Life in Horizon City

El Paso is such an interesting town: not quite US, not quite Mexico. Out here in Horizon, we see some funny stuff and this week we had the good sense to start taking pictures of it all.

Yes, this is in fact a couch out in the middle of the desert. We don't know why it's there or who put it there, but we thought it was the funniest thing!

We were following this truck for a while before we realized there was a man in the bed of the truck, well-hidden under his sombrero.

And of course, that Texas sky never gets old!

This week, I got to spend a couple of days with Sister Callaway. She came out to Horizon for a couple of exchanges since her trainer is recovering from an appendectomy. She's such a sweet, hard working missionary and we had a great time!

Well everyone, have a great week! Remember to keep smiling!

What a week...

What an exciting week! Jesse got baptized on Saturday. Here we all are, a bit before the baptism. Me and Sister Silva, Jesse, and the Bishop. We're so happy for him, that he decided to take this step!

Afterward, the entire stake celebrated with a huge picnic. Okay, so maybe the picnic was for Pioneer day, but we like to think it was a "Welcome to the Church" party for Jesse. Only in El Paso, would a church function serve hot dogs and horchata - a delicious combination!

We made it through transfers unscathed; Sister Silva and I get to stay another six weeks here in the wonderful town of Horizon!

I learned a new phrase in Spanish the other day, "No te des por vencido!" It means "Don't give up," but somehow sounds much more eloquent in Spanish. 

Have a wonderful week!

Another Wonderful Week!

Today was so exciting! Look at Sister Silva's happy face! It was only 76 degrees out (then again, it was only 11 a.m.). 

Why is 76 degrees so exciting, you may ask? On an average day, it's around 110 degrees. At 110, everything melts. Yes, everything. You know those peach gummy candies? Well we left them in the car for about an hour and when we came back they looked like this:

Despite the heat, I'm told that we're coming up on monsoon season here. Things might get interesting :)

It's been an incredible week! I love to see the Lord's hand in our lives. In one of my favorite verses, God says, "This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." Now, most companies and organizations have a mission statement. This is God's mission statement. His work, His focus, His goal, is to help us to learn and grow and become like Him. I don't know about you, but it makes me feel pretty special to know that God is doing everything he can to help me become more like Him each day. He really is actively involved in our lives, more than we notice sometimes.

Here's a picture of me with two of my favorite ward members, Denise and Eliora! Aren't they the cutest?

Well I hope you all have a wonderful week!

"All Creatures of our God and King"

This week we had a great P-Day at the zoo! And when you're a missionary, you know what song you sing to yourself as you walk around at the zoo? "All creatures of our God and King..." 

Here are some pictures of the sister missionaries in my district: Sister Silva, Sister Pipkin, and Sister Adams.

We also had a great chance to serve the other day, hauling hay and painting. Dressing up for the occasion was a plus!

This week, we got to travel up to Albuquerque for a meeting with our new mission president. We loved getting to know him and his wonderful wife and we're so excited to get to work with them for the next year. He invited us to list and ponder the talents, abilities, strengths, weaknesses and gifts of the Spirit that we've been given. God gives us both our strengths and our weaknesses for a reason, and he's promised that as we turn to him, he will "make weak things become strong." What gifts has he given you that you can use to bless those around you?

Last week, we were so happy to see that Jorge took that big step, baptism. Jorge is only 14 years old, the same age that Joseph Smith was when he was searching for the truth. Joseph Smith prayed to know which of the many churches was Christ's church and he received an answer to his prayer in a big way. God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ appeared to him and called him to be a prophet. Christ told Joseph that through him, Christ would organize his church. Joseph Smith must have had a lot of faith to be blessed with such miraculous visitors. Our friend, Jorge, has got a lot of faith too and we're so proud of him!

Well folks, that's it for this week! I think I'll end with some advice that's written on a mountain right across the border:

Have a great week!

Clay in His Hands

Have you all seen the movie Joseph: Prophet of the Restoration? Well it's a great one. You ought to watch it. I love a line Joseph Smith says to Brigham Young. "The Lord takes raw materials, and shapes them... The Lord has great things in mind for you!" Though we are all raw materials, the Lord is shaping and molding us. Every event in our lives is preparing us for what the Lord wants us to become. As a missionary I get to meet a lot of people and hear their stories. I know that the Lord has prepared every single one of them, and you too! The Lord has great things in mind for you!

Alright folks, your homework is to watch that movie and find something in there that applies to you.

Oh, What a Beautiful Day!

What a wonderful week! The best (slightly belated) birthday present I got was to witness the baptism of Miguel Angel on Saturday! Sister Silva and I are so happy for him! Baptism is such an important step, the first step on the "straight and narrow path." Nothing brings so much joy as to be able to witness that change in people's lives. At least that's what Ammon says and I tend to agree with him (Alma 26:35). Yup, Saturday was such a happy day, so of course I've got a couple pictures for you!

This week we got to begin exchanges! Roughly twice a week, Sister Silva and I get to go on 24-hour exchanges with various sisters in the zone. It's so wonderful to get to meet and serve with other sisters in the zone and learn from each other. This week, one exchange took an interesting turn when we got pulled over for speeding. But it was a great opportunity to get to know someone and share the gospel with him. Every day, God is putting people in our path, even in ways we wouldn't expect, or necessarily appreciate :).

Here's a picture of Sister Moulding and I after an exchange. We had such a fun day together! (For future reference, fun and spiritual are synonyms.)

The last few days I've been reading about Captain Moroni. He is a righteous man who is willing to give his all in defense of his people. He can do hard things because he knows what he is fighting for. He even raises what he calls, the "title of liberty," a banner on which he wrote his purpose, "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives and our children." I've heard it said that a person can endure any "what" when he's got a "why." Which of course leads to the question, what is my title of liberty? What is my "why"?  I hope you're not waiting for an answer because I'm still formulating one. But you and I can ponder that this week, and we'll see what we come up with.

Here are a few pictures of birthday celebrations! It was so nice of Sister Rojas to bake me a cake and get me a pinata!

Well, I hope you all have a lovely week! 

Sunsets!!

Well missions are a funny thing. Did you ever move off to school and room with someone you didn't know? And you had to get used to the new atmosphere and get to know each other's quirks? Well as missionaries, we get to experience that every 6 weeks. On transfer day, our President tells us where we'll be serving for the next six weeks and who we'll be serving with. The good news is that our president is really just the messenger; we know that God is the one sending us to different places for specific reasons.

This transfer day was an exciting one, because my new companion is...  drumroll... Sister Silva! my MTC companion. We are so excited to be out here in Horizon, teaching people about the gospel of Christ.

So the lovely town of Horizon, is on the edge of El Paso, a stone's throw from Juarez, and is full of empty, dusty desert. But Horizon has the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen in my life!

Am I right, or am I right? Just enjoy it, and wish you could see it in real life!

On Monday, we got to have a Family Home Evening with a family in the ward. It was a full house and a lot of fun - a wonderful lesson, delicious treats, and music! Isn't music the best? I think so, and so does Heavenly Father. He said, "The song of the righteous is a prayer unto me." Sister Silva and I love singing together - in the car, at home, even in lessons. I know that good music can bring the Spirit of God more powerfully than almost anything else.

Here is a photo of the all four sisters in our district. We have 4 sisters and 4 elders in our group.

Well I hope you all have a wonderful week!