I have had another great week. SO MANY tender mercies that the Lord somehow sees fit to grant me. :') The snow is always a tender mercy for me because it feels like Idahome. I was SO happy because we were asked to help shovel the church side walks!! I loved it.
I also met the cutest Kenyan old man who requested a visit from the missionaries online and he was SO EXCITED to go to church this week. He works the night shift of every day of the week from 7 pm to 8 am, but that wouldn't stop him from doing to church :') oh my.
THEN I went on exchanges with Sister Chao in Chevy Chase again!! It felt like I had never left the area and that we had never stopped being companions. Sister Chao is the sweetest most amazing person ever. We were able to talk to everyone we saw and met a man who spoke English, Mandarin, Hebrew, Spanish, and Italian. So talented! We testified of the Book of Mormon and gave him a download that he could read it in any language he wanted. Although he wasn't interested in learning more, we testified with all our heart he was a son of God and that he would find answers to any question in the world in that sacred book. No effort is wasted!
After exchanging back, Sister Martell and I had a lesson with Arnold. We shared the Restoration and finished with a 25-minute video in the Visitors' Center. The first thing he said when it finished was, "That was way too short." Haha!! He was so impressed by Joseph Smith's experience and without us even asking said, "I'm going to read the Book of Mormon every day. I promise that." 
️️️ SO CUTE.
Another day we were planning and for the third day in a row, we just kept feeling like we should go back to a particular road. We were able to find a few Spanish-speakers, but we weren't finding people to teach. We didn't know why, but we felt like we just had to keep going back. On the 3rd day, we knocked into a member whose records hadn't updated and so we didn't even know she lived there! THREE DAYS before we got there she had talked with the other missionaries in our ward to see who was assigned to her area so that they could visit her and her husband. I am SO GRATEFUL once again for the sweet guidance of the Spirit! At times we may not know why He is leading us in a certain direction, but we just have to trust the Lord's ways are higher than our own. 
Another tender mercy was when I had the prompting the message one of the people I worked with who was baptized in Perú. I hadn't spoken to her in about two months, but when I followed up with her she said, "Sofia! So good to hear from you. Everything is going great. I got my patriarchal blessing TODAY!" I couldn't believe it! She was so happy and can't wait to get it in physical form.
Last but not least, Nora (a recent convert from one year ago who is 79 who is the CUTEST thing) received her endowment last week :')))) We sat behind her at church and I congratulated her and gave her a big hug and she raised her trembling little arms to the sky and said, "Mi Padre Celestial está cerquita de mi!"
...That one destroyed me. ️️️ I just couldn't stop staring at her and thinking about how proud Heavenly Father must be of her. Heaven is hers as she just endures!
I love being a missionary for the Chruch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the greatest blessing and privilege.
Love you all!
Have the greatest week!
Hermana Hayes
