B-day THANK YOU!-

Happy Birthday to my sis from Chile

First off I want to give a BIIIIIIIIIG THANK YOU for the birthday package and everything that you put inside! Tuesday morning I got a call from the mission office saying that my mom called in and said I needed to go get my birthday package HAHA so somehow we were able to go to the office (30 min away from home) and pick it up :] My comp said I have the best mom ever haha, and its true :] My comp Hna W put up all the birthday decorations, made the cake from Kels, breakfast, she was just so sweet. And telling everyone it was my birthday haha. On sunday two members brought me some birhtday cake even though I had it 2 days ago :] Even mission President called and wished me a happy birthday. I REALLY missed you all though but even though I was away from home, with all the many birthday decoartions and balloons hanging around I felt at home :]

Went to the Zoo for my birthday

Tradition to eat part of the
cake before its cut!

On my birthday I had time to think about where I was at a year ago. Crazy to think a year ago on my birthday I got set apart as a missionary. I was excited but had no idea what I was getting into. I learned and grew A LOT in my 21st year of life. Weird to think when I am 22 1/2 ill be home. My mission has defiently taught me how to stand on my own two feet. I want to make a difference in the world. I want to keep changing peoples lives even after my mission. 

This thursday i will hit my year mark...I dont know what to think. Sometimes it honestly feels like its been YEARS since ive seen you all haha. Lucky me on my year mark my comp and I get to go to the temple because we have youth recent converts who are going so we get to go with them :D I'm so excited!!! The area is doing good, we are in the process of findning news. For some reason we have a good amount of same aged as us men who we are teaching haha, one of them opened the door with no shirt on the other day HAHAHA so freakin awkward. Thats what I get for having a cute companion. 

I love you all and hope everything is going well :]

Bus rides & sharing the gospel in JAIL

Buenas dias a mi familia :]

Had such a good week! Valentine's day was fun, my companion and I ended the day with watching this SUPER old mormon video "together forever" HAHA with cookies, pizza, candy, ect. Thank you to my amazing mother for being so kind and sending us stuff for Valentines :] Oh also the whole valentines day when we were in the car we wore some heart glasses that mom sent us haha.

Downtown Houston TX

A lot of things happened this week. This past week was my first time riding on the bus in Houston! It was pretty fun. We first get on the bus and the driver starts driving away before I even start to sit haha so I almost fell over. As we were sitting on the bus Hna W realized one of the passangers was a lady we have been trying to get ahold of for 3 weeks! We went and talked to her and set up an appointment :] I was SUPER nervous to talk to people on the bus. I didnt know how to walk up to them, what to say, I've never done it before. After a few minutes I got enough guts to get up from my seat and go sit behind a guy who I thought I should talk to . Right as I sat down next to him I realized he was sleeping...I started laughing because NOW everyone saw me sit down by this guy who is asleep. My companion eyeballed me to go talk to the guy behind me but I was nervous. Then I thought, "Well, maybe I can just ask him a direction question." I I turned around to him and asked, "Are we going to Downtown?" As the 26 year old started to reply I noticed something hiding on the back of his neck. I quickly realized it was a SNAKE haha so I replied, "WOW is that real?" He, E, laughed and pulled the snake from behind his neck. My companion and I were so amazed. He said the snake was a baby python...haha we were tempted to hold it but decided itd be best just to tke a pic of it. We then started talking about life and he started to explain that his mother passed away after Christmas and his dad died 2 years ago. I asked if he went to a church and he explained how after his mother died he stopped going to church. That that experience weakened his faith in God. It was a perfect opportunity to talk about the Plan of Salvation and how he will be able to see his parents again after this life. We were able to get his information so the missionaries can stop by and visit. We were able to talk to about 6 more different people on the bus, it was a really cool experience. All the people were pretty different. After talking to one guy who asked what I represented he remarked, "No I dont want missionaries to come visit me. I just started talking to you cause you have a pretty face" HAHA I just said, "Well thanks...if you want to learn more heres our website". I am excited to ride the bus more and find those who are prepared :]

Houston Bus Rides with friends 

Last night I realized how worn out missionary work makes you. After I fell asleep I woke back up at 11pm. I dont even know why but for some reason I thought it was time to get up HAHA so I pulled myself out of bed and started praying. As I was praying I thought, "Why isn't she praying too?" I was so confused and so I thought, "Well maybe I have more time to sleep" and crawled back into bed haha. I think it would be so funny in heaven to read through your prayers because I'm pretty sure in all my morning prayers I'm talking about what happened in my dreams. 

This week we also found out one of the less actives in our ward got put into jail. We decided we should go visit him and give him some hope that things will turn out okay. We got to the Jail in downtown and had to wait an hour for it to open. So we called people to try and set up appointments. Finally we were able to go in. As we walked through the doors there was a pretty good size line to see those who were in the jail. Lots of people could tell this was our first time visiting. We really did stand out from the crowd. Finally after a lot of confusion and an hour later we were just waiting for our friend to come up to the glass window. As we were waiting I was looking at ALL the other people who were talking to the inmates. Basically, I saw mothers with their children on one side of the glass trying to speak through a little speaker to their husbands on the other side of the glass-dressed in orange. It broke my heart to see families so close but so far apart. The spirit was totally not there, mothers were screaming to their kids to be quiet and yelling and cussing through the speaker to talk to their loved ones who were locked up. 

Instantly a feeling of gratitude came over me of how blessed and lucky I am to have been born to loving parents who raised me in the gospel of Jesus Christ. With this knowledge I learn of the things I need to do to make me happy, and free. As we follow Jesus Christ we really are freed and do not become inprisoned by things of the world. Finally we were able to talk to our friend. I've never met him or seen him before but somehow his face seemed familiar to me. Since we were not allowed to take ANYTHING with us to talk to the inmates we just taught through testimony to him. We told him how much God loved him and that through is son Christ we can be clean of all sins. We told him how much his family loved him and prayed for him always. He explaiend to us that many years ago he was SUCH a faithfl member in the church, he had even gone through the temple. Something happened in his life where he started to turn to alcohol to solve his probelms and became an addict to alcohol. As he talked to us he had shame in his countanence. You can tell he was upset for what he had done and wanted to change. Before leaving we asked if we could say a prayer with him, he said he would offer the prayer. With people screaming all around I could barely hear his soft words, but what I did hear touched my heart. In a place of no hope I felt peace, I felt the spirit. As E prayed his eyes filled with many tears of sorrow for what he had done and for gratitude for his family and the missioanries. Leaving the jail I came out with having an even greater desire to share the gospel with everyone. I want EVERYONE to have what I have, I feel for those who suffer.

Pizza with the Hermanas

I look at my life know and am grateful for this opportunity I have to see how our actions today really do take a big role on what happens tomorrow. This past week we also had a zone conference with our mission president. He talked about setting life long goals, we had a few minutes to write out what we wanted in our futures and how we would acheive them. One thing I mentioned was how I want to be a good wife and mother and that the mission was helping me prepare to do that. Reading my patriarchal blessing reminds me of the potential I have and how I want to always be a strong member of the church so I can fulfill what God has in store for me. Thank you for supporting me and giving me this opportinuty to serve a mission, to help others, to save souls. As I am about to hit my 22 years since I was born I still to this day am so grateful for the loving family I have. I cannot put into words my love and gratitude I have for you all :] I pray for you all individually and lvoe you with all my heart. How joyful the day will be to hug you all again :

Miracle Baptism

Hermana Jaeger is in the first row ~ right side ~
5th one in black jacket/peach shirt.

Wow this week has gone by fast!! This past week I was able to meet our investigator L. The first time I met him, right away he reminded me of my brother Garrett :] so kind, doesnt want to get in anyone's way, has a good sense of humor, always looking our for others. My first lesson with him was so cool! His mom and sister are members. Right in the middle of our lesson L speaks up and says, "Hermana's, I've been praying to know if I need to be baptized. The other night I was praying in my moms room and I felt something in my heart. At first I didnt notice what it was but now I understand that it was a sign from God that I need to be baptized". Haha we were soooo excited and taken back!!! We invited him to be baptized this Sunday (5 days later). He was super nervous but we all knelt down and L prayed to know if he should be baptized on Feb 9th. After the prayer he said he felt good about the date :D so the next few days we taught all the lessons and planned a baptism. I'm getting better at not getting stressed out with limited amount of time haha. Sunday came and the baptism went well :] At first L was REALLY nervous! I think it was because all of us were running around like chickens getting everything set haha. But it was so cool to see him get baptized. After he was baptized and came and sat by hermana W and I we asked how he felt and he responded with a big smile, "I feel GREAT!" L has a special little place in my heart, especially because he reminds me of bro Garrett :]

I love my companion Hermana W so much!!! We get a long SO WELL and seriously everything that comes out of her mouth happens haha. Examples; during church we were SO HUNGRY and wanted a valentines cookie. After church a young woman comes up to us and gives us this BIG valentines pizza cookie haha! we wanted a baptism together and after a 1 1/2 of being together we had L baptized. She is just SUCH an amazing person and I have so much love and respect for her :] We have had some great times together already.

Downtown Houston Texas

The other night we were driving and we pull behind two cars. As we are waiting at the light the car infront of us had his back hood pop up. We thought it was so weird. As the trunk slowly pulls up we see these HUUUGE speakers blasting bumpin music and lights ALL inside the hood. We started laughing so hard and were trying to get our cameras out to take a pic. Then we read the message and it had some bad words in it haha. The light turned green and the hood went down and the car drove away. 3 seconds later the car next to us had his back trunk start pulling up HHAHAHAHA we were in so much shock!!! This second car had huge speakers too with decked out lights and music in the trunk haha. To this day we regret not taking a picture. The poeple here in Houston city are craaazy. We had to go to downtown houston and look up some people. One guys info directed us to this SUPER nice apt complex that we couldnt go in without a pin to buz in :[ im pretty sure my whole wardrobe cost the same as one of the plants sitting outside haha! Then we went into the city and we pull up to this weird building. We walk in and find out its a jail haha but the guy had already been released a few days ago. 

I love it here in Houston Texas :] I'll be sure to take some more better pics. Love you!

Wha'd up Houston

Hello Houston freeways!  They call this spaghetti bowl.

Me & my new comp Hermana W

Found out that I'll be serving in the city! And in a car! My bike after 7 months needed a break too! I'm so excited! Its seriously a HUGE area and im pretty sure im going to get lost haha. I love my new companion Sister W. She is so cute and such a good missioanry. I love her.

Well the day and a half before I left Brazos was hard and sad. So many members wanted me to come over and say goodbye. Tuesday night there was a handful of members who wanted me to go to the church so I can say goodbye to them. It was sad :[ Some of the members cried so much! But I knew I was done int he area and God wanted me to help another area. I hate goodbyes :[ One mebers E P gave me a birthday cake because I wouldnt be around to celebrate it there haha it was so nice. I went to visit I but she was in the hospital again so I didnt get to say goodbye. But I know the Lord will take care of her.

 The morning of transfers we were packing up to leave. Then as I turned to go back and get more stuff I saw an old man pushing his walker in the cold. It was P :] I tried to stop by and tell him goodbye but he was sleeping so I left a card for him at his door. He said he was so happy to get it he woke up to walk over to my apt to say goodbye and wish me luck :] I started crying a little. He is such a sweet man and it will be a miracle if I can see him again after my mission. But I am so excited to work here in this other area! Hermana W and I get a long really well.

I love this man!  P walked 20 minutes in the cold to say goodbye to me!

Other then that I am doing well :] I know this is where I'm suppost to be. I love this work and I love being a missioanry. Sad to think that this month I'll hit my year mark. To my brother serving in Chile .. Austin live it up, the mission goes way to fast.