Welcome to Manvel!! (week 53)

Well folks... I have been now assigned to serve in Manvel West!!! I am soooo happy and excited to be here!!! Lots of awesome people that I know have served here. Like Hermana Green and Hermana Berg ( from Heber who went home a while ago) but its so cool to be serving here. I went from always serving in small bike areas my entire mission to now serving in a HUGE area in a car!! Its insanneeeeee how big this area is!!! This area was huge before, and the just made it bigger! We took like half of the Elders area. And all their investigators and members... oops. Well just about everything here is different from my other areas. There are some really really nice neighborhoods and then some trailer parks (which are my favorite! other than the stray dogs.... not my fav), we have TONS of members, and TONS of work to do! I am so excited to get to work. Well we have already gotten to work, but I am really excited to serve here for the next 4 months and terminar mi mision aqui! With being transferred, I have just learned a lot about the Plan of Salvation. Sounds funny but i really have. I have just recieved so many confirmations that the Lord has a specific plan for each and every one of us. He loves each of us SO much and He just wants us to be happy. Sometimes we have to struggle, but the times of struggle are the ones that help us to learn and to grow. My last area was a struggle and I had a really hard time. But coming here, I am able to see the progression and how far I have come in the past 14 months of my mission. Heavenly Father has given me experiences that have changed me for the better and into the person that He wants me to be. And I am so grateful for all the hard times that have helped me be the person I am today. I have a lot more growing to do, but I've come a long way :)

So Tuesday was the "say your last goodbyes" day. It was hard but throughout the day I just felt peace because I knew I had done everything that I was supposed to in Galveston. Saying goodbye to the Arredondos and Eloisa and Jessica was the HARDEST though! I told Maria Arredondo that I was leaving and she was so sad. Then at the end she told me how grateful she was for us and all we had done for her and we both cried. It was just so sad! I have faith that one day she will join the church and go to the temple with her husband! And I will be there!!! Then she gave me some sunglasses. yessss. haha so great :) Then later that night I had to say goodbye to more family. Everyone there was family. Eloisa made us Mole (her mole is my FAVORITE. sooo good) and we finally got Hector, her son, to listen to the lesson!! SO AWESOME. And then we had to say goodbye. Jessica was crying crying crying and it made me so sad to leave! But they are going to be so awesome. And I will see them again soon! I just love them so much. But they will be taken care of :) 

Wednesday was transfers day! We drove up to the mission office and i was SO nervous. I had NO idea where i was going!! I had some hopes but I really had no idea. I was just praying that I wasnt going to go english. So we are there in transfer meeting and there pops up my picture! Serving in Manvel West with Hermana Duncan! WHOOO HOOO! At first I was really nervous and still so scared. But then I got really excited and ever since then I have been so happy. We have already seen so many miracles these past couple days. 

Thursday we had an appointment with a recent converts mom, Blanca and then did weekly planning! Then that night we had a lesson with a member named Mario who lives with his wife and dad who are both not members. Jose is the dads name and he told us how he used to go to church all the time and even feed the missionaries in Colombia. He was basically an active member there. But then here, he has only come twice. He told us he doesnt want to be baptized because he doesnt want to commit. He even knows he is losing blessings!!! So please pray for him!!! But we were super excited to get in with him. And we brought a member with us who bore such strong testimony and then we asked her to bear her testimony about missionary work in sacrament yesterday and she did! :) 

Friday we had a lesson with the mom and little sister of a member in the Pearland ward and it was a great lesson! I instantly just loved them so much!! They are really praying to know that these things are true. And then we invited them to the relief society activity that night and they came!! And they LOVED it!! I feel really good about them and we are really excited for them :) The Relief Society activity was so fun though. I got to meet a lot of the members and we had a Spa Night! We did facial masks and had yummy snacks. I love this ward.

Saturday we had a really cool experience! We contacted an investigator, Eunice, and she told us we couldnt come in because she was tired and not feeling good because of some hard things that have happened lately and we just bore testimony of the Atonement and how much God loves her and wants her to be happy and will help her and then she let us in! It was really cool to see the spirit work through us to her!! And it softened her heart!! And she is going to think about coming back to church :) yay!! I love this work!!!

Then yesterday we had church and an investigator Yvette came!! She is sooooo cool! I love her! She listens to Mo-Tab at work!! haha so awesome!!! And she loved it. Her son Evan loved it too! He was so happy :) We are so excited for her and are planning on extending a date tomorrow! Then we found some super cool investigators that seem like they are so interested and are coming to church next sunday!

I am just so grateful and excited to be here serving the Lord and doing His work! This is truly His work and we are just His instruments. His hands. And I am sooo happy to be here helping Him. Nothing has ever brought me so much happiness and pure joy. Thank you for all your love and support and I hope yall have a great week!!!

Con amor, 

Hermana Dorian :)