A girl has got to do what a girl has got to do

Hi family and friends,

 So things have calmed down in our area. It isn't as crazy anymore...thank goodness! We still have a lot of work though but we are enjoying it. And especially enjoying being in a trio! There is just so many things you can do in a trio! There is always someone to talk to, someone to be with you when the other goes to the bathroom (unless both of them have to go.... 😑), someone to lift you when you are feeling down, you can divide and conquer as long as one of them can see and hear you still....I submit trios are the best. Especially with Hermana Zaugg and Hermana Scott. It is funny how different they are but it just makes our companionship so much better!

 This week we had another baptism. Her name is Laura Guzman and she was the other sisters investigator but when the areas were combined she became ours but man, her baptism was one of the most interesting ones I have ever done. All the planning went fine and she did great, it was just getting the baptismal room ready. So our ward mission leader forgot to call someone to fill the fount (and who can blame him, the guy has like three different callings in the ward...stressful!) and we thankfully showed up a half an hour before the baptism was suppose to start. We realized that the fount was not filled and we did not have a key to get into the back rooms to turn on the pump. Thank goodness someone had left the curtain to the fount unlocked, do Hermana Zaugg wasted no time. She hiked up her skirt, climbed over the glass railing to the fount and jumped down into the fount. She then ran around the back way and got to the doors to unlock it so that we could get in. I then had to pick the lock to the plumbing...not an easy fleet and we finally were able to get the water going but man for a moment there, we were scared that we weren't going to be able to have a baptism!

The baptism turned out great even though Laura had to do it four different times because we accidentally stopped the water before it was all the ways filled... Oops! 😅Thank goodness she has such a good humor. She told us "well I better be clean now if I got dunked four times!" She is so funny! 😂 We really love her! Also Hermana Scott and I sang for her baptism...that was terrifying because President was there! And Hermana Scott wants to so badly be in the Psalms of Sac and I sure did not want to mess that up for her. (Psalms of sac is a music cd that the mission makes every year featuring the missionaries musical talents) It turned out pretty good and the whole ward says that now they know that we can sing, they are going to be using us more....well.. Great. Haha!

 We added a few more new investigators this week! One who is really cool! His name is Jesus! Apparently he was Hermana Vergaray's old investigator and when I was on a exchange with her we tried to go find him but couldn't....but his week we found him! And he is awesome! He told us how sometimes when he talks about a god or Jesus he gets a warm feeling in his chest and that he wants to build his faith! We got the opportunity to teach him how he can directly communicate with Heavenly Father through prayer! And he said one! A real one! Apparently the only prayers he has ever done are his recitations so that was his first true prayer! We are super excited for him!

 One last miracle! I got a call Saturday night from President telling me that Pedro had been baptized! A little bit of background, Pedro was an investigator that Hermana Justiniano and I put on date back in Elk Grove. When Hermana Justiniano and I got shotgunned out, somehow his information was not transferred over to the elders so they couldn't find him. Hermana Justiniano and I were devastated. I remember praying that somehow he would be found and he was! Three transfers later, they find him! And he was baptized! Hermana Justiniano was able to meet him at a multicultural event and he told her that he still remembered us! And that we were the Angels that changed his life around! Wow! That is such a tender blessing! In my time in Elk Grove, I thought we hadn't done anything for that area and then after we lost Pedro, I really felt horrible but it is all worth it now that he is baptized!

 It has been a great week! I hope your alls week is great too!

Hermana Paredes

It was the week before transfers...

Hola amigos y familia!

 Okay so this email is going to be short but contain a lot of pictures....lots!

 So first off, Juan. Man this week was crazy with our investigator Juan! So Monday night we tried to call Juan. No answer. Tuesday morning we tried to get ahold of him. No answer. Tuesday night, called him again. No answer. This continued to Thursday night when we finally got a hold of him. I about cried with relief. Apparently he has just had a very busy week and was going through a lot and wasn't able to get back to us but he told he had listened to our voicemail, read our texts, and Facebook messages, and the note that we left on his door filled with scriptures....yeah we are a bit persistent. Haha! But everything is good. Juan was baptized this past Saturday and confirmed Sunday morning and his daughter was able to come and witness that. It was amazing! He just was beaming from ear to ear! And he even gave his testimony at the end of the baptism. I love listening to converts testimonies!

 Basically my whole week was chasing down Juan and taking care of Hermana Niemann. She got really sick....the poor thing! She came down with a fever and chills and aches and had to stay in bed for 3 days so we didn't get much work done. About the only interest thing that happened was the baptism and transfer calls.

 For those of you who haven't had the joys of experiencing transfer calls...it is the same kind of feeling as when you were a little kid waiting for Santa. Usually they call us about nine to nine thirty ish but our zone leaders didn't call us till ten! We were dying!! I sort of knew that I was going to stay in North Sac, but I was not prepared for the call. They combined the other sisters area with ours so Hermana Leon and Hermana Stout were transferred out and Hermana Niemann (this one came as a shocker to me) was transferred out to Rancho Cordova. And I stayed here...and I got two new companions!! I'm in a trio again! What?! And my area is huge! Double what?! I seriously cover the whole stake except for Del Paso Heights which is the elders!! And this is my first time leading out an area too!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! (I know I seam like I am freaking out but actually I am pretty calm....Sort of....haha!)

 So yeah....that has been my crazy week. Oh and I also went to the temple today! It was beautiful! 😊 

Love you all,

Hermana Paredes

The reason I wanted to serve a mission

Dear family and friends.

Lorenzo's baptism
Hermana Niemann, Hermana Sofia, Hermana Woodbury,  Hermano Lorenzo

I have so much to tell you all but I probably won't have enough to time to say it all so I am typing as fast as my little fingers will allow me. (Curse my little hands and slow typing skills!)

First of all, Lorenzo got baptized this week....MY FIRST INVESTIGATOR GOT BAPTIZED THIS WEEK!! I am beyond over joyed to be able to make that announcement. Though still the begin of this week was super stressful because we had to basically set up everything. Talks, piano player, who would baptize him....the whole shabang! (And probably spelled that wrong...oops) but it turned out amazing. I have been to many baptismal services before but I Have never felt the spirit so intense as this one. Not even in my own baptism! Literally as soon as he came out of that water, time seemed to stand still. He just stood there in the water with his chin trembling and there was just a different glow about him. He has always had a glow about him but this one was brighter...more brilliant. When I looked into his face, I just knew that he knew it. That he could feel it so deep in his heart. I about leaped out of my chair and to the baptismal fount to hug him. I wanted to tell him I felt it too! I haven't had that much joy in my heart before.

I have had many joyful experiences in my life but nothing like this....I'm probably going to start crying writing this but it is so hard to explain what I felt. My heart was pounding so hard, and I felt like I could run miles, shout for joy, I don't know! Something! I had to do something! I imagine my joy will even be greater when I get to sit with him in the celestial kingdom some day.

I think also it is more special to me because I was with him from beginning to end of this process...all the way until he stepped into those waters. I seriously cannot even began to explain what it felt like. I wish I had the words....but I seriously don't. But I think the sweetest moment was when he bore his testimony. That just really reaffirmed to me that all the sacrifices I have made to come out and serve were all work it. My joy was filled.

Can I just brag about Lorenzo for a second? Lorenzo is the best! He is the absolute best! This past Sunday, the Sunday he got confirmed, we asked him if he would come to visit a potential with us. Just because he is super cool, he said yes. This potential's name is Juan and he has a daughter. Apparently they have been to church before but in a different ward in Rancho Cordova. He was going with a friend for a while and from what he told us is that he saw something different about his friend and now he wants the same happiness for himself. So he agreed to have missionaries come and teach him.

We got his contact information and ended up calling. We set up a time to meet him Sunday and now that is were we are at in this story. So Lorenzo came with us....and he was AMAZING! We were just talking to Juan, trying to get to know him and he was telling us somethings that had happened to him in his past. Lorenzo just starts talking out of nowhere and starts bearing his testimony about how he knows that our message could help him with whatever he was dealing with....Our recent convert was doing missionary work! How cool is that?! Wow but anyways we ended up adding him as a new investigator and Lorenzo even invited him to church next Sunday...without us even asking him to do it! As we were walking away from that appointment, Lorenzo kept on telling us how great that felt and if we were going to visit him again to call him because he wants to help Juan accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Can you really ask for a better recent convert?

This past Saturday, we had a multicultural event at the church. There were all types of food and dances from everywhere. Everything from the islands to Asia to Mexico! Super cool! What was even cooler is that one of the recent converts in our ward, Henyuri, did a Venezuelan dance! I will send the video along! But it was so awesome to be part of that.

Okay last thing....our mission is getting Facebook. That is the weirdest thing for me to say! It really is but its kind of cool at the same time...it is just proof to me that the lord's work is hastening more then we think. There are only 14 missions that have Facebook now and we are now one of the 14. Man that kind of tells you the level of trust the lord has in his missionaries. I will tell you more about that as I get information.

This week has been amazing...honestly there is no other place I'd rather be then right here in Sacramento California serving the lord.

I love you all and pray for you always!

Love Hermana Paredes
Over and out.