11/23/20: just out and about preaching the Good Word

 What a great week all the way out here in little Dinuba. This week we had a mission tour with Elder Pearson... so basically we got chastised for 12 hours over the course of 3 days.... but it was all to build us up as a mission and Hermana Roller and I are already applying what we learned and wooooooah totally worth it. Elder Pearson is a #inspiredmancalledofgod. We also got to participate in a mission leadership discussion with him and that was pretty cool! Very... humbling...there is always more to improve in! 

Right after the mission leadership meeting we started exchanges! I went to Visalia to stay and be with Hermana Murray. She and her companion cover a YSA ward and so that was pretty fun to work in for the day. Also Hermana Murray is probably one of the cutest people I have ever met aaaaaaand she lives in a house with 3 other companionships so that was a party (they have a recliner in their house soooooo) 

This week I got to get to know Dinuba a little more thoroughly as no one in our house was sick with Covid and I met some of the people we are teaching like

Manuel... he has some pretty tough questions and really likes to test our knowledge but honestly he is super cool. He has been to about every church in town but struggled to accept their doctrine and then he found us and the Book of Mormon... and literally is now finding answers to all of his crazy questions! Major Jospeh Smith vibes. Fun fact, Manuel is also he is banned from ever entering the local Pentecostal church here due to a slight skirmish he started there between several members in the congregation.

Maria Pilar...

Super super sweet lady, we are reaching her whole family and all her kids! Turns put her oldest daughter, Nancy, was baptized a couple years ago! We helped them put up all their Christmas lights this week!

Roberto...

Literally the sweetest man ever. Who is kinda obsessed with the prophet... and the fact that we are white and speak spanish. He calls us everyother night to emphasize his shock in both things.

This week we also went to Cutler and Orosi to have church with the little tiny tiny TINY spanish group there in the park. We cant have church here in Dinuba anymore even if it is outside but the Cutler/Orosi group is so tiny that is matched the regulations.

Cutler and Orosi is a funny little place. No one speaks English there and ot is a little stuck in time. But everyone there for the most part is super nice.

But story time!  So we had a little gathering for church outside at the park. There was this big group of men just on the other side just cooking meat on a fire or something and Hermana Roller and I decided to try something new in terms of finding... right after the sacrament meeting we had, we both marched right over to that giant group. All of them just stared at us- kinda shocked that we spoke spanish- but then we announced to them that we were going to be showing a video featuring a living prophet speaking to the world and invited anyone who wanted to come and watch his words with us... literally the entire group just started laughing at us but then this one man, Fidelmar, just quietly stepped away from the group and said he wanted to watch... and then another man stepped away... and then another 3.... so we walked back across the park and watched the Prophets message of hope on our phone together and shared our testimonies of living prophets and how God love us. We set a return appointment with Fidelmar too! 

Good stuff out here in the heart of California! 

Stay greatful everyone!

Hermana Allen

The store front in Cutler/Orosi where the group meets!!