January 7, 2019 Never Give Up

Hi all!

Short one this week, I don't have much time or much energy, but I have good news! Hna Ciarlante and I will be together for another transfer. I feel really blessed. She's an eternal optimist, and I have a lot to learn from her still. We have so much going on in this area, I feel it's really a tender mercy we get more time! 

We had exchanges this week, and boy was it a day! I was with an English sister who is serving up at the base at 29 Palms. I asked someone why they chose Yucca Valley for a marine base, and was told it's because the terrain looks like the Middle East, where they'll be stationed after training. I guess that means that basically we're serving in the Middle East?? We had a miracle of four lessons in the plans, one by one of which fell through. Our zone had a goal of finding 13 new people this week, and we were determined to help it happen. All the people we tried to contact from our records had moved, and then at the end of the day I got us pretty hopelessly lost when our Maps app malfunctioned. I don't think the sister was all that impressed, and I felt like less-than-the-best missionary. 

The day after, we decided to visit two families we have had the hardest time contacting. They were "Hail-Mary" visits, as we haven't seen either in weeks, but both were home! We had amazing lessons with both, and by some miracle ended up with 3 new people to teach. Every day in the mission I feel like I learn over and over that, frankly, the work has very little to do with me or my ability or often even my plans. I'm supposed to be here, work hard, be teachable and guidable, but it's all so much in His hands. As President Dixon always says, "the battle is the Lord's!" 

As a side story: we absolutely could not find a way to finish weekly planning this week because the Ruiz family literally found us in the church, brought us the pizza we had just given to the elders, forced us to eat a slice, and then insisted they "wanted to plan with us!!" In other wards do missionaries get trapped in church buildings by members who just really want to feed you? 

Also, Hna Ciarlante definitely got a "mono" or Baby Jesus in her 3 Kings bread, so we'll see how these tamales go...

Love you all! Happy New Year! 

--Hna Hawkes 

"MY name is ISAIAH, HIS NAME is LAURO. He named us all Lauro. All 5 of us! I have 5 brothers, all named Lauro, and it's way too confusing." --Lauro Jr. the 5th. (Lauro Sr. just shrugged so I guess the story is true?)

"I call my husband two things. Ramos or 'Querubin'." --Hna Ramos

"You just got a call from ''Llamada Perdida," so you should call her!--Sister Pinder (that means "missed call")

"Peanut-butter sandwich." --Hno Pinela. This was his only idea for the branch picnic but I think he was just being a punk.