California Girl - Adventures of Hermana Hawkes

Hi all! What a week! It all started with little underestimated Baltazar, whom the elders were teaching and we've been trying to help, got up in fast and testimony meeting. He speaks very slowly, has an injured foot, and is constantly widening his eyes and jerking his head a little from side to side, so he easily makes people a little unconfortable. He's been taught all the lessons, but struggles to absorb them a little. I tell you what, though, this man walked to the pulpit and bore one of the sweetest, most sincere testimonies about how he now knows that God is there, and wants to keep changing his life. Then, he called the ward to repentance! He said very simply, "I just want my family to be happy. I need all of you. Every one of you. We all need each other." Man, the impact of that! Countless sisters got up after that and testified in tears about their need to minister more, and thanked him from the pulpit. His name was famous in church that day! We've...

Good news! I will be staying in Thermal for another 6 weeks, and likely another transfer after that. I am thrilled! It's funny, I had myself so convinced I was headed out, but I'm so glad to continue working with these people I love a whole lot.  You can tell time from the date fields out here. The date boughs get heavy and start to droop, and the dates go from green to deep gold. Hermano Esteves says when they are brown, it will be fall.  Where do I start? This week we had a huge miracle with Jose. I'll try to be careful about what I share, because it's pretty special, but Jose received very strong, clear confirmation that our message is true, that we have a living prophet, and that we need to prepare for the second coming of the Savior. The most special moment was when Jose said to us, "Christ is the center of everything, and He's coming. We have to be ready." We asked him if he felt God wanted him to be baptized (something he has been...

All anyone wants to talk about is the heat. All the english speakers like to talk about how much they're suffering, and all the spanish speakers like to talk about how much WE'RE suffering. I don't really mind it too much, but I get really sweaty and flushed and they just smile grimly at me and offer us chilled water bottles. They call it "el caloron" or the "big heat."  The only one who couldn't care less is little brother hermano Herman Lopez, who grew up in Mexicali before there was air conditioning. He's in his mid seventies, and comes to outdoor lessons with us no problem in his hat and slacks. Afterwards he gives us a banana and putters away in his little green car.  We got rain---warm rain, for about ten minutes. Hermana Staker and I just sat in awe on our little porch and watched it as we ate dinner.  Apparently Thermal has its own weather. What was only a little warm summer rainstorm in Indio turned out to be a...

Dear friends and family-- Probably my favorite moment this week was when "Tyson" (actually named Armando), who was wearing a ratty grey tank-top, went into the house to get Francisca and came out 30 seconds later in a collared shirt and a fancy hat. He acted like nothing happened but we knew!  Sad news this week; Esteban headed off to Bakersfield to work for the summer. He didn't warn us beforehand, he's like that, but I think he was sad to go. "Don't worry," he promised us, "I'll come back with an even bigger testimony." I know he will. The man can't stop reading the Book of Mormon. Before he left though he taught us how to count to ten and say "flower" in Tarasco. Hna Staker was over the moon.  Really the best moment, though, was when Jose, who we hadn't been able to contact all week, marched into church in a white shirt. He couldn't stop beaming. No reminder, he just came. Turns out his phone ...

Sakes alive is it HOT down here. I swear I just kind of melt away. We were visiting a recent convert, and his mom (who is usually kind of cool towards us) kept giving me hydration drinks and bags of grapes...I figured a miracle was happening. Later I found out she just thought I looked pretty funny sweating buckets and decided to take pity on me. I hoped the heat would mean more people would invite us in...but out in Thermal it's hotter in than out. Mostly they just stand in the shade and laugh with us because we can't seem to acclimate. They also spend all day working in the sun so I can't blame them.  There are all sorts of dogs in the 70, some big, some small. You can't tell by looking at them which ones just bark and which bite, so we have to constantly watch our backs. A mean Chihuahua can be terrifying! They all make Hermana Staker pretty nervous, so I've had to be kind of macho and kind of lead out. One day while tracting, a whole pack of 4 dogs c...

It's hot down here, and shakey lately! We felt tremors from two earthquakes several miles away from us. One evening we were looking at our map and Hna Staker says to me, "Wow, hermana, I'm getting a little dizzy." I looked at her, alarmed, and sure enough she was swaying back and forth. "Oh, wow, now I'm woozy too!" I told her. It took us a good minute to realize the whole world was shaking and not just us!  Just when I think I'm getting a handle on Spanish I ask someone if they find the apostle Paul attractive. Yes, I think I have a ways to go!  To welcome new missionaries, the Zone leaders like to give out Gatorade and sodas. On my first day they showed up, for whatever reason, with a giant frost-bitten ham labeled, "Let's go ham this transfer!" When they asked Hna Staker for her favorite drink, me, being snarky, told them all we really wanted was another ham. So she got her drink and I somehow ended up with anothe...

The days just get hotter! I'm struggling to organize my thoughts today, so this may be sort of "stream of conciousness." The week was a bit of a blur! I think the missionary I was when I first got to the field has resurfaced a little bit. We had sort of a "final lesson" with Socorro, and I just found myself battling tears through the whole thing. She says she wants to know if the Book of Mormon is true, but won't read it. She says she prays for God to guide her, but never asks if our message is true. It's as if she's afraid to find out that it is true because that would mean change; the one thing I think she's truly afraid of. She recently lost her two sisters, and misses them so much it hurts. We sat there, bearing out hearts out that she can see them again, and she'd just interrupt and ask if "we'd like any more dates?" I love visiting her, but I've got more important things to talk about than dates. Hermana St...