Email 2/9/11

Hello!

Well for some reason that was a long week. I feel like we have so to do right now. We don't have time to think about anything else.

I can't really remember what happened this week. I'm sure it was okay? Oh I did have one cool experience:

We got a referral from the Elders who met some guy whom they couldn't understand and they thought he was speaking half English half Spanish and they couldn't tell if he was a member or not so they told us to go over to his house. When we got there it only took us seconds to realize he's had a stroke. The one side of his body drooped and he was struggling to communicate. He was really excited to have us over and kept trying to ask us questions, but the question would leave him half way through or he couldn't figure out how to finish it, or it just wouldn't come out right and he was getting really frustrated. His name is "S". He's probably in his 50's or 60's and he had a stroke 5 years ago. He's Hispanic but speaks really good English too, but the stroke confuses him so it comes out in Spanglish - which is convenient because I speak Spanglish very well. He's a member, but hasn't gone I think since it all happened pretty much. So from the second he invited us in I loved this guy and just felt warm like I was supposed to be there. As he struggled to ask us how we were and where we were from, he was getting really frustrating with himself, and he just looked so depressed. So I told him I understood and I told him about Dad and then I helped him finish his sentences. He held my hand the whole time we were there. Pretty much from the second we sat down I was fighting back tears because I understood him and I loved him so much. After he reached out to hold my hand I could not stop crying to save my life, tears were just falling out. It was horrible. But at the same time it was cool that we were led to him because all we kept telling him was how much Heavenly Father loved him and had a plan. We talked about the atonement a lot, and are going to go back a few times a week to teach him and get him coming back to church. He feels too embarrassed to come to church because he can't help some of his actons and he can't talk. I told him it didn't matter and he could sit with me, and that he doesn't need to be able to talk at church, just listen. Pretty much could not stop crying and had red eyes for hours. I can teach the atonement a thousand times and I love it and I understand it but it doesn't take away the way these things hurt. But the experience with "S" kind of helped because I felt how much Heavenly Father overwhelmingly loves him and I know that he feels the same way about Dad. Heavenly Father teaches us in such interesting ways.



I love you and I miss you!