The Best Christmas Gift 🎁

 Hey everybody how are you?! Merry late Christmas and happy early New Year!!!

This week was so good! On Monday during District Council, some members came to the church and gave all the missionaries stockings that had been prepared for us by the youth! It was super sweet!

On Christmas Eve we got to eat lunch with some of the members in our branch. Hermano Iglesias got us the yummiest tamales ever and made hot chocolate. Later we had dinner with our branch president and his family (the Browns). It some of the best food I've had on my mission. They're all crazy good cooks and one of their daughters wants to go into culinary arts. She'll succeed in that career field. Later that evening we got to visit our friends Yeni and Alejandro. They were doing a gift exchange with their extended family. The house was jam-packed full of people and I felt so out of place hahaha. It was so fun though! Yeni and Alejandro bought us gifts, so I got a teddy bear and a necklace.

Christmas was so good!!! We opened some gifts in the morning and called our families. The rest of the day was supposed to be a normal missionary day, and even though lots of people would be with family, we were challenged to find those who needed Christ in their lives that day. It actually ended up being a day full of miracles! We had three Book of Mormons that we decided we wanted to gift people. We used some of the bows from the gifts we received that morning and put them on the Book of Mormons. We went to some laundromats and outside in a parking lot to talk to people, and God placed friends in our path who really needed the message! The first man we gave a Book of Mormon to was named José, and as we testified of Christ and handed him the book, he thanked us for sharing the word of God with him on a hard day. He said he was from El Salvador, and he'd met missionaries there and had actually been looking for our church here in the United States! Shoutout to the missionaries serving in El Salvador, because they definitely left a good impression on José. We were able to give away all three of our Book of Mormons to people who were really interested.

Even though it's hard to be away from family during the holidays, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm sure that I will never forget this Christmas. We gave the greatest gift of all to the people we talked to that day as we testified of Christ and handed them a Book of Mormon.

On Thursday, I had an exchange with Sister Farnsworth! She's the cutest human ever and we've wanted to go on an exchange for so many transfers now but never thought it would happen! We had some great lessons that day and also had bible study, which is always fun! Reading and teaching our new members stories from the Old Testament in Spanish can be a little hard, but I've definitely seen the gift of tongues in those studies! Each time I'm on exchanges I see a lot of specific miracles tailored toward the sister/hermana that I'm with. I've noticed it time and time again. Sister Farnsworth is over the YSA ward here in Simi Valley, and even though we were doing spanish work in my area that day, we were led specifically to a young-adult, english-speaking girl named Denise who was super interested in church. We left the conversation feeling so excited, and I was seriously just amazed at how the Lord set up such a perfect interaction at such a perfect time!

On Friday, I had an exchange with Hermana Santa Maria! We were in her area on bikes! It rained a tiny bit in the morning but it was honestly so fun to bike in the cold (I'm only saying that because I was wearing a coat). We a good day overall and got to teach the English Class live that night!

Elias is still amazing and doing great! He's not on baptismal date anymore (for now) but please keep praying for him!

On Saturday we had some interesting interactions to say the least. We went to a laundromat again and the first man we talked to jokingly asked us to fold his laundry because it was a woman's job and then proceeded to tell us he was a wizard. We left him with a short testimony of Christ and a card that had our information, kind of baffled and confused as we walked away haha. That night, as we were teaching English Class, a man named Eduardo showed up and told us he'd seen us in the Laundromat earlier that day and watched our conversation with the man who said he was a wizard. He said he found our card and showed up to English class that night (and church the next day)! It was a reminder for me that I always need to represent my Savior, even in confusing or rude interactions. You really never know who's watching.

Sunday was a little bit discouraging, but we worked hard and did our part to teach, find, and invite friends to church! I know sometimes we don't get to see all the results that come from our efforts, so we just have to trust in God's timing!

We talked to an older woman who was from Ukraine on Sunday as we were doing studies in the park. She didn't speak or understand a lot of English, but she did her best to share her love for the Savior with us. She had the most contagious laugh and kept laughing when she messed up her sentences in English. She gave us a hug at the end and it was such a sweet moment! Even with a communication barrier, I felt a deep love for her as we spoke. I am so grateful to know that God speaks every language, and the opportunity to be learning Spanish on my mission has truly been lifechanging. I feel it's helped me see how precious each culture and individual is in God's eyes, whether I speak their language or not.

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT: 

With it being New Years (almost), I thought it would be fitting to share a quote I read about goals:)

"I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don't set goals in our life and learn how to master the technique of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principle of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life." 

-M. Russell Ballard

My invitation for you all is to set goals for this coming year, but don't do it alone!!! Get on your knees and pray to know what Heavenly Father wants you to learn this year. He knows you better than you know yourself, and I promise He'll be happy to help you reach your potential!

I love all of you!

-Hermana DeMordaunt

"You are exactly where you're supposed to be"

  Merry Christmas everyone!!!! I just want to start by saying I am so grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ, His birth, His life, and His sacrifice.

This week we had transfers and... I'm staying in Simi!! I'm still with Hermana Olmstead, but the PLOT TWIST is I'm also with Hermana McAllister! So we're in a trio! I haven't been in a trio since the MTC, so it's fun to start off and end off my mission in the same way!

Hermana McAllister is from Iowa and she was actually in the area right next to us in Simi last transfer. So she just hopped areas, but she's still super close to where she used to be. This is her fourth transfer! You already know who Hermana Olmstead is, but just to recap, she's from Michigan and this is her second transfer. They're both so sweet & funny and they always keep me laughing:)

The members took us to a Mongolian Barbeque restaurant one night this week and it was SO yummy. One of our friends had offered us food right before though, so we were truly stuffed by the end of the night. 

My mom's birthday was on Friday, so shoutout to her for being the best mom ever! 

On Saturday, we had Christmas Zone Conference! It was sooo good. Half the mission was there. Every district performed a Christmas song and then each missionary gave a short testimony. The Spirit was so strong!

Our friends are doing good! Please keep them in your prayers, and pray that we can continue to find people who are prepared to receive the gospel!

Those are honestly all the updates I can think of haha.

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT:

Last week, I told you we went to Panda Express and got our fortunes for this transfer. Mine was, "You are exactly where you're supposed to be." 

Well I was right guessing that I'd still be here in Simi ;)

I've had that fortune sitting at my desk all week, and it's a little silly but it's actually been just what I needed. I feel like the end of my mission is coming up so quick. This is my last transfer. Both my MTC comps are already home from their missions. I'm trying to be as focused as I can this last transfer, and I want to feel like I made the most of every second of my mission. It's hard not to miss home during this season though!

The thought has just kept coming to me that I am exactly where I'm supposed to be. God needs me here this last month. There are things I still need to learn from other people, and I hope there are people who still need to learn things from me.

Each of you are exactly where you need to be too. God wants you to learn something from your exact circumstances in this exact timing. My invitation for you all is to find out why you are where you are right now.

I love all of you!

-Hermana DeMordaunt

Juan Carlos's Baptism!!!🥳

 Helloooo everyone!!! Miss you!

Juan Carlos was baptized yesterday!!!! It was such an amazing baptismal service. The day before he was baptized, we called him and he told us that he had fallen and really hurt his back. He said it was hard to walk, so he'd need a ride to church and his baptism the next day (he usually walks everywhere). When he showed up at church the next day, he was walking so slow and kept joking that he was like a grandpa. We felt so bad and I was super worried it would hurt him to go under the water, but he kept saying it would be fine. So we went through with the baptism, and it actually ended up going so well!! The Spirit was so strong right as he came out of the water. I'm so grateful for him, the faith he has shown, and his determination to be baptized despite a hurting back.

Remember how last week I said that Alejandro got the priesthood? Well this week he got to baptize Juan Carlos!!! He was so excited to do it and I'm so grateful I got to witness it! His mom, Yeni (also in the baptism photo), has been being taught by missionaries for over a year but has been afraid to commit to baptism. It was such a powerful experience for her to watch her son baptize someone else. I have a feeling it was a really important step for her to see that. I hope she chooses to be baptized soon too! Please pray for her!

This week we had interviews with President Rodriguez! I don't know what I'm going to do when I'm home and I can't have interviews with my mission president anymore haha. I love him and Sister Rodriguez so much, and the longer I serve with them the more I know that they were called by God. They are the exact leaders I've needed on my mission.

I had exchanges with Hermana Santa Maria again this week!! We were in her area on bikes. I miss bikes! She taught me how to make tacos dorados at lunch and they were SO good.

We had a really good lesson with our friend Elias and he accepted the invitation to be baptized in January! We're so excited for him so keep him in your prayers!

On Saturday, we had a ward Christmas party. It was combined with the English ward. We got to have tamales!!! Some of the new members in the Spanish branch sang some Christmas hymns with the missionaries in front of everyone. It was fun but a little embarrassing because I don't think anyone was on the same key haha It's okay though, the Spirit can work through all people even when they're tone-deaf.

On Sunday night, we got to go to a live nativity in Thousand Oaks! It was SO cool and there were a ton of people!!! Our new members Carlos and Alejandro came. Alejandro's mom Yeni also showed up!! There was a mini Bethlehem where we could walk around and do activities. And then there was a live nativity performance. And after, we went into the church building and there were girls playing harps and cookies being handed out. Highly recommended.

Shoutout to my sisters Katelyn and Miranda for drawing Christmas trees for us to hang up on our apartment wall! They're better than any real Christmas tree for sure.

We have transfers this coming week! Hermana Olmstead and I got fortunes from Panda Express this last week and mine said, "You are exactly where you're supposed to be." So hopefully that means I'm staying here haha!

We went ice-skating today for our district activity! I think that's the closest to snow I'll get this Christmas

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT:

(it's long but hey, if you're already this far into my email please just read it!)

The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of joy. Sometimes I think we mistakenly tell ourselves that we must be doing something wrong if we find ourselves stuck in pain or sorrow. We feel like we're doing the best we can, but wonder if God's punishing us or if we just can't feel the Spirit.

The truth is that God loves us and that He never wants any of His children to suffer. He ALSO loves us enough to stretch us. When He sent us to earth, He knew there would be pain and sorrow. That's why He sent Jesus Christ to earth! He is there to strengthen us through any hurt we may face.

I watched a video I really loved this week where a woman who had lost a loved-one shared her perspective on the pain.

She said that in life, we tend to use the word "or" a lot. "We can be happy OR sad, we can be heartbroken OR hopeful, we can be devasted OR determined to keep going." Sometimes, we have to learn to use the word "and."

Happy AND sad,

Heartbroken AND hopeful,

Devastated AND determined.

This gospel can STILL be a gospel of joy, even when we're going through something hard! God wants us to be happy, and He knows that sometimes the greatest joy comes after the hardest experiences.

My invitation for you all is to acknowledge a trial you've faced or you're facing, and then write down the ways it's helped you grow. There's a reason behind everything!

I love all of you!

-Hermana DeMordaunt

16 Months?!🤯

 Hi everybody how are you?! Miss you lots!

Guess what?? I hit 16 months of being a missionary this week!!! Aaaah it's crazy! Time is flying by!

This week started off so good, we had an amazing lesson with our friend Juan on Tuesday night and then another great one with him on Saturday! He's awesome and a very deep thinker. He loves to have visits at the park and he walks pretty far to get to all of them. He says he enjoys walking out in nature, even when it's cold, and when our members offer him rides he doesn't even want them. Everybody be more like Juan. He's still on baptismal date, but please pray for him because he really needs help getting to church more!!

The weather has been SO GOOD this week. I'm grateful for California Decembers.

On Thursday we tried going to a bunch of new laundromats we'd never been to before to find people. And SUCCESS! There were so many people to talk to and start teaching!! It's always such a good feeling to find new people in a place you hadn't thought to look before. At one of the laundromats, we started talking to a man named Genaro who seemed to snap a little when we started the conversation. It's definitely easy to let that catch you off-guard and assume the person's not interested. He said he was pretty busy, but we offered to write him a quick card just as he was finishing up his laundry. After that, he ended up opening up to us and sharing some really difficult things he and his family were going through. It was an eye-opening moment for me to be reminded that we can't judge or assume things based on a first impression. The Spirit really helped guide us and I believe God needed us to talk to Genaro at that moment to give him the comfort he was looking for.

On Friday I had exchanges with Sister Anderson again, this time in her area! She's in a YSA ward, which means we talked to a lot of people around our age and spent a bunch of time in Target and other stores. It was a fun day. Also doing YSA work makes me worry about being an awkward missionary when I get home haha but I guess maybe that's just part of the gig.

Sunday was good! Lots and lots of meetings. The mission has taught me how to have a lot more patience in long meetings haha. Carlos and Alejandro (two of our new members) received the priesthood!!! It was such a special experience to get to see that and know that they can help bless so many others' lives! We are currently teaching Alejandro's mom, Yeni, and she got to be in the room with us all when he received the priesthood. When we all looked up after the blessing, her eyes were filled with tears and she was so happy for him. Alejandro then got to bless the sacrament in sacrament meeting!

ALSO we got to go to this little Christmas event where the church displayed a bunch of different nativity sets from all around the world! And someone there wrote all our names in Hebrew for us. It was super cool.

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT:

As I'm nearing the end of my mission, I sometimes have moments where I reflect and hope that I've done good enough and been the missionary God wants me to be. I think at times I put pressure on myself, or to feel like I need to be so much closer to perfect in order to finish my mission. 

One thing I am coming to realize is that finishing a mission doesn't equal perfection, and that God doesn't expect that. He has helped me grow so much up to this point, and He wants me to keep growing after! If I think that the end of my mission should be my peak, then I'm not looking at my mission the right way.

A church leader who once visited our mission said, "The mission is the pinnacle of your spirituality up to this point in your life."

I'm so grateful to know that I can keep growing every day, every week, and every year for the rest of my life! 

My invitation for you all is to make a list of ways that you have grown over the past few years. I'm going to do it too! Then say a prayer of thanks and pray to know what your next step is, even if it's something small. God loves you just as you are, and He also sees the potential in you!

I love all of you!

-Hermana DeMordaunt

Carlos's Baptism!!!

 Hola amigos! I hope you all had the best Thanksgiving!

This week Carlos was baptized!!! I am sooo happy for him and grateful that he made this choice! I'm truly amazed by every friend that we teach and the sacrifices they make to change their lives and turn to the Lord. Afterward, he thanked us and said he was happy to belong to a church! I'm so proud of him, and please continue to say prayers for him as he continues to learn and grow!

Thanksgiving Day was really good!! The Brown family invited us over for dinner. They're an older couple, and it was just us and them. It was a really special meal because I could feel how much they cared about helping us have a good Thanksgiving. The people I meet on my mission teach me a lot about the kind of person I want to be when I get home!

Before Thanksgiving dinner, we had a lesson with our friends Zicri and Flor. They're sisters from El Salvador. It was a really good lesson! They had a ton of questions and brought up some great points. One thing they talked about was how important it was that all feel loved and welcome in the church. They talked about how they would often see people attend a church and act one way on Sundays, and then be a completely different person the rest of the week. I know it's so important for members of the Church to live as disciples of Jesus Christ EVERY day, EVERYwhere. We were able to testify to Zicri and Flor about how important we each are to God, and also how individual our relationship is with Him. If we go to church looking for imperfect people, we'll find them. If we expect that some will act one way at church and another way at home, we're probably right. But it's not about what everyone else is doing. We don't just go to church for them. We go to church because we love Jesus Christ, and we want to take the sacrament and show Him that we remember Him. Of course, we support one another and we try to trust each individual in the congregation! But we don't base our testimonies off of the people. Something really cool about that lesson is that Hermana Olmstead and I had planned to share a scripture we'd never shared in a lesson before, and it ended up fitting exactly with the theme that Zicri and Flor started talking about with us. The Spirit really guided that lesson.

I had an exchange with Hermana Santa Maria on Friday! She is the best and we've been wanting to have an exchange for forever!! We had a good time knocking doors and finding friends that day. We also had some awesome lessons. We taught the online English class at the end of the day, which was super fun! Gave me flashbacks of my time in Santa Maria and Oxnard.

Juan Velasquez is still on baptismal date! We had to move it because he's been really busy, but please keep praying for him!

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT:

I read a verse this week in the Book of Mormon that talked about King Lamoni's father, who once did not believe in God. As he was taught about his Heavenly Father and realized he wanted to be a part of His Church, he said something that I loved.

"I will give away all my sins to know Thee" (Alma 22:18).

That phrase is so powerful. What are we willing to give away to "know" God?

This week, my invitation for you all is to think of something you can give away to grow closer to God. Maybe it's a choice to spend more time with Him, or it could be a choice spend less time doing something else. He loves you and I promise you'll not only come to believe in Him, but come to know Him!

I love all of you!

-Hermana DeMordaunt