#43 - The Zoo and Member Missionary Work

My classic hug a giraffe photo

Last Monday we went to the Zoo after emailing with the Senior couple, the elders and their recent convert Erika! And yes, I wore a Chicago Brookfield Zoo sweatshirt to the  Fresno Chaffee Zoo. Also really random, but I was reading in my Dad's mission journal, and he went to the zoo that week too! Kind of fun coincidence!

the zoo!

Miracle this Sunday: We've been trying to get out and talk to people, but we've been a bit sick during the day, and we're not allowed to go out and just talk to people after it gets dark since we're hermanas (around 6 when people finally get home..) The best time is the weekends, but we have church now from 12:30-3:30 and then a meeting. So we wanted to go on a split during our meeting and we couldn't find anyone! But during the last 20 minutes of the last hour of church this member  came into Relief Society and started talking to us and when we asked her, she said she would come! So I went out with her and we just talked to  people and knocked doors for an hour. And she was SO GOOD at it! I was terrified at first, but she was just testifying and felt the Spirit and she's so excited to do missionary work now. God is a God of miracles!

Friday we had interviews with president and afterwords we got to go visit our branch president's wife, who lives sort of far away. It was such a sweet experience, and I know God really guides us where we need to be. Love you all!! 

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Hermana Marin Fisher

California Fresno Mission

1814 N Echo

Fresno, CA 93704

#42 - Hello!

Transfers happened and Sister Pachner and I are staying here together! All of the Spanish missionaries in the branch stayed as well, which really surprised us. But a whole bunch of spanish sisters in the mission went home, so they took sisters out of a lot of areas- lots of new changes! And now we're going to be doing exchanges with sisters in Visalia.

This week we still had to take it easy a little bit. But we got to go out on splits a few times and visit some members that hadn't come in a while. I also got to make tomales with a member and she shared with me her recipe for mole.Then on Sunday they officially split the spanish branch from the english ward! They called new primary, young women's, and young men's presidencies. Then yesterday evening, I started teaching some members how to direct music. They're so cute!

We taught Emmanuel again and he wants to get baptized! But he's moving to San Francisco, so we don't know when... but it's going to  happen, he is so awesome!

Elder Clark left for the Phillipines, he was here for a few months waiting for his Visa.

This week I listened to a bunch of talks from general conference, because it still hurts my head a bit to read too much. They were all exactly what I needed to hear, even though they were all from random years. I encourage you all to listen to some conference talks this week, they truly are the word of God through His current apostles.

Love you all!
 

#41 - Slow down and be patient

Hermana Pacher and Me

One week after bruising my arm

 After I emailed last week we played basketball as a zone and while going up for a rebound I collided with another missionary and hit the ground pretty hard with my elbow and my head. I was really out of it and super confused so I went to the  ER. They said they didn't want to do a CT scan because of possible radiation problems and said that to just check to see if I had really bad headaches in the next few days. They didn't actually diagnose it as a concussion but we're all pretty sure it was at least a mild one. Because of that, I had to stay in most of the week laying down in the dark and listening to mormon channel and trying not to think. So difficult! I don't think I've ever been so bored in my life. All I wanted to do was go out and talk to people, but I realized that God had something that He needed me to learn. Just the Sunday before one of the members of the congregation told me, "Slow down Sister!", and in a blessing I got after my collision all I remember was patience being mentioned. It's true. Often times we get so caught up in the "to do's" and we forget the real purpose of what we're doing. I learned a lot this week just reflecting, listening to messages of prophets, and praying. I encourage you all to take a step back this week. Take a second to remember what's important and don't ever let a thing to be done become more important than a person to be loved.

And I got the package! I loved it so much. And so did my companion, we've already eaten all the fruit snacks and most of the cheese itz. And I'm making finger jello for a missionary dinner we're doing today. [2/17/18 is Marin's half way point of her mission, know as Hump Day because you're over the hump and are on the home stretch]

 I feel a lot better now. When I went to the ER and the mission nurse put all the information into the computer, she found out that I'm supposed to get my blood checked every 6  months because of low platelets that I found out about right before my mission. We went to the doctor again on Friday then -but good news!- My levels are still good. I just bruise really easy. So lots of weird medical things but we're all good now.

On Friday we helped out at the Senior Center Valentine Dance. The first time we went to the senior center, they didn't want our help, but then we just started doing things and now when we show up they say , "We're so glad that you made it!". They're so sweet and I love spreading the gospel through service. The pictures are from the dance. Dory is in the blue sweater, she's in the police department and pretty much runs the place, and Etta has an opal ring like me too! 

Love you all!

--

Hermana Marin Fisher

California Fresno Mission

1814 N Echo

Fresno, CA 93704

#40 - Miracles and changes and a Model T

This week was so great!! First off, I got my first ever library card. They're cleaning the church today so we're emailing at the Library. My whole life I've never gotten a card, I guess we learn lots of different things on our missions. [Side note from Mom: She actually had a library card as a child, but since we moved to an unincorporated area when she was 4, she hasn't had one] But I don't really get how to forward pictures so we'll see what happens. The one that's attached is from a meeting we had last Friday. Sister Jeffrey has the red hair and Sister Malpica has black hair. I'll try to send some of service this week.

 We went to go move some wood and afterwords they gave us a ride in their 1920s Model T, it was super fun.

This week we saw lots of miracles in finding. At one point we were in Kingsburg and trying to find people that spoke Spanish. We decided to look up our favorite scriptures on the GPS. I plugged in 1227 (For Ether 12:27) and then picked a random street. We started knocking on some apartments and this one lady just let us in immediately. She told us how she's looking for a church and about her struggles in life, and we connected right off the bat. It was incredible! And a few weeks ago we got a call from a lady in Madera (my old area!) who speaks English but knows a bit of Spanish and had talked to this guy who worked on her house. We called him but it never really worked out to go see him. We called him again this week and he came Saturday night to the church for a tour. He's already been reading the Book of Mormon and a book by Thomas S. Monson and said yes to baptism.  Then yesterday at church our friends said he would try to make it for the last hour (Sacrament Meeting) because his tooth hurt in the morning. But he told us right in the middle of the 2nd hour, my companion and I jumped up and went to the lobby and this random member who we'd never really talked to before offered to drive us right then to go pick him up. God works miracles!! When we have faith and do everything in our power to be obedient and expect miracles He sends them, I know He does!

Also- update on the mission, they are changing a bunch of missions around the world (it looks like this is happening to Chicago West too), and they're closing the Modesto mission up north. So in July we're getting three new stakes added to our mission. We'll be at about 180 missionaries. I think it includes Stockton, which is kind of fun because when my dad was here this mission included those areas. It will be quite a change to merge missions. Also, they announced that we will be getting technology. Not sure if it's smart phones or ipads or tablets but by April we should be using something like that. It's going to be very different but great!

Love you all!

--

Hermana Marin Fisher

California Fresno Mission

1814 N Echo

Fresno, CA 93704