Giving More Effort

Week 1 of the new transfer! (A transfer is a six week period of time). It was a crazy but good week!

Monday we had to get our car fixed and it ended up taking a lot longer than expected. We were getting the windshield replaced and we had an appointment (very early) but they kept delaying and we ended up having to leave our car overnight down in Santa Maria. 

We stayed with the YSA sisters down in San Luis Obispo. Both the YSA sisters were being transferred the next day so it was nice to be able to say goodbye. 

This week Hermana Raban and I decided that we needed to give more effort. We went back to speaking Spanish with each other and the Lord blessed us. 

Thursdays we usually walk around Cayucos and never run into any Spanish speakers, but we ran into quite a few and our contacts that we had with other people were really great. 

We taught a lesson to a guy who just graduated high school. We taught him the Plan of Salvation. We asked him how he feels when we teach him. He said, " I don't know man. I just get the goosebumps-you know?" We asked him where he thinks that comes from and he said he knows it is from God. He is so awesome and we got to pass him off to the YSA sisters during the lesson so that they can continue to teach him and find him fellowship his age. 

Sunday a family had us over for dinner. They made my favorite dinner and brownies for dessert which is my favorite and sang Happy Birthday to me! It was a great early birthday treat! 

I am excited for next week. I love serving with Hermana Raban. We have been growing so much and getting along super well. Next week will be a great week! 

She loves getting emails. This is her address:

Email: lily.pita@missionary.org (Don't reply to this blog - it is a public site)

Her mailing address is:

Hermana Lily Pita

California Ventura Mission

3301 W Gonzales Road

Oxnard, CA  93036

This is the direct link to her blog. 

Week Full of Miracles

Wow-week 6 was full of miracles! 

We were knocking doors and we went to a member who we have never met. We got there around 8:55. The son opened the door and we talked for a while. He is looking for more and wants to learn. He said he is really struggling and wants to grow closer to God. It was such a miracle.

Also this week, we met another kid who just graduated and really doesn't have a direction in his life. 

We said we would come back Saturday and he was there Saturday waiting for us and we taught him. It really touched him and he was super interested so that was super exciting. 

Friday the Elders in our ward had a baptism and we got to go. I got to play the piano. A member came up to me and asked me if she could get the name of the special arrangement books that I play out of. She could not believe that I was making it up out of the Hymn Book. Those piano lessons really paid off!

Saturday was Juan's baptism and we were so excited for him. We did a musical number Hermana Raban sang and I played the piano.

The YSA sisters had a baptism Saturday too which was really fun to be able to go to. 

Our ward had a BBQ on the beach and we got permission to go which was really fun. 

Sunday, a family invited us over to dinner which was a miracle because I was so hungry. 

Then we went to SLO for our sacrament meeting. I gave a talk which was good! I was super nervous.

It was my first talk in Spanish. It went well though. I got to talk to my Dad for Father's Day. We had a great call!

This week we found out that I will be staying in Morro Bay with Hermana Raban. It's pretty exciting because President rarely keeps companions for more than 2 transfers together but this is our third transfer together so we are really excited. The Lord is working miracles and it is going to be a great transfer! 

**A note from her parents:
She loves getting emails. This is her address:

Email: lily.pita@missionary.org (Don't reply to this blog - it is a public site)

Her mailing address is:

Hermana Lily Pita

California Ventura Mission

3301 W Gonzales Road

Oxnard, CA  93036

This is the direct link to her blog. 

Busy Week

This is week 5 of this transfer which is pretty crazy!  We have one week left of this 6 week period and then we'll find out if either of us are moving to a different area.

This week we had Zone Conference which was really fun; I got to see some other missionaries and learn a lot about how to involve members more in the work. 

We had a Bible study class with some members and a person who the Elders are teaching who is getting baptized this week. Wednesday we stopped by the home of a lady we had met the week before. We weren't sure would be able to progress because of her age but we went over and she had read the pamphlet and remembered it so that was good! 

Thursday was Hermana Raban's year mark so we celebrated! 

We saw some cute socks at a surf shop so we bought them.

We helped the missionaries down in San Louis Obispo (SLO) on Friday and went on splits with the sister missionaries down there. We got to talk to lots of people. Every Friday we get donuts at a delicious donut store called SLODOCO DONUTS. They are delicious.

Our Ward Mission Leader is having a party on the beach and we went to almost everyone in our area book to leave them an invite and everyone who we saw walking on the streets. 

Saturday one of the kids in the ward was getting baptized and he wanted us Hermanas to lead the music so it was fun to be able to go to a baptism. Sunday church was great. A member had us over for dinner. They are very musical and Hermana Raban and I decided to do a song for the spiritual thought. 

I played the piano and Hermana Raban is really good at singing so she sang. It was really fun! Afterwards, we had a family home evening down in SLO. 

This week was a busy but good week. I went to the doctor for my finger this past week and the doctor said that the bone was so badly cracked and cracked in too crooked of a pattern for him to be able to rebreak it and he would have to reopen up the joint. The only time he would have been able to do it was within the first 2 weeks of breaking it. He said the pain will hopefully go down with time. This was very frustrating news for me. I wish I'd seen this doctor right after it happened but I'll get it rechecked when I get home in April.

This upcoming week we are excited though because the Elders have a baptism and we also have the party for the ward on Saturday which should be a good way to get those we are teaching to become more familiar with the ward. 
I think I'm in the most beautful area in California! 

That's all for this week. I'm looking forward to a great week ahead.

**A note from her parents:
She loves getting emails. This is her address:

Email: lily.pita@missionary.org (Don't reply to this blog - it is a public site)

Her mailing address is:

Hermana Lily Pita

California Ventura Mission

3301 W Gonzales Road

Oxnard, CA  93036

This is the direct link to her blog. 

No Effort Wasted

This week was a good week. 

I can't believe it has already been 4 weeks into this transfer. This week we taught our friend Juan. He has been taught for over a year and he said he will be baptized! His baptismal date is June 15 so we are super excited for him! 

Tuesday we taught our friend Amelia. We taught her the gospel and the Word of Wisdom. We told her how our bodies are temples and we need to not be acted upon by things that could be addictive like drugs, alcohol, tea, coffee and tobacco. She said she really likes coffee. We said "Okay-well we can make a plan and help you". She goes, "Oh no! If it is for God I will just quit coffee right now". It was such a miracle and we are excited to work with her. We are really trying to help her get to church. 

We had exchanges Friday and Saturday. I went to Santa Barbara. It was really fun. We got let into a lot of people's homes and saw so many miracles. I am so grateful for this area I am serving in. I am grateful to be serving here because I have really learned to be thankful for the small things. We were out tracting one day and we felt prompted to knock a door. 

We knocked and a lady opened it right away. She was Hispanic and we were able to talk to her for a while.

The Lord will direct us and by small and simple things big things will come to pass. I love the scripture in 1 Nephi 16:29 that says, "And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things." 

One of my companions previously had told me that no effort is ever wasted. 

I know that God is aware of everything we are going through and every sacrifice we make whether it be big or small.

Thank you to everyone for all your love, support and prayers!

**A note from her parents:
She loves getting emails. This is her address:

Email: lily.pita@missionary.org (Don't reply to this blog - it is a public site)

Her mailing address is:

Hermana Lily Pita

California Ventura Mission

3301 W Gonzales Road

Oxnard, CA  93036

This is the direct link to her blog. 

Letting the Lord Work His Miracles

This week was a busy week. 

We had exchanges Tuesday and Wednesday. I went with our Hermana Training Leader, Hermana Mejia. It was really fun. I got to go to Santa Barbara. 

She had us exchange so that I would be able to go to their sports night and district sports the next day. I asked her if it was a coincidence that we played sports so much. She said, "No, I knew you loved sports!" It really meant a lot. That has been one thing that I have missed a lot from my last area; playing basketball or sports every morning, so it really was a great treat. 

Tuesday night after sports night, my companion called us. She told us that Amelia, a person we are teaching, said yes to baptism on July 6! We were so excited. When she told us, I had not felt that excited in a while. I realized that hearing that news, I was happier than I was when at sports night. That night I was thinking, "Wow! That brought me more joy than sports!"

Thursday we did service with our ward for a food kitchen. There were so many people from the community there. We were able to gain a lot of member trust from that service activity. 

Another miracle is Sunday we passed around a member visit calendar. We have been struggling to get into member homes from 8-9 pm. 

This past week we had members sign up every day which was a huge miracle. We feel like we are gaining a lot more member trust. 

Last Sunday we had a zone-wide fast. A lot of our investigators were struggling, zone-wide. The energy was a little down and we needed a boost. 

As a zone, we all fasted and within 24 hours 5 people within the zone had committed to be baptised. Then at the end of the week, there were a total of 10 people set with a baptism date. It was such a miraculous week. Everytime there was a miracle or someone got set on date, we sent in a miracle report. 

The energy was so high this past week. It really built my testimony to keep up the faith and let the Lord work His miracles. 

**A note from her parents:
She loves getting emails. This is her address:

Email: lily.pita@missionary.org (Don't reply to this blog - it is a public site)

Her mailing address is:

Hermana Lily Pita

California Ventura Mission

3301 W Gonzales Road

Oxnard, CA  93036

This is the direct link to her blog.