Week 50: Las Colinas and Dona Ana Wards, Las Cruces, NM

Hey yall! I always forget what happens every week. But.... I'm going to be a STL!! (Sister training leader) By myself. Should be fun! I'm excited to be able to serve the sisters, they are great!

 Our friend Tabitha is so amazing! She's on date to be baptized! She is so excited to learn more! She is married to a lesson active member and he wants to come back which is cool. 

 Had some cool people come to church. We've been finding a lot and there were a lot of rainstorms this week!! It's so awesome. 

 Anyways, I'm doing well. It feels weird that on the 6th it's my year mark! I feel like I've barely be out. Time flies by while serving the lord I also love how Christ wants us to be who we are!! That's how He wants us. He will take us that way and magnify all the good parts and strengthen the weak. 

 Love, Sister Crofts

Week 49: Dona Ana and Las Colinas Wards, Las Cruces, NM

 Miracles happen!

Hey yall! Hope you had a good week and know that God loves you.

This week was a grind! We helped at this cute food bank place this week with a bunch of cute old people. They gave us a ton of food and like three whole chickens.

For the past little bit I have felt very discouraged. Satan likes to get at me. One night I just was very upset with myself.  I prayed and I expressed gratitude to God and it totally heals! I felt peace after I prayed and I have been so blessed this week! Well, I'm always blessed, but I recognize miracles more and looked out for them and they happened! The lord is so good.

We have been trying to meet with our friend Juan for a while now. We do this thing where we drip people instead of drop. So we keep contact with them every once in a while. We were about to do that to Juan when he called us back. He still wanted to meet. I guess the lord told us to still teach him. We had a lesson planned and he texted us that'd he'd be a little late. He was, he was like 25 minutes late. We had to leave early and our members took over showing him the church building

Apparently it went really well! Yay for awesome members! They mean everything to missionary work. We texted him and asked if he was able to meet, and he said yes, this Saturday and Tuesday! What?! No one ever says that!! So we met and it was awesome! He is searching for something and he will find it here. 

This one lady Elizabeth randomly let us in her home for a lesson. Normally she tells us she's busy, so that was cool. We also met this really nice YSA guy named Francisco. I love meeting awesome people. They all need the gospel.

I've been praying for love my whole mission, cause it doesn't always come naturally and God has been blessing me with it recently. 

Almost half our zone had covid or was sick this week, so for district counsel we did a big combined one. I love my zone.

We also met with this one member. She said she was a seer. She asked us how many kids we wanted, when I said 5, she said, "no four 4, you and your husband need time together." I was like what? It was very funny.

We stopped at this lady Monika's house, we didn't know who she was, but one of our members referred her to us, without their knowledge haha. The third time we came by, she let us in and offered us drinks and was so nice! She seemed interested and said we could join her for for Christmas! What?! Haha. Apparently she's gone to our church before, so we are excited to see where this goes.

We are teaching lots of kids right now, and it's a little rough for me. Good thing I get some practice. We also have been trying to get in contact with Aziel's mom for the past almost two weeks...and we saw her today at Walmart! Miracle! We are meeting tomorrow. 

Juan didn't show up to church yesterday and also some other friends, but I had faith something cool would happen. This random girl walked in the church and wanted to learn more and come to our service. Also, a less active member's wife wants to be baptized!

God is truly a God of miracles and H will bless us immensely in His time, but He always does.

God knows you, and He knows every plea from your heart.

Look for the miracles this week!

Love, Sister Crofts

Week 48: Dona Ana and Las Colinas Wards, Las Cruces, NM

 Chile season! The talk of the town is green Chile's, especially right now.

We went to the park, Murder Park to be specific, Monday and Tuesday. We met a friend named Steve and some cool people. Hopefully they will respond to use. We also got bit by a ton of mosquitos. Battle wounds, woo!

This week I got to practice my Spanish a lot. Last night I had a decent conversation with this girl. Woo!

We had zone conference Tuesday. It was good. 

Met with Sister Hallem again--she's the best. If you met her you would feel the same. 

Met lots of cool people this week. We were on a grind to talk to everyone and find people, and I think that I saw some small blessings from it.

We did some service for this one lady with some other sisters, and she was so sweet and gave us extra food to take home. I love New Mexican grandma's.

Do you remember our friend Yolanda? Well I had the thought to call her and we did. She actually answered, but she talked about how she doesn't want to meet with us because of some misunderstanding. I was really sad and angry--like what good person just ghosts someone over nothing? I often take things personally and I didn't want to. I was able to quickly get over it, which is a blessing and miracle.

I think it's crazy to imagine the sadness God feels when we go astray, or reject Him. 

I had the thought to visit this one guy. We knocked on his door and he wasn't home. We walked away and saw him sitting in his car! We talked to him and he looked really depressed. We told him God loves him and prayed with him. It was awesome!

We also saw this lady who was looking over an overpass and looked homeless. We were really concerned because she looked like she might possibly jump. So we turned around and told her that she's valued and has purpose and to meet us down by a bar away from the edge. She did, and we met her and tried to talked with her, bur she saw a cop and ran away. Hope she's okay.

I think this week I have seen God bless me as I follow the little thoughts I get. It's cool how much revelation we receive if we really pay attention.

Our friend Roy came to church and he thought it was beautiful 🤗

Love yall,

Sister Crofts

Week 47, Dona Ana and Las Colinas Wards, Las Cruces, NM

 Hey yall! This week was good. Actually, pretty good indeed. 

Did a lot of street contacting and talked to some interesting conspiracy theorists and found out some things about some of our friends. It's sad sometimes what happens to some families.

A little miracle that happened:

We gave this guy named David our number and we got his number. About 5 minutes later, he texted us! It was super cool. Normally no one texts us when we give them our card. Woo!

It also rained a lot Tuesday when we were driving down the highway! It was awesome and I could barely see. It's nice that I can now appreciate the rain since I'm not living in the rainiest place in the world haha.

Oh yeah, I was feeling kinda sick Wednesday, so I called the mission nurse and we went through this ordeal of going to urgent care, turns out I had an ear infection. I need a better immune system.

Our friend Irene is a queen!! We heart attacked her last week and I wrote the scripture ether 12:27 on one of them. She not only read it, but wrote all the full scripture references on the back. She is super sweet and earnest in her desire to learn more. 

Had exchanges and did loads of service--which is always fun in the middle of the day in 100° weather. Haha. 

We also have a friend whose 9 and part of part member family and he wants to be baptized, so we are planning on next month and are really excited!

We had a really spiritual experience Friday with this part member family, the Masons. Most of them received priesthood blessings and there is just such a sweet spirit when we witness that. I love blessings- they show the Lord loves and knows us personally. I just think they are such a great gift.

Remember Roy? He's been doing alright, wants us to come by more, but sadly didn't show up to church. He was saying, "I've always thought church should be on a Saturday," as an excuse to not go. I explained that the Lord needs us to give him one day. He was like, yeah you're right, and said he would come. Roy is not Italian, but he seems like an Italian new Yorker to me.

We also talked with a bandito club member. I thought they were violent, apparently not. 

Last night we visited with this inactive family that goes to a Baptist rock concert church. They had a bunch of problems with our church service and just weren't saying uplifting things. I'm sure most Christian churches are really awesome and there are great people there. But I know that the church of Jesus Christ has God's POWER!  Which is amazing! I know that in our church, it is set up for us to serve, and to always improve. Not just be content with having Jesus in my heart.

I want to be a person that wears away my life to serve God. I want to be like Ammon from the Book of Mormon.  Although I am soooo far away from that, I know as I try, I can be like him someday. I know there is joy in serving and loving others constantly, and not the same joy anywhere else. 

I love yall. I'm grateful for your prayers. 

Love, Sister Crofts

Week 46: Dona Ana and Las Colinas Wards, Las Cruces, NM

 Hey yall! This coming week I hit 11 months, which is crazy!!! Time flies by too fast, but training is going well! Sister Harper is a lot of fun and loves to work hard and talk to people! 

Our friend John Mastrntuono passed away this week. We were kinda reaching him again. It was sad to hear, but at least he's not in a lot of pain anymore. 

We also found some new unbaptized youth we are going to teach! So that's cool! 

But mainly this week we have just been street contacting a lot. Which has been good, but it is also insanely hot here. I never check how hot it is, it just feels the same every day. But I love the sun!!

We ran outside in the pouring raining this week during dinner. We had no appointment so it worked.

Something I love is helping less actives and people in general feel the spirit. It comes especially when we tall about Christ. I love being a missionary, but it's definitely not easy. Christ strengthens me!

Love, Sister Crofts 

Also, some guy we talked to had a bucket of chicken and I took a piece from it lol!