Seis semanas mas en H3! (Six More Weeks in Houston Zone 3)

Hola!

This week was crazy! I was preparing to leave the area, and said goodbye to everyone. Then we got the call last night and learned that I am staying and Hermana Calderon is leaving. We were really surprised! I am excited to stay in this area, but I am going to miss Hermana Calderon so much! I have learned so much from her. We are going to be friends forever!

Us on the bench at our school! I am excited to spend six more weeks with sweet kindergarteners and 1st graders for eight hours a week :)

My mission mom (my trainer) is also dying this transfer! I love her so much. She taught me everything I know, and she changed my life/mission! She is going to do great things, and I am so excited for her!

Other than that, it was an awesome week. We didn't have any baptisms this week, but we were able to set a baptismal date with one of our new investigators named Karen! She met with missionaries two years ago. She wanted to get baptized, but her boyfriend was living with her. He didn't want to get married, and she was pregnant and didn't want to kick him out. Now they are separated. She looked so happy when we invited her to be baptized! She came to church with her kids on Sunday and loved it! Her kids are super cute, and I am so happy they get to grow up in the gospel now!

I thought I would be leaving this week, so I said my goodbyes to everyone in the ward. It is also Hermana Calderon's birthday on Tuesday. So, we show up at our dinner appointment on Sunday, and Albert had planned this surprise party and ordered a giant tres leches cake in the shape of a Bible with our faces on it 😂 These wards have their issues, but I love them so much!

The cake "Hna Bettridge gracias por su trabajo" (Thanks for your work) Jokes! I'll be here working for six more weeks :)

 

then it was Carolyn's turn!

This week was also awesome because we had zone conference! A bunch of the zones got together, and President and Sister Mortensen talked to us about eternal marriage and the importance of the Melchizedek Priesthood. It was amazing, and I learned so many things! I know that through the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ families really can be together forever. I know that Heavenly Father didn't intend for marriages to last only until "death do you part," but that it is possible to be with the ones we love for time and all eternity!

This next weekend is General Conference! That means we get to hear from living Prophets and Apostles. I would encourage you to watch, and have your questions answered. You can watch this Saturday and Sunday on lds.org


I hope everyone has an awesome week! We are going to hit hard on finding this week, so I would appreciate it if you could keep my new companion and I in your prayers :)




Love,




Hermana Bettridge

Fotos:

We had two flat tires at different times in the ghetto this week, but the elders helped us!

My mom and I! I am going to miss her!

All of my awesome past comps :)

My best friend 😉 

The district

Us throwing confetti at our party

Another baptism and a chicken

Hola!

This week Samuel got baptized! We also finally got the water at a comfortable temperature! (Which was a miracle!) The only problem was that I was sitting there playing prelude, and he wasn't there yet. His mom called us to say that their car broke down and they didn't know what to do. So we drove down with a member to pick them up. The baptism started an hour late, but it was amazing and Samuel was so excited! He loves the gospel and can't wait to serve a mission in 9 years! 😁 

This week we were talking with a Bible referral named Crystal. (The one who had the dream about the Spirit world) She told us before we got started she felt like she had to tell us something. She told us that she had been reading Matthew the night before, and had a dream the middle of the night. She had written down pages of notes that she said were part of her dream from God about how the original church Christ established needed to be restored. She wrote down that she had to receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, that she needed to repent, and that the Church needed to be restored. So we pulled out a pamphlet and told her that's what we were going to share with her. She started crying and said she had a feeling we were sent from God. So we shared our message. We left her house and she called us and asked us if we thought she should talk to her pastor about what we shared. We told her to pray about it, but she might want to learn a little bit more before that. I think she talked to him and got into some anti because now she won't meet with us again. That's super sad, but I'm so grateful I was able to witness that miracle! I know Heavenly Father is preparing people everyday to listen to the message of the Restored Gospel and that we are led to find them! 

We have been helping Maria, who got baptized last week, with her family history! She has been able to get the last four generations! She is super excited, and we will be going with her to the temple this Friday to do baptisms!


I went on an exchange with Hermana Fernandez this week to her area. We went to our dinner appointment at this family's house that had a pet chicken. They also had a dog, but the dog and chicken are friends and the dog protects the chicken. I asked if I could pet the chicken, and the daughter brought the chicken over. I guess the chicken was mad we were eating chicken, because the chicken then started flapping her wings and ran across the table. The food flew everywhere. The mom was really embarrassed, but I thought it was so funny. The picture is of the chicken right before she ran across the table. 

The chicken, her name is chicken little

This week I started the Book of Mormon over with Hna Calderon! I am reading it all the way through in Spanish for the first time, and she is reading it through all the way in English for the first time. I have been thinking a lot about Nephi and how he always obeyed the Lord even when it didn't make sense at the time, or when he didn't have a plan. I know that obedience brings blessings. It takes faith to keep the commandments, but the Lord always provides a way. 

That's about all that happened this week. Transfers are next week, and I will probably be leaving because I have been here for six months. I am sad this is probably my last week.

I love you all! Thank you for your support!


Love,


Hermana Bettridge


Fotos:

This building reminded us of the Saratov approach, we delivered a Bible to someone in there #sketch

My companions/ favorite people!

I played the piano and Hna Calderon led the music at the baptism

Milagros!

Hola!

Maria got baptized this weekend! It was so amazing and the Spirit was so strong! The hot water has been broken in the church for several months. We called and they said it wouldn't be fixed by the baptism because they needed to order a part. So, the night before the baptism we asked a bunch of different members for their pozole pots. We were all prepared to boil water for the baptism, when the water decided to work! It worked so well it was too hot for the baptism! But the baptism itself was amazing! She said it felt like a weight had been lifted, and that she really felt like she had been born again.

Maria's baptism!

We have another baptism this weekend! Samuel will be getting baptized, and is so excited!


This week we started volunteering at the elementary school! It is super exhausting to work with 25 first graders, but it is really fun too! We are helping them read and do math. They all have very interesting names. One of the girls is named Im'unique. The kids are all super cute! They call us Ms C and Ms B.

The missionaries volunteering at the school

This week I officially hit my halfway mark! It is crazy! I feel like I just got here. To celebrate we went to this macaroni and cheese restaurant.

Halfway done 

This week I have been thinking about miracles. The Lord allows me to see miracles everyday and I feel so blessed. I was reading in Mormon 9 about miracles.

     18 And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty        miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles.

     19 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.

     20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.


Many people think that God no longer allows miracles to happen, or think that miracles stopped when Christ was no longer on Earth. I know that miracles happen everyday, and that Heavenly Father loves us so much! Here is a new video the Church came out with about the First Vision. You should all go watch it!

Link to Video

I love and miss you all!

Love,



Hermana Bettridge

Us with the Villegas family!

This week is my halfway mark! 😁 😭

Hola!

This was an amazing week full of miracles!

Elizabeth's baptism!

The best thing that happened this week was that Elizabeth got baptized! Unfortunately the water heater in the church broke, so we had to boil water in the kitchen and carry it to the font. It was still pretty cold, but the Spirit strong! She sang a song after and it was really cute!

El Plan De Dios Puedo Seguir 

Letra

Mi vida es un don, un plan se le dio,

allá en el cielo fue donde empezó.

Opté por venir a este mundo terrenal,

y procurar siempre la luz celestial.

Puedo el plan de Dios seguir,

confiar en el amor que me da.

Y obrar y orar,

en sus sendas caminar.

Y aquí podré ser feliz

con Dios más allá.

I will follow God's Plan

Lyrics ( in English)

My life is a gift; my life has a plan.

My life has a purpose; in heav'n it began.

My choice was to come to this lovely home on earth

And seek for God's light to direct me from birth.

I will follow God's plan for me,

Holding fast to his word and his love.

I will work, and I will pray;

I will always walk in his way.

Then I will be happy on earth

And in my home above.

Words and music: Vanja Y. Watkins, b. 1938. (c) 1981

This week we were visiting less actives and felt we should go see this random family we 

didn't know. We went to the woman's house and she let us in. She and most of her daughters were all baptized several years ago, but are now inactive. We taught the entire family the Restoration and they all loved it. They all came to church on Sunday! We set baptismal dates with one of the daughters who wasn't baptized yet and her 11 year old daughter! They are so excited!

We found out this week that starting tomorrow we will be mentoring in an elementary school! We will be working with first graders for eight hours a week for the rest of the school year! I am so excited because it's going to be like I'm in college again! We are there to help them with their schoolwork, and to be their friend/example. That should be an awesome experience and I can't wait!

Also this week we went to deliver a Bible to someone who requested one from mormon.org (on a side note, if anyone would like a free Bible or copy of the Book of Mormon you can get one onmormon.org!) We gave it to her and asked if we could share a message with her. We started teaching the Restoration and she loved it! She told us she had a dream that she went to heaven and there were people waiting to get in. She said she knew she had to do something to help them, but didn't know what. She asked us what her dream meant. We told her it would make sense as she continued meeting with us and reading the scriptures. I wanted to tell her her ancestors were waiting for their temple work to be done, but we will get to that later 😉 I know as missionaries we are lead every single day to people who are ready to accept the gospel because they have ancestors on the other side who have learned about the gospel, accepted it, and are waiting for ordinances to be performed on their behalf.


I know Heavenly Father loves us so much, and wants us to be happy!

I love you all and hope you have a great week!


Love,

Hermana Bettridge




Fotos:

Houston North Spanish Zone

We went to La Madeleine to celebrate life