Let it Snow, Chicago Style!!!

Hello Everyone! Isn't this just such a wonderful time of year? It just has such an excitement about it. It is finally winter here in Chicago. It snows every few days and the high is typically around 6 degrees! I LOVE it! I am Chicago, IL at Christmas time, sharing the knowledge and joy of the Restored Gospel with everyone that I possibly can!

Real Christmas Tree from Utah in a box!

Monday I got a wonderful package at my apartment! A beautiful Christmas tree, a REAL one! We decorated it and it brightens up our apartment so much! We also went to a discount mall. It is a huge building with a ton of little Mexican shops. You could find anything there! it was really fun and we even ended up teaching a lesson to one of the shop owners who asked us about polygamy! We also had a Noche de Hogar and I am finding myself able to talk and interact more and more!

Tuesday was a good day. We went looking for a referral but didn't find him because he gave us an address that doesn't exist. :) Instead we visited a family we had found tracting a couple weeks ago. This time the Dad was there. We started to explain who we were and he was like, "Yeah, I know. I am a Mormon." With out jaws on the floor, we were like, "Uhhhh. What?!?!?!?". Appearantly he was baptized when he was 8 in Mexico but he stopped going to Church when he was 11 or 12. So this family that had invited us in to teach the Restoration a couple weeks ago has a dad who is a long lost member! Right now he says they are more interested in being Christian, not Mormon. We explained we are Christian and just want to add to his faith. We will definitely be working with them!

The Real Christmas Tree decorated up

Wednesday we went tracting and it was COLD! But, it was good. The only problem is that no one really wants to open their doors and listen to you give "your spill". But that is OK, we are showing our diligence and obedience and know we will be blessed, even if it isn't necessarily by having people there right then to listen to us. We went to Institute that night at the Church because hopefully we were going to have some investigators there. But, no one ever showed up for the class. So, I was able to use the time to practice the piano. Because Hermana Felt is no longer in our ward, she did pretty much all of the playing for the ward, I realized that I might need to play occasionally!

Thursday was a great day because they released an update for our Area Book app on the iPad and now we are able to sync our data again so that we can see what each other has been working on. I was also able to practice the piano some more. We went tracting a little later. At the first house we knocked they practically dragged us inside. We ended up giving a hour and a half lesson to them! They were pretty interested. The only problem is that they left for Mexico the next day and won't be back until January 3.

Friday we had a lunch appointment with a member. She is from Cuba and made us a TON of really good Cuban food. We then went and saw one of our investigators that is on date. She is doing well and we were able to talk about a number of things, including the Law of Chastity. She actually took it really well and agreed to live it but needs to talk with her boyfriend first. We also stopped by some investigators that we lost track of because they went on vacation for over 6 weeks, I hadn't even met them yet! The husband basically told us that they weren't going to come to Church anymore and they dropped us. It was really sad. But, I understand that is just wasn't their time yet. How long their teaching record is though will definitely be a flag to missionaries in the future to teach them.

Let it snow! (again...)

Saturday it snowed a ton, several inches all day. So, we shoveled our walks and steps. It was neat and nice to have a little break from studies to serve others. We were able to go caroling with the 6 other missionaries in our ward. It was so much fun and really brought the Christmas Spirit, I loved it! We also went to a Neurotics Anonymous meeting. Now before you all get confused and worried, let me explain. A member invited us because it was her anniversary there, she is a really good missionary, and she said it would be a free dinner. So we went to support her. It really was like the scene from Finding Nemo, except in Spanish! "Hi my name is______. I am a ______" and then everyone responds, "Hi_____"!!! When we walked in we had to say, "Hi, I am Hermana Meanea/Toney" and everyone said "Hi Hermana Meanea/Toney"! It was quite an experience, but it was good food. :-)

Winter Sunset in Chicago

Sunday was a very busy, crazy day! Church was good. Our 4 investigators came, so that is great! I ended up playing the piano in Relief Society, Sunday School, and the Sacrament Hymn in Sacrament Meeting! I was scared to death and it wasn't incredible, but I was able to do it and everyone appreciated it. The Hermana that we went to the meeting for last night told us this morning that she had set up an appointment at 5:00 with some of the people from last night. So we went there and taught the Restoration. It went pretty well and they accepted the invitation to be baptized on the third Saturday in January! So that was wonderful!

Overall it was a very good week. I am loving being out here and being a missionary! It is hard sometimes, but the Lord is always there. Yo se que esta Iglesia es verdadera! Jose Smith fue llamado por Dios ser un profeta y restauro el Evangelio. Nosotros somos hijos de Dios y El nos ama mucho! Jesucristo fue nacio y fue un ejemplo perfecto por nosotros. El es nuestro Salvador.  I love you all so much and cannot thank you enough for EVERYTHING you all do for me and my family! I hope you have a wonderful week! Bye!!!