Merry Christmas!

I did not move this week. I am still in Sandy West. What did change is that I got a new companion. Saying goodbye to Sister Lewis was a hard thing to do. She became my best friend in the three months we were companions. But now I am companions with Sister Revolorio who is from Guatemala, and she is super awesome. We get along really well and have fun being missionaries together.  

We had another baptism this past Saturday. His name is Dysen and he's nine. He is a super sweet kid. The first time we met with him we asked him to be baptized and he told us that he wanted to. When we asked him why he said "Because I want to be a son of God." I was so happy to see him get baptized. It was kind of a stressful day though because both our district leader and our zone leaders came and brought investigators, and we were late to the baptism. We felt terrible but there was nothing we could do. Our ride never actually made it over to our house. The baptism started at ten so we asked her to pick us up at nine fifteen, but at nine fifty, we ended up just walking over to her house. I was more than a little bit stressed. But it went beautifully and the spirit was strong.

  

-Diana

Diana and Sister Revolorio and Dysen and Man

Week Twelve in the Field!

This week was awesome. I had some pretty hilarious and some pretty spiritual experiences.

I'll start off with the hilarious. So I tend to get some very interesting compliments that always make me smile. This week I was told that I looked like the kind of person who should work at Disneyland, that I just have a happy face. I was also told that I would make a beautiful mermaid. Both of these made me laugh, but who would turn down either compliment? I also received a terrible insult from a child who was trying to compliment me. We were sitting at dinner and everyone was just chatting and this young girl sitting next to me turns to me and just says, "You're so common." Everything at the dinnertable went completely silent, and I just stared at the little girl for a minute. Come to find out she was trying to say that I was calm and just didn't know the word for that. Calm is definitely better than common.

This week we got a sweet surprise from some members of the ward. They secretly dropped off a mini Christmas tree and ornaments so that our room can be more festive. Sister Lewis and I put it up the very night we got it and it adds just the festivity to our room that we needed.

On Thursday I got to perform at a Christmas devotional with my companion and a couple of the elders from the mission. This was the first time I have performed on the mission other than at dinner appointments. It was nervewracking after not singing for so long, but it went really well. We sang "What Child is This" and we were told it was amazingly beautiful so we'll just have to take my mission president's wife's word for it.

Lastly, and most importantly:  

This week VIVIAN GOT BAPTIZED!!!! It was so awesome! Let me tell you a little bit about our experience with Vivian. In October, her daughter (who is a member of the Church) asked us to meet her mom. That evening we went to a ward Halloween party and lo and behold there was Betty with her mom Vivian. We met her and even had dinner with them talking and having a good time. Afterwards, Sister Lewis and I were like, "Awesome, we met Vivian. She was pretty nice but I'm not sure why Betty made such a point for us to meet her. So about a month went by and Betty came up to us after church and said "I didn't want you to just meet my mom. I wanted you to meet with her." So, Vivian wasn't a member of the Church but everyone thought she was because she's been coming to church every week for a couple years. So we went over and we started teaching her the lessons. I've never seen someone so willing to just make the changed that she knew were right, once she found out about them. Vivian is so special and I'm so glad that I got to work with her and help her on her journey to come to know God more and to make essential covenants with Him. After she came up out of the water at her baptism her five year old grandson yelled "That. Was. AWESOME!" It was the sweetest thing.

I hope all of you are doing well. I'd love to hear from you! I love you all!

Week Eleven in the Field!

This week has been crazy cold. Here's a picture to help you get the idea. It was only over twenty once and that was so much warmer than the rest of the week that when I walked outside barefoot and without a jacket, I was like "Yeah, this is nice. I don't need a coat today." Layers and layers of socks have been necessary every day.

We have three baptisms scheduled for the next couple weeks that I am really excited about. The only one that I know for sure I will be at is this Saturday and that's Vivian's on Saturday. She is eighty-one and just super cool. I love her so much and I'm so excited that she's getting baptized. She's super excited about it as well. She has been so willing to make the changes that she's needed to without questioning it.

That's all the time that I have this week. Keep being amazing. Good luck with everything that is happening this week.

-Diana 

Week Ten in the Field!

Time has just flown! It's crazy that it's already December!

It's going to be a great month. We have been teaching three people who are all planning on being baptized this month. The work of the Lord is truly amazing. One of the people who we are teaching is named Vivian. She is eighty-one and has been a member of a few different religions. When we met with her for the first time, she told us she'd already found someone to baptize her when the time came. Everything we've taught her she has accepted and known to be the truth. She is excited to be baptized and make a commitment to God. It's truly incredible and humbling to see the hand of God in these people's lives.

I am so grateful to be here doing what I am doing. I know this is exactly where I need to be. Following God isn't always easy, but it is always right and it is always worth it.

I love all of you and hope all is going well.

Here are some pictures that were drawn of me this week. One by my companion and one by a little boy who's father we're helping get back to church. The little boy's name is Jerie, he's still working on the whole writing thing.

November in Sandy, Utah

We have had some rain this week too, and a bit of snow. Not much, it's just been quite cold. It started snowing the other day while we were tracting. It was actually kind of hilarious because some of our elders were double working our area so we did the same street but different sides. We got invited into three houses and they weren't invited into any, so they were upset about that, but they went and got us hot chocolate anyway. Other than that bit of snow, it's pretty much just been cold. The elders were kind enough to inform us that it was 20 degrees outside the other morning when we walked to workout.

Sister Lewis and Diana



Playing in the Primary Room



Diana and Sister Lewis