#ShareTheG​ift - November 24, 2014

Oh boy oh boy oh boy!

First off: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!! (on the 26th!!) Thank you for being born, and then giving birth to me 30 years and one day later.... even though you'll always be 40 to me :) 

Well, to all of my other family and friends who I love, and I'm also quite delighted with the fact that y'all were born too, but not as excited as my mother's birth, anyway, I love you all! And I'm happy to be writing to you today about the FANTASTIC week that I was able to have! :D 

Can I just start with saying how fantastic Thanksgiving time is? In sacrament meeting yesterday Brother Jones, who isn't a member, but is married to one here in Childress got up and bore his testimony about families, and how this is really the best time of the year, and there are a LOT of families in town. :) It's exciting stuff, family is amazing! I think the only missionary rule I'm struggling with is not holding babies! They are so cute! Ah, anyway, there are so many blessings that come from the work out here, and I really am feeling SO blessed to be out here working at the BEAUTIFUL time of the year!

The highlights of this last week included a fun zone conference, service, rapping, another frozen 5K Friday and teaching, teaching, and learning! Oh man, there were many random times throughout the week that we were working, and I just got this feeling of homesickness, like I already miss being out here, I already miss Childress, and my companion, and the mission life, and I just feel so blessed to be able to have joy in my time out here. It's humbling, and comforting all at the same time. :P

At Zone Conference we learned about the Share the gift initiative that the church is doing this holiday season! :D (Can I just say that I LOVE the Christmas Spirit!!!?!??!??!!) Ah! So, SO, SOOOO exciting! This is truly the best time of the year! :D But, basically on the 28th there's going to be a video on youtube, and it's gong to be awesome, it's short, and it just helps us to remember Jesus Christ, and how He was the first gift. So as we discover Him, we feel a change in our lives. As we embrace Him, those changes last, and then we have to share our testimony of Him because of how mush joy comes from His love! :D So we each get to Discover the Gift, Embrace the Gift, and Share the Gift! :D This video is even BETTER than the #becauseofHim video we put out for Easter! 

Oh, man, so besides that we were REALLY spiritually fed on Tuesday, and it was weird to be with 4 other sisters in our zone who are all going home in a few weeks! TIME HAS FLOWN! And yet we are still learning! It is a personal life goal of mine to just always keep learning and feeling like there is no possible way I could learn any more. :)

Service this week was AMAZING!!!! We got to paint (and it was Sister Clark's first time as a missionary!) and we helped out at the food drive, and it was probably the most fun we have EVER had! ...also just in saying hi to everyone I've realized just how long I've spent here, because I feel like we know half the town and half the town knows us, because we are those crazy girls that ride our bikes in skirts around town. :P hahaha, anyway, it was fun. We randomly got a load of ice cream in, and a few boxes got squished, and we were a little hungry becasue we moved like 800 pounds of food to give out, and it was lunch time, so we had some ice cream, and took some goofy pictures! :P One of the men who always helps out, Tom, is diabetic, and there were sugar free pops in there, and he had about 8 of them... after the 6th he said: "I don't feel so good!" and 15 minutes later... "... I guess it's time for another one!" hahaha, this town is really the best! 

Last highlight... we rapped for the young women on Wednesday night, to help out with an activity they had, and we taught them about service! It was SO MUCH FUN! I haven't rapped in awhile, but I taught cute little sister Clark to beat box, and we rapped about how serving is fun to do! 

It was a great, great week, and we are so excited for another week of fun and service, and we are looking forward to playing football on Thursday!!! Also, sister Clark is determined to make this the best birthday week of my life... and she already is, even though surprises are hard when you're around someone 24/7, but we're having fun, and always on the run! Teaching and learning... this really is the LIFE!

DON'T FORGET! On the 28th (yes black Friday!!) everyone needs to go to: christmas.mormon.org and Discover the gift. Embrace the gift. and Share the gift! :D

With all my heart,

Sister Heather Ann Lagrosa

Pictures!:

1- For my LAST zone conference Sister Clark and I got our outfits from the back of our closet! :D

2- Fun Selfie with our Branch Mission leader, Bro Burcham, and our Elders (Thomas and Winward!) :D We remind them daily that we are their favorite Sister Missionaries!

3- We painted our names on the wall!

4- All bundled up and eating ice cream!

5- One of our members walking his dog, in his golf cart! It reminded me of Florida! :D

Walking in a Winter Wonderland​! :D - November 17, 2014

Hello hello family and friends!!

I love you all so much! And boy oh how it has been one heck of a week! :D

We got almost 6 inches of SNOW yesterday (see pictures!) and it was sooooooo great! We didn't have an ice scraper in our little Jeepster, and it was taking way too long to warm up/defrost, AND Sister Clark was speaking (which was great by the way!), so we decided it would be a BRILLIANT idea to just walk to church... it worked out pretty well! Also, a member saw us on our way and made us take a ride haha :P But, we proved a little more of our toughness to our branch, even though they already knew, and we had a lesson right after church in apartments right next to the church. Sadly though they cancelled on us, but got to meet a really nice lady who picked us up while we were walking home and it was coming down HARD. Blessings for tenacity I guess. :P We got to play in it for a minute during our lunch break, we made snow angels, and I drew "mormon.org" on our front lawn with my footsteps! :D We got to go out for the rest of the night, and were encouraged to not drive around, so we got to walk and try to see some people, and it was fun!

Previously in the week we got to do A LOTTT! We drove up to Amarillo on Tuesday for a big missionary meeting, worked in a kitchen at the Quanah hospital on Wednesday for 7 hours prepping for their Thanksgiving that we'll get to serve at in two weeks! We diced 25 stalks of celery, and 20 pounds of onions! As well as made some DELICIOUS banana pudding, and helped serve out lunch for the hospital! :D Also this week, we just had a lot of fun trying to find more people to teach and work with. 

One of the missionaries in our branch is just a couple months out, and he keeps reminding me of how close to death I am (missionary death that is... and for some reason I'm also reminded of how old I am... I'm SO not that old! :P) anyway, I've been thinking about how this last couple months of my mission has been, and how many changes I've seen in me, and the people that I've served around, and just the growth that I've been able to witness.

Even though it's super frustrating sometimes when people aren't committed like you know God wants them to be (myself included...) Heavenly Father is patient, and works with us each individually and on His timetable. It's pretty incredible the number of miracles we get to experience, great and small. From learning truth to getting picked up when that snow is falling harder than ever! God always provides a way, and no matter how weak or feeble we may seem, He just loves us, and allows us to make the choice to come closer to Him. 

Over and over again I keep learning that we cannot compel anyone to be humble or accept God's plan. We need only to invite others to listen, teach with the Spirit, and make sure that I continue to become more converted each day. 

It's pretty fool proof, I guess that's why God trust's us young kids to teach it. :P

With all my heart,

Sister Heather Ann Lagrosa

Pictures:

1- Us freezing a little when we started walking to church :P

2- fun during our lunch break!

3- 5 K Friday in the FREEZING COLD!!!

4- Putting my cook's coat to good use in the Quanah kitchen! :P

5- We have 5 Sister Missionaries in our branch! (3 of them are Sr. Couples serving at the triangle ranch, but it's so fun to have so many name tags at church!)

6- Sister Clark and I got matching shirts for our Thanksgiving 5K we are running! :D

7- We may have worn some matching outfits on accident :P

 

 

 

So much love! - November 10, 2015

Howdy howdy family and friends!

Wow, transfer week has been so incredibly FAST!!! After making sure Sister Carroll got to say goodbye to almost everyone in Childress (you really get to know a lot of people in 6 months!) We drove to Amarillo and I got my new companion Sister Clark late Tuesday night. And thus commenced the last 6 weeks of my missionary life! 

Also, fun fact about Childress: Our population is a little over 6,000 people, but 2,000 of them are inmates at the prison!!!! Don't worry, we aren't allowed to proselyte there. :P

We've been running every morning, and it's the BEST! :D With the daylight savings time, we have light again in the mornings, and we get to go out to those country roads! :D <3 <3 :D also, two of our young women are on the basketball team (GO BOBCATS!) and we shoot with them for a little bit 3 mornings a week now! Because they practice after seminary, and before school starts! :) It's the best because I've not been able to shoot a basketball without incredible pain in about 19 months because of my pinched nerve! So life is so good, we're training for our Thanksgiving 5K on my birthday! :) 

The very first thing we got to do as a companionship was go to a neighboring town, Quanah, and give some service at the hospital there, and with Thanksgiving coming up, they were really excited to have us help out in the kitchen! So I'm going to have the best Thanksgiving ever because we'll probably be doing a few hours of service helping to feed some of the people of Quanah! :) Also, I get to wear my chef coat from my bakery days! (I may have impressed Wendy, the head dietary consultant at the hospital with my bakery resume experience. :P) But, yessss, missionary work is so much fun, and we have some amazing, big goals for the transfer ahead of us! On Sunday, Sister Clark and I were called twins! haha, we're both kinda short, with really dark hair! :P 

So, to get some kind of order in this e-mail, I'll get to some of the actual WORK, work we've been doing. There have been so many ups and downs with the people we have been blessed to teach the past few weeks, but we are super SUPER excited for Scottie-boy (the Nephew of Danny-boy). He came to church on Sunday and announced that he will be getting baptized on the 23rd. He has grown SO much since we met him back in August! And, I'm super excited for everything he's going to do to help those around him here in Childress, and just in life. I think the biggest change I've seen is the perspective change he's seen as he's watched Danny change, and just seen it not just last, but also, has seen him progress, and become even stronger!

I think that's one of the biggest things that I've learned out here, and I've seen change in myself too, doing things on the Lord's time, and in His way, with His authority creates LASTING change.

1 Corinthians 15:10 "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."

It's interesting how much I've learned about grace out here, it's not just a once and done revelation or epiphany, but it's continual growth, change and increase. As we become stronger, we can grow and do more, as we grow and do more, we become stronger! Don't you love how the gospel works? :)

With all of my heart,

Sister Heather Ann Lagrosa

 

Pictures! (there's gonna be A LOT of these happening this last little bit! :D)

 

1- Sister Clark and I and Danny-boy, he got her hard-boiled eggs from the store as a good redneck welcome to Childress! :P

2- Our first new companionship picture!

3- My last little buzz before I go back! O_O

4- It was David's birthday this week, and since Sister Clark is Italian, and David adopted me as his sister, we had to get a family pic. :P

5- My FAVORITE puppy ever Chiquita. <3

 

 

Chapter 13: Living in gratitude! - November 3, 2014

Howdy howdy my beautiful family and friends!

So, it came to pass that transfer calls were called, and Sister Lagrosa is finishing out the last days of her mission in Sweet, Sweet Childress Texas! :) Sadly though, I will not be ending it with my sweet, sweet Sister Carroll, she's moving off to Abeline. But my 15th (and hopefully final) companion will be Sister Clark! She's a big 'ol ball of energy, so it'll be a great last 6 weeks.

There's really so much to write about, it's hard to even know where to start! The highlight of the week was that we had our mission tour, and Elder Pino (of the Quorum of the 70) came, with his wife and they, in addition to President and Sister Heap addressed to us. It. Was. AMAZING!! The struggle is real in this world, like mental, physical, emotional and spiritual roller coasters that make you a little motion sick. I've been searching for some answers to questions I'm not really sure of... you know what I'm saying? Anyway, it really just spoke right to my heart, and I am so grateful to be able to be taught by the Spirit! When you teach by the Spirit, it's like one of those memory foam mattresses, one mattress will be perfect for anyone, but it is only because it takes shape to their needs. Heavenly Father's plan really is perfect... even if analogies aren't ;)

My testimony that Heavenly Father really DOES answer prayers was reaffirmed this week, with learning from the mission tour, receiving priesthood blessings, and hearing the testimonies of members of our branch, I've just felt so much of Heavenly Father's love, not only for me, but the love that He has for all of His children. It's sobering, as we take a step back from all of the intricate details of life to see how truly amazing the big picture is that Heavenly Father has created for us, He really is in everything, and I just feel SO blessed to not just know it, but to experience it.

I've been going through an incredible process of humbling lately, and I can't help but chuckle a little inside, because looking back at my mission, it's been a fun ride, I'm glad to be here, and to be experiencing so much of the gospel while I, as unqualified as I am, am teaching it. The Gospel is simple, and it's true! Heavenly Father is so good to His children, and he speaks to us all the time, it's up to us to choose to listen.

I was reading in 2 Nephi 4:15-19 this morning:

 15 And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass. For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them,and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children.

 16 Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.

 17 Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord,in showing me his  great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.

 18 I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.

 19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.

I love the scriptures so much, and I bolded one of my favorite words in the scriptures that Nephi uses. Nephi counts his blessings, and he rejoices in the work God has called him to do, nevertheless, he is still sorrowing because of affliction, nevertheless "I know in whom I have trusted." Affliction is part of this world we live in, however, there is always a "nevertheless" amidst our greatest trials.

With all my heart,

Sister Heather Ann Lagrosa

pictures: 

1- The field is white already to harvest! :D

2- Gotta love mission conferences! :D

3- The best part of Texas, aside from the people ;)