Second and Last Week at the MTC

Wow, there's just soo much to say and not enough time!! Haha, and once again I forgot my notebook and journal. But oh well!

So last week, on Wednesday we had devotional and we got to listen to Elder Russell M. Nelson! It was amazing!! His wife talked about desperation. She said that the one thing that will help us on our mission is desperation. When we are desperate we are willing to give up everything; change all of our ways. All of our pride and excuses go away and we do whatever we can to reach whatever it is we want to reach. I truly know that is true because I have seen it in my life! Her talk was just sooo powerful! It was amazing!

For the past week or so...we had been teaching Jorge Silva an "investigator" (he was our teacher, role playing as an investigator) and he reminded me a lot about my mom! His family had gotten baptized into the church 20 years ago and he had been listening to the missionaries since then and still had not made the decision to get baptized. It was rough trying to find out what it was that HE needed to hear because after listening to the missionaries for 20 years, you clearly know everything. Well, our last few lessons with him my companion Hna. Johnson and I just decided to testify of Christ. This was our second to last lesson. We showed him the video "Because of Him" and we just testified of Christ. and he was really touched by this lesson! We totally felt like we nailed it! Then after a couple of days we had a lesson with him again. We weren't quite sure what to talk about because this was going to be our last lesson and we had to make him commit to baptism! So my companion decided to just have like a testimony meeting and that's what we did. We showed him another Mormon Messages, the one about a guy on a cruise and doesn't know that the food is included (go look it up). It was the PERFECT video to show him! He realized that he is missing out a lot by not being baptized in the church! Both my companion and I gave him our testimonies and invited him to baptism and he said yes!!! Oh my gosh! I was soo happy!! I was about to cry!! We then finished with a prayer and he offered it and I couldn't hold it in anymore and tears just ran down my face!! I was soo happy for him! I thought I was kind of crazy for crying because he was my teacher but I realized that this is what I am going to be doing!!

I am soo excited to share the gospel with everyone in Fresno!! That love and joy and excitement I felt with "Jorge" is what I'm going to feel for the people I go teach in Fresno, California!! I am so excited and I know that this is what the Lord wants me to do! There is nothing that would truly make me more happy! It's only been two weeks and I am scared for the day to come when I have to give up my name tag. I almost cry just at the thought of it. But I have 18 months  minus 2 weeks to give every single minute to my Heavenly Father and really thank him for everything he has blessed me with.

I am soo thankful that I was born into my family. Mami, Papi, Beatriz, Aly, Yeya! I love you all soo much! I always have! I just never expressed it. I love you all so much and nothing, NOTHING, would make me happier than being able to spend eternity with all of you!! I cannot wait for the day where we can all go to church together and we can all be sealed as a family. I know the day will come.

Thank you for all your support. Thank you for all the junk food. Ya I've gotten fat. Thanks to you guys!! The other sisters in my zone are going to stay with all the food 'cuz there was no way my companion and I were going to finish it all.

Oh! Funny story! So in my district it's just my companion and I and two Elders. Elder Lino from Peru and Elder Arroyo from Mexico/Las Vegas. So we were going to sing "Count Your Blessings" and we totally started singing it to the tune of "Somos los soldados que combaten error! Que dicha es! Que dicha es!!" ("We Are All Enlisted") Hahaha! I think Mami and Yeya's singing that hymn got to me! :P I know it's really not that funny but at the time we were dying of laughter!! Hahaha!

BTW Please tell the Hougaard's thank you sooo much for the cupcakes! They were amazing! I love them! :)

LOVE YOU GUYS ALL!! :)
Muah! :)

Love always,

Hermana Ramos-Escobar

First P-day at the temple! (Left to Right) Hna. Capps, me, Johnson, and Fisher

Back Row: Lino, Mitchell, Holmes, Arroyo, Trent, Powlus, Fisher, Johnson, me
Front Row: Welborn, Costello, Rollins, Capps, Gunson, and Mounga!

My district and that's our teacher in the middle! We all got him that shirt!

The bike statue Aly wanted (I asked her to send me a pic because I loved it :3 ).

Hna. Leyva & Hna Alcocer and I. They are amazing, I love them! They're serving in Washington!

Read that poem/book! It's amazing!!

Hermana Ramos-Escobar is leaving for Fresno, CA tomorrow in the morning! Keep her in your prayers and be sure to write to her!