Something is different

Soooooo .... this week was awesome! In our area we have some investigators that have tons of potential, but just are too scared to really make any progress. It is intimidating to make BIG changes in our lives.  Occasionally, we feel somewhat disheartened watching these people not live up to their potential. Of course, last Sunday we had a baptism and I was overjoyed!  Since then, things have really started to get better.  

Pidilla, the man who was baptized last week has a kind of light shining in his eyes.  The story of the mission field is companions coming and going, this week we had transfers.  Padilla was really sad because Hermana Argueta was going home and Hermana DeBry was transferring to a new area. I was kinda concerned that Padilla had become converted to us and not to the gospel. I guess I worry too much because the day after transfers Padilla said he couldn't wait for Sunday to be be confirmed and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. It was sooo exciting to watch Padilla become a member of the Church!!  

I can see how the gospel helps change people.  We went to teach a lesson to a family whose Mom was against letting her kids be baptized. She was friendly enough but felt that they were too young to make this kind of decision.  We decided to take a member along with us for the lesson, the member was speaking with this Mom in Spanish and I was talking to one of the daughters in English.  We had a good discussion, I realized that we needed to get going as we had been there long enough.  We asked if we could leave with a prayer and the Mom tells me that she is so happy that we were in her home, I replied with,"We love you guys, enjoy coming to your home and thank you for allowing us in".   To this the Mother replied, "No, I am glad that you can come to my home to teach my kids how to get ready for baptism"!  So EXCITING!  I LOVE being a missionary.  Now we are working on teaching the last few lessons, we still have some obstacles to overcome but I am so excited for this family.

I have a new companion! Hermana Brown from beautiful down town Rexburg! Hermana Brown's father is a math professor at BYUI.  I am no longer in a trio!!!!! It is bitter sweet because my new companion and I have a lot in common, we get along great. We both love Celtic music, love to sing and we really do get along amazing well. Unfortunately one of the things we have in common is not talking a lot during lessons.  So I have had to take it up a notch and start talking a lot more! I really am not 100% sure if what I am saying is always right, but I say it with a smile on my face!  I have had a lot more corrections but amazingly enough I am getting used to it and appreciate the corrections, before my mission I probably would have gotten irritated. So that is great.

It has been super cold here as of late, in fact on Saturday it was snowing. There was a stake activity planned for all the youth called "The mini MTC".  The youth gathered at the Stake Center to learn about being missionaries. After the lessons they were going to go out and be with the missionaries for the rest of the day to learn more about missions. It would have been a GREAT exercise for all of us, but because of the snow it was determined not safe to take the kids. OH, BTW, I am the driver now! No more getting out of the car and giving directions while my companion backs up!  WOO HOO.!  Back to the youth activity .... any way instead of driving to real lessons, we practiced at the church.  It was really harder than I thought  because I got paired up with a girl from an English ward and I have forgot a lot of words in English?  It worked out OK because the girl had to explain them to me, which is good ... well it isn't really that I forgot the words, it is just that I know them better in Spanish now. SOOOO, the language is coming, the snow has come, the spirit is amazing and I Love You all!

LOS QUIERO MUCHO!  y tambien deseo que todos de ustedes tienen una semana con Milagros y felizidad.

Love You,
Hermana Atkinson

Missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Washington D.C. South Mission