Buenas Dias
It has been a good week. It's
cold (well colder there but still its cold for us here). I kind of wish
it would snow. Brown desert doesn't feel like Christmas. I really like
Christmas time though, especially as a missionary. Everyone keeps writing
me thinking I am going to be homesick but it's the opposite really. Christmas
is the best time to be a missionary. I'm thankful that I will have had 2 in the
field. People are warmer and receptive during this time of the year they start
thinking about Christ a little bit more. We get to really enjoy Christmas
because we don't have to worry about marketing and gifts and money we get to
help people remember Christ, which is what it's really about. I think it's
amazing that we get to be representatives of Him for this season. I'm willing
to give up two Christmas's because I know I'll never have this opportunity
again in my life.
I loved the Christmas devotional
last night...Did you watch it?
We had some really strange lessons
this week. One was amazing. The others were just awkward or contentious.
AMAZING first...So we were
going through our old formers and we stopped by to see if this lady that was
taught a couple years ago still lived there and instead we found this guy “E”.
We explained what we do and he automatically asked us when we could come back
and teach him...We had the BEST lesson with him. If you looked at him you might
be scared of him, he's bald with tattoos and got out of prison not too long
ago. But he's a sweetheart and so sincere. He told us he's lacked God in his
life and has wanted to be a better husband and father (cutest chubbiest 3yr
old) that he feels lost and confused. He listened so intently and asked
great questions. Right after we finished the opening prayer I just felt this warmth
and love for him and it was just so clear we were supposed to be there and he
needed us. I love those moments. The spirit was so strong. It was
kind of funny though because his Christmas tree was in between the two couches
and the lights were gleaming on us the whole time it kind of made us look like
angels. His wife and her friend were in the kitchen doing nails and had the TV
on and as soon as we started they felt something and turned off the TV and
stopped talking and were listening from the other room. Before we even
committed him to read and pray about the Book of Mormon he was committing
himself and telling us how much he wanted to read it. Throughout the lessons he
kept saying "Wow I feel really good, really calm. I haven't felt like this
before." and we probably explained about 4 times that what he was feeling
was the spirit. I LOVE when we can just point it out in lessons and they
can't deny it. He said Yes to baptism and he's praying about the 23rd. So we might just have
ourselves a white Christmas after all.
I really love him and I'm so
excited for him. He texted us the other day telling us thank you and that he
had been reading The Book of Mormon and really enjoying it. It's so refreshing
to teach someone that is actually prepared.
AWKWARD- next we taught this guy “R”
who is a creeper and a half. Nonetheless the creeper needs to be baptized. I
just really wish we could pass him on to the Elders but we only have Spanish
sisters in this zone and the zones around us. It was one of those lessons where
I catch myself pulling down my skirt and up my shirt a lot. He asked more
questions about us personally than about the gospel and asked if we had
boyfriends like 3 times. Other than him being on the creepy side he knows a lot
about the church. His dad was a member and he went to primary as a kid he just
never got baptized. He knows it's true and told us he wants to get
baptized...but we have a weird feeling about him so we are going to make him
wait...plus he's al alcoholic so that should be fun. My favorite part was when
he was trying to correct us and he said, "Ya, ya, ya I already know about
the copper plates and about those doctors and covenants." Sometimes
it's extremely hard not to be a smart alec. I really have to bite my tongue a
lot as a missionary.
BROTHER “H”.... So there is this guy
in our English ward who comes with his wife and he is what we call an
"eternigator". He's had tons of missionaries and has taken the
lessons for over 8 years...He came up to us at church and told us he wanted us
to teach him. It's been 2 years since the last time he talked to
missionaries. We were all excited until about 5 minutes into the lesson with
him. He's a handful and really hard to teach. He's the most un-humble, prideful
man with a God complex like none other that I’ve ever met. WOW. He's harder to
love. He told us he thinks he's better than everyone. All of his doubts were so
lame. He said garments aren't attractive (nobody claims that they are
buddy) and that bishops should all have outgoing personalities and shouldn't be
bishop if they are shy? (Our bishop is a really shy and humble guy he's great.)
Brother “H” HATES it when people cry in church especially men he thinks it
makes them weak and weird and he loses all respect for them. He can't believe
in Joseph Smith having a vision at age 14, but then he went on to explain
that he has had visions and experiences when he was younger. He doesn’t
like it that his wife is still sealed to her ex-husband and thinks that will be
weird after this life (which means he accepts the temple ordinances and
priesthood that WERE RESTORED...he's dumb...I mean that with love.) He
had like 10 different doubts that had nothing to do with doctrine. It was clear
he'd never read The Book of Mormon. He snapped at me when I asked and said
"Do I look like an unintelligent man? Don't you think I've pretty much
heard all the stories of the Book of Mormon throughout the years to know
enough? I've prayed about it and never gotten an answer." He got so
defensive. So we snapped back and explained that he's retarded (but in nicer
words) and that he hasn't done his part and of course he hasn't gotten answer
because number one you have to be humble and sincere (lacking) and you have to
actually READ the Book of Mormon before you can ask if it's true. It’s
funny how that works. He kept dancing around the subject and blowing
smoke trying to make us uncomfortable and trying to unravel our testimonies and
discredit them because we've been members our whole lives, but everything leads
back to the Book of Mormon. It was hard because his wife wasn't helping she was
really frustrated and hurt and just was making the lesson worse and would make
fun of his doubts...which just made him more bitter and snappy. I really didn't
like the way he talked to her at all he was so condescending.. He kept us
on our feet the whole lesson. We have to be super bold with him and call him
out a lot. He knows it's true somewhere in there he's just being a pain in the
butt. My goal is to make him cry. (Because he feels the spirit not because were
being mean) We're praying that he will be humbled...I feel like that is an
awful thing to wish upon somebody but the man needs it. He's from Colorado so
he likes me and every time he didn't have an answer to a question he would
bring something up about Colorado...I think he was surprised we weren't afraid
of him. He says he likes to scare missionaries off. He's not scary he's
just ignorant...Anyways he invited us back so we will see how that goes.
Men in the church are so extremely
different that most of men outside of the church. It hit me really hard when we
had a ward counsel meeting at 5:45 AM for our ward and we had all the ward
auxiliaries and us and all of the conversation was about nice things they could
do to serve people in the ward and who needs help and which neighbors they were
going to invite to their family home evenings to get missionary work moving. No
other man gets up that early in the morning, without pay to talk about how they
can help and serve people and help others serve. No other men cry when they
bear their testimonies (which I think is cute) The meeting was so
Christ-like, everything that was discussed was something that Jesus Christ
would discuss or do. The church is true.
I really like having an English ward
on the side they are great… and so country. I LOVE IT. One of our female
investigators is a six time world champion bull rider. Her husband is a
member and he took us around his farm introducing us to all his animals and
showing us his coyote traps. He swears like every other word my favorite
was when he said "Well girls my wife stubborn but I would really like to
be sealed to the D*** woman." ha-ha cutest little old man ever..
Feb 7th Tuesday morning is when my
flight gets in. You keep saying Feb. 9th...I’m worried I’ll be at the airport
waiting and you guys will have forgotten me.
Okay well that's about it…
LOVE YOU
MERRY CHRISTMAS
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