Ch ch ch changes....

So this week was sister garcia's last week here in malanday after being here for 7 and a half months!!! so we had to say goodbye to errybody which was intense. but other than that we had a great week! our two baptisms on saturday were great!!! best baptism we've had. we were sick of getting there early only to wait for two hours for the actual event to start so this time we just showed up on time and low and behold, everyone was already there and ready!!!!!!! it was a miracle. literally. the primary put together a special musical number of andrew's favorite primary song and sang it. the two talks were both great and bishop's welcome was the best i've heard yet! and both andrew and james bore really great testimonies!! we were so pumped!!! 

then we went home and made brownies in the toaster oven to celebrate. best thing ever. ok the brownies we're that great but it was fun to get to bake again. 

sad story. we were working with a family in the ward, the sister is a member and has a baby with the guy (not married) and we started teaching the guy. he was doing so great and we set a baptism date and a marriage date for them and they were so cute and excited to be a family for reals and their little boy is so cute!! then we went back for our next appt. sister looked like she had lost weight so we were like sister! why are you so skinny?? and she just said brother left. he just up and left! after our last lesson!! they got in a fight over money and he just peaced out. we were shocked. and devastated. she has no job. she lives with her mom and her sister and between the three of them they have the occasional laundry business of the mom. she can't work because she has a weak heart aka she faints all the time if she works too hard. her sister had medical struggles too. the dad got shot by a stray bullet a while ago and last october the brother came home from his mission early really sick and died. 

nothing has gone right for this family for the past year. sister attempted to explain her heartbreak as tears slipped down her face unacknowledged. this is the fourth time this guy has left and she doesn't want him back. she gave him one last chance to start anew. to be a family. to work through life together. and when things got reals he couldn't handle it. again. sister garcia and i had to switch off teaching every min so that whoever was talking could stop and control themselves so as not to weep. little cyrex is sick and they don't have any money for him to go to a doctor. i asked if she wanted us to arrange for cyrex to get a blessing. she said she was scared. that was the last thing i expected her to say so i asked why. she said her brother got a blessing and then he died. that's the only experience she has with blessings. she associates them with death and therefore doesn't want that for her little baby boy. it broke my heart. 

we really do rejoice and mourn with people. the mourning is just a lot harder than the rejoicing. 

we've been so excited about our area and sister garcia has been preparing me and everyone else for her departure this week. telling everyone she's probs leaving but i will still be here with a new companion. everything will continue as planned. maricon can get baptized next month because she is officially done with coffee. her husband even stopped drinking it to support her. they stopped buying it at all. she's doing so great!! cCindy believes the church is true. we've taught her maybe three lessons and haven't even talked about Joseph Smith but she read the pamphlet, she knows its true. She's ready to change. mariz and malou still sit by us in every meeting at church because they don't know anyone there. james is so excited to be an active member of the church, he takes notes at church and asks us about anything he didn't understand during our lessons every sunday afternoon. we just met bobit's family and they prayed about the church and they know it's true! his wife said she can't wait to read the Book of Mormon!! we have ward missionaries working with us every day of the week and meals with members. we have things rolling!! we are going to andrew's house to teach his sister and help his in active dad return. the fransisco's have an interview with bishop next week to go the temple. our area is booming!!!!! we have the highest numbers in the zone. they just lowered the standard of excellence for the mission but in the workshop told sister garcia and i that the old standards were too easy for us, we need to stretch ourselves and set our own standard. 

and they're pulling us out. 

yep. that's right. not only is sister garcia transfering tomorrow, so am i! surprise!!!!!!!!  

today is a little bit crazy to say the least. we spent all morning writing a verrrry detailed schedule for this week. day by day appt by appt so that the new missionaries don't miss a beat. because if they do miss a beat, we will be devastated!!!! they can not drop the ball with our area. that is not acceptable.  we have six recent converts that still need fellow shipping and reteaching! we have drawn directions to all the random places we visit that don't really have addresses. 

moral of the story. this is the Lord's work, these are His sheep, He knows them better than we do. He won't let them get lost again. all we can do know is pray that the next missionaries pay attention. and get to work in our new areas. 

ps sister garcia is opening an area and training. she's a champ. 

this is an exciting work to say the least!!!!!!

Love,
Sister Jones