Love, Hermana Bills: Ring Out, Wild Bells!

Okay funniest story. (It goes with the title... Ps, I can't stand that hymn. I'm sorry. I feel like a blasphemous missionary for saying that, but I just... *shiver. No bueno).

So over Christmas we were singing to some old people, right? Well we were in this home where there were a TON of really super sick people and we were singing to them. And then we were like... done with all the Christmas songs and Elder Birrel (one of our zone leaders) is like, "let's sing 215!"

well A- none of us knew the song, so it was already a train wreck.

But do you guys know the words of that song? The first verse is all like, "ring out wild bells and let him die."

I mean, I know it was talking about the old year and it's welcoming the new year and whatever but... Seriously! I felt like we were singing about some of the older gentlemen in the room. It was awful. My face was bright red. But we sang it yesterday at church and Hermana Landa and I couldn't stop laughing.

Something for y'all to laugh about this week.

We had a great week and an awesome New Years! We are so blessed. We were able to spend New Years with the elders and a less active member which was awesome. We had traditional bulgarian food (anyone remember the story of little stephanie?) and I tried tres leches for the first time! We spent the night telling stories, burning things, and playing pass the pigs, and laughing until our sides hurt and there were tears streaming down our faces. We had to be in by 9:00, though. So we went back to the apartment and went to bed. But since we're party animals, we set and alarm and woke up around 11:54 to do martinelli's shots and tell each other "feliz ano nuevo". We returned to our pleasant slumber at 12:01. It was pretty crazy. #missionlyfe

This week we received so many blessings. We have been working very closely with a lot of the amazing less active members in our ward. Some of them, for a long time, seemed like a lost cause. But studying the scriptures, we know that the Savior never gives up on us, and so we can never give up on others. This week, because of a mixture of things (more boldness, exact obedience, mostly the Lord's guiding hand) we have reached new milestones with some of these less actives that we thought might never progress.

We had the incredible blessing of teaching a less active/part member family this week and we were talking about new years resolutions and what we can change... and then we started talking about good places to eat, and they volunteered to take us out to a restaurant today! We're so excited to go with them. We had thought, at first, that maybe they didn't like us! But this will be an awesome opportunity to get to know them better.

Another less active got up yesterday to bear his testimony and told the congregation that he was sorry for his absence and that he wouldn't be making excuses anymore, just coming to church! It was such a shock! We got a little embarrassed when he started talking about us... we never know how to react when members say nice things about us. Hermana Landa and I are both so socially awkward so it's always a pleasant experience...

Not all the less actives are doing well, though. We had a lesson this week with the Hernandez family and it went so well! The spirit was incredibly strong and they all committed to waking up and coming to church on Sunday. They even gave us a phone number that we could call Sunday morning at 7 to wake them up. Everything was looking up! Then sunday morning came... they weren't answering. We called at 7. we called at 7:30. We called at 8. We called tons of times! Finally, I just said, "this isn't happening." So we literally drove to their house and knocked on their door for like ten minutes. Nothing.

So they ended up not making it to church this week, and we were so sad for them! We want to get them to the temple so much. We want to help Brother Hernandez with his goal of baptizing his youngest son when he turns 8. "What more could I have done for my vineyard..."

So sometimes things are rough.

Another trial that we went through this week was not being able to do a lot of missionary work because we were cooped up in our house, quarantined from the bedbugs. Correction: Bedbug. There was only one. I mean, an exterminator will be coming Tuesday to make sure we don't have a secret infestation... but honestly our apartment could not be more spotless than it is now. It's like the temple. Or the CK. It helps when you have a companion that used to be a janitor.

THE FIEND!

In other news, we're finishing up with teaching Joe all of the lessons this week so that he can have his baptismal interview this weekend! He'll be getting baptized in just 12 short days! He's such a miracle. He loves coming to church and has even started participating in class. Reading from the book and commenting on things. He's so awesome.

In my studies lately I've loved reading about how we receive equal and opposite blessings for all of the trials that we go through. It means a lot to me right now as I've been struggling with some silly homesickness and lack of motivation. I know that if I can just push past these feelings and think of others rather than myself, that the Lord truly will bless me with all that I need to do His work. He loves us and wants us to be happy. Whatever we face, we are His children. He loves us and He will never leave us. I am so grateful for His love. I am so grateful for His grace. I am so grateful for the awareness of my own shortcomings, because it allows me to rely on Him and to be humbled to see His guiding hand in my life.