February 23 - Week 3 in El Rio

Weird to look back and think that if I was doing the same thing that I did in St. David that I would be leaving here tomorrow. That was still the weirdest thing in the whole world. Never want to be in an area for that short again. Even a whole transfer in one area would not be any fun!

Loving El Rio. Hermana Dominguez and I are working really hard and we are really excited for this upcoming week. We have lots of plans and are staying really busy. 

This past week we had a couple of adventures! We went and cut and washed some dogs for a member in our branch named Alejandra. She is so sweet. We love going to see her. We also went to go see another member before church on Sunday and she was busy at work trying to get ready herself and her 3 little girls (sound familiar?). So glad we acted on a prompting!! We did her girls' hair and kept them entertained and then we all went over to church together. So great :)

I followed a prompting on Saturday after a huge breakfast that we did at the Munoz's place (way fun!) to go and try a potential named Lourdes. She is really sweet. She kept going on about dreams she has had. I introduced how in the Book of Mormon there is a prophet who also had dreams and she should read it. She thought that was pretty cool. Then she started another dream with the Pope and such. I was not sure where it was going but I practiced my listening skills. In the blink of an eye her dream changed. She was outside wandering and on the other side of a ravine there was a group of people, drinking, partying, and trying to get her to join. When she rejected them, she turned around and saw this beautiful, huge white tree which was the most beautiful thing she has seen in her entire life! Sound familiar? Yea!! Just like Lehi's dream! We then had a great discussion after that about Lehi and the Book of Mormon. She is so excited to read the chapters we left her with. We are seeing her tomorrow. Well, I'm not. We are going on exchanges so I'll just get to hear about it!

I got to see Karina this past week at Diana's house :) I miss El Dorado. So close!! Yet so far. Paulina emailed me this week!! Yea, made my day :) love her so much and everyone else from El Dorado. My 2nd home :)

Love you all so much! Miss you! And I hope you all have an amazing week!

Hermana Martin

Karlena's Girls

February 16th - Week 2 in El Rio

Well, we have had a pretty good week. We had a goal of 25 lessons and we got 26! The last one being a text from a less active member saying we should come over, and getting there at 8:58 last night haha! Yea, we literally have been running at times. We've loved just working hard and focusing on the wonderful people here. We keep seeing people who have been off the radar for a while. We are trying to keep hard at work!

Jeff Stirling from St. David was baptized on Saturday :) When Hermana Blackford called me with the news I just broke into tears! So happy for him :) and he is so excited to go to the temple a year from now to be sealed to his sweetheart :)  It was such an awesome day! I wish I could have been there, but I was for sure there in spirit.

I got your awesome Valentine's Day package!! Yeah, made our day :) thank you so much! I'll send another letter out probably tomorrow or the next day. Made both of us really really happy :) Thank you!

We've been teaching a couple of new investigators and working with many families in the ward. We are seeing D. a lot :) a 13 year old whose family aren't members. She is such a sweetheart! Love her to death!

We are going to A.H.'s place on Tuesday to clean her 10 dogs. Yea, it should be a blast! The elders are going to come help us. There are some that bite. Hope I don't end up with them. They live in a small trailer and we think this will help them out a lot :)  We hope this will help a lot.)

Hermana Gastelum took us for our appointments in Mirana this week. Trying to save miles! It was a lot of fun! She took a different way back and we were able to drive right though the Saguaro National Park! I'm keeping a list of all the things we need to do when we are all here in Tuscon, and that is DEFINITELY one of them. 

I finished Alma for the BOM challenge and started Helaman. I am loving it! I may finish before Pascua. Oh well! 

Love you all!! Talk to you next week! 

Hermana Martin

At the gem show

Can't believe she got to this National Park before we did!

With Hermana Dominguez in Saguaro NP

With one of her young investigators

February 9th - Semana #1 en El Rio

Estoy en espanol otra vez!! Si estoy tan feliz :) ya puedo ver una diferencia en mi espanol porque estoy hablandolo mas. Una bendicion :)   (I am in a Spanish area again!!  Yes, I am so happy   :)   Already I can see a difference in my spanish because I am speaking it more.  A blessing.  :)  )

That's it for Spanish for now haha. Yesterday (first day at the church) at the end of Sacrament Meeting there was a little time left so they asked me to come up and introduce myself and bear my testimony.  Oh man, don't know why it freaked me out so bad.  Probably because in the mission I've only given 2 talks and gone up to bear my testimony once. I don't like crowds. But it went surprisingly well!  Didn't have too hard a time with the espanol.   :P

El Rio is a lot of fun :) I already really like the members here. I miss both my last 2 areas but I know I'm here for a reason. This area has not been doing as great lately but I hope that my greenie fire will be able to help this area :) 

I am back in my old Zone. It is like I just went on a short vacation haha. Super glad to be back in the all-Spanish Zone. Spanish pride! After Zone Meeting this past week, I was close to where Hermana Maciell now is and so I went to go see her. Oh she was so happy!! I love my abuelita :) she is doing a bit better which I was so glad to see    :)

I'm doing the new member lessons with D.C.   :)   I began teaching her while visiting with her sister in El Dorado.  So it is super cool going from starting to teach her to now doing her new member lessons  :)   Also Hermana M. in the branch went to the temple yesterday to be sealed to her family.  She is C. F.'s mom, Y's wife. So in a year they will all be able to be sealed together! So awesome :)

We're going to the gem show today that comes to Tucson every February. So excited! Lots of pictures to come next week! Love you all so much! Happy Valentine's Day week! JK  That holiday doesn't exist here ;)

Con mucho amor

Hermana Martin

Sierra and Hermana Dominguez

Sierra with her "adopted" grandma, Hermana Maciell

"My companion was going to hair school!"

February 3rd - Leaving St. David already, heading back to Tucson!!

They just can't keep me out of the city haha. It will be very weird going back to a place with stop lights, gas stations, a Walmart haha. It is going to be culture shock all over again. I'm going to be with Hermana Dominguez en la rama El Rio :)  (the El Rio branch)   Just a hop, skip and a jump away from El Dorado. That will be tempting, but I will stay strong ;) I'm excited to go back to Spanish but I've also really loved my time here in St. David. I am hoping this is a long term change.  10 weeks, 6 companions, 3 areas, I'm ready to sit still in one place with one companion for a bit haha! 

So I forgot to mention this, but when I was leaving El Dorado my companions guessed I would be going ASL (American Sign Language) which wouldn't make any sense because there were elders there training. Well I've been interpreting songs and even a prayer this last Sunday in ASL. Yea, it was so much fun! I'm re-determined to get back into ASL after the mission and keep up Spanish. I have loved working with Sister Stover (RS President who interprets most of the time)   :)   Been a lot of fun!

This past Wednesday we taught mutual for St. David and we did an MTC night. We did role plays, had Brother Bailey come in and teach them how to pray in Spanish (without using English haha oh the memories) and then had them write their testimony in a Book of Mormon and challenged them to give it out. Loved working with the youth. Still my favorite thing ever!

I've said goodbye to the few people who I've been able to create a relationship with :) I've loved the people here and I will miss them so much. I'll explain with the pictures haha.

Love you and miss you all so much!! I will talk to you next week and have pictures of my new area!

Hermana Martin

Goodbye St. David

Keeping up her ASL skills with Sister Stover

Tombstone, Arizona

Exchanges with Hermana Ferwerda :) 

She and I are in the same program at USU and even took some classes together. 

Small World!! From Riverton

. . . .and here is the fortune cookie she mentioned in last week's letter!