The Week Of LOVE

Hello my LOVEly Family!!!

It has been a week to say the least. Lots of crazy things happened this week and I definitely thought I was going to die but i didn't. woo hoo! :) First though I want to tell you thank you for all your letters and notes through email I love them so much. I am glad the thing got to you on Saturday. I was going to send it to grandma but I thought it was going to Kylee and so I wanted her to be able to get it and have it addressed to her. I hope it was okay. Thanks for the pictures. She is so beautiful! My little lady! :) 

On Tuesday night I found out that I was getting transferred. Crazy! I really didn't think I was going to but its okay because Heavenly Father knows how the work should be done. I felt peace about it so it was right. I know that I will see those special people again and I really enjoyed my time with Houston Seis. Lilly was so sad when I was leaving. She said why didn't you come to me sooner? She said I don't know but I just love you so much and I have only known you for like a month. She said I just can feel your spirit so strong. I left her a letter with my testimony of this gospel. She is a special lady. :) 

We went to the Santiallans and I told them and Hno Jose was like NOOOOOOO! Not another one! :) haha. We had invited Randell to pray to know what church he needed to join because he had been going to one with one of his mom's friends and he was giving me a hug goodbye and he just started crying. I told him to keep reading the book of mormon and to pray and I said Randell did you pray to know what one was right and he said Yes, and he said its this one. He is so special. He is only 11 but he can feel the spirit so strong and he is so diligent in reading and praying. It is special.  I love that family so much. 

I was able to say goodbye to a few more people as well and it was a sweet experience. All of them are told me to keep in touch and that when they are in Utah they know who they are coming to see. Such a wonderful ward and people. I am so grateful I got to spend my first 4 months in that area! :) 

Wednesday was Hna Koerner's Birthday. I made her Chocolate chip Pancakes and we went with our district to Lunch at Arrandas - mexican food. INCREDIBLE. It was fun to do a few things for her as well as do all our appointments and things. Transfers was Thursday Morning. I got all done packing and everything and we went to bed. BEWARE!!!!  At 12:30 I woke up knowing I was going to be sick. Yup. Throw up sick. I ran to the bathroom and barely made it there. I came out and Hna Koerner went running in. The rest of the night was like that for us. We were both soooo sick. I think I threw up 5-6 times. I got in the shower at like 1:30 and then in the middle of my shower I had to get out and take a trip to the toilet to throw up again. It was miserable. We got food poisoning from bad pasta and sauce we made for dinner to use from our cupboard. It was sooo bad. At 6:30 in the morning we were both laying in bed awake and still very sick. Hna Koerner is training though so she needed to go to the meeting and I needed to go to my new area. We rolled out of bed and prayed together that we would be able to get ready and go. We made it and containers for "just in case sickness" in the car and sprites in hand we drove to transfer meeting. I felt so awful all day and after we got all my stuff in the car and went to my new area I went to sleep for a few hours. I guess Hna Koerner ended up having to lay on the floor cause she was sick again at training. Poor Dear. President Pingree was like you go get some rest to me and then to Hna Koerner too when they left the meeting. I basically had only eaten toast and gatoraide until last night. I think i will not be eating that food for a LONG time! haha :)

I have a new companion and a new area!!! :) My new companion is Hermana Guiterez.  She is from California. My new area is in TomBall/Magnolia area and it is called Oak Crest. We are both clean freaks. She is more than me though but we are an awesome pair if I do say so myself!  :) She has only been here for one transfer more than me and basically has no sense of direction...haha Sooo I am driving again and she has NO IDEA where anything is. NOTHING. The first few days were a bit stressful cause I had no idea where I was and neither did she. Thank Goodness for Hna Rivera and her precious gift of that TOM TOM or I would be in TROUBLE. I feel like we are whitewashing because we have no one to teach really and neither of us are familiar with the area. Soo yeah. :) Fun times. We have been trying to get stuff in order and figure out where our area is and get stuff ready. I think this week is going to be more successful than this weekend of running around here and there and all over. We did go to church yesterday. We have a branch and from yesterday it seems like everyone is awesome and that I am going to love them just like Houston Seis.  Last night after church and an appointment we stopped by a member for dinner. (we have church at 3 pm to 6 - basically I will never complain about 1 o'clock church again! haha ) Their names are the Arrodondos. They are a wonderful family and live in a mansion house. BEAUTIFUL. They are super educated. They both speak spanish and english and Hno Arrdondo is super talented with woodworking and the piano. They have a grand piano. THEY HAVE A GRAND PIANO. I haven't seen one of those in 6 months. He told me that he is going to invite us over another day and that we can play. Hna Rife + this = happy missionary :) I won't waste time though we will go on a p-day or play when during our dinner appointment or something so we aren't wasting missionary time. :) They have a son who lives super close by us in provo. They are going in May and said that they would maybe see you all. sooo just a heads up! :)

Our apartment is ....bigger than my other one but it was nasty. I guess it was a lot worse when Hna Guitierez arrived last transfer. Elders have lived in it and missionaries have lived in it for like the last 5 years. It was a mess and sooo filthy. I didn't even want to sit or walk around or do anything.We have been throwing out tons of stuff that is just junk from other missionaries for the last few days. This morning all morning we cleaned and cleaned and scrubbed and did a bunch of work to try to help it.  The crown molding had so much dust and grime. The corners of the carpet. ahhh. I had to sweep them out with a broom and vacum as well as scrub the bathroom and the walls and the crown molding. ahhhh so yucky. It looks really nice now but man it was terrible. I was thinking sisters have lived in here for at least the last 7 ish months so wow how were they living like this?!? We have a beautiful balcony though and a really pretty look out. It has a lot of natural light and so I think now it will be good. It is nice that both of us were like okay this needs a big make over. I can actually live there in peace now. I couldn't even focus during studies because it was just so gross. I didn't want to put my feet on the carpet or anything. We live right by the fire station and we go to service over there so that will be fun. 

Well. I feel like we are starting square one. I think that it will be a good learning experience for me. I am excited for this challenge and this week. We are going to go out and find a lot this week to see if we can get some people who are really interested in learning. We are also going to work a lot with the less actives because we sure have a list of them in this branch. It is going to be great though. I know there are people here waiting for us to receive this gospel. I just love this gospel and I am excited to share it will the people in this new area. I know that Heavenly Father loves each and every one of his children and that we just have to find them and help them. 

The Last thing. As this is the week of Love or something like that. I just wanted to share a scripture with you all. Moroni 7:45-48

"And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail— But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."

The type of love that we want to have is this pure love of Christ. I love this scripture because it just covers every aspect of Love and Charity. We need to be filled with this love for others around us. Our president of our branch is President Bonilla. Yesterday was Branch Conference.  He talked about how we need to always look for the good in others in our families and relationships instead of looking for the bad. I know that we we can always find bad but I know that if we look for the good we can always find that too so why not look for something good and uplifting in order to have that pure love of Christ. I know too that if we pray for it just like it says in that scripture that God will help us to develop it and help us to have that special ability to see as Christ and God would see and to love unconditionally like they love us. 

I hope you know how much I love each of you. I pray for your safety and success daily. You are all such special people to be and I am so glad that I got lucky enough to be in this family! :) I hope you all have a wonderful week.

My Address is 

1011 Village Square Drive
Fountains of Tomball Apartments #535
Tomball, Texas 77375

Off Finding the 10's of 1000's!!! Remember who you are and to whom you belong.

Love,
Hermana Rife