Hola everyone!
This week was
an interesting one. It was actually pretty rough too. We didn't have
many people to teach and those we were going to teach often cancelled. I
was surprised that so many appointments had fallen through. Saturday
morning I woke up feeling really down. The day previously we didn't have
a single appointment hold, not even our usual lunch appointment
happened. We had tons of time and I wasn't quite sure what to do with
myself. We tried a little bit of contacting and visiting the less active
members but it just felt like we didn't do any work. When I told my
companion how I felt during study time, she reminded me that it's going
to happen. Sometimes we'll teach 30 lessons in one week and sometimes
we'll hardly teach any. It's all a matter of perspective and remembering
that things will get better. Today we'll work better and harder than
yesterday. It'll all about moving forward.
We have one investigator named Felipe....He's an
interesting indivdual. He's studying English for his work and loves to
talk. Especially when he talks to the missionaries because he can
practice his English. It's great but the only problem is that we think
he only wants to meet with us to practice, not to actually learn about
the gospel. We're not sure how to help him see the importance of the
gospel in his life but I hope we will be able to.
Monday night we got to have FHE with the Vasquez
family. They are so much fun. I have no idea what they say half the time
but it's great being with them anyway. We taught about family love and
left them with the commitment to show a simply demonstration of love for
each other every day of the week. This invitation goes for everyone
else too. =) A little love can go a long way. =) (Speaking of which, say
"Hi" to everyone you meet. I've tried to keep this a habit here and
greet everyone we pass. The other day I just didn't feel like doing it
so I hardly greeted anyone. As we walked by a little side store we pass
everyday, I heard, "Buenas Tardes!!" I turned around to see the young
man I say hello to everyday, waving at us and grinning. It brightened my
day. You never know who you're affecting when you show a little
kindness.) After the lesson and we were leaving, I started to notice
this little tan beetle things crawling about the house. I had never seen
them before. The two boys Daniel and Javier started picking them up and
trying to get me to hold them. As it turns out, these little guys are
all over the place at night. They land all over the sidewalk and try to
sneak inside of people's houses. I have no idea what they're called but
I'll let you know when I find out. =) I love spending time with the
Vasquez family. They give that feeling of home. A couple of the members
here give that feeling. Like Hermana Mary Carmen.
We had a lunch appointment with Mary Carmen this
week and we usually leave every house with some sort of lesson. We
decided to talk with her about eternal families, since we had found out
that she was living with her boyfriend. We hadn't really met him yet so
we didn't figure he would be there. Well, as it turns out, he was. At
first we felt awkward and a little nervous about this topic and sharing
it with them but we knew it was the lesson the Lord had asked us to
teach, so we did. He ended up being super awesome and they were really
into the discussion.
My mission president consistently says that the focus
of this mission is MIRACLES. He says that right now is an amazing time
to be in the mission because missionaries throughout are experiencing
miracles everyday. I haven't quite had the chance to experience grand
miracles yet but I have experienced some small ones. Like when it was
downpouring right after our meeting on Wednesday night at the chapel and
neither of us wanted to run through the rain and we ended up not having
to because a kind member couple offered us a ride. Or on Saturday when I
had prayed for help in making contacts and right as we walked out of
our front gate there was someone to contact. She was very nice and
receptive and we actually have an appointment with her tonight. Or, I
know this is silly, but having warm water in the shower. Now, let me
explain, our boiler is funky. It's supposed to give hot water the whole
time but it only stores up some before the water gets cold. Now I'm not
complaining but a warm shower is nice every now and then. Well, usually
only one person gets to have a warm shower and it's whoever gets in the
shower first...this is usually my companion. The other day, I was
waiting for my companion to be done in the shower, looking at how long
she had been in the shower, and knew that there was absolutely no hot
water left. It had been a rough morning and I wasn't looking forward to
the freezing cold. I prayed in my heart for Heavenly Father to heat up
the water. Guess what? He did! I know it's nothing grand but it meant
alot that morning and He understood that. Just an example that there is
nothing we could ask for that is too small for the Lord to answer.
Today we had a zone activity. First we played kickball,
which was really fun, and then soccer. I was a little aprehensive about
playing soccer because I'm awful at it. However, apparently as long as
I'm in a group of missionaries I'm not too bad. There were plenty of
accidents and hilarious moments but probably the one that caused the
most attention was when an Elder and I collided. He had the ball and
when I went for the ball we both slipped and I ended up hitting him
right in between the legs. I know, ouch. Everyone was laughing really
hard and I tried to apologize countless times but I was laughing to hard
to really make it sound sincere.
It's amazing how much you can learn about yourself in
just two weeks of being in the field. I'm learning that obedience is
really hard but not impossible and if we try our hardest to be exactly
obedient, Heavenly Father will give us countless opportunities to prove
that we're trying. You'll be happy to hear this Cortney, I hate being
late. It drives me nuts. I've become that companion that is standing at
the door waiting and calling up the stairs that it's time to go. I have
started to see the kind of missionary I truly want to be and I'm
beginning to understand just how hard I need to work to get there, I'm
so excited. :D
It was so wonderful to see you all on Saturday. I'm so
glad you're all doing great. =) I love you all and thank you so much for
all the love and support that you share with me. =)
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