Nothing Went as Planned.

It has been really interesting looking back on this past week. Nothing really went according to plan, none of our investigators came to church, we weren't able to teach too many lessons, etc. That being said, it has been one of the best/most spiritual times of my mission and I couldn't be happier!

It all started on Monday, with the Balasco family. It was my first time meeting them and it was an incredible experience. We had planned to go there and teach them about the word of wisdom, but after talking to them, we felt like we needed to read in The Book of Mormon. We decided to start from the beginning.. 1 Nephi 1. As we read, I felt like things weren't going all to great. There wasn't a ton that I could apply to their situation, especially in Spanish. When we finished the chapter, I learned a really important lesson; that I am not the teacher. 

We started talking about what we read and the dad, Jose, put his hand on his heart and said, "I don't know what it is, but I feel different right now. I feel something inside." We bore our testimonies with all of our hearts that it was the spirit that he was feeling, testifying that the things that he was reading are true! 

As the week went on, it was really hard to keep in contact and to see them because they are really busy. It was so important that we did though, because they had a baptismal date which means that they needed to come to church in order to be baptized on the planned date. We visited them on Wednesday for about 5 minutes, then set up an appointment to see them again on Saturday. When we got to their house though, they had forgotten and weren't at home. Sunday came, church started and they didn't come. 

Dryden and I were both a little discouraged. We had been praying, fasting, using members to help us, etc. and they still hadn't come. As I sat there and thought about it, wondering what more we could have done, the words of President Uchtdorf came to my mind. 

"I think God knows something we don't- things that are beyond our capacity to comprehend! Our Father in Heaven is an eternal being whose experience, wisdom, and intelligence are infinitely greater than ours. Not only that, but He is also eternally loving, compassionate, and focused on one blessed goal: to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life."

We had done our part, but even then, sometimes God has a different plan in mind, something far greater than what we can understand. I know that! 

We also had a very humbling experience with another one of our investigators on Friday. Earlier that night, we decided to tract a really nice neighborhood. The houses were massive, they had doorbells, and they were all decorated beautifully for Christmas. Dryden and I couldn't believe how fancy things were. Just the night before, we had been tracting in an area where people literally lived in sheds; the comparison of the two areas is unreal. 

After about an hour of knocking, we went to visit the Machatos, who live in a tiny, little trailer. Hno Machato began expressing to us just how blessed he is. He told us how he has been given so much... his home and his family; so what more could he ever want? 

I thought of how just minutes before we were in a neighborhood where the houses were about 8x's the size of that tiny trailer and yet, this man was grateful.I am so grateful for his humbling example. There is nowhere else that I would have rather been that night, than in the house of this incredible family. 

I know that God is aware of the needs of each of his children and that He has a plan and that He is directing this work! 

Love, 

Hermana Rupp

Pictures.

Saying goodbye to Pedro.

Saying goodbye to Berta. (She was supposed to be baptized.)

Lindsay with a recent convert she loved. 

Lindsay and her new companion. 

Lindsay dying after 4 Thanksgiving meals. 

She stuck seafood in a napkin so she wouldn't have to eat it! haha. 

More Thanksgiving...

And more Thanksgiving...

Goodbye Walters, Hello Tomball!

Saying goodbye to Walters and the people there was sad, but I am so excited to now be serving in the Oakcrest area, located in the beautiful Tomball, Texas! 

Tomball is so cute and I love it already! It has some parts in the country, and some in the city! One of my favorite places here is a place called "Old Town Tomball", which reminds me a lot of Logan (which is my favorite place in the entire world). It's the best. 

There are mostly trailer parks here, which is great because a lot of Hispanics live in them. It has definitely been super humbling to see the different conditions that people live in though. Some of the people we have seen literally live in campers. Everyone is so grateful and happy here, no matter what their circumstances. I love it. 

I am serving in a pretty small ward, but the members are solid!

My new companion is Hermana Dryden, from Las Vegas! She has been serving for less time than me, so speaking Spanish is a treat! She is an awesome missionary and I am pumped to be serving here with her! 

This week has just been a lot of getting to know the members, investigators, and the area. I already love the people here. I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve here! 

Love, 

Hermana Rupp

Here is Lindsay's new address:

1011 Village Square Dr. #535

Tomball, Tx 77375

Happy December!

HAPPY DECEMBER!

 

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year and an even greater time to be a missionary! Especially with the initiative "He is the Gift". If you haven't had the chance to watch the video, DO IT! Nothing helps to bring the spirit of Christmas better than that!

 

It's been a good week! In fact, I couldn't have asked for a better last week to spend in this area. That is right, I am being transferred! Tomorrow I leave Walters! I have loved my time here SO MUCH, but I am excited to go and share the gospel in a new place!

 

Our week was full of great things! Let's start with Thanksgiving. Seriously, I am so grateful for the people in the ward here who decided to let us come and crash in on their holiday. It made it really easy being away from home.

We were fed so much food. We literally ate at four different houses, and when Hispanics serve you, they give you enough food for like 12 people.

With each family, we played something called "The Glad Game". The purpose of it was to find something to be grateful for in each circumstance, no matter how hard it may be. It was so fun!

 

On Saturday, we were able to visit with our miracle family. As we got talking with them, Jazmin (18) told us that she had prayed about our message. She told us that she had gotten an answer, that she felt as if it were true and that what they were doing and the changes that they are making are all for their good. It was AMAZING. When we pray with faith, God will truly give us the answer we are looking for.

 

On Sunday, we had a huge miracle. As Sacrament began, we had NO investigators or nonmembers in church. A half an hour later, we had ten investigators show up! It was so cool!

 

I am so grateful for the people that I have met here. My time serving here in this ward and area has changed my life. I couldn't have asked for a better way to start my mission!

 

Love,

 

Hermana Rupp 

Pictures

Shoe problems. 

Lindsay and her companion at the Houston Temple.

Miracle family!

An investigator and her brother at their Thanksgiving dinner party. 

Her district.

Some more investigators.

Happy Thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I love this time of year so much because it gives us a chance to reflect on just how much we have to be grateful for!

Normally for me, Thanksgiving has included eating, Black Friday shopping, no school, etc. Being a missionary here in Houston though, has really given me the opportunity to "count my blessings" and to focus on the things that really matter.

I have so much to be grateful for. I wouldn't ever be able to say all that I have been blessed with. I have the best family and friends, and most of all, I am grateful for the knowledge I have of the gospel. I talk to people every day that don't know that there is a God and that He loves us more than we can ever comprehend. This has been one of the greatest opportunities for me to share this with others. There is nothing better in the world.

Looking back on this week, I have found a lot of things to be grateful for as well!

About two weeks ago, Clement and I were tracting. We had the feeling that we should go a certain way to go back to our car. We met a lady who told us that she would love to have us come and teach her and her family! On Tuesday, we finally were able to visit them and teach them. We had a really great lesson, which ended the daughter and her mom telling us that they believe everything that we taught and that they wanted to be baptized! We experienced a huge miracle with them that night, and continued seeing them throughout the week as well. 

A few days later, the elders in our ward had a baptism. The mom told us that if she could get out of work early, she would bring her family. The baptismal service began and they didn't come. After the actual performance of the baptism though, we received a call from her telling us that she was at the church! She came and brought with her four of her kids! 

The same night as the baptismal service, we had a ward Thanksgiving dinner. We invited all of our investigators to come, but we weren't too sure if they were actually going to show up. We started the night off with 7 investigators and ended it with 16 (Including their families)! It was such an exciting night!

We have been teaching this family that we found in an old teaching record. We have been visiting them for a few months now and not much progress has been made. On Friday, we were able to visit the wife, who told us that she believes everything that we have been teaching her!
Yesterday, we were finally able to talk to the husband who told us that he is looking for a church for his kids to go to and that he is really considering our church. We then learned that he has been researching the Mormons A LOT. Unfortunately, he hasn't been using the right resources to learn more about us.
 Elder Neal A. Maxwell once said, “Studying the Church … through the eyes of its defectors is like interviewing Judas to understand Jesus. Defectors always tell us more about themselves than about that from which they have departed.”
Nothing is more true than that. The good thing about this was that we were able to learn a lot of the doubts that he has and what is holding them back as a family. We now have more to work with in order to help them progress!

Clement and I had the chance to go to the beautiful Houston Temple! I haven't had the chance to go since before I left on my mission, so it was the best. I am so grateful for the spirit that can be felt there, and the things that we are able to learn! 

I am so grateful for the chance to serve a mission! I feel so blessed everyday to be a part of this work and to be able to work with the people here in Houston!

Love,

Hermana Rupp

"I hope you like the heat!"

When I got my call to serve in Houston, Texas, everyone I talked to would say,
 "I hope you like the heat!"

So coming here, I was prepared to melt into a puddle after hearing everyone's comments. What I didn't know is that Houston gets freezing cold too! I may be a Utah girl, but that doesn't mean squat when it comes to chilly weather!

It may be getting cold here, but things are just as great as ever!

In this past week, I got to go on two exchanges and both times, I left my area. One of the places I went to is called "Fifth Ward" AKA "The Bloody Nickel". You can learn a lot about this place just from the nickname that it has been given. I had quite the experiences there.. with dogs, people, and some bad juju. My time there was a lot like things you would expect to happen in a scary movie. It was the craziest, funnest exchange that I have been on!

Other than that, we have just been working hard with our investigators and potentials that we have. We have also been working with those who are inactive and less active. It has been so much fun getting to know all of these people!

Our mission president has been stressing the need to invite people to be baptized sooner, so that is exactly what Clement and I have been doing. Sure enough, we are seeing results! The Lord is truly hastening this work!

Fear vs. Faith

This week was full of some great things:

 

- Elder Corbridge, from the  First Quorum or the Seventy came and spoke to us for about 5 hours. It was bliss.

 

- We were able to get in with a family who has been totally unresponsive to the church for months now. When our bishop found out we were able to see them, he almost had a heart attack.

 

- The elders in our area gave us one of their investigators to start teaching. This lady is INCREDIBLE. She has been diagnosed with Leukimia and has been given a year. She is so strong. I feel so privileged to be able to work with her.

 

- We went to an apartment that had so many cockroaches, I felt like I was experiencing a day in the life of Indiana Jones. Cockroaches climbing up my legs? You can check that off the list of things that I've had happen.

 

- We've been handing out a lot of pass-a-long cards and invitations to our church for these past three weeks, with no results. On Saturday morning at about 7:30, we get a call from a lady telling us she wants us to come to her house and start teaching her, and that she has been looking for a church and she wants to come to ours! It was so unexpected and so worth all of the knocking that we have been doing.

 

- The husband of one of the recent converts sat in for part of our lesson! He is a non-member who doesn't have any interest in the church, so this was a huge deal!

 

- Our ward had it's primary program. Little kids singing in Spanish was probably the cutest thing that I have ever seen!

 

I feel like the luckiest person alive. I am so blessed to be serving here in Houston, with the incredible people who constantly teach and strengthen me.

 

One thing that we have been really trying to focus on with investigators and members is faith. Faith is everything. Life throws us all sorts of curveballs. Most of the time, things do not go as we would want them to. When we focus our eyes on Jesus Christ, we will be able to overcome all that we must face. When we replace our FEAR with FAITH, we will be triumphet.

 

In Mathew 14, we learn about when Jesus walks on water and invites Peter to as well.....

24- But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25- And in‍ the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26- And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27- But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28- And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29- And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30- But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31- And immediately Jesus stretched forth his‍ hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didstthou doubt?
32- And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
Much like Peter, it easy for us to forget in whom we have trusted. A lot of times, our lives are a lot like the ship on the stormy sea. When we only focus on the winds and the waves, we are more likely to sink and fall. Jesus Christ has extended his hand toward all of us. He is there and ready to help us overcome everything good and bad that we experience, and when we fall, He too will catch us. We only need to trust Him.

Faith in Jesus Christ.

During these past four months, I have learned some of the greatest lessons of my life. I am so blessed to be serving in a ward right now, where the people are continually teaching me by their examples and by their faith. As we have continued to get to know the members in this area, we have found out a lot of the struggles and challenges that they all face.

One woman lives in a situation where her life is totally controlled, yet she still manages to look for the good in life. In fact, during our whole visit with her, she never complained and she never stopped smiling. 

Another family is facing challenges as one member has run into trouble with the law. Yet, they continued to tell us that God has a plan and that all will work out for the better.

The list goes on of the problems that I have heard and seen, yet each of these people going through these difficult times are able to continue on because of their faith in Jesus Christ. 

I was reminded of the words of one of my favorite talks by President Eyring that I have shared before. He says, 

"If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing. In all conditions, we can choose the right with the guidance of the Spirit. We have the gospel of Jesus Christ to shape and guide our lives if we choose it. And with prophets revealing to us our place in the plan of salvation, we can live with perfect hope and a feeling of peace. We never need to feel that we are alone or unloved in the Lord's service because we never are. We can feel the love of God. The Savior has promised angels on our left and our right to bear us up. And He always keeps His word."

I know that we will each face trials in this life, but we are never asked to face them alone. I know that Jesus Christ, our brother and friend, is with us through it all.

Love,
Hermana Rupp 

This is a Mormon Message video that is part of the talk that President Eyring gave that Lindsay quoted. It is POWERFUL. Watch it. 

New Companion.

Introducing to the Walters area... Hermana Clement!

 

Hermana Clement is from San Diego, California. She has been serving for almost a year now, and she is a killer missionary. I am so pumped to be working with her!

Already in our short week together, I have learned a ton. We have been trying new things in the area and it has been awesome.

 

It has been quite an eventful week. We have been trying to build up our friendship with members in the ward and find new people as well. We are so busy and it is great! There hasn't been a dull moment.

 

Like I said, Clement and I have been working at getting to know each member in our area really well. We decided to make cookies for a bunch of them with a cute little note (made by crafty Hermana Clement). We left the cookies on a bunch of members and investigators porches, and had a blast doorbell ditching. Well apparently this isn't a common thing in areas like this. One member told us she thought that we were robbers, another called making sure they were really from us haha. It sure is a different environment here than in Utah and Cali. Despite the fact some people thought it was a little sketchy, we loved doing it!

From doing this, we also had a miracle with our investigator who has a baptismal date! For the past week and a half, we haven't been able to get ahold of her. We had tried calling, texting, going to her house, etc... all with no success. We decided we would leave some cookies at her house too. We had planned on leaving them on Thursday, but weren't able to get over there until Sunday. When we pulled up to her house, she was outside with her husband! She told us that her phone has been broken, then asked us when we could come back! So we have an appointment set to see her this week! We are so excited!

 

Saturday, our ward mission leader and his wife invited Clement and I to go to a birthday party/FHE at their house. They had invited six member of the ward, three of which are less/inactive. We decided to go because we don't know these families at all. We hung out with a bunch of senior citizens and it ended up being a blast! After having a really great lesson, we had a feast. Each couple is from a different place, so we had food from Peru, Mexico, Chile, and Equador. Talk about heavenly!

The couple that is from Peru brought a dish that had potatoes in it because apparently that's a popular thing there. I was sitting next to the Hno that brought it, and he started talking to me. I had another awesome experience with the word "papa" (which can be potato, pope, and dad depending on where the accent is). He asked me how old my dad was, but because I was eating potatoes, I thought he had asked me how old my potatoes were! We eventually understood each other and had a good laugh.

 

We have been tracting like it is nobodies business this week trying to find new people to start teaching. This is always the best because you meet some of the most interesting people, as well as some of the coolest people.

One night, we saw a guy sitting on an electrical box and decided to go and talk to him. When we first got there, he had music blasting and he didn't seem that excited to be talking to us. He gave us his information anyways though, for us to refer to the English missionaries. The next night, we were knocking in the same area where this guy lives. We were knocking the doors of the same apartment building, but had his apt number so we wouldn't run into him again. Right when we were at the door across from his, we shows up and starts talking to us. He sat down  on the stairs and he starts asking us all sorts of questions. Turns out, he is a really cool guy and is working to change his life around. We were able to give him a short version of the restoration, and we gave him a Book of Mormon, which he was really excited about. That night we went there planning to basically avoid where this guy lives, but sometimes God has something a little different planned. It was really cool!

 

I am so happy to be out here sharing this life changing message! The people in Houston, Texas are some of the greatest people I have ever met and I feel so privileged to be able to be here with them!

 

Love,

Hermana Rupp

4 Months.

After 18 weeks, I am finally done with all of my missionary training! What a process it has been, but I am so grateful of my trainer, Hermana Ordonez, and all of the other great people who have been helping me out!

 

Last night, we got the news that after nine months in the Walters area, Hermana Ordonez will be moving on! I will be taking over the area tomorrow and getting a new companion! It should be pretty exciting!

 

I also hit my four month in the mission field mark this past week! Time is flying out here!

 

It has been another great week!

 

Taking members to lessons is always so good because they can share their testimony and sometimes older people really don't love listening to a bunch of young people, who haven't really had a ton of life experience. So on Wednesday, we decided to take a member of the ward that we have brought many times before to lessons. It ended up being quite interesting!

We had a really great lesson on family history. We asked this sister to share her experience with it and she did, but then she moved onto other things. She began to tell our investigator that she had recently found out the "mysterys of God" while reading in the scriptures. She then informed us that after a lot of studying, she knows that Christ will come in the summer. Sister Ordonez and I just smiled, were a little shocked.. and moved on quickly! We had a good laugh about it later on.

 

One of the members in our ward is from El Salvador and is seriously a chef. She cooks like a champ. On Thursday, she invited us over to her house to learn how to make the best thing I have tried so far... Pupusas! It was so much fun, so hard and it will take a miracle to be able to ever make them without this lady there haha.

 

On Sunday, we had another Mission President Fireside! It was AMAZING and exactly what I needed to hear. The testimonies of recent converts are some of the most powerful things that I have ever heard. Elder Bednar once said that sometimes the spirit works by bringing things to our remembrance, and that is what it did for my that night. I was able to remember why I decided to serve a mission and reminded that this is exactly where I need to be right now. It was really cool.

 

We have seen so many miracles over here. I know that the Lord is hastening his work right now and that His hand is in everything just like we are taught in Jacob 5:72. We are never alone in the Lord's service!

The church is true!

Love,

Hermana Rupp

Rain, Rain, Go Away.

Miracle of the week:

 

About three weeks ago, we got a referral. We tried contacting the lady a few times, but she never answered. When we finally did meet her, she didn't seem too happy to see us and told us to come back another day. We decided to try again and we were able to set up an appointment with her. When the day of our appointment came, we got to the door and knocked a few times. Nobody answered.

We thought, "Well obviously she isn't interested.. she probably just set a time with us to blow us off" (terrible attitude, I know.. I have been humbled). While walking back to our car, she opened the door and invited us in.

We taught her The Restoration and the lesson was AMAZING. Everything just clicked with her. The spirit was so strong, so we invited her to be baptized at the end of the lesson. She said yes! We invited her to read The Book of Mormon and pray about it to know if it is true for herself. She told us that she already felt like it was just in that moment, but that she would do it.

Talk about someone that the Lord has been preparing! It was such a special experience.

 

Crazy experience of the week:

 

Since yesterday (Monday) was a holiday, we weren't able to e-mail and we had a lot of extra time. Sunday, we made plans with a set of Elders in our district to go downtown to the zoo. Everything was set in stone and planned. It ended up being the craziest day of my mission.

 

5 AM- We woke up an hour and a half early so we could do our laundry, go shopping, and clean the car and apartment. Turns out, we woke up an hour too early. We were done by 7, so we went back to sleep until 8.

 

9:45 AM- We get a call from the couple planning to give us a ride to the zoo. They tell us they are on their way. Two minutes later, the lady planning on picking us up tells us that she is sick and won't be able to. We start calling people and finally find another member who is willing. Things are still good.

 

10:00 AM- We get picked up and head off. It starts to rain. We figure it will pass. It always does.

 

10:30 AM- We get to the zoo in one piece. It stops raining. We have two hours to blow before the Elders will be getting there. We decide to go on a walk around a nearby pond.

 

10:45 AM- It starts to pour. Luckily we have an umbrella and we run and take shelter under nearby trees.

 

11:00 AM- It isn't just pouring, it is dumping now. The trees and umbrella aren't doing squat. We are drenched and freezing at this point. We are stuck though because there is no other shelter nearby.

 

11:15 AM- The rain lets off just a bit, we are already soaked.. so we decide to make a run and find the nearest shelter. We find an covered, outdoor amphitheater. Turns out it is also a hotel for hobos. We run to it and find about 13 homeless men hanging out. We decide to stay, because the rain gets crazy again.

 

11:45 AM- Still hanging out with our homeless friends. They are all great for the most part besides the creepy one asking us to come warm him up and the other who starts changing his clothes in front of us. We get a text from the elders telling us that their ride cancelled and that they won't be coming to the zoo anymore.  

 

12:00 PM- It is still raining, but we decide it is time to move on. Since the elders are no longer coming, we decide to make a change of plans and go and find the museum. We get lost.

 

12:30 PM- We find our way back to the zoo parking lot and find a little café. Never has something looked so promising.

 

1:00 PM- The rain FINALLY stops and we find the museum. We have a grand old time.

 

4:45 PM- We call our ride home to confirm that she is going to be there for us at 5 like we had talked about. Turns out she isn't coming after all. She changed her mind and had forgotten to tell us= we were stranded in downtown Houston with no way to get back and we had an appointment at 6.

We start calling as many ladies in the ward that we can think of. Problem is, most can't drive. We finally make something work out with a recent convert and another girl who are YSA.

 

5:00 PM- Our appointment at 6 cancelled. Tender mercy because there was no way we would be back.

 

5:45 PM- They get there and pick us up. An hour later, we finally made it back alive after getting lost a few times downtown.

 

IT WAS QUITE THE DAY.

 

So many great things are happening here!

 

Love,

Hermana Rupp

Happy October!

 

This is one of my favorite times of the year! It sure is different here in Houston than Utah though. We welcomed in the month with weather of a whoppin' 102 degrees. Houston heat is real.. I still feel like it is summer!

 

It has been an eventful week! So many trainings, exchanges, GENERAL CONFERENCE, and USU beat BYU (ward members are the best and make sure to keep us updated). Basically nothing went according to plan, but everything turned out a lot better than we could have imagined!

 

Monday night, a cute family in our ward invited a nonmember friend to their house to have an FHE. They invited us to come and give the lesson. When we got there, we waited for a while and the friend never showed. This really discouraged the family, who has been trying to invite people to learn more for a while now with no results. They felt as if their efforts were wasted and pointless. It is so important to realize that when we as members do missionary work, the success is in the invitation! We have done our part when we have invited, the rest is up to the other person who has their agency.

 

Tuesday, I went on a day exchange with an English sister. For the past almost four months, I have been praying out loud only in Spanish, so when I had to pray with this sister in English.. I had the hardest time! I would add all sorts of Spanish words in between the English.  I literally stuggled praying in my own language. I was pumped.

 

Wednesday, we were teaching an investigator about the resurrection. We read the promise given in Alma 40:23 which talks about everything being restored to it's proper and perfect frame. I know that this is true with all of my heart! I have been blessed with having in my life, a little sister who one day, thanks to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, will be made whole. I felt so blessed to be able to share this with others. I know that this is a sure promise for everyone!

 

Saturday was day one of conference! It was awesome. So many lessons learned and prayers that were answered.

The night before, our golden investigator told us that she was only going to come to both of the morning sessions. She showed up, loved the first session, and decided to stay for the afternoon as well. In the second session, she was able to listen to a talk given in her own language (Spanish) which addressed EVERYTHING that she needed to hear. It was a miracle.

 

This same investigator has also been having some worries with her health. We decided to ask her if she would like one of the Elders to give her a blessing. In between conference sessions that same day, she received her first blessing and it was so perfect. Being able to listen to what was said was such a great testimony builder for me. The words which the Elder spoke were only things that God could have known.. we had not told him any of the details of her concerns or worries, but they were all addressed. It was amazing. The spirit was sooooo strong.

 

This morning I had quite the experience as well. I was in our apartment doing some laundry, when I all of the sudden stepped on something that crunched. I thought it was probably just a leaf or a wrapper.. but nope. IT WAS A COCKAROACH. I stepped on a cockaroach with my bare feet. I literally almost had a heart attack.

 

I am so grateful for the chance to be serving! I love it out here!

 

Love,

Hermana Rupp

Another Good Week.

Another good week here in Houston! So much has been happening here.

 

- On Monday, we had an FHE at our Bishop's house with a part member family. The dad and two sons are members, and the mom and two daughters are not. One of the daughters and the mom have been coming to church for years now, they just don't want to be baptized. We had such a powerful lesson about eternal families. The spirit was incredibly strong, so we invited them to be baptized and both said yes! There was not a dry eye in the room and I have never seen the dad and son as happy as they were that night. They completely lite up when they realized that they were going to be a step closer to being able to go to the temple. It was one of the best moments of my mission so far.

The adversary is real though and the baptisms will not be happening anymore. A seed was planted in their hearts that night though, and hopefully one day soon they will be ready.

 

- We have been working with one of our investigators to prepare her to be baptized on the 27th of this month. She accepted the invitation to be baptized a little over a week ago and after three separate invitations. Even after she accepted though, she didn't seem very excited and she didn't feel ready personally. She would continually tell us that she wanted to feel different about her decision to be baptized. We didn't know what to do. We would bring members with us to her house to testify, we would pray with her, etc. and nothing seemed to bring her the joy she needed to feel. There is a reason why going to church is so important, because that is where she was able to have that confirmation that she needed. Ever since that Sunday, she her attitude has completely changed and she happy with her choice.

 

- On Saturday, we did exchanges and I had to run our area by myself for the first time. Seriously, the most terrifying experience of my life haha. It actually turned out really good and there were countless miracles throughout the day.

While we were tracting, we started talking to a family who invited us in right then and we were able to start teaching the first lesson. This NEVER happens. The dad has so much faith and he invited us to come back whenever!

While we were just walking to different appointments, people were placed in our path that are so prepared. We have so many potential investigators now.

We also were able to go and see some people that we have not been able to forever. It was really such a miracle.

 

- I learned how much I depend on my Utah mountains. Seriously, I am useless without them. When we went to go and start our exchanges, we had to go to an area that I am not familiar with. The road we were supposed to take back to our area ended up being closed, so I had no clue where I was or how to get back. We whipped out a good old fashioned map, but lets be real here.. we had no idea how to actually use it. We decided to go into Walgreens and ask for directions to get onto the road a different way. The worker asked us if we were trying to go north or south and once again, I had no clue. I have no sense of direction without the mountains! They thought we were pretty pathetic, but luckily we got it figured out eventually and made it home.

 

- Sunday, we were able to go to a fireside that our mission is putting on throughout stakes here in Houston. The missionaries that came had to participate in a choir and we sang the old "EFY Medley" and "Called to Serve". There were about 50+ missionaries and it was one of the most powerful things ever. We were able to listen to testimonies of recent converts and it was amazing. It is always so humbling to hear new members speak. They are always so solid.

 

I am constantly being reminded that the Lord's hand is in this work. When things haven't worked out throughout the week, something better always seems to happen instead. We are being guided to those who are prepared and they are being led to us too.

 

I feel so blessed to be here in Houston and to serve the beautiful Spanish people. They are the best.

 

Love,

 

Hermana Rupp

Fishy.

So I don't really have a ton to report about this past week. It has flown by so quickly and I have loved every second of it!

 

I ate some good ol' fish. Seriously... God is real. When the lady feeding us brought fish out, I panicked because fish literally KILLS me to eat. After saying a real heart felt prayer, I ate the fish without shedding any tears or gagging. It was quite the accomplishment if you know me haha.

 

Two recent converts (the same two that I got to go to the temple with) gave their first talks in Sacrament meeting! COOLEST. THING EVER. They were incredible! The testimonies of these two are so solid.

 

Ever since I have gotten here, we  have been trying to contact a recent convert. He was baptized in May and had stopped going to church about June/Julyish. We would try calling, texting, visiting this person, but with no success. Well a miracle happened and Sunday, this guy was at church!

 

Right now, we are focusing on working with the members to find more people to start teaching. Before my mission, I didn't really think member missionary work was important.. but let me tell you IT IS! When they say, "every member a missionary" it is so true. The members make all of the difference in this work.

 

Our mission is focusing on using Family Search to find more investigators. While we are tracting, we have been talking to people about family history. It has been really cool because so many people are so excited about this! It has been a really great tool to use because most of the time when people see who we are, they don't want to talk to us. When we start talking about this though, their whole attitude changes.

 

The weather here has been glorious the past three days. Never have I appreciated it being about 85 degrees the way I have now. This apparently is pretty cold for people here though, because they are bringing out hardcore jackets and hot chocolate haha.

 

I am SO GRATEFUL to be out here serving. I learn so much each day about myself and the gospel.

 

The church is true!

Love,

 

Hermana Rupp

Moments.

Missions are full of all sorts of moments... These past two weeks, we've experienced them all!

 

It's had the good...

 

- Last Saturday, Ordonez and I got to go to the temple with two recent converts (one is a 22 year old guy preparing to go on a mission, the other is a cute mom). We got to be with them while they did baptisms for the dead for the first time! Seriously, this was one of the sweetest experiences I have had. Both of them were so happy. It is the coolest thing ever seeing the happiness the gospel brings. And the Houston temple is SO gorgeous!

 

- One of our investigators has set a baptism date! She is so prepared and has been since we met her! Her husband passed away about two months ago. She loves and misses her husband so much. This gospel has brought her so much hope that one day she will be able to see him again.

 

- Another one of our investigators has finally started reading The Book of Mormon! This is a huge miracle!

 

- We had such a cool experience with a family in our ward and a non-member who they had met earlier that day and invited to have an FHE with us. Ordonez and I taught a lesson about God being our loving Heavenly Father. The woman (non-member) agreed with everything we said. After we finished, the Dad who had invited her, bore one of the most humble and solid testimonies that I have ever heard. At the end of his testimony, he turned to the lady and said, "I know that God loves you." The spirit was there during the entire night, but in that moment it hit really hard like a train. It was exactly what this woman needed to hear because she is going through a really difficult time. I don't think that is was a coincedence that they met that day. God is in the details!

 

It has also had some bad.. (But not really.. I'm on cloud 9 out here)

 

- I've already gone through a pair of shoes and a bag.

 

- I'm almost 95% sure that I ate fried fat. Imagine eating a dog treat (not that I ever have), but that is what I would compare it to. Luckily, I didn't know what it was until after.

 

And it has most definitely had some awkward/uncomfortable moments...

 

- Mostly everything uncomfortable happens while tracting. I can't really tell who speaks Spanish and who doesn't. It doesn't help that when people answer the doors, they just stare and don't say anything. So a lot of the time, I just start with "hola" if they look like they are potentially Latino. This usually ends really interesting because they either don't end up speaking Spanish (sometimes they don't speak English either), or if they do speak it, they just look at me like,"Who is this white girls trying to talk to me". Never in my life have I gotten so many weird looks haha.

 

- So I don't really know why this happens, but it does. People answer their doors all the time not wearing any clothes. Like they literally just hide behind the door and poke their heads out to talk to us. Some tell us that they can't talk because they aren't dressed and others you can just tell. I am still trying to figure out why people are even answering their doors then haha.

 

Lastly, after some recent experiences I have been thinking a lot about the words in one of my favorite talks. It was given in a general conference by President Henry B. Eyring and is called "Mountains to Climb". If you haven't read it, do it! There is also a Mormon Message available to watch (but make sure you have a box of tissues.. it is a tear jerker).

 

It talks about the importance of having faith in Christ. At one point, President Eyring teaches, "If the foundation of faith is not embedded in our hearts, the power to endure will crumble."

In Helaman 5:12, Helaman teaches his sons the importance of building upon faith in Christ and says,

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock‍ of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that yemust build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when allhis hail and his mighty storm‍ shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery andendless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build theycannot fall."

 

Life is so hard sometimes and all sorts of things are thrown at us, but when we live our lives with a foundation built upon the gospel of Jesus Christ, "the hardest as well as the easiest of times in life can be a blessing."

 

I know that this is true! As we put Christ first, everything else will fall into place and we will be given the hope necessary to carry on.

 

Love,

 

Hermana Rupp

Quick Week.

This has been the quickest week of my life! I have heard that mission time is weird, but haven't really experienced it until now!

 

Events of the week:

 

- We got to do a service project at the church's peanut butter factory! First, let me just tell ya that you haven't had peanut butter until you have had this stuff. I died and went to Heaven. It was a super fun time! Big companies from around the world send volunteers to work here, so I met some really cool people. Since  sister missionaries go by "sister", some people thought we were a bunch of nuns haha so that was fun.

 

- I had my first zone conference! My mission president and is wife are the best.. I learned so much from them! One thing though that I am still having to get used to is role playing. We role play all of the time here and had to do it for 2 hours that day! It is the worst because it is so awkward, but in the end it really is beneficial.

 

- Our ward had it's monthy FHE. Our bishop taught the Plan of Salvation and it turned out really well. We had 2 investigators come and they both felt the spirit really strongly!

 

- Tracting, tracting, tracting.

 

Once again, I also saw a lot of miracles this week.

 

- One of our investigators had told us that she will be ready for baptism AFTER she sees one. Hermana Ordonez and I kinda freaked out.. because there are no baptisms planned in our ward, so we didn't know how this was going to work out.

Well on Saturday, our ward had booked the entire building for an FHE, but apparantely another ward didn't get the memo. A ward from another building had booked a room in the church for a baptism! This investigator came to the activity that night, so we were able to take her to watch it. It was the coolest thing ever. As she watched this young girl be baptized, her entire countenance changed. There was literally a light in her eyes after. The spirit was so strong.

Tonight, we will be going to see her! We are praying that her heart has been softend and that she will be prepared!

 

- On Wednesday, we were teaching the same investigator as mentioned above. In the middle of the lesson, her grandson came in. He began telling us how interested he is in our church and The Book of Mormon. We talked for about 5 minutes, then he left. About 10 minutes later, he came back and asked if he could sit in during our lesson for a few minutes.. well he ended up staying for about a half hour and then invited us to his house another day. Our investigator was SO HAPPY. She started to cry when we told her how interested her grandson is (We talked to him in English and she only speaks Spanish, so she didn't understand).

We went back 2 days later and taught him again. He absorbed everything up and agreed with what we talked about. He has even been reading The Book of Mormon!

It was incredible.

 

- Members are so important in this work. I have heard that before, but now I know it! A recent convert here is so golden. He is 22 and such a disciple of Christ. He has been inviting his friends to activities and talking to people about the gospel. He brought one of his friends the the FHE on Saturday. Theb yesterday, took us to the house of this friend. We were able to teach this friend and his girlfriend and they have agreed to let us continue teaching them! We are really excited.

 

- Contacting 25 new people each day has been quite the challenge this week. There never seems to be time, but God always provides away when we put in our effort. One night we still needed to contact 21 people and it was already past 8. We prayed for help and it was delivered. Normally contacting 25 people takes about two hours. That night, we talked to 21 people in less than a half hour. It was such a tender mercy.

 

- At church yesterday, we had 7 investigators! It was amazing!  

 

I have the strongest testimony that God is in all of the details! The church is true!

 

Love,

 

Hermana Rupp