Buenos dias mama!

How was your New Years?!  To answer your question, I don't think I could stay up until midnight even if I wanted to!  Pretty much by the time 10:30 hits, I'm out for good.   We went out on the 1st, in the morning to run and I could barely see the houses across the street.  It just smelled like one big pile of smoke!  It is one of the few things that I dislike about living in L.A... there is always inversion.  And it makes me feel like I am dying. But Happy New Year!!  There are going to be a lot of crazy things happening this year! 

We really had a great week!  The Lord makes up for everything that I might not be able to do.  Being a missionary at times, makes you feel inadequate....but then you see how Heavenly Father helps you in the things that you may lack.  But this week we set two baptismal dates.  Now setting a date doesn't mean you have a baptism, but it does mean that you get to help someone to prepare for baptism, if they really are ready for it.  We visited a man named M. and he told us to come back.  We have had a few lessons with him this week and have been able to get memebers involved as soon as possible.  He lost his son in the war a few years ago and he is really looking for something.  It was amazing to me just to see the small changes he has made the last week.  One of the not-small changes is that he has quit drinking.  He has been an alcoholic for a few years, to be able to numb all of his pain.  We went over on Saturday and he expressed to us how he has been feeling really sick, because he hadn't drank in 5 days.  We had the Bishop with us and he was able to testify to him that it was because he felt the Spirit, and the Spirit was telling him to change.  He has expressed how he wants to become a better person and to really change his life.  He is super receptive. 

We had a really cool experience yesterday with a less active.  We went to go visit her and her daughter was there.  Her whole family is super against the church and so it scared us a little when we saw her daughter.  She was a bit cold to us at first, but as we talked to her more and more, she expressed to us how she wants to go back to church.  How right now in her life, she is trying to make a lot of changes in order to do so.  She was about to leave when we got there.  It was so amazing for us to see the Lord really guiding us to where He wants us to be.  I have learned a lot about following the promptings of the Spirit, and they are always there if we try to listen!

I'm so so happy for Madie!  I hope she loved the temple.  Could I get her address so that I can send her a letter about things she can do to prepare for her mission?  Okay, I have to go and I didn't take pictures this week... sorry!  I love you so much!!!

Love,

Hermana Michelle