Week 7: Dona Ana Ward, Las Cruces, NM

 

Hey from New Mexico!!

This week was pretty great!! It was a lot more busy and we met new people and got more lessons in which has been great! Mondays we always hang out with the zone, and that is always fun cause they are all pretty great. We normally play volleyball which is a blast. Tuesday, we had some awesome things happen! We were visiting some referrals and no one answered us. We stopped by Ramon's house, who's our guy on date and he wasn't there. He hasn't talked to us in 2 weeks, so that was frustrating. But as we were walking back to the car I saw this lady sitting on her porch and I told my companions that we should go talk to her. We walked over and we said "Hi" and she said we could come in the gate. We sat down asked about her and we told her we were Missionaries. We trailered( it's a thing we do in my mission where we teach a brief doctrine and then leave them hanging, kinda like a movie trailer) eternal families. She opened up to us how she's felt very lonely and disconnected to people during covid and that she's been wanting more interaction. She was crying and I was crying with her. She is very sweet and it was awesome after feeling a bit dejected the last week! She said we could come back and so far we've had a good lesson with her this week and I'm excited for her progress! We have this other guy Leo we are teaching and he is very flaky. He always cancels on us and yesterday we were driving to his apartment for a lesson and we saw him drive past us on the way! Haha it was kinda funny. A miracle that happened was that we finally got in contact with Ramon! He came to church so that was good, he also brought his brother, so bonus. We taught this lady Monica this week. He daughter is being taught by the zone leaders. She watched a bunch if YouTube videos on the church, so now she thinks we're a cult and thinks "Mormons" are crazy. We tried to teach her the restoration, but the lesson as kinda contentious with her daughter and she kept saying we were crazy and interrupting us. Lol it was funny, but she wants another lesson which is cool. Also there are a tonnn of dogs here, so whenever I see cats it's supper awesome cause I like cats better We had lesson with Laura and Evan this week, and they are actually reading the book of Mormon and praying about it. We hope that the will gain a sincere desire to know and will get the answer they need. Friday, the whole day was one crappy day. We were all just cranky most of it. Haha just one of those days We had a lesson with this lady Brenda and some of her kids this week. She is Fernando Sr. Wife. Anyways, it went really good. She basically just shared her testimony with us and it was awesome! Everything she believes is what we believe. We taught that the devil doesn't want you to do good things so there is going to be a lot of opposition when you are trying to be like Jesus. I'm excited about their family. Sister Hallam is this super nice old lady in our ward who always goes to lessons with us and is just the best! We always visit with her and learn more preach my gospel or come follow me. Last night we went over and visited with her and she has the best testimony. I told her that I want to be like her when I grow up. We were all crying haha it was awesome and she is the best! She even said that when she knew she wanted to get baptized she said," the devil can't stop me!" And that's so awesome, I want to live by that, cause he doesn't have power over us unless we let him. Things are going pretty well with my companions. Every night before bed we do a sad, mad, happy and spirit--here we have to say one thing that makes us mad, one thing that makes us sad, one happy, and one time we felt the spirt. It's hard on the mission mostly because I struggle to recognize the spirit. But I'll learn more as I go. One thing I've really been wanting to learn more is about The Atonement. I'm currently reading the New Testament so I can learn more about Jesus. I love how up close and personal Jesus is. This week was good! Let me know how yours was!

Love y'all Sister Crofts Ps I went on Family Search and traced my line to Adam and eve. Pretty cool

Tired Alexa during personal study!

Week 6: Dona Ana Ward, Las Cruces, NM

 Hey y'all! 

It's been great in the mission!

So this week was a bit slow with lessons because lots of people canceled on us, but that's okay! We got in some good members lessons this week and met some new people which was good.

We had a lot of meetings this week, because it was zone conference. Zone conference was great! I learned a lot and something funny is that for conference everyone has to prepare a 5 minute talk on a Christlike attribute. Anyone can be called up to give a talk at random. Anyways, the whole week I felt like I was going to be asked to give a talk, and I was right! I was the first one that they called up! I spoke on the Christlike attribute of patience and felt that it went well. I learned a lot from zone conference. 

One day we left cookies on a lady's porch and this cat came up and started biting the bag! We had to shoo them away. 

Also, good thing my companion doesn't get these emails because every Friday we have a zone prayer and we pray for each other's investigators. During the prayer my comp farted and it was super funny haha.

There's this lady in the ward who always comes with us to lessons-she's awesome. She always gives us fruit when we come over and when we were in this sketchy apartment complex she was like, we're in the Get-to. It's was funny haha. 

There are lots of New Mexican grandma's here who love to talk and talk, even if they aren't grandma's haha!

We had interviews on Saturday with the mission president and it was so awesome.  He is so loving and inspired and it was great!

We had an awesome miracle happen yesterday. We were going to call Sadie, our investigator, but instead I called the wrong Sadie who is a member. Anyways turned out she was feeling really lonely that night and needed a call, we shared a scripture and prayed with her and told her she was loved. I guess God works through our mess ups too!

That's about it for the week. Love y'all!

Sister Crofts

The weather is NOT terrible!

Triplets! The best trio

Week 5: Dona Ana Ward, Las Cruces, NM

  Hello from Las Cruces!!!!! Thanks for all the emails

This week was a bit slow, but it was good! Tuesday we had a really good lesson with Ramon. Ramon is on date to get baptized at the end of the month, so if you guys could pray for him that would be awesome. He seems really excited to learn more and I'm excited for him. We taught him the ten commandments and I really felt the spirt. Then Thursday we had another lesson with him that I led. It was a little scattered, but I hope he felt the spirit. Sunday came around and he said he would be at church, but when it started he wasn't there. About 20 minutes in he came in really tired and said he ran to church! Hahha that was awesome. 

Wednesday, we met with Evan and Laura. We meet with them every Wednesday. We shared our testimonies with them last time, so this time they shared theirs. They areborn again Christians and they told us that if we don't use the Bible solely, we are going to hell haha. Well we'll see about that lol. We are struggling with them because they want to know more, but they aren't praying about it. We'll teach them one more time and might give them a break. 

We had a guy on Facebook try and convert us to Buddhism, it was funny lol.

Then Friday we had two pass off lessons with the Zone leaders. These people were not in their area so they couldn't teach them anymore. We went to meet one lady, but she was sick so we just prayed with her. Then we went to Fernando's house. It was five Missionaries, Fernand Sr and Fernando Jr, his son. The whole time Fernando Sr was talking about how his son always skips school and he is ruining his life. He told us to counsel him...and we were like "schools good" haha. Then the Elders told him that God loves him and the Atonement can help him. My comp, Sister Covington gave Fernando Sr a scripture to read in Spanish and little did she realize that it talked about hell and monsters. Fernando Sr was like, the atonement fights monsters?  It was really funny. We just decided to end it with a prayer and I said it cause I am new. As I was praying I said, "please bless Fernando." Fernando Sr pipes up "which one--Jr or Sr?"  I was like "Jr uh and Sr." It was just funny and I'm excited to meet with them again.

Sunday, I met the ward and it's pretty small. But people are nice and I can't wait to get to know them more. 

 I tried green Chile ice cream today and it was pretty good!

Love y'all! 

Love Sister Crofts 

Treats left on the door by the ward young women

Week 4: Dona Ana Ward, Las Cruces, NM

 

New Mexico!!!

Hey y'all!!

Sunday we had a testimony meeting with my district and there were a lot of tears. But district 19-D was the best. 

I said goodbye to the district Monday and them flew out with my companion to NM that day. We had a training with the mission leaders for one day. It all went by really fast and then we had transfers the next day.

I am in Las Cruces, down south from Albuquerque like 3 hours--only 40 miles from the Mexican border. I I am in a trio with Sister Bishop and Sister Covington. My companions are really nice, but it's definitely an adjustment for me being  a full time missionary now.

It's a little hard to find people to teach, but I know that we will this next week!

We get lots of member meals which is nice which is so nice!

One lady made us this chicken that was the driest I ever had-- it was funny.

It's desert here and I have never seen so many cacti before.  I love all of the adobe looking stone houses. They are very pretty. The people are nice and the sky is really pretty. 

Conference was good! I really liked the talk about Christ writing our story and also Elder Gong's talk. Sadly, I was so tired I fell asleep during a lot of it.

My zone is really fun  and we hang out a lot p-days which is awesome.

Love y'all, thanks for the emails!

Sister Crofts 

Ready to leave the MTC for NM!!

Alexa with President and Sister Weatherby

New arrivals

Alexa with her companions, sisters Bishop and Covington

Alexa surprised us and called home Thursday night.  She gets to call Thursday night and Monday's!

Watching conference