Progress

 ¡Amigos míos!

Hot off the press from Vista, CA...another week another email! And this is gonna be one of the last sent from Hermana Leonard!! 

Coming to the end of your mission is a mind battle like you've never really experienced before. Missions are talked about and anticipated for so long, living through them feels long at times, and then suddenly you're on your last week and wondering where all the time went? You're constantly reflecting on all your experiences, all the things you have learned, the person you have become, and overall just praying you have given it your all. 

About 17 months ago a short-haired Aubs was entering the Provo missionary training center and anticipating being in Ecuador for the next 18 months of her life. After six weeks there, I was sent home for an unanticipated surgery, then a week and a half later I was shipped out alone, via three connecting flights to Quito, Ecuador. Five months, four companions, and signs of a worldwide pandemic later, I was shipped back to a new home in Orem, UT to be with my family for two months with no knowledge of what or where the rest of my mission would be. California, Newport Beach would be the new assignment, and in May of 2020 I arrived in sunny San Clemente where I lived just a 10 minute walk from the beach...just a little different than Ecuador :) On my mission I've white washed into two of my areas, been a trainer to three new missionaries, and a Sister Training Leader for a transfer before coming down here to my home in Vista. Needless to say, the last 18 months of my life have not been at all what I thought they would be, but God knew they were exactly what I needed. 

This past week we were able to have solid lessons with almost all of our top progressing friends. Alma is now back on track to be married, sooner rather than later, and we are continuing to make preparations for her baptism. Maria and Leo, while still active in their other church, continue to follow through with the commitments we extend to them and they watch our church meetings every week. Jose Mariano, our 9 year old we have started to teach, now loves when we come over and he makes us laugh harder than anyone else. The Murillo family has decided they need to start saying family prayers again and they understand they need to make changes to build up their faith. We even got to see Lupe and part of her family again and restate our purpose so she understands exactly why we keep stopping by to say hello. I came into this area at ground zero, with few people being taught, and to see it grow each week has brought me incredible joy. When I really stop to think about the most joyous parts of my mission, all the areas I have served in, and all of the people we have taught, it all comes back to the word "Progress". 

Our Heavenly Father loves us too much to allow us to remain in a haulted state. The experiences we have daily, the things we learn, the lessons we apply... are all designed to help us progress. The very purpose of this life and the reason God sent His son to atone for us, is and was to help us progress toward a holier and happier state of being. 

It is my favorite thing in the world to find people on the street who think they are doing fine and then introduce them to the gospel. When they start applying the principles we teach, their happiness begins to grow and they begin to thank their Heavenly Father for showing them that there is more than they had before. I thought I was fine before my mission. I thought I had a solid testimony, that I knew who my Heavenly Father was, and that I knew what it meant to be a member of Christ's church. While I wasn't wrong, Heavenly Father knew I could progress more. I am now a happier and more whole version of myself. I now understand more fully what it means to apply gospel principles and why it's worth it to sacrifice worldy desires for spiritual ones. I now more deeply understand that my Savior Jesus Christ is a real person, who suffered real things for a real purpose, and not just someone we talk about because it sounds nice. And without a doubt, I KNOW my Heavenly Father lives. I've come to know these things because my Heavenly Father invited me to progress and become better, even when I thought I was happy before. 

The gospel is true because it truly changes us. I know it. I see it work in people's lives everyday and there is nothing I have loved more than being a missionary for my Savior. I know our Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us, and because I've come to know that, while the future is something that makes me uneasy, I know it is something that will make me grow. It's something that will make me progress even further and thus lead to an even greater happiness that I now can't comprehend is possible. I trust in my God.

I love you all and I'll SEE you next week!

Hermana Leonard

The Mariano Family *I LOVE THEM*
and I will sincerely miss the humility of this wonderful family

My study desk (the streamers and alien were here before me)

Our downstairs neighbor Rudy,
who loves to "chat" for like 30 minutes when he sees us!

Me and the Comp--
in the famous pink stairway to our apartment

Alma *yellow sweater* and her daughter Emily
with our faithful member to help teach 

The famous VISTA mural

My desire to run 2 miles a day has slowly downgraded
Now Hermana Worthington does laps at the church while I do sprints :)

All the Spanish missionaries with the loyal Hermana Corrales (and her daughter)
who literally helps run the ward

Last P-day activity: Ultimate Frisbee and THE BEST street tacos;
we also re-created a picture from my first District activity in Ecuador