April 8, 2019

Hey all!

I never know quite how I feel about being transferred; you kind of get uprooted and you feel like a brand new missionary again. For about a week you're completely useless because you don't know anyone or anything! At the same time it's exciting because absolutely everything is a fresh start and a new beginning. I think I switch personalities with every new companion. 

Palm Desert is so interesting. Indio, where we live, is fairly wealthy due to polo fields and the Coachella Music Festival, which is happening this weekend. You could throw a rock and hit it from our apartment. If I pray really, really hard maybe I'll see Adele?? That's how prayer works right? Where we teach and find, however, is mostly Thermal, and it's nothing like Indio. In the words of Hermana Alvarado, "You don't need to go to Mexico, Hermana Hawkes. Mexico is right here!" If you drive about 30 minutes out into the fields of date palms you hit it, this little community of field workers. You just follow the Mariachi and the smell of carne asada. I love it! It's a strange place. Large groups of dogs will follow us around, kids scream and run through lines of laundry, and everyone plants bright flowers in front of their trailers. The way you still know where you are though are the big sports cars everywhere. The youth don't save up to buy a house, they save up for a car!

Hermana Alvarado is one of the most even-keeled people ever. She sure knows how to laugh though. She's an incredible teacher, and I just hope to learn as much from her as possible. She's going to hit a year this week and we plan to celebrate! 

Wasn't conference great? There were so many talks about answers to prayers and the way we receive blessings, and I know I learned a lot. It got me thinking back to last transfer. This area is in a similar state as the last; we're out finding much more than we're teaching. As missionaries if you aren't finding anyone new to teach its easy to feel like you're doing something wrong, but this week I got the quiet prompting that no, last transfer we didn't teach as much because this is the Lord's work (surprise) not mine. He didn't need lessons, he had children ready to be put in the way of the missionaries, and a lot of them. "Most missionaries, once they've found someone to teach, stop looking. I needed you to keep looking. I trusted you to keep looking." So if you're in a "slow point" in the work, keep going. You're still an instrument. 

We went running the other morning and I was frustrated with myself because I had to take a couple little breaks in between and walk. I was determined to finish strong. Here, the stop signs all have a large painted, "STOP" on the street, which I hate and there's one right before our apartment, and in my mind angrily responded to the sign, "That's what you think, not today!" and kept running. Just then I had the thought, it only matters if you're running at the end. I think that applies to more than just running! Isn't that the gospel in a nutshell? Isn't that what the Atonement of Christ means? No matter how many mistakes we make, how weak we are, how many "breaks" we take, it's all ok if we just keep going. It's all ok if at the end of the day we're running; running towards the Savior! 

I love you all so much! Have the best week ever! 

Love, 

Hermana Hawkes 

Great Quotes: 

"If Mexico and the U.S. had a baby, it would be California." --Hermana Alvarado

"Have you noticed that John never has a beard and all the other apostles do?--Hna A (She's got her own conspiracy theory I swear) 

"Mire, soy un creyente. Mi hijo dice que soy la Iglesia!" --Jose Luis (he had a looot of Saints tatoos and he is proud of them! We are good friends) 

"Que se me falta para llegar a ser un indio? No mas la pluma!" --Esteban ("What else do i need to become an Indian? Just the feather")