Monday, January 16, 2017

Week 8 in the field!!! I think!

Estimados amigos, 

This week I´m comin’ to ya from the grand area of PALMAS 2, which is grand both in support from members and in physical size... whew. I want to thank you all for your letters and support - it means a lot!

LECCION DE LA SEMANA: Aim for the center!! Maybe you´ve already read the Liahona of the month and done your home teaching, but I thought the message from President Uchtdorf was really awesome. ESPECIALLY as a missionary. Actually, I´d even call it an answer to a prayer, because I´ve been trying to mentally juggle all the novelties that come with working a new area as missionaries FRESH as the ocean wind.

There are good things, better things, and best things. As Jesus taught, the BEST thing we can do is to love our God with all our being. The next best thing is to love our neighbor with equal effort. As I go along this next week, it is my goal to calm the storm of my mind and simply ask myself, "does what I´m doing right now show God that I love him? Does it show those I serve that I love them?"

I know your lives are also crazy. That´s just how it is sometimes. But if you hold onto these two commandments, I can promise you that the Lord will deliver in all of the other aspects of life. I can already feel His calming influence in my service.

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We set FIVE baptismal dates this week!! I feel great! It´s because the hermanas who were here before had a bunch of investigators that, for some reason, had not been offered the invitation. It was a simple matter of visiting each one, introducing ourselves warmly, having a brief lesson about faith and being very clear about our purpose. I love hearing those "yes"es! The people here are very humble and ready to follow their Savior.

One of those five, a ten-year-old named Abel, CAME TO CHURCH WOOOO EVEN BETTER!!! It´s the first time in my mission that someone I´ve taught has followed through with that particular commitment, thus entering the "progressing investigators" section of the area book! I´m not counting Gabby because she already thought she was a member XD

Anyway, Abel has a TON of excitement about the church. He loves soccer, his family, and hymns! We always sing when we have lessons with him. Also, his mom is an inactive member. Her knowledge of the Gospel (and her support for Abel) is invaluable.

E. Melena fell in a manhole full of water!! It was kinda funny, to be honest, ESPECIALLY after he laughed when I hit my head last week, but we had to return to the house and reschedule an appointment, which was a bit of a bummer. He was a good sport and he, too, had a good laugh after the fact.

We had a zone conference for the month of January where we set the goal to talk with 15 people in the street each day!! That´s a lot for what we´re used to as a mission, but the point was that as we show the Lord we´re willing to do the small things, He will do the big things. Tal vez next week I´ll report on how it goes for us - so far, I´m loving it!

We passed two guys in the street pouring a cement patio and suddenly, without really intending to, I offered to help them. It was a surprise (because we were on our way to visit someone we had contacted in the street), but the bigger surprise was that they said YES! No one agrees to let us help!!! It was awesome and we got our clothes all dirty, but I think they appreciated the help. Also, they agreed to visit with us later on. Their names are Domingo and Antonio. When we called the person we were going to visit, they told us that they weren´t even home that day, anyway. So, I guess that counts as a tender mercy X)

Ate some really good meatballs, yo. Reeeaaaalllllyy good. Members are the best.

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MEMBERS FEED US TOO MUCH, YO. They call this, "mal de puerco"

Our rush to pack after being told to get ourselves to Palmas. Notice that not one bit of food was left behind.

 The view from the new house! Farther from the beach, closer to the jungle.

 This bread is called "rozca" - they hide little porcelain dolls inside when they bake it, and everybody takes turns cutting their slice. If your piece has a doll, you have to buy tamales for everyone sometime in February.

That's.... that´s the bread, folks. Also, that´s what you get for being too tall, Elder Walch!!

".... and Vladmir collects ceramic uuunniiiiiicooooooorrrrnnnnnns" *clink*
(I got the doll.... twice. Sigh.)

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