THIS WEEK WAS AMAZING

Hola familia! 

This week was action-packed!! Not really, but in my own mind and thoughts yes!! But first, Mom your questions: 

-Yes, my comp is 30

-Yes, she is really shy. With the language—that’s one of the miracles I’ll tell you about.

-Every day we get along better. 

-The big city is okay... I miss my dogs in the street, drunk men trying to hit on us, and unpaved roads.

-Yes, we are Presidente Isom’s ward. We see them very often haha it’s still kind of weird to me. We were walking home from conference and walked passed the mission home to get home and hna Isom saw us from the window. She ran out in her slippers to give us a hug and thank us for everything we do (she is just amazing). 

Soooooo por que fue bakan su semana? buana pregunta, les diré....

Remember how I said last week that my comp wasn’t feeling well? Well, she was right. After we wrote our emails, we had to go back into the house and she fell asleep in her bed. I woke her up about 10 minutes before p day ends and she looked like a truck hit her.

I took her temp. She had a fever. So I called the nurse (hna Isom) and we were put on house arrest (Monday). 

Tuesday... woke up and felt a little better. We had interviews with pres so we walked to the mission home and it was my second to last interview!!!!! aaahhhhhhhhh I’m dying.

He is an amazing man. In the interview he told me that I need to get everything figured out for when I come home and college and stuff so that I can focus completely here on my last cambio so... I’ve attached a list of what I want when I get home and what we need to figure out now so that you don’t bug me about it my last cambio.

We got home and my comp ate a huge breakfast. We proceeded to study and she went to the bathroom and threw up.

House arrest Tuesday.

Talking with her, my comp FINALLY told me that for the past week she has been feeling like she is going to faint sometimes and that her hands begin to shake and they sometimes get really pale. I asked her why she didn’t tell me sooner. She said that she didn’t want to bug me. That’s my comp... such a sweetheart, always trying to help and please others that she sometimes doesn’t give time for herself.. :(

Also a back story about my comp. before the mission. She weighed about 300 pounds. 2 years ago she had an operation that shrunk her stomach and now she weighs about 200 pounds. The mission has been rough from the start for her. Walking all day when she never walked much, the food which is really greasy fried and a ton is always served.

On Monday I finally asked her if she has diarrhea because the bathroom has been very smelly. She told me that yes... since her first week on the mission.

About 7 weeks of diarrhea. We figured that was probably why she feels like she is going to pass out and always has a headache and no energy.

We got permission to call her doctor in Brazil because he knows her condition and has worked with her through the operation and everything. I was really nervous because she still is trying to change her eating habits and get used to mission life... sooooo.....

On Wednesday we called her doctor and he told her that she has to eat better and only drink water, not juice and soda. She needs to rest more and just take better care of herself. She was really sad and nervous that maybe she would have to go back home. It was really sad to see. After the dr call, we went to our zone reunion.

It was perfect because we talked about being happy in all circumstances and accepting the will of Padre. We went to a member’s house, ate lunch, went home to finish her “12 weeks” which is a program that they do in their training. In the middle of it she went to the bathroom and threw up.

House arrest again.

BUT we had a lesson scheduled in the evening and she was feeling a little better so we went to that and that’s where the language miracle occurred.

My comp is very quiet. Never talks much. We did a few practices of the lesson in our house and then right before we entered the investigator’s house, I told her, “just as we practiced at home, but know you are going to start the lesson.”

She looked at me terrified. Maybe I’m a mean trainer, but I figure I only hurt her with every word I say, so I barely talked in the lesson. It was VERY uncomfortable. There were many awkward glances and pauses. But she did it!!! She started the lesson, she taught and she testified. I was so proud of her. She did it.

We had another lesson but she said that she felt like she was going to faint so we went back to the house. She didn’t say much but looked in a lot of pain. I asked her how she felt and said that she was in a lot of pain and wasn’t sure if she could make it home. I asked how she felt in the lesson and she said that she felt perfectly fine, it wasn’t until we left the house that it all hit. Another miracle of teaching. 

Thursday. I woke up with the alarm and turned on the light. My comp lay in bed looking in a lot of pain. I asked how she felt and she said that she couldn’t move. Her shoulders and neck were so tense and tight. I made a rice bag for her and heated it up. I then made fire and got the house really hot so her body could relax. She stayed in bed until about noon.

There is a virus that is going around. President had it too, poor guy, and is still badly affected. It starts with a headache, then there’s throw up and major stomach pain, then it goes into your muscles and you can’t move.

President had it about 3 weeks ago and still during interviews and zone conference was really stiff and looked like he was in pain.

We were able to leave a little bit in the evening when her muscles relaxed a little and another miracle happened with the language.

I did the same thing and she began to teach with so much more confidence. It was still VERY awkward in some parts but afterwards, she talked soooo much to me!!! She talked for about 6 minutes straight!!! And her accent had improved so much!!!

She still was in a lot of pain so we went back to the house and she went to bed. The whole week I had been praying a lot a lot a lot. Then Friday when she woke up, another huge miracle. She woke up pain free. Huge miracle because presidente still has a lot of pain and he has had it for 3 weeks now.

We were able to leave and work for a while, still taking it really slow, but we could leave and we continued to see miracles with the language. 

Sorry for the strong language, but being in the house SUCKS. We were inside not working from Sunday to Thursday. So why then was this week so amazing?

In the beginning, I began complaining in my prayers to Padre. “Why is this happening!? I don’t have much time left! I just want to work.”

Our sector is really hard and we don’t have many investigatores. We need to work every day if we want to keep our sector alive. I began studying the scriptures a lot and reading nuestro legado (Our Heritage) that talks about the first couple of years in the church and the difficulties that the early saints felt. It is sooo true. We receive personal revelation when we study the scriptures and other books by the church.

Through my studies, I really felt like Padre was telling me through the Holy Ghost that it is okay. My answer came in one short sentence (did you know the Holy Ghost speaks Spanish!?)

“Padre Celestial sabe por qué las cosas pasen, confías y te bendecirá.” (“Heavenly Father knows why things happen, trust in Him and you will be blessed”).

I then was reminded of the strong feeling that I got my first day in my sector, that I needed to be here and that I needed to be with my companion. From then on my perspective and everything changed.

Yes, it SUCKS being in the house, but I learned so much from the scriptures. I was able to write a lot in my journal. Our companionship relationship strengthened a lot too, me serving her and her feeling my love.

I felt also really strongly that I need to be happy and patient. I could see that she felt really bad about being in the house and taking away the precious time that I have left. I assured her with the same words that the Holy Ghost assured me with: “it’s okay, Padre Clestial sabe por qué las cosas pasan."

We were able to have a really good heart to heart and she really opened up to me about her struggles and everything that she has felt from when she started the mission. I felt impressed to translate the letter that you wrote me Mom when I had 18 days in the mision.

You wrote it el 14 of February last year and talked about how when I serve, I am completing my purpose as a missionary, when I smile I am moving the work along and about how you wanted to go home in the beginning (she wanted to go home too). It was amazing. You wrote it unknowingly for her Mom. Thank you.

We had so many miracles this week. Even though it was a really bad week we were able to see the hand of God in all of it. I am so grateful for the Holy Ghost and for His role as comforter and testifier.

That is my response to Elder Stevenson’s question, “How does the Holy Ghost help you?” What’s your answer?

Sorry, I don’t have much time now, so I will write about conference next week! IT WAS SOOO AMAZING!!!! I LOVE CONFERENCE! oh,,, and another little rant.... It was soo cool when they announced the 10th temple in Brazil!!! haha there are 8 Brazilians in our zone and when they announced it, they all went crazy, and then remembered that they were in the sacrament meeting room and that the profeta was speaking.

It was a moment of pure delight and my love and joy for temples increased so much. It continued to increase when after wards I asked my comp how close she lived to the temple. She said that she lived really close. Only 5 hours away. They go every 6 months. And every time they go it is always packed because it is a small temple and the only one for 100’s of miles so they are only able to do one session per trip.

They leave at midnight, arrive at 5 am, eat breakfast, do one session of everything, baptisms, initiatories, endowment, sealing, then leave and get home about midnight. Then they wake up the next morning for work and school....

We are so blessed to have a temple so close. It really hits me, just how often and how willing people are to sacrifice to go to the temple. It is such a maravilla (wonder).

I love the temple. I love my Padre Celestial. I love my mission and I love this gospel. I know it is true and I bear my witness of it. 

Now... for a laugh... haha I love working with new convert bishops. Yesterday the bishop kind of got demanding asking us why we weren’t working more fastly with an investigador.

“He wants to get baptized! Just teach him all the lessons this week and have the baptism this Saturday!!” he told us.

“Bishop,” I said, “We’d love to, but he is still working on his papers to get divorced.” (He is now living with his less active girlfriend and they have a kid).

Bishop: So? Let’s have a baptism!

Me: Are they going to separate? Last I heard that wasn’t an option.

Bish: no... why do they need to separate? He wants to get baptized! This Saturday is perfect!

Me: He can’t get baptized if he is living with someone and not married.

Bish: What? Whose rule is that?

Me: He’s breaking the law of chastity. Do you remember the missionaries teaching you that?

Bish: I think so... it sounds familiar.

Me: Here’s a pamphlet that talks about it. You can read it in your free time :)

Hahaha it was pretty funny.... the bishop thought I was just making up some rule... 

Now... for when I come home... in the first few days/week I would like: a deep tissue massage, doctor check-up, dentist check-up, camping/rock climbing trip or backpacking trip.

Mom can you get my college track changed to Fall/ Winter? And when do I need to start planning classes?

For Mother’s day skype, I want all of the family to be there- Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles. And those that can’t, can we do a 3 way skype?

... ummm anything else that I need to get planned out before hand?

Love you all so much and hope that you are seeing all the little miracles in your life!!  Les amo muchhoooooo!!!!!