17 or 60?

This week was good. I love me some thanksgiving! Especially awkward thanksgiving meals with people that I don't really know that well, they are the best, seriously. Some background information, we don't go to the last meeting (which is relief society) in our family congregation on Sundays because we have a meeting at the same time and we found out that a couple of ladies in our ward got in an argument about who was going to have us over for dinner for thanksgiving that day. Eventually we told both women that we would come over to both of their houses and everything was solved. So come Thanksgiving Day, for the first half of the day we did some service for a family that I love! They were installing some flooring since that was the only few days the dad had off and we were able to help them with that--there is nothing better than service! I love doing service!!!! Then we went to dinner at the smith's home and they had an 85 year old woman over for dinner and she kept talking about what great shape she was in and how she could do anything those 60 year olds can do. Then she pointed at me and said, "I swear I can do anything you can do!" She made a few other comments that alluded to the fact that she thought I was 60 years old. Come to find out a little later she has a bit of Alzheimers but it was hilarious my companion and I were dying. Earlier that week though a girl asked me if I was 17 years old. So I think that evens about to 21. Then we went to the next house, the Castro's, and I don't think they remembered we were coming over because there wasn't enough room for us to sit at the table and we had to sit in the corner hahaha it was pretty awkward but we were able to talk to a couple of people there about the Gospel who aren't religious and don't go to church so that was worth all the awkwardness in the world! 

I really gained a testimony of the power of fasting this week. I woke up on Sunday morning and had  a strong feeling that I needed to fast for Tara, one of the girls we are teaching, she is 21 and she was going home for thanksgiving to tell her family that she was getting baptized on December 13th and her mom is very very against that decision. So I woke up feeling like I needed to fast for her but I decided that I would fast on Monday instead. Later Sunday afternoon we got a message from Tara that said her mom doesn't want her to get baptized and she might have to push her baptismal date back. I immediately regretted not fasting but knew that God would make up for my shortcomings and I committed to fast the next day. Monday I fasted and nothing new happened, we didn't hear from Tara we didn't get any wonderful news about her mom having a change of heart but I knew that God would take care of everything. So Tara got home and we met with her on Saturday and she told us, "I told my mom and her first initial reaction was, 'if you get baptized I am not paying for your schooling anymore and I really don't want you to get baptized and I do not approve of this etc.' but then the next day, the day I fasted or maybe the day after, Tara's mom told her, "I overreacted, if you really want to get baptized then I will support you and still pay for your schooling but I want you to make sure that this is really what you want to do" FASTING REALLY WORKS!!! I know that God prompts us to do things that require sacrifice, like fasting, and when we follow through in faith he ALWAYS blesses us. Tara is still getting baptized the 13th and she is so excited, she has come really far. I know that this is the greatest work in the world, I am so blessed that I am able to participate in this work. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love my Savior and I am so grateful for the sacrifices he made for me so that I can return to live with him and my Heavenly Father again. I love you all! I hope you all had a great thanksgiving and you were able to focus on being grateful rather than all the black Friday madness, I might have just called some of you out, sorry that is what missionaries do. I love ya!