What a great week! Lots of learning, lots of miracles, and lots of work!
Hermana Garcia Valle is awesome! She pretty much came pre-trained. I feel like I am with a missionary who has already been serving for a while. She is so good at rolling with the punches and just doing what the spirit guides. I know that Heavenly Father doesn't just randomly send missionaries to different parts of the world. It really is divinely inspired. She was originally called to serve in Mexico, but with a few changes in her life, she was re-assigned to Tucson, Arizona. We have talked about some of the experiences in our lives, and I know that with the things she has gone through, she is going to be able to touch so many people's lives. I have already seen that multiple times this week! She was a seminary teacher before her mission so she has an incredible knowledge of the scriptures. We had a lesson with a less active member the other day, and as we were teaching, Hermana Garcia Valle shared a chain of scriptures that were so incredible and beautiful! This member has had a hard time coming to church for a while and by the end of the lesson we were able to talk with her about all her doubts and why she hadn't come for a while. I know that the scriptures that she shared really opened this woman's heart and it was incredible to see. So basically I have been incredibly blessed by Heavenly Father to serve with an awesome companion like her!(:
Spanish has also been awesome. I was really worried that it would be hard to communicate and to feel like we are more than just companions serving together because of the language barrier, but one thing I have really learned this week is that the Atonement is not only for forgiveness. I have felt the spirit working through me to be able to talk openly with Hermana Garcia and bring to my memory the Spanish that I have learned and even things I didn't think I knew! We have only been together for a week and I already feel like I have known her forever. I feel so blessed to have knowledge of the Atonement and to know that Christ really does understand every situation that we are in. A sister missionary told me that as I was training a new missionary, I was really going to need to learn to lean on Christ. I feel so blessed to be able to have him there at all times, to know that he understands me, to know that when I feel frustrated because my mouth just won't form the words, when I just can't understand, he is carrying me through it. I love my Savior so much and am so grateful for the opportunities this week I had to get to know him more.
Well this is Valentines day week, and usually for missionaries it is a little awkward. But I am excited for the things we have planned. We have decided to really dedicate a lot of our time to finding new people to teach by sharing a message about the love of Christ. There are so many people who say Valentines day is hard for them because they are alone. We are never alone. We all have someone who loves us more that we can ever try to comprehend. We are all familiar with the scripture John3:16 which talks about the love God has for us to send his son. We should also think about the love Christ had and has for us to accept the role as our savior. I am so grateful for this week to be able to share that message with everyone.
I love you all! Have a good Valentines Day! Always remember the love your Heavenly Father and Christ have for you! And that I love you too!
Love,
Hermana Lundquist
PS: Esternocleidomasdoideo is the Spanish name for a certain neck in the muscle. Hermana Garcia Valle is a nurse so I have learned some pretty weird sounding words this week haha.