Hermana Schwartz is a Firecracker

From the lips of Hermana McKee (basically who I am replacing here on the mish, anthro major, world traveler, lived in jerusalem, from hawaii, basically hardcore in every way possible). Haha, in my previous life as Rachel Schwartz, I wouldn't have been surprised someone saying that, but here on the mish, I was like, "Fo realz?" Because fam, the chiste is is that I am super mellow here. SUPER mellow. Literally, I haven't been loud once, I haven't been cray-cray, I have been like Lleyton Hewitt, cool as a cucumber (mom's words, not mine). I've just been chill, lovin' and livin' in an easy-going way, not the bounce of the walls kind of energy as seen before, but literally everyone thinks I'm peppy, which I just laugh at and think to myself, "oh, if only they had known me before the mish...." So, now everytime Hna McKee sees me she greets me with, "oh, hey firecracker." Another laughable chiste: We gave 2 sisters on bike (Sis Parker and Burton) a ride from walmart to their house last pday and sis burton said "Hna Schwartz is Fast and Furious!" I almost DIED laughing, because literally I have been a SUPER and I mean UBER lax, and even a defensive driver mind you, the entire time I've been here. oh my word, if these people had any idea of my previous life...ijole.

Well Fam, sorry to start you off on such a weird tangent about my life, don't worry I'm not quiet, I'm just calm, weird to think about I know. Okay, this week was intense. Not really intense, just I needed to be on my A-game this week because Hna Falcon had to go to this 2 day leadership training in Scottsdale with Hna McKee and that meant that I, ME, baby Hna Schwartz I am, was in charge of our area for 2 DAYS!! and not only mine, but Hna Larson's (hna Mckee's compa) area too. I was just praying we wouldn't completely burn down Mesa. No, but in all seriousness, Friday Night lights, game time, now or never (I'm trying to think of as many cliches as possible), bring it, the eye of the tiger, yada yada. So I bid farewell Wed morning to my dear Hna Falcon and Hna McKee, (oh and by the way, Hna Larson and I were in charge of Hna Reed who has been here for a week, not a native Spanish speaker fyi) and we got to work. And Fam, BAM Hna Falcon has been training me well. We did our best, we didn't offend anyone and some good things happened in our areas. Thursday was even better because it was just Hna Larson and I and we did her area first and I love Hna Larson, but she was uber nervous and kept asking me to help her out and so I spent a lot of the time talking (again, blessing I didn't offend anyone, if you thought I was direct in english, oh hoho in spanish it's even worse), and we had some BOMB lessons! Seriously. SO BOMB safdjkhsdfjhsjadfh. okay, not that we did anything good, but the fact that we were able to actually teach without our compas was comforting, and we taught the law of chastity (sexual purity) to my investigator Joel (he is so golden, oh my word, read the Book of Mormon in 1 week, completely stopped smoking, comes to church every Sunday, so willing to do everything he can to make his life positive) and haha, oh Joel, I pulled out the pamphlet we use to help teach and his eyes got HUGE (he has daughters and isn't married, soo we knew he was going to have a problem with it) but Hna Larson and I did our best, he felt good after we left (at least I think), and that was a random tangent, disculpa. But here's the thing fam, yes, I can actually do missionary work without Hna Falcon, but you know what? I'm not as good. As I was going through those 2 days, I was just using everything I had learned from Hna Falcon, literally everything I'd ever seen her say or do and I was just trying to be a Falcon Machine. All I know is that I'm getting an Ivy league education with Hna Falcon and I need it and am so grateful for her and for her being my trainer. De verdad. When she came back she said that in the leadership conference Pres Ellsworth had asked all the trainers who were leaving in 3 transfers (I think that's like what 6-8 months? a transfer is 6 weeks, do the math) and basically everyone's hands went up. Pres Ellsworth continued to say that the entire mission is going to change, the leadership is leaving and those who are being trained right now are going to need to step up to the plate and be the new generation in this mission. And Hna Falcon told me in our companion inventory (basically a DTR, heart-to-heart session) that when he was saying that she thought of me and then she started crying (total llorona, bless her) and I won't lie I was touched. I'm not a good missionary by any means, HECKS NO, I've got freaking mountains to learn, but I'm learning from the best and I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a sponge and soak up everything that Hna Falcon is.

On to better news, we had 15 people at church on Sunday!!!!!! 15!!!! I was blown away, usually we only have Joel and some other person we invite but it was such a miraculous week for us! Wednesday we go to visit Blanca and we challenged her to sacrifice 1 hour of her Sunday to the Lord and come to sacrament meeting and she could come in her Panda Express uniform(works there on sunday) and whatever, we just told her she had to be there. And we said we'd p[ray for her and she needed to pray to and have faith and jazz and we left. Saturday we are trying to contact this family we've been trying to meet with and they live right next door to her basically and we waved hi and then left to go pick up Hna Hndz for the lesson. Our lesson cancels. Blanca calls us, literally a minute after and asks us why we didn't stop by, and we say hey, we are on our way! We head back over to Blanca's (with Hno Santiago! remember him?) and she says to us, "Hermanas you won't believe what happened on Thursday." and we're like diganos. and she's all like "I went into work and saw that they had changed the schedule and that my shift on Sunday got changed and I got Sunday off! and as I stood there I kept thinking it's because the hermanas have been praying for me" SJKLHSGJHDFJDFJKDFAGUHGRUOGWUIOBERSGJBSDGJKBDFGJKBASDGJKHSEIOUJWTILKNBVSDIUB!!!!!! Do you know how BOMB that is??? Not only was she able to come to 1 hour of church on Sunday, but she got to come to all 3!!! and not only that, but her eldest daughter yamile came with her 4 boys and vic and pao came tooo!!!! beautiful fam, love them tons, their dad's in jail right now but he's all into god and wanting to change his life around and rely on the lord and so we're going to send him a book of mormon. Oh and on top of that, a family that the missionaries have been working with for a while, Ines Baez, brought all his kids and some grandkids too to church!

Blessings, miracles, blessings, miracles! Miracles are real fam, ask for them! Love ya peace and blessings.

Hna Schwartz

P.s. ma, apparently i get to call you on mother's day, so more info to come about that?