This week we had service that reminded me of working with my uncle Josh about a year ago. We were cleaning and moving furniture in a less active families home. I felt like it was an abandoned home and no one lived there, just trash was thrown. I cant wait for you guys to come see this beautiful country :) I have also gone back to 100% Spanish, which I really like actually. I just live with my comp, and I learn a lot just by listening to people. I feel like I will better my level of understanding here because a lot of people are very poor and they dont speak well, due to lack of education.
The bad part of the week, I have had stomach problems of some sort since Friday, and its still going on. I have thrown up, and been to the bathroom way too many times. I am not exactly sure what happened but I think its the water. We will see and hopefully it will be gone by next week. On Saturday morning I woke up and I had the throw up feeling at 12:00. I took off sprinting down the hall to the bathroom, but I didnt make it. That was the first time I have had to clean up my own throw up. That was an experience I wont forget. I sure missed my mommy that night.
I mentioned the cold, and I mean its cold. Our area is long and narrow, right down 2 parallel highways. Its cold, and windy. I have worn my giant jacket everyday and I have worn my scarves for the first time. Now they are my best friends.
Lunches in this area are bomb. We have lunches like every day of the week that we ask, besides Monday and Tuesday. Craziest thing I ate this week was OCTOPUS. Yeah. It was actually pretty good. Its a very soft textured but tough meat. ACtually pretty good, too bad my stomach hasnt been happy with anything.
We have 105 that showed up to church this week. I am the lucky one that gets to play the piano though! That is something that I have gotten to do in every ward or branch now where I have served, despite all of the whining and yelling, I am glad that somehow I kept practicing piano until I did. I wish I was a lot better though.
The work in San Fernando. WOW! This is where I get really excited. I heard great things about the area before I came, but I saw the numbers every week of what they were accomplishing and it wasnt much at all. In week one, we have made a good start. We found 4 new investigators this week, Worked with members EVERY SINGLE DAY this week, and had about 20 lessons. The week before I got here, San Fernando had 6 lessons and no new investigators. I AM EXCITED!!!!!! You guys, the mission really is awesome.
Familia Lopez. Okay this family is pretty awesome and they have a crazy story.
First off, Hermana Lopez, the mom has cancer and tumors throughout her throat and lungs. She is a mother of 5 kids, two who live at home that are about 5. She has a daughter who is named Lucia, who is 16 and pregnant. Lucia is a member, who was baptized when she was 9 years old. Hermana Lopez was just called as Gospel Principles teacher this week. We had two lessons with both of them this week. The first lesson was with just Hermana Lopez, she told us her whole story, and we shared a scripture story, which I forget what it was now. I felt the spirit super strong in the lesson and she actually cried during the lesson, when I was speaking. That was the first time that someone has cried when I was teaching. It makes me feel like I really am helped by angels. Then she told us about her daughter, Lucia who is 16, pregnant, and living with her boyfriend. She thought that we were good elders and that we should go visit her and see if now was her time to come back to church, now that the pregnancy has opened her eyes a bit. We visited her the next day and had a great lesson with her in the home of her boyfriend. We havent met the boyfriend yet, but thats a goal we have. We decided we should meet the next day at her moms house after a good lesson. The next day, we met with Hermana Lopez and Lucia in the house of HErmana Lopez. We taught about the Book of Mormon, just like we would to investigators. It was a GREAT LESSON. Super strong spirit and it was really cool to be there and be teaching. They were both crying at the end of the lesson and they testified that they both KNOW that this is the true church and they want to be together forever with their whole entire family. I loved Hermana Lopez`thoughts because she said she was grateful that Lucia has this opportunity to be a mother and start her own family and raise them in the gospel. Then Lucia shared her testimony, which was amazing. She said she knows that this has all happened for a reason, and she has learned a lot from her mistakes. I am super stoked about them. They are great!!!!!!
THE MISSION IS THE BEST! I cant believe Ive almost been here for half my time! Shoutout to my boys Elder Opfar, Elder Mott, Elder Loertscher and Elder Argyle who are just being blessed to START their mission!
I cant wait to tell you how this week goes! I love you all! Have a wonderful week!
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