It's officially beginning to be summer here in Texas, and the heat is unbelievably real. Here in Laredo, it's suppose to be like a desert climate but we've had some major storms recently which has made the air extrememly humid, like the minute we walk outside we're sweating...after our hour bike ride to the top of our area, we're drenched. 

Our investigator and now recent convert, Jannet lives at the bottom of our area on the TAMI-U Laredo Campus and then we had appointments with members every night, who live 5 miles in the opposite direction of the campus from our house...my leg muscles have grown in just two weeks, its rough. 

Our investigator Jannet got baptized this weekend. She is the cutest college girl in the world. She had been to church for over a month and we had her baptismal date set for May 10th. Well tuesday, during an exchange with S. Tovar (a sister missionary who lived with me in the Edinburg home) were teaching and Jannet stopped us and asked what was left for her to do before she could become a member of the church. We explained she needed to hear all the lessons. 

We went back Friday and Saturday to finish teaching the rest of the lessons and she had her baptismal interview and was baptized on Sunday. The whole Young Single Adult branch attended her baptism.  

Sunday was rather stressful in planning and organizing the baptism's details, we may have forgotten to tell Jannet to bring an extra towel, so she had to dry off with an extra baptismal suite and paper towels. 

Immediately after Jannet was baptized we rushed to the bathroom to greet her at the top of the stairs and she started to cry, which spiraled into S. Hortal crying (btw S. Hortal hit her one month mark in the mission on saturday) and we all exchanged wet hugs!

Love love love, that is really the only thing that we are suppose to spread here on earth. When we know how to truly LOVE everyone, we will be perfect.

Love someone today, tomorrow, the next day.....etc 

Happy Earth Day (from wednesday), hope you did something to 'grow your faith'! ...we handed out packets of seeds to our members and an  invitation to plant with love and faith.

 Just like gardening, it all takes work - don't stop!

Laredo Loves U

H mckenna Crawford

Biking brings miracles, and good thing, since we will be biking for the rest of April. As a result of the 'missionary-hunt' those first three days of the month, we ran out of miles. The mission office called and told our leaders that our whole zone will be responsible to stay within our monthly limit, which just means all of Laredo is on bikes for the next two weeks. 

Training is the greatest! 

Being a trainer is a lot like being a mom. I love S. Hortal so much, she is the absolute cutest - but it's exhausting being so on-guard all the time. I am constantly checking up on her to see if she is okay, and every time she just laughs and says yes. Especially now as we are riding bikes. 

I see her struggling with biking or talking to people and I just want to step in and help but than I know that the only way for her to learn is to just keep working at it. 

S. Hortal invited her first family to be baptized.  I could see that she was struggling to invite them. I just waited along with the family, who then rejected the invitation. But when we left I asked her how she was feeling and laughing she replied that it took her so long because she was translating the baptismal invitation from spanish to english in her head. We both got a good laugh about the whole thing.

We had a meeting at the church which was 7 miles away and mostly downhill and cross a highway without an intersection.  S. Hortai rides over a screw and we're done -the tire went instantly flat.  We realize we'll have to walk the rest of the way so we go to lock the bikes (we are using S. Hortal's lock) her key jams and the lock breaks. Not an easy week for her first week in the mission field.  Good news, we now know how to fix a tire.  Time is going so fast and yet so slow. But I am learning to enjoy both the good moments and the bad. And that is one of the best lessons that you can learn in life! 

Eat a special treat in celebration of what brings you happiness and let that treat set the tone for the coming week!

Laredo Lovin'

Hermana Crawford

I am a new training mom! And my new missionary chika is from Argentina.

Sister Hortal is adorable; I'm super excited to be her first companion.

Tuesday morning, 4:50am we got up and packed up S. Barton to drive over to the church and join the caravan down to McAllen. When we got there they had all the trainers sit on one side of the chapel and then the greenies walked in and sat on the first two rows. One by One they called us up as the trainers and announced where we were serving then called up our greenies. 

Also, no one knew about transfers until there at the meeting so we found out that S. Barton was off to serve in Edinburg!! 

We got back to Laredo at about 5pm, and then went grocery shopping and got S. Hortal situated. We were able to knock a couple of doors at the very end of the night and first one we knocked - a Jehovah Witness opened the door and told us to go google, 'easter' because we were extremely misguided in our celebration of a pagan holiday, she ended the encounter in telling us to go home. We walked away from the door and I looked at S. Hortal and said, "welcome to the life of a missionary."

The rest of the week, I was just showing S. Hortal around our area in Laredo and introducing her to all the people we visit on a regular basis. 

Through this whole process I realized how much I love the people here. After this transfer, I will have served in Laredo for 6 months! That is a long time! Throughout that time, I've set specific goals for different people. Before we meet someone, I sit and give a run-down of our plans and how we are working to be a blessing to that specific family. Basically I am just flooding, poor S. Hortal's mind with information, but its all important. Heavenly Father has unique goals and understands our unique backgrounds perfectly! As a result, He blesses us in the ways that we need - perfect to help us reach our goals and potential.

Okay so the rest of the week, one of my favorite members moved away - the Quintanilla family is now residing in Virginia. We got all of their extra food though, that was fun. 

We were also able to get Raspas this week from Penquinos (basically happiness in a cup), as an introduction to Laredo. Then as a bonus - there has been flash flooding these last couple days - so we've been working in the rain! 

Overall life is looking pretty good from little missionary Hortal and I. 

Lots of Laredo Love

H mckenna Crawford

April Fools. 

We were doing studies as usual and got a call to go and search for a missing elder. This caused everyone alarm, and debate arose as to whether we should go out and search or the leaders were just pulling a prank on all of us. 

I give myself credit for being the voice of reason that we should, whether a prank or not, still go out and look for the dude. So we left. We met up with the other zone and it was real. We then broke into search parties and searched until about 2pm that day. My search party led us to the border, and naturally I took the wrong exit and had a moment of panic when we all thought that we were accidentally crossing the border (we ended up being escorted out of the border area, right before we had to cross the bridge - this may be the closest any missionary has come to mexico without breaking mission rules.)

The first day was called off with the assumption that the elder was on a flight home. Wrong.

April 2. Again the day started as usual, we were even able to have a lesson with Carlos Martinez about the book of mormon. But then another call comes that they found the hotel where the elder had been staying and we were off to join another full day search. 

We orchestrated the search parties to cover all the hotels, pawn shops, bus stations and most fast food places in laredo - it was incredible. We spent all day driving and walking, showing his picture everywhere that we went. The mission curfew of 9pm was even extended to 10pm for Laredo in order to help find him. 

April 3. The mission held a fast, that the elder would be found and was safe. Our man-hunt started at 6:48am and didn't end until the middle of the day - 4pm, when President Maluenda had received word that the elder was safe and had finally contacted his family.

The happiness of the day continued with a lesson with Bro. Carlos Martinez about the plan of salvation - at the end of the lesson he just said, "Toda via yo necesito el espiritu, no puedo lograr esta gloria sin la ayuda del don del espiritu santo."

We all need to be more appreciative of the guidance of the holy ghost in our lives; daily. The help from our heavenly father only comes when we're are worthy to have the companionship of the holy ghost. If we do our part, then Heavenly Father can do His. We have to do the little things to remain worthy, just like Bro. Carlos Martinez is working to receive his confirmation and the gift of the holy ghost.

General Conference - April 4th and 5th. Maravillosa!

One of my favorites quotes, "Average is the enemy of excellence." 

Right before the afternoon session of general conference, I got a call from the Assistants to the President - I am going to be a trainer! 

I had to drive down, 3 hours, to McAllen and I spent the night at the other sister's apartment. Today was spent in a meeting with the other new trainers and new district leaders and President Maluenda as he gave us a pep-talk for our new callings. I am so excited to meet the cute new missionary chika, so there will be an update on her in my next email. I just arrived back in Laredo, we came straight to the library to write this email. 

Almost 6 months of Laredo Lovin'

H. mckenna Crawford