Buenas Dias!!!
 
How are y'all this morning?! It's a nice sunny day here, already about 90 I think :) My new companion is Sister Burns, and she is in a trio with Sis Tanner and I. We were originally given her and a new visa waiter to the MTC. But during transfer meeting when president called out the names, our Sister who works in the office spoke up and said she got her visa this morning! So we had her for a day and then off to Peru she went. Crazy! So now we're in a trio waiting to see what happens. President really doesn't like trios but I think he's pretty much forced to leave us like this. Sister Tanner is getting antsy for her visa, but who knows when it'll come! I actually met Sis Burns once in the MTC. She came out with Sis Ward, and I'm excited to work with her. I really don't know her, but she's maybe the only Spanish sister in the mission I haven't worked with, and I had a feeling she'd come here.
 
The week was kind of slow. LOTS of appointments fell through. But that's alright! I got to go to the temple with Laura on Saturday and it was awesome!!! It got shaky there for a bit though. First her temple clothes weren't arriving in time, and then her Bishop put his wife on as Laura's escort, which freaked her out because she doesn't even know her. That was all fixable. But then something with her records is way messed up and she wasn't even on the church records as being baptized. She had everyone looking in Costa Rica for her records, or witnesses to her baptism or something. Her Dad originally had the record because he baptized her, but has since been excommunicated and threw everything away. I found that out Thursday night. At first she was ok about it. When she called back about the big problem of her records she was starting to get kinda down. First she said she knew everything would just work out in God's time. But then she was starting to feel like she wasn't supposed to go, and this was God telling her. Like maybe she wasn't really good enough, oh man it was so hard to hear. She was fighting it, but there was that taint. But she decided to fast, and she asked me to fast with her (I was so proud of her that she brought it up). So we fasted Friday, and by Friday night everything just worked out. They found the witnesses to her baptism and they called the bishop and temple president and it all worked!

It was the most awesome experience Saturday!!! It's always so peaceful just to be in the temple, but it was so fun getting to guide her along, and show her where to go and what to do. She was just soaking it all it. The temple matron and everyone was so great. And something happened that I've actually only read in missionary stories. At a certain time Laura leaned over to me and started with, "this is strange..." and I didn't know if she was just referring to all the new things in general or what... but then finished with, "but I think I've been here before." AH! My heart was so happy! It means she was so prepared and ready! She's just changed so much, and we had a wonderful experience. I'll send you a pic when I can! She said I better not "disappear". In other words, keep in touch! I think we should take a trip to Costa Rica one day!
 
 
All my love,
Hermana Marks

Good Morning!
 
Well, it's transfers week here in the great Louisiana Baton Rouge mission, and we got the call last night that Sis Carolan and Sis Sagers will be leaving. Sister Carolan and I have been together 6 months, 1/3 of my mission. It's crazy to think. We've had experiences together that bind us in a way that I think only those types of situations and special experiences could. So that's special, and we are now called to move on. We've helped each other a lot, and as much fun as it would be to stay together, it's time to go on, learn from others, and also help others. This is the only area she's been in, and is of course sad to leave, but is doing pretty good. We knew it was coming so it wasn't too big of a shock.
 
I feel like I can't even remember what happened this whole week because all I know is we had an AWESOME branch activity last night! And people came!!!!!!! It's one thing that our companionship has been trying to do - have regular activities. Whether people come or not, we were just gonna keep having them. And people came! We had a picnic at a park and played soccer. Pretty simple, but so great! I'm becoming a master of simplicity. :) It's what we do! The simple things are the best! Anyway, so we just wanted to do a simple taco salad and fruit dinner, and we even got a little budget approved for it so that was awesome! It was work but I found a member to go shopping with us who was able to pay and then get reimbursed. Which was a miracle in and of itself because, Dad, you pretty much hit the nail on the head - almost everyone here is tending to the basic business of survival. It's usually why they came to America, and now they're just doing everything they can to survive, and help their families who are in different countries survive. Anyway, we went shopping and we cooked and prepped everything (we tried to involve people with that, but no one did) and took it to the park. Despite a little rice fiasco (where we had to throw it all away at the last second) we did it! And it turned out so good! Actually, it was so hot that despite being hungry I couldn't even eat anything besides a few strawberries, but people said it was good! It's a weird thing about the heat. Y'all know what that was like cause it would happen sometimes when we worked a lot in the heat at Now and Then, but here it's so bad. It's so hard to eat when it's hot, I'm not sure why. Anyway, people were even there when we started (last game night there was one couple when we started, :) but here there was like 25! And all in all we think we ended up with maybe 60 or so, and a TON were non-members. Claudia and Greysi came! (If you say soccer around here - people come. :) That through our English classes and soccer on Saturdays and stuff like that, we know a lot of people. Most of them don't want to learn about the gospel, but we've stayed friends, so we had lots of people come that way. We haven't seen Dunia and David at all lately and were wondering what happened. Why so interested and then they just dropped off the face of the earth? But they came! And our branch president had fun! Which is really just heart warming in and of itself.

I stunk at soccer. Haha, oh man, but I've learned that just trying endears people to you. I think President Estrada thought it was so funny just watching me be afraid to head the ball (uh, I don't like headaches ok? :) but I didn't mind. I just got right in there. I was the only sister, but it was so great. I wish so badly that I had a picture to send you but I don't (which actually is probably good because I sweat out more water than I knew was possible to have in my body!). All I know is that as I was dying of heat, I realized several things. One, my lungs are getting a lot healthier because you're forced to here. Just sitting in the pavilion people were dying, and running around, the heat was crazy, and yet I could breathe! Second, it was the happiest, most fun night I've had in awhile. You don't get to see many sunsets or stars here, but there was a little bit of color in the sky as the sun was setting, and I just stopped for a second, and looked at all our members and non-members running around playing, and I looked over at the pavilion and people were talking to each other! And I saw a group of kids filling up water balloons (we brought some, and they got me good later, :) and I saw friendships being made. And my heart was so happy. So. HAPPY! In my mission, I look for the very simple joys, and that was one. It was so amazing. (also great because waiting to get the calls for transfers was starting to wear on my nerves so I just got to go play and let someone else take the call. :) Also Dad, I didn't have to embrace a skirt during that one, :) I got to put shorts on! haha
 
The rest of this week was normal. I actually don't really remember it. Mele came to English class but didn't like it and hasn't answered us since. But we think something might be a little... off with them. Different things happened like that. The thing is we didn't teach many lessons, but the ones we did teach were solid. Three people committed to baptism. We have a crazy full teaching pool right now. I've never known what that's like. Our problem has been getting anyone to progress, but those three people are at least heading in that direction. They won't commit to a date yet, but If they keep their commitments, they'll feel when it's right. Those people are Christina (who I've taught), Lorny (who I've only taught English to), and Carlos. Sorry that you probably don't really know the stories behind those people. It's just too much to try and tell. We've actually only taught Christina twice, and so I'm still trying to get to know her! She came to us by way of an inactive. Cool, huh?! Maybe eventually that inactive will come because Christina will need a ride or something! And the biggest miracle happened yesterday when we got to see Judy! The first time since everything went down. She's doing well. She's reading the Conference issue still and I think she may read more of the Book of Mormon than most members. Not everyday, but when she does read, she reads a lot. Judy just has this incredible. incredible relationship with God. When I go there I feel like I'm going to learn from her. That's true with lots, but especially her. I have quotes written in my planner from her. She's just a wise woman. Plus, we ate this yellow watermelon with her. It was maybe the best fruit I've ever tasted. No joke!
 
Ok, this brings me to the last miracle of the week! Saturday night I was teaching a lesson, and when I got back, the sisters told me that they'd got a call from some lady named Laura Kissel looking for me. Laura is from Costa Rica, and I knew her in New Orleans. She was inactive when I got there. We helped her to become active, and receive a calling. She and I were close, but honestly not that close. She's someone who has had a lot of things that happen in her life that she's let make her bitter. Things like her Dad held really visible callings when she was a kid. He was endowed, he did all the right things, they always had the missionaries at their house, etc. Until one day he just left. He had another family somewhere else or something. That happened when she was 16 or so and it really messed with her. Anyway, she went for a visit to Costa Rica and was still there when I was transferred. Since then, I'd just heard through the elders that she was less active again, and I wondered what had happened. She was the one person I saw become mostly active again down there, so it was especially hard to hear that she went back to inactivity. But it turns out that was false information because she called to tell me she's going through the temple!!!!!! She's going and she wants me to come and to be her escort! I was completely shocked! I had a vision to help Laura get to the temple and we tried to work with her on it, but her issue was basically that she was afraid to go because of her background of having watched people make those serious covenants and then break them... So we had one lesson, maybe two visits where we talked about the temple, but she told me when she called that I "planted a seed for her." When she got back from Costa Rica and she couldn't stop thinking about some of the things I'd said (I don't know what that was). She got someone to teach her temple prep to help her get ready. Then, she said, something really weird happened. Well, she said I wouldn't think it was weird, but that she really started to read the Book of Mormon when she got back and all her anger went away. She said, "you know how the scriptures talk about new and converted people? I feel like that's me!" I only talked to her for 10 or 15 minutes but she just sounded like a completely changed and different person. She said she thinks that missionaries may, unfortunately, sometimes think they haven't made a big enough difference but that I would never get to say that because of the difference I made in her life, and for her family. I had absolutely no idea. No idea any of those seeds were planted. My dream is being fulfilled of getting to see someone go through the temple. I'm sure there will be more, I have no doubt actually. I just don't think I'll see any of them, or maybe know about them. But here, the Lord has given me the biggest tender mercy of witnessing one. So I'll go to the temple with her Saturday. Just warms my heart.
 
Well, Dad, I will say that I appreciated your email more than I can say! Like usual. :) You too Mom! I'm so blessed to have such awesome padres! I hope you have a great week.
 
Lots of Love,
Hermana Marks

Could a Daddy be prouder of his baby girl? Nope! ;-)

Morning!
 
How was your b-day Garrett?! And Father’s Day? I hope you each enjoyed wonderful days with everyone. How are the chickens? Is it getting hot yet?
 
It was a week full of miracles for us! We taught a lot and did some good service. Well, ok, Vanessa has actually found a lot of work lately. Which is such a blessings, but she hasn't made the time to do anything with church stuff. So she's stopped progressing. And we went to put Judy on date. She was so committed, she even knew who she wanted to baptize her, she just needed to pick a date. Well, she missed church last sunday (Stake Conference). It was her first time to miss and when we asked her about it, she said that her husband finally wanted to go to church, but only Catholic church (because he can smoke and wear his shorts. Really. That was his reason) so they went there together. Honestly, I'm not gonna give the details of that lesson. It was a lot to take and take, the stuff she was saying. But I honestly have faith and hope that it will all work according to God's timing. Everything truly is in His hands. It's not that Judy hates everything she's been learning, she just feels stuck. Things can change. We're not giving up on her, so we'll see what happens. I don't know if I've ever met an adult with a purer heart than Judy, she's taught me so SO much. She was crying by the end of the lesson, and when I gave her a hug, she started to sob. She just stood there holding me. She calls me "hija" or daughter, and just whispered in my ear to please not forget about her. Oh Judy. I won't ever forget about everyone here. Everyone sure missed her at church yesterday. She had really made a difference for many.
 
So, on the other side of that we found 8 new investigators this week!! We keep having so many each week. This week our goal was to have 2, we really wanted to work on all the new ones we already had. But God had some different ideas. We saw miracles! Saturday was the best. We were looking through the area book and saw a former we wanted to contact. It's just a few houses down from an investigator Sis Carolan is teaching. So we knocked on the door. This lady hollered at us to come in (I was just so grateful for a reprieve from the awful heat!). She was there talking to a man that works out of a shipping company (to Honduras) that's based out of Kenner. I know exactly where it's at! So talked to him, gave him a BOM and got his info. He had a Grandma who was Mormon and had nothing but good impressions. So on his way he went. Then we talked to the woman who lived there. Her name is Wendy and she has 2 kids. After talking to her for awhile, we find out that she's taken lessons from missionaries before! She used to live in a different part of Louisiana where she took the lessons for two years she said. She must have been one of those on and off people. But she even mentioned an elder that taught them. I've heard of him a lot and he must have gone home right before I got here. Anyway, she was just a happy soul! She told us that she moved to Baton Rouge about a year ago and lost contact with the missionaries. It really kind of felt like she was prepared by them. Right as we were about to start a lesson, her neighbor, Elsie, knocked on the door. Wendy leaned over to me and said something about "perfect timing, her friend would be interested." Ok, so we gave Elsie a BOM and she sat right down and read from the introduction with us. It was great! We have a return appt with Wendy tonight. The cool thing is that area book. We've been through those formers before, and that one didn't jump out at us. But it did this time, and guess what? Wendy just moved into that house 5 days prior, so we wouldn't have found her before anyway!
 
While Sis. Tanner and I were in that lesson, Sis C and Sis Sagers were a couple streets away teaching. When we came out of our lesson we see them and they're talking to these three boys who'd been playing some street ball. The picture doesn't describe it, but just picture the dirtiest, smelliest, poorest street in Sandpoint, and then multiply that by 5. That's where we were. And here are these three awesome kids, not yet ruined or tempted by circumstances like gangs and drugs, or bad family lives. They were such awesome kids! So of course, what were we going to do?! Yup, just play some ball with them :) Us against them. Just us white girls in our skirts - haha. I would ust love to know what those kids were thinking. But they were so nice, and we had fun playing for awhile. Out in the 98 degrees with 95% humidity. Holy smokes, after like 15 mins we thought we were going to die. But we had to stop for every car that came along, so that was a bit of a reprieve. :) So we made some good friends in them. We were pretty evenly matched. :) We were joking about our skirts as we were leaving, and one said, "yeah, bring your shorts next time!" haha. I just used to always wish I was an elder because of the things I feel like I could do and look much less ridiculous in pants, but now I just embrace it. :)

That night we went to an investigator's house. Wait, back up. That morning we had done service at Bishop's storehouse where some lady pulled up with a whole truck bed full of fresh picked corn on the cob. So we took some bags of it to give to people. We definitely know people who could use it. So I had a bag of it and went out to give to this investigator when all of a sudden I hear a voice in broken English from above asking me what I have. I look up and there's a woman on the second floor. She was so happy when I started speaking Spanish. :) I told her we just had some corn we were getting rid of it. I offered her some, and she thought we were selling it so she was so happy when it was free! We started talking to her, Mele, and then her husband, Orsvaldo came out. We talked to them for a long time out there. We eventually contacted them with the Book of Mormon and invited them to church. And guess what! They came!!! They were the only ones in our whole teaching pool that came. Well, they slept in and called right as sacrament meeting was starting. Mele was so worried, saying she'd slept in! But could she hurry, get ready, and still come? Of course! They made it and came to the 2nd and 3rd hour. She, at least, totally loved it. He's more quiet. In our investigator sunday school class she was participating and loving it! She spoke of how content she felt. Plus, she said, pointing to me, this muchacha came along last night. And "I told her I'd be at here, and how can I break my word?" haha! What a sweetheart. So we're going to teach them tomorrow. Well, we hope so. They live really far away so hopefully a miracle will happen and we'll get a ride!
 
So there you go, there's my miracle Saturday. It really all started because I had my interview with President Wall on Tuesday. I really needed it. I've been struggling and he and our discussion really helped me. Plus, he gave me one of the more powerful blessings I've ever had. It was just one of those special and spiritual experiences that I'll have to tell you about one day.
 
I hope this finds you all well, that you're having a good summer, and will have a good week!
 
Love you all bunches!
Hermana Marks
 
p.s - There's 2 pics of my district that I thought were good. I didn't really have any other good pics from this week, so those are just two from the week before on LSU campus.

Good Morning Everybody!!
 
Well, well, do I have quite the story to tell you! I've been waiting a week! First off, know that I am totally fine :) Second off, I fell into the Mississippi River. There's just really no way to lead into that.  Well, more like slipped in, but my companions think it's more entertaining to say "fell". It happened last P-day after I emailed you. We went down to LSU to see some different stuff. The capital, and the tiger, stuff like that. There's an old Navy destroyer down on the river under the bridge that we went down to see. Well, down by the river, I slipped backwards into the river. Kind of difficult to explain the whole thing in detail, and Erika got a letter that talks a little about it. Anyway, there was very slippery algae and mud and I slipped right in. Kind of disconcerting going in backwards. That plus the part where I know I am NOT supposed to be in water! So, it certainly does make for a good story. You can see from the picture where I'm coming out of the water. I only slipped in up to my waist. It was my district that went down there, and Elder Thomas just sprang into action when I fell and stuck his foot out for me to grab. Boy, am I grateful. The thing we don't actually know is how I stopped slipping. I most certainly should have gone all the way in. And I scraped up my right leg, but the worse part was the top of my right foot got some good scrapes on it. I bled pretty good, but we needed to go right out teaching. So I cleaned it real good when we got home that night. That was painful, but it was taken care of. Other than that, I did everything I knew. Kept it dry. Put disinfecting neo-sporin on it, bandaged it and went about my way.

But by Wednesday my foot was swollen up real big and quite painful. That landed me in the doctors office where they scrubbed and cleaned it, and then put me on antibiotics. I have a good infection because of how dirty the Mississippi is and it's a good thing I have my tetanus shot. That day I asked about any trauma underneath because of the way my foot bent when I went in, but they said it was just the infection. Well, Sister Wall and our mission doctor have seen it since then, or at least pictures, and didn't like how sensitive it is, and that the actual wound isn't closing off. It is fairly painful. I couldn't tell if there's any problems underneath, or if it just hurts so bad because of the trauma to the top. I mean, it took off so much skin, I've just had to treat it like a burn. It has felt like I just had two little coals set on my foot. So the uncertainty of everything landed me back at the doctors office for x-rays this morning. Even though I've been biking and walking fine, they thought my 4th metatarsal was broken, but it's not! yay! There is just soft tissue damage, and very micro tears to the tendons in the area. I could tell you the rest of all the little details, but to get to the point, right now I have on my foot a ton of gauze, then a self cohesive wrap to hold that on. Then a compression ace bandage for swelling. With all that on, my foot looks like an elephant’s foot, so I'm now in a post op shoe because that's the only thing loose enough. But quite the story though, right?!

I don't really love that I've been having these random little accidents. Seems like they happen no matter how careful I am. I guess I'm just a little clumsy these days! But I'm just grateful that I'm healthy and good. Instead, I'll just take joy in the fact that I can say I fell in the Mississippi :) I figure that's making the best of it - haha. Crazy huh? Sorry for any worry that caused you, but I figured you'd want to know...
 
My other miracle is that we have a bunch of new investigators! But we have two that are for a real. A mother and son who are just so amazing. We, as missionaries, invited everyone possible to the game night that we did. Well, two elders felt one day that they needed to ride through a park on the way home and give out all the invitations they had that Sis. Tanner and I made. One person that they met was 20 year old David from Honduras who was playing soccer. They didn't think anything of it, but they gave him one. And who showed up at the game night?! David and Dunia (David's mom)!!! Sis Tanner talked to them. I was so happy for her. She's struggling with her Spanish, but she had a full conversation with them and set up an appointment! They've come to the English ward since then, and Hna. Tanner and I went and taught them on Friday night and it went awesome! They are for real. They told us their stories of how they came to be here and I just felt the spirit so strongly. I will never cease to be amazed at people's stories and their faith. There are a few that I've met lately, including these two, that I just know only made it here to the States because the Lord's hand was in their lives. And I believe very strongly it's because here they can learn the gospel. Honduras is so dangerous. People are murdered every day, just awful things. Proselyting missionaries aren't allowed there, and so I believe that these two were ready for the gospel, and that the Lord brought them here to the promised land to hear it. It's not uncommon here. I don't know when they'll accept it, but I know they will! We're very excited to teach them.
 
Stake Conference was yesterday, and I got to sit at the translators table with my little headset and translate for the women speakers. I was worried because the last time I tried I couldn't do it. It's different than from the pulpit, because there they pause while you translate. Here you're just listening to non-stop and translating it as it goes, but I was so happy because I was able to do it!
 
I hope you all have a great week!
Hermana Marks