them cookies. It seriously works wonders. 

So this week has been fun. I have never used so much Spanish in my life, so it is a huge growing experience. I think I caught about half of sacrament meeting. And then I got to play the piano for Primary, which was so fun! But there were definitely times when we were talking with someone and I caught so little of it. Also, food should be its own love language. The people here love to feed us. Seriously, they don't give you an option, you must eat. It's a good thing we do so much biking. 

We have done more biking than ever in my life. We were going to try to bike to Dinuba (15 miles), but Sister Harris' bike got a flat tire. And we redid our math and determined that we can drive to the closest part of Dinuba, park, and bike everywhere else. But we were willing to bike it! (Well, I'm not sure if I could have actually made it, especially with the bike I was on, but I was willing to try! I have since gotten a bike that is the right height.) And I didn't get my skirt caught in the chain at all this week, so that was a plus. 

We got a super amazing referral from sisters in the Los Angeles Visitor's Center! They called us and told us that they'd taught him twice and he wanted us to come visit and teach him more and bring him a copy of the Book of Mormon! And so the sister I was talking to wanted to set up a group chat on Facebook, so she asked my name so she could find me on Facebook, and we had a mutual friend, and I asked how she knew Sister Molina, and it turns out she trained one of my best friends from college! I think the other missionaries there were laughing at us a little bit, but it was seriously a tender mercy for me. 

It's been such a blessing to be here thus far. I absolutely love it here, and I know this is where God needs me. 

Love you, bye! 

Sister Cate

Week 44 (1/7/19): "You have the gift of being a graceful crier."

Or "I need to get more Spanish nametags!"

I am getting transferred... It's hard to leave Chowchilla. I feel like I left my family once at the airport, and I'm having to again. Fasting and crying do not go together well. I cried through most of church yesterday and ended up with a headache. Sister Hinckley was right. It's so much better to laugh than cry. 

But I'm going to Selma, and I'll be in the Spanish branch! So it's going to be a whole new adventure! It's going to be fun!

Other than that, Sister Walker and I took turns being sick, so we were inside a lot. But Heavenly Father took care of the work for us!

Love you, bye!

Sister Cate

Week 43 (1/1/19): How do moms do this?

This week, mainly since Friday, has been absolutely crazy! So Friday morning, I finally reached the point where I decided that I should probably get my ear infection checked out, because my double ear infection from a month and a half ago had come back, so I figured I'd better be safe. We tried to call both mission nurses twice each, but neither of them picked up. We tried to set up an appointment, but the doctor wasn't going to be in until next Wednesday, so we were trying to figure out what to do. Finally, we called Sister Mackay to ask her opinion, since we couldn't get ahold of the mission nurses. We talked to her for a bit, and right before hanging up, she said that President Mackay was actually on the phone with the MTC talking about Sister Smith and wanted to talk to us after he finished the phone call. He then tells us that Sister Smith's mission call has been assigned and that they wanted her to go straight to the MTC on January 2nd, without going home, and that her actual envelope wouldn't get here until Monday or Tuesday, so they were going to send him the PDF and he'd print it off for her to open up, so we'd probably be going down to Fresno to open it. Well, a couple minutes later, he calls back, and says that the MTC called back and said that she'd need to go home to get some other clothes, but that she'd still go into the MTC on the 2nd. So actually, she'd be going home Saturday morning. So we worked on packing, and then we went down to Fresno and she opened her mission call!She's going to the Colorado Fort Collins Mission!!!!! 

So then Saturday morning, we went down to Fresno again, and her dad came and picked her up. I feel like I kind of understand what it was like for my mom when she sent me off on my mission. It seriously felt like I was sending my own daughter off on a mission. How do moms do this? But I am super excited for her! She is going to do amazing things. The Fort Collins mission is super lucky! 

Heavenly Father has really had a hand in our week. And most of it came because I got a double ear infection. 

Firstly, I was trying to finish the Book of Mormon like President Nelson asked, but I still had a lot left, but President Nelson promised that if we would try, Heavenly Father would provide a way. And then I got an ear infection, so I had to put in medicated eardrops and lay on my side for a while. For both ears. So while I was laying in bed with eardrops in, I read the Book of Mormon, and I was able to finish last night. 

Another huge miracle from this week was that we got a referral from some sisters in Washington who met someone who had literally been praying for another book of scripture! They taught her the Restoration and she absolutely loved it and she wants to be baptized!! We were trying to figure out how to contact her because all we had was an address, but we didn't have the miles to make it out to her house. We decided to get a member to drive us out there and we would at least leave a note. We were about to contact someone to ask for a ride when the Washington Sisters texted, saying that she had emailed them her number, so they gave us the number and let us know that she was still in Washington. The Lord provides. We were both sick by that point (I passed a cold on to Sister Walker), so we couldn't really go about the work very much, so the Lord did it for us. 

I hope you take time this year to notice all the miracles in your life. The Lord loves us! 

Sister Cate

Week 42 (12/24/18): Pants!

We went to the zoo this morning, so I wore jeans for the first time in ages. Also, we can wear dress slacks. Still not sure how I feel about that. 

The highlight of this week was that Lexie got baptized on Saturday! It was amazing. She was so excited, and her mom was just thrilled! Baptisms are the greatest. The Spirit is so strong! And of course, the week right before a baptism is crazy. Lexie's whole family was sick early in the week, and we got sick in the middle of the week (it wasn't bad, just exhausted). But everything works out in the Lord's work! 

And now I have to run off to help get some last minute packages to the other sisters in our zone, but I hope you take the time tonight and tomorrow to remember Jesus Christ and His life and the miracle it is! 

Love you, bye!

Sister Cate 

Week 41 (12/17/18): I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

President Mackay asked all of us to pray for a white Christmas- for someone to be dressed in white! And Lexie is getting baptized on Satuday!! I'm so excited! It has been so cool to see her change, even though she's only 9. The gospel of Jesus Christ truly does bless everyone! 

Also, we got another flat tire. For those counting, that is the third one I've had with this car (I've had this car my entire mission.) But it was kind of a tender mercy that it happened when it did, because we had to drive up to Modesto, about 1.5 hours away, and so if it hadn't gone flat when it did, it might have happened while we were driving to Modesto, which at 75mph would have been bad. So we got the spare on and took it in the next morning, got a ride to Modesto with the senior couple, and picked it up when we got back. It worked out so well. God was definitely looking out for us! 

Really cool story- a couple months ago, we visited a less active family and they shared with us that he had a court case coming up where his ex was trying to raise his child support, and it was already over $1000 a month. Well, I was prompted to extend the promise that if they would come back to church, the court case would go well and his child support would not go up. Fast forward to last week, the house they're renting had a couple water pipes burst, and they still haven't been fixed, so they're looking into buying their own. But last year, because his child support was so high, they were only able to qualify for a certain amount for a loan. However, they had the court case this week, and his child support went from over $1000 to $300, which is a huge miracle in and of itself, and also now they'll qualify for a bigger loan so they can actually get their own home. It was such a testimony builder for me! God really does fulfill his promises. And it's amazing to be an authorized representative of Jesus Christ and to be able to make promises that come from God! 

To be perfectly honest, when I first got the prompting, I was really surprised, but it came again, so I extended the promise to them. Can you imagine if I hadn't listened to it? I definitely learned that whenever the Spirit tells you to do something, you do it! In the same vein, last night, Sister Smith said we needed to visit another less active family. I've tried to talk to them for a long time, without luck, but we went, and the dad got home right after we got there and we were able to talk to him for a long time and figure out how to get his daughters, who are recent converts, to church! Huge miracle! 

If this hadn't already gotten so long, I'd tell you all about how much I love Jacob 5, but I'll let you read it for yourself. I found an article that really helps explain it, so I'd suggest using that to help you understand it. I have such a testimony of this chapter! 

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1988/08/the-tame-and-wild-olive-trees-an-allegory-of-our-saviors-love?lang=eng

Have a great week, and don't forget to invite people to the special Sacrament meeting on the 23rd! 

Love you, bye! 

Sister Cate

Week 40 (12/10/18): "I'm trying really hard not to break the reindeer's neck."

How to describe this past week? I have texted a ridiculous amount of people, we've had more set appointments than ever, and Sister Walker and Sister Smith laugh a lot (usually at night because they're overtired). 

One of the most exciting things has been that I've actually been kind of understanding Isaiah! Where I'm at, Isaiah has been passing on a message to King Ahaz, king of Judah. The background is that the kingdoms of Syria and Ephraim formed an alliance to fight against Assyria, and they want the kingdom of Judah to join the alliance. Initially, King Ahaz says no. So Syria and Ephraim decide to force Judah to join by threatening to attack them if they don't join the alliance. Isaiah tells King Ahaz that the Lord says not to join the alliance, but to trust God. Multiple times. Yet what does King Ahaz do? He joins the alliance. And Assyria destroys the kingdom of Judah, getting all the way to Jerusalem. By then, Judah had a new king, Hezekiah, who trusts in God. And then overnight, 185,000 Assyrian soldiers are killed by an angel of the Lord. So, as Sister Smith put it, "The moral of the story is that if you trust in the Lord, an angel will kill your enemies." 

Have a great week and trust in God!

Love you, bye!

Sister Cate