Being P-day (personal prep day for the upcoming week) we shop for the things we need.  I don't know about you but I look at the dates of the things I purchase to see if they will expire soon.  In a sense our lives are marked by "use by" dates.  It got me thinking that none of us know the day which our heart will stop beating or we'll take our last breath on this earth.  Made me realize that I want to live my life to it's fullest and make the moments count.   In order to make each moment count I need to love unconditionally, forgive quickly, listen carefully, speak truthfully, live honestly, and appreciate everything.  Ephesians chapter 5 got me thinking about these things.  

      

I hope you are all doing well.  God Loves Us.

thank heavens

Hermana Crawford

This week was all about service, and loving other people. I feel like I learned a lot over the course of the last seven days. But service/love it's all just acting out of faith and when we put Heavenly Father first everything else works out. Whatever preoccupation or internal struggle we are facing with priorities turns out alright when we put Heavenly Father first. 

The most minor experience of the week was a huge moment for my mental stability, naturally we were on bikes. Bikes just always bring miracles when you are in over 100 degree heat. 

So we had been biking and visiting some less actives and referrals that we had to visit in McAllen, and we had about 5 minutes until we were going to grab dinner and I had a huge headache - probably because I don't drink nearly enough water (...working on it...), but we knocked one more door and ended up teaching a young mom and her sleeping 2 year old the Plan of Salvation. An hour later we got out to our bikes and S. Eggett was beaming, she was so happy to be able to knock door and teach, she did not want to stop. 

How could I look at her and be the one that was going to whimp-out and bike home just to waste time and eat? So I just said a prayer and asked that the next house we knock would give us water and I would be able to smile and feel as excited as S. Eggett looked...and we walked away from our bikes back to knock some more doors. 

Just as I let go of the whiner inside of me and finished my prayer, the cute young mom calls out to us and gives us each a giant 32 oz 'mountain blast powerade' - nothing has ever tasted so good. 

She served us, as I was trying to serve S. Eggett and we are both just out here trying to serve Heavenly Father. It was a good moment. 

Then at church we had a whole lesson all about service. When the question was asked, "Why would God need us to do something for another person that He can already do Himself?" And our recent convert Joe said, "Because those experiences when we do what He would do, make us more like Him and He can't force us to do it so service opportunities are chances to choose to do it." SO TRUE. 

Everything is about love and when the cute lady let us into her house and we were able to fold some of her baby clothes with her and then teach her about the Plan of Salvation, we served her and she served us before she had even given us the powerades but that is how Heavenly Father's plan works. When we serve one person, they intern are serving us and vice versa when we let someone serve us; both become better.

Other exciting news from this week, Karla got baptized and got the holy ghost this weekend and Joe got the priesthood, so much happiness. Love these people. 

con mucho amor

H mckenna Crawford

July 20th

Life is good, and getting better. We are learning so many new things in the office - I know how to take apart the outer interior of a car and put it back together again - as we learned how to install 'Tiwi Unit's' into the mission cars. They are little computer systems that track our driving. 

We are having a blast in the office and out when we are working. Our area got divided this last week but we only lost one city, Alton. The rest of the valley is still ours to roam.

This week we found our new favorite street vendor of watermelons - we got 3 for $2 and then gave the guy a Book of Mormon. It was awesome. We also found a place with cheap 64 oz glasses of Horchata....they may not have nearly as good Raspas here but we're finding our own happiness. 

I've learned the beauty of the reward system on my mission, and I will definitely be applying it to my future children. 

The difficult part is sometimes you have no control over the 'success' of the day. For example, one day this week we walked, biked and drove all around the city of mission - all day. Not a single one of the people we planned to visit were home or texted us back, and a couple of them we had planned the visits but they 'no-showed' us. We walked around aimlessly all day but then rewarded ourselves with watermelons. Also because we were aimlessly walking, Heavenly Father put some entertainment in our path. Including a stray horse, and then a german shepherd that almost killed us. 

Always be happy, is the biggest thing that I learned this week. Basically I learn this every week. But not every week is the same so I have to learn it over and over in every new situation, it's kinda a rough one to learn but I'll just keep learning it until we're all in heaven together...not perfect yet. But sadness kills all the faith and it is really just not fun. All we can do is be the best we can be. 

con mucho amor, 

la hermana m. crawford

July 27 th 

News of the week. 

A good portion of the week was preparing Joe for his baptism this Sunday; which went off without a hitch. We heart attacked his door with all of the commandments and laws (this included a life size chastity belt and portable key), one new law/lesson for each day of the week. 

Officially I am the worst trainer/mission mom ever. Alright, now the mission teaches alot about obedience and doing what your suppose to do. Well, one of the things that we are asked to do is take two bike days each week. Now this week I got S. Eggett all pumped up and ready to go and I made us take them even though it was like 104 degrees for both days that we chose to ride and our appointments weren't anywhere near each other. After about 2 hours of riding and one appointment, she says, "I don't know but I think that my tire may be flat." I look over and her back wheel is completely flat, she had been riding on it all day - after stopping by two members who weren't home we biked the 45 min back to our apartment for the pump...now she has a bruise on her bum. I felt horrible, also we are getting mini-missionaries for this whole next week so the cute girl will have to ride like 4 days next week with a bruised tail-bone and then sit on ice everyday for studies. 

On a spiritual note, I learned a lot about charity and what is means to have pure love for another person this last week. Now S. Eggett is easy enough to get along with but it's about more than that. We are expected to love everyone. Now the LOVE that Heavenly Father is talking about is perfect, we have to put them before we put ourselves - that is stinking hard. 

Christ was the perfect example of service so as I am working on making service plans for everyone down here in South Texas - all of you should make plans to serve at least one person out of the usual this week. 

Happiness is just a good deed away, so go do the good deed. 

con mucho amor; 

H. mckenna Crawford

We are so busy; and I am so grateful. The work down here is so much different than it was in the valley. We have appointments and lessons and we get to bike when we want and then are also hanging out with the cutest senior missionary couples ever for a couple hours a day - senior missionary couples know how to party, ease-dropping is a natural consequence in a little 20 ft. open office room and they are hilarious. 

Monday, we got to knock some doors and we basically don't know anyone in our area or how to go anywhere in our area so our lives revolve around a 1990s GPS. It often reboots itself and changes routes on us but we're surviving - getting lost can be fun. 

We have a couple of progressing investigators that are super fun, I've learned that I love teaching and I think I am getting better at it; definitely still don't want to be a teacher though. 

Tuesday we had interviews with President Maluenda, I feel like half of the mission is spent in meetings but its good. Lots of oportunities to hear new ways to improve and it will make the three hours of church when I get home for the rest of my life seem like nothing. 

President always gives us chapters to read/study and my chapters were: 

matthew 26, mark 14, luke 22

I got a lot out of them so I thought it would be good reading homework for all of you too; everything is about the atonement and how much we are willing to trust Heavenly Father with our lives.

Wednesday - Saturday, we just did missionary work. Knocked some doors, visited some people and had some good lessons.

Sunday, we got to teach Joe, and it was the best part of the whole week. Joe is working with Vivint down here for the summer, and is living with a bunch of returned missionaries who are also working with vivint for the summer. He is listening to the Book of Mormon on the hour long drive down to Rio Grande City everyday and is just overrall super cool. We taught the background of the Book of Mormon and all of the vivint workers and some of their wives just started telling different experiences that they had reading it. Such a cool experience. And just a great way to end the week.

my love for you, 

is as big as the state of texas,

and that is BIG.

H mckenna Crawford  

Transfers are in and I am in the craziest area in the whole mission, I like to think of our area as the 'sister assistants to the president' or the 'assistants to the assistants.' I am in an area called, 'McAllen Norte' we live right next to the mission home and office. Our apartment is acctually where I stayed my first night in the mission. It may also be the most disgusting apartment of my whole mission thus far, I've probably just lucked out for the last year but all is well. 

Also I am getting a second chance to finish training, and my cute new companion's name is S. Eggett. She is already one of my most 'dedicated' missionary companions, the cute girl studies note-cards and reads out loud in spanish before going to bed while I go get a night time snack and bring out the ukelele - I think we are going to have a lot of fun though.

Back to our area, we cover something called the 'Rio Grande Valley', like the whole valley. We work in the 'young single adult' branch down here so we get to visit people within like an hour radius - no joke my hands are already sore from driving and holding onto the wheel, the work is super different than Laredo. But the weather is a lot more manageable down here so that is a plus. 

Update on the work down here, I haven't been able to meet all of the investigators that they were teaching before I got here but I've met a couple. We have Daniel who only speaks spanish and we got to meet with him on thursday but he doesn't have a phone and his car is broken so we haven't been able to get a hold of him. We also have Jay and Julia, they are this adorable young couple who live with some members from another ward. Jay and Julia aren't married but they clearly love each other and want to get married and have just been pushing it off. Naturally at the end of the first lesson we had with them, I offered to plan their wedding - they loved the idea; unfortunately that will mean that we will have to pass them off to different missionaries because they will no longer be single but I am still excited. 

Basically everything over the last week has just been flying by the seed of our pants, and its been so much fun! I am going to church in my old church building in Edinburg and I get to see alot of the members from my old area in the hallway - so much happiness. 

Miracle from yesterday, we were sitting in sacrament and it was testimony meeting. One of the testimonies was a young man named Joe. Joe got up and bore his testimony about the Book of Mormon - his 'buddies' and him listen to it out-loud on their drive to and from work everyday, he then explained how he could feel and see a different balance in his life and called himself a new member. But we met him and yesterday was his first time inside a mormon church building - we set up a time and taught him about the gospel of Christ last night with his friends (they are all ex-missionaries who are working for vivint). 

Saying goodbyes in Laredo was one of the hardest things thus far on the mission but new areas, people and environments are super exciting and are making some seriously good memories; so life is good. 

Sorry the update is a long one this time, lots of love!

H mckenna Crawford

This week has been wonderful and out of control. We are going through a bit of a dry patch as far as the work goes, no one has come to church with us for over the last month. Now that as a missionary is depressing. 

Yesterday, I spoke in church. I spoke twice actually - english for the family branch and spanish/english for ysa. I spoke on the power of having a personal testimony, but I adapted it a little for both branches. My talk in the family branch was trying to motivate all the members to learn to love Laredo (since most are here as Border Patrol workers) Anyway, I learned while preparing the talk and giving it that the only reason we do anything in the church. The only reason we will ever be motivated to act and live the gospel is because of our testimonies. If we truly know that the gospel is true, we will live it. And yet the only way that we will know that it is true, is if we live it. Basically everyone needs to go back to the basics and always be working on their relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ; its that simple. 

Also this week I turned 20 years old. I am not sure whether I am disgusted or happy about it, but either way another year has passed. Our plans for June 24th, were nothing different than a normal day of missionary work but I had been planning on wearing one of my cuter outfits and we were going to drive instead of bike, in celebration. 

S. Hortal surprised me and then surprised me again, and again and again all throughout the day! It was so much fun! She decorated our room with blue streamers and signs - trying to recreate water-skiing for me. Then her mom sent me birthday watermelon themed gifts! We had a watermelon birthday cake at district meeting the day before and the elders made me a banner. Then in the middle of the day, they had me play, "pin the crown on the queen (me)." and then put a pillowcase over my head and we met up with the zone at Olive Garden, craziness. We went to a members, the Peterson family, for dinner and they made me a huge salad with watermelon and lemon cake! It was the happiest meal of my whole mission. 

Sorry for the 'me-centered' paragraph but I had to recognize everything that everyone did for me. It was a super sweet birthday, and I hadn't planned on any of it. 

Miracle from the birthday we met - The Aguero Family. We just gave them a card on the street after an appointment fell through and they invited us back for Friday. During our short first conversation, they found out it was my birthday. So then when we got there on friday, she gave me cupcakes, a flower and a balloon as a happy late birthday - shocking! ...still didn't come to church but we're holding out hope for next week. 

Transfers are tomorrow, starting at 5am in the morning. Hopefully we will find out who is leaving before 10pm tonight. I am already packed, but this is now my third time packing in Laredo, so maybe I'll unpack for a third time as well - who knows. 

Either way, I love Laredo and all of you! Tenga una buena semana!

H. mckenna Crawford

Holi-taquitos it's hot and humid.

Imagine, the weather in Hawaii - like tropical storms - sounds lovely right? In theory it is wonderful but in reality it makes life a little bit difficult as a missionary. Some moments I am freezing because its raining and there is wind and other times I am dying of heat because, well its really hot still. We pack sweaters and rain coats and then have to take them off when we're starting to melt, its an adventure! I don't know how I am going to fair when its time to go back to Washington or Utah - sounds like Antarctica. 

Life as a whole is going pretty good, though once again transfers are here and I am pretty sure that I only have one week left here in Laredo after 7+ months, bitter-sweet. It's like saying goodbye to my mission home. Luckily I will still be here for my birthday on wednesday and still be able to celebrate with all the people that I love, sino of course everyone at home. Twenty. That just sounds super old. 

We haven't had anyone come to church with us for almost the whole last month, and so I decided to spend time during studies in the morning to read more about the reasons that we come to church, it ended up being a testimony builder of the atonement. 

Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us and wants us to remember that plan! 

We screw up so often, I can't say that I have ever been perfect for even a 5 min period of my life. For a lesson that we were teaching this week about the sacrament we took a white piece of paper and had people scratch lines as they remembered a struggle from the week or something that they regret or could have done better and then we told them that the paper would be turned in and graded by how clean and white it was...they could try to clean it on their own before turning it in but they couldn't. We have to use the atonement, Jesus Christ lived a perfect life and therefore has clean sheets of paper for all of us, if we turn and ask him. 

This analogy may not make sense in written form but its pretty impactful when you see a ton of pen scratches on a paper. 

Now Heavenly Father gives us that paper and we destroy it week after week but each week we have the chance to go and take the sacrament and review over all the things we had done wrong and change, recommit to do better. We then can pick up our own clean sheet, and heaven knows that we all need it. Also I realized that the atonement applies to more than just what we are doing wrong. All the small worries and trivial distractions can be wiped clean from our slates and taken away when we put the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ first. Simple and yet so difficult. 

Laredo Loves U

H mckenna Crawford