9 Minutes

(A/N: Hello everyone! Alejandra here! :D I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Here is the update from Hermana Ramos-Escobar from last week! Again, I would like to remind everyone that Hermana Ramos-Escobar is not the one updating the blog. So if you would like to write to her, her address is on the right had side under "Write Me!")

I have 9 minutes...let's see how much I can write!

So this week has been a BUSY week!!

 
We started off having a Zone Conference with a General Authority, Elder Arnold. It was such a blessing to have him here in the CFM (California Fresno Mission). We had to wake up super early (4:45 AM) which literally kills you as a missionary because you can't recover that sleep...but honestly, the Lord blessed us because Sister White and I didn't even feel tired afterwards. Elder Arnold taught us great things! It testified to me once again that President Clark is so in-tuned with the Spirit. Our mission has great things happening and I know that we will continue to see them! 

I can't really remember what else happened throughout the week...it all seems like a big blur...I can't differentiate the weeks anymore! Sister White and I tried tacos de cabeza yesterday!! They were soo good! Hermana Berta cooked them for us (she's the one that made us Menudo). I think she may be the only one that I trust to eat crazy food like that!

One thing that I have learned this past week is that the Lord truly is in charge of his work...Last night we were walking around Riverdale because one of our appointments canceled and we started talking to this man. Most of the time people will accept a picture of Christ and move on...but he sat there and asked us what made us different from other Christian churches, so we told him about the Book of Mormon. We gave him a Restoration Pamphlet and a Book of Mormon, talked to him more and set up a return appointment and then left. While we were leaving, we looked back and he had already started reading the pamphlet...Please tell me that the Lord is not in charge of this work. I tell you He is...He knew this man was prepared to learn more, so he put him in our path, our appointment canceled for a reason. I know that this truly is the Lord's work and we are just here to be his instruments! I love this  gospel more than anything! And I'm so excited to have conference this weekend! I can't wait to see what it is that we need to do!

I love you all! Please watch conference!

Love,

Hermana Ramos-Escobar

Great Week!

(A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for sending this out so late, but here is the weekly update from Hermana Ramos-Escobar on her mission in Fresno, California! Enjoy!)

Hello everyone!!

So this week was great!

Sister White and I had such a rewarding weekend! We got to see Cindy enter the waters of baptism which is all we could really ask for! It was such a beautiful service, the spirit was so strong! She was really happy! Her cousin drove over from Arizona and performed the ordinance. Her cousin was so thankful that she found the church again and that she was able to be baptized. Heavenly Father really is so in-tune with each of our lives. Cindy had grown up in the church, fallen away for soo long, then one day, she was just driving down Lemoore and she found the church building, called us up and started taking the lessons! She truly got baptized because she loves her Savior and wants to follow Him! It's such an honor to have her in my life and to have met such a wonderful child of our Heavenly Father!

I'm so thankful that I came out on a mission. There really is no other thing I rather be doing!

This week was a week full of miracles...honestly. Sister White and I have been writing 3 things down every night:

1. Who did us good today?

2. Where did we see the Lord's hand?

3. Something funny that happened.

As we've been doing this we have really been able to see the Lord's hand in our life. I know that as we stop to look around we can see His hand in everything! I know He truly is watching over us. I would never give up my mission experience for anything in the world. My mission means everything to me. I have often looked back at all those people that were there, along the way, helping me out, and I know I couldn't have done it without them! I love you all and am so thankful for all that you do for me.

Love,

Hermana Ramos-Escobar

This is Sister Conwell! The YSA in the ward had an activity and
they were learning to make sushi! We were invited, so we went
over and she taught me how to make sushi!!

Here's my sushi roll!! Yay!! Well...California Roll!

With Cindy at her baptism!!

Cindy's cousin Robert, Cindy and Sister White and I

Pictures: Sequoia's, Menudo and the Mini Missionary

(A/N: Hello everyone! Alejandra here updating for Hermana Ramos-Escobar who is out on her mission! No group email again this week, but she did happen to send us some photos from the last two weeks. :) Enjoy! )

First time trying menudo!

I tried a fish eye! It was kinda gross...but I ate it!!

I finally got to see Hannah, Izzy, and Olivia from Los Banos again!
I loved working at the vineyard again!! I miss them!

On our way to the Sequoia's!!

At the Sequoia's at the top of a rock that I don't remember...

Best game EVER!!

Our District!!
Left to Right
Elder Agazzani, Elder Arebalo, Sis Priestly, Sis Neira,
Me, Sis White, Elder Robins, and Elder Crosby.
Elder and Sister Faning are the ones sitting down.

Hna. Cabanillas: our mini missionary!

This (Slow) Week!

(A/N: Hello everyone! Alejandra here with an update from Hermana Ramos-Escobar from the Fresno CA mission! Just wanted to remind everyone that it is NOT Hermana Ramos-Escobar that updates these blogs. It is I who does it. She just sends me the email and I make it look pretty via blog. ;) Enjoy! )

So this week was a little slow for us...Don't really know why or what happened. But it's okay!

We had a baptismal date with our investigator Sylvia, but we weren't able to see her at all this week. We tried multiple times during the week but she just wasn't home and she wouldn't answer our phone calls. We were finally able to talk with her on the phone yesterday and she mentioned that she didn't want to go to church anymore. We weren't really sure what was going on, so we asked to come over later in the evening and she agreed, but when we got there she wasn't home...We're not quite sure what's going on, but we're praying that we'll be able to find her and sit down and talk.

On a brighter note, we were able to meet with our investigator Cindy this week! At the beginning of the transfer, she called us asking to meet with us because she grew up Mormon and wanted to start coming back to church! We met with her and everything and it all went great! She came to church that next Sunday and they tried looking for her records but couldn't find them! They tried looking for her records for weeks but no one could find them. Therefore we have the great privilege to teach her again and help her receive the blessings of baptism! She has a baptismal date for the 19th of September!! Yay!!

Today we are having a zone activity! Yay! Fun! Ha ha! Sister White and I were in charge of it! We put together a little scavenger hunt using things that President has counseled us to do in our work! So we'll see how it goes later today! And after we will be playing volleyball! We're going to pray no one gets hurt...we have some really, really good, tall, volleyball players in our zone. So we'll see how this goes!!

This week we will be going to the vineyard too! Going to go roll the grapes we laid out! Yay!

Love you all! Have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Ramos-Escobar

We used Ana's phone to take a picture!! Yay picture!

In the California Fresno Mission, we have our own culture...and we love it!
We raced each other to see who could write down all the bullet points
of our culture first. We're not going to say who won... :P