Hey,
hey, hey my friends! I hope everybody is swell! Thank you so much for the
emails and support and prayers! I have the coolest bunch of turds for
friends....but seriously.
So I'm
going to try to not take ten years to write this email. So if it's a little
shorter than normal....that's why.
But,
what a great week!
Mostly
because I am just a little tiny bit in LOVE with Colonia.
So
Wednesday, we needed to start teaching the commandments to Brian and Angela so
they'd be good for their baptismal interview. Angela ended up not being able to
come (we had the lesson in the church), but Brian did. We had already planned
for Daniel and Elehem to be there, so they showed up to. And you guys....Elehem
and Daniel are the BOMB. D I G G I T Y. We sit down, and they of course
start asking Brian those get to know you questions. And then we said we would
wait on talking about the commandments until they were both there....so Daniel
I guys just takes that as his cue to just sit, and tell Brian how it is. Tell
him his conversion story. Tell him about the trials that they went through
after getting baptized, but mostly talking about how those trials were 100%
worth it and now they're preparing to be an eternal family. Daniel is the
best....and also, I wish there were someone from back home here who could agree
with me on how stinkin' much like my brother is. It gets more and more apparent
every day. It freaks me out, but in a good way. Maybe that's one reason why I
love him so much. Sweetest part....he says to Brian "those Hermanas
sitting right there are angels. Did you know that? They are angels, or that's
what we consider them to be. Literally angels." STOP WHAT I CAN'T EVEN.
But
anyway, I think it really helped Brian a lot, and it was good to be able to get
to know them because now they can be friends at church. :)
We
also had lunch with familia Alvarez last week, and my finger nail polish was
starting to chip away, right? So Daniel walks up to me with a super concerned
look on his face, and I'm wondering what the heck is wrong, and he pretends
like he's about to cry, and he goes "Hermana....it pains me to see your
nails like that, so if you want some more nail polish, I'll give you mine."
hahahahaha. So many things he says, I just go "are you sure you're not my
brother?" loooove them.
Friday,
we had planned to go to Veronica's house to help her daughter, Jasmine (10)
make some things for school and also talk to Veronica. We got there, and
Veronica had a friend over but obviously let us in anyway. We sat down at the
table, and just started to do our thing helping Jas out and everything. We
found out Veronica's friends name is Carolina (please do not say it like we say
it in the states....haha.) We didn't pressure her or attack her or try to go
into a lesson. Instead, she slowly started to ask us questions about the
mission. She's 22, and so funny! When we would tell her some of the rules of
the mission, she would throw her hands in the air and go "me muero, me
muero!" Which means "I'm dying, I'm dying!" haha. But then,
those questions led to questions about why we are serving. Which just so
happens to be my favorite question to answer! Because it always leads to questions
about the church and the Gospel, which she in fact did ask. And this was the
coolest part....somehow, the subject got to the work we do for the dead in the
temples. We let Veronica explain it to her. And when she explained it to her,
and how the work we do gives people who have already passed on a chance for
eternal life....Carolina starts C R Y I N G. And then we explain some people
who have gotten baptized whose spouses are dead, and how they now have the
opportunity to still be an eternal family....and she starts crying again! And
then when we finished saying the prayer before leaving....she starts crying
again! She is awesome. she's a really strong personality, but at the same time
somebody who's really sensitive. She is engaged (holla) and we're going to have
a family home evening with her and Veronica this Wednesday. She is awesome and
I really hope we can make something happen!
Saturday
was Angela's birthday, so we ate asado at the Aquino's house, and that
afternoon we first taught tithing. Phew and let me explain something about
that. Brian and Angela are actually married, which doesn't happen often in
Uruguay that two young people living together are already married, they don't
drink, and they don't smoke....that is literally a needle in a haystack in
Uruguay haha. But because of that, we just KNEW that tithing would be their
challenge. We practiced all week and prayed harder than ever that they would
recognize the blessings of tithing and accept. But guess what? It was just as
easy as every other lesson has been with them! Haha. THey are so fun to teach,
because they just drink everything up that you teach them. They have a desire
to learn more, and they just look at you while you're teaching with that desire
in their eyes.
Afterwards,
what Angela didn't know was that all of the younger couples (which is like...4
haha. But still.) in the branch, and us missionaries and a few of the other
younger people, had a surprise party waiting for her! It was a perfect way for
them to get to know more people in the branch. I'm not worried about them one
bit!
They
literally are a miracle. Especially Brian. I am amazed every time I think about
the fact that the first two lessons we had with them, Brian very adamantly and
very stubbornly told us "no" when we asked him if he had faith or
believed in God. And to go from that, to him doing most of the talking in the
lessons, to even while we've been teaching the commandments have him say
"yeah, a commandment is something God gives us because He loves us and
wants us to live with Him again." All that in only a few weeks! It's
amazing how the Spirit and the Book of Mormon can really change people and
soften hearts.
Funny
story of the week (technically it's from last week): So it was Veronica's
birthday. So like the nice people we are, my companion and I buy her a gift.
Right? Right. So nice of us. We buy her this really pretty necklace. So cute.
Right? Right. Here's what happens:
We go
to give it to her. She opens it, then goes "I need to tell you guys
something....have you noticed how i never have necklaces or earrings or jewelry
of any kind on? Here's why: I have a phobia." She has a PHOBIA of jewelry!
Literally! Ever since she was a little girl. When Jasmine pulled it out and the
necklace touched Veronica's hand, she snapped it away like a snake had just bit
her. Never in my life have I heard of a phobia of jewelry! Haha she felt sooo
bad though. I just said "clearly Hermana, we just wanted to make you die
of fright on your birthday." Oh gosh you guys, never in my life has that
happened! Bless my heart. But it's okay, we bought her a flower vase instead
which she was supes happy about because she said she didn't have any. So funny.
And her mom is Mary....so we go and tell Mary, and she just laughs and says
"you didn't know? what are you trying to do to my daughter?" Oh boy
oh boy haha.
my
favorite part about the mission: watching not only how investigators, but also
members who had fallen away, progress. One of our less actives, Marita, went
from NEVER going to church, to last week needing our help to help her prepare
her lesson in Relief Society. Not only is it so special to watch them progress,
but to see them get excited at their own progression. To watch their lives
change, and change again, if needed, through this Gospel and through repentance
and through starting to understand the Atonement. Kind of like only in the
mission, have I truly started to come to understand the Atonement.
I
truly love the people here. I can't even believe how much love I feel from my
Father in Heaven, that He loves me enough to have sent me to these wonderful
people. More so that they could teach me than the other way around. Changes are
next week, and we have no idea what will happen. Someone please say a prayer
for me that I get to stay here at least one more change! I'm not ready to leave
yet. My heart breaks at the thought.
Time
is going way to fast. Colonia is beautiful. Uruguay is beautiful. The people
are beautiful. God is good.
I love
you, I love you, I love you!
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