Hello Blazing Sun

Buenos dias familia,


Hermana Fernandez tells me that the sun is shooting off "ráfagas." We're not really sure how to translate that, and I want to know what's happening to the sun. Is something going on? Well it is sweltering in Sacramento. We went through a pretty short spring--I actually had allergies one day--and now we're in summer.

This week has been somewhat of a challenge--well, this transfer has been. There haven't been a lot of baptisms over the past few years in the area. We're scouring our area every day to find people to even teach. Even though our area is huge (we've been using a LOT of miles in the car but can't get too crazy because we have a certain number for the month--thank goodness we don't ride bikes or walk), we've been searching everywhere for (a) people who speak Spanish, (b) will let us in to teach them, (c) will have an interest to come to church. It's amazing how the economy affects missionary work. On one hand you think it would humble people and make them search themselves--what they could be doing differently to find peace when the money isn't there. On the other hand, people are working night and day, Monday through Sunday to try to make ends meet. So it's hard to get in the door because of work schedules or changing work schedules and then the Sabbath day is not a day of rest. Sister Fernandez proposed that we make a law to shut down all the businesses on Sunday. The Sabbath really is something so important that we need to observe. I know that even for me, there are things I need to do, or rather not do, on Sundays to keep it holy. When did we throw the importance of the Sabbath day out the window? And it's interesting that that is one of the ten basic commandments that most people try to follow.

So anyway, that's the opposition we're up against. We don't really have any investigators (okay so we have like four but two are basically dropped and the other two aren't progressing). We're on the battlefield right now in the front line, but Sister Fernandez did remind me that the gospel is true. The gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect. We were talking to a woman yesterday and giving it our all and I told her, "We're representatives of Jesus Christ. It's as if Jesus Christ were standing here talking to you, inviting you to learn of Him and His gospel." She still rejected it. I know what it felt like, to a TINY degree, for the Savior. This is something so pure, completely true doctrine. This is from the Savior himself--all you have to do is have a desire to believe and pray about it. That's the invitation--it's so simple!

We'll keep fighting this week to see some progress. We're still looking up, keeping the faith and having hope. Love you all!! Hope you're doing well.

Love,

kates