Hard times come again no more

Hi Family and Friends,

 Wow....what a week. Seriously, this week has been a roller coaster for me and Hermana Nokes but it is very interesting the peace we feel through it all.

 So lets start with the craziness of Thanksgiving.

 This thanksgiving I didn't have your normal rolls, turkey, ham, and mash potatoes....Latinos do it differently...very differently. This thanksgiving I had (drumroll please!)....Cow head. Literally! No joke! I had meat of a cow head!!! and they wrapped it all up in a sandwich. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a really weak stomach...really really weak so as soon as I found out that it was Cow head, I headed to the bathroom and hit my knees. Basically my pleading went like this...."Lord please let me be able to shove this down my throat without barfing all over their table!!" ...I am a witness to you that the Lord answers prayers... hahah!

 Also, Daniel got baptized! My cute 11 year old investigator from North Sac! I was able to go to the baptism and see him enter into the covenant with his heavenly father. Though I think the best part was his testimony. He was super shy about doing it so I told him I would go up with him and his little hand grabbed mine and we walked to the front. He bore the simplest but purest testimony. One of a child who had complete faith in his Heavenly Father...yep. I totally cried.

 Okay last thing before I run out of time. After our monday dinner...we got a call from one of our less active member, whom we were teaching lessons to her kids because they are recent converts, and she was telling us that she needed to come to the hospital immediately. Turns out that her second oldest daughter was crossing the road when a car came by and hit her She ended up being rushed to the hospital and on the way, she died in the ambulance. So this women called us begging us to come to the hospital to be with her. She really needed support and we were the only ones close enough to the hospital at the time so we went. When we got there we were asked to come and say a prayer over her body. I have never seen a dead person before so quite honestly I was terrified. I wasn't sure if I would be able to hold in all my emotions in front of this family so we quickly said a prayer and then we were led to the room. Interestingly enough it wasn't as scary as what I originally thought it would be...it was actually kind of peaceful. She was just lying there with her eyes closed as if she was sleeping. Honestly if I didn't know better I would of thought she was really just sleeping but then again there was an emptiness about her. It was the strangest experience but at the same time the most beautiful.

 I am seriously so grateful for the knowledge of the plan of salvations and the fact that we can have our families forever. What comfort it is to know that death is not the end but the beginning of exhalation! Just another step to our eternal progression. We went by their house last night and through her tears, this sister asked us "Will I ever have my daughter again?" I felt the power of the spirit as we quietly testified to her that she would indeed have her daughter again.

 I am truly truly grateful for the gospel. It gives me so much hope. I have hope.

 I love you all,

Hermana Paredes