God is waiting on you!

ata marie everyone !

**note** if you're not gonna read the whole thing at least read the last paragraph 🤍

it was a blessed week here in anaheim 8 & 12 wards :) our Samoan ward was very busy this week preparing for our ward camp next week -- lots of dance practices ! && our Tongan ward was even busier with funeral services -- so heartbreaking !! it was a little hard at first this week trying to adjust to everyone's busy schedules, but by the end of the week, miracles :) patience is key!!

i was able to really see God's hand & witness miraculous changes in the front row seat ! its interesting being a missionary, because you randomly (but not really randomly) get placed in front of peoples paths who ask you when they can get baptized . . . and they're serious about it ! I never ever thought I'd experience this on my mission until it happened. Her name is Cila & she is one of our members girlfriends. I'm excited for her ! The poly wards are so so so amazing. I never want to leave !! I was thinking about how I have 4 months left & it made me so so sad to think about leaving these 2 wards. Theyre my absolute FAVORITES!! 🤍 Would you believe me if I said I've never had to ask anyone to be baptized in these wards ?? Never !! Our members invite our friends just fine😆 This upcoming month our stake is designating August as the missionary month. There will be A LOT of fasting, prayers, firesides, devotionals, etc. I am ready for it !!

Keep your heads up, God loves you so much !! And just a reminder: do ALL that you can to be with God. make the sacrifices, make the changes, & don't let others stand in the way of who you want to be but even moreso who God NEEDS you to be !! go to church, pray, read your scriptures ;) do the basics & God will provide the rest. He is waiting on you !!

sister fin <3

Comments

Blessings

Blessed week !! Too many funny quotes that I could include in this week's email but my favorite was probably my companion & I walking down the street and a complete stranger yelling, "yall be looking foreign walking down that street" hahah, weird way to hit on someone but very complimentary sir. We were extremely busy . . . As usual !! we never get lunch time, or dinner time. or even breakfast because we are constantly on the go. so we feel extremely blessed that our members will shop for us, feed us, and LOVE us !! never met more giving & loving people. last week I commented on a ladys Tongan dress & yesterday at church she handed me a bag and it was that dress she was wearing !! But, we have a couple of our friends on date. Athena, May 8th. Deon & Kiana for April 28. And we are working with Lawrence & Lulu right now :) They are all so SWEET ! They're all young too which makes it better because they get to begin the covenant path at a young age ...

Never Forgotten

One thing I wanted to share with you all was my experience of God testifying to me that He does know me, my worries, needs, everything. Its such a simple, short story but before I flew out here, I journaled on August 1 (I flew out August 3) about how I was only nervous that I'd be at the airport alone and no one would be there to pick me up (🤣) It might seem silly to most of you but to me it was a genuine concern because at that moment it felt like God had forgotten about me already. Everything that was going on really made me question whether He remembered me let alone knew about my existence. I obviously told no one this silly little thing that worried me. I prayed that night that at least one other missionary would be flying with me in case I was forgotten, but when I got there, not. a. single. other. missionary. was. there. So here I am thinking, I am alone. I am forgotten. God must hate me. Oh my gosh why did I come. All of these silly little thoughts🤣🤣 But this past Thursd...

Change and Hope!!

hello everyone !!! I hope you have had an amazing week. There are some big big changes coming this week, I'm sad and happy! I will be transferring to a YSA Ward with 2 new companions...that's 8 companions total for me now...in 6 months hahaha! Crazy. I was released from social media & I am SO SAD. I got a new assignment though and it should be fun. This week has been full of so many laughs and cries. We have a toilet paper problem I think. We have to go to the church OFTEN to go get some toilet paper. We got caught by our AP's (assistants to the president) and they died laughing. I will spare you the details but man, such good times! There are so many ups and downs of serving a mission. Honestly, I question why anyone, including myself, ever wanted to serve a mission hahah. But even through the difficulties, I can find those daily evidences of Heavenly Father in my life. He is in the VERY details of my life. I know that in the end it will be worth it. It doesn't ma...

Sister Leilani Kalona Finlayson