Helllooo
How are you all doing?? I hope that everything is going well! It's been okay here.... except that I have been pretty sick this week. I started off the week with a super high fever and just feeling awful. I worked through it though because we had so many lessons planned and I didn't want to cancel any of them. But I was dead when we got home or when we got to the visitors' center. It was hard because I really wanted to work, and didn't want to not work and feel like I wasn't doing all of my part to help our investigators progress. And I was just struggling with knowing what the Lord expected out of me! If I was supposed to keep working hard because I wasn't THAT sick or if I should rest and feel like a bum :[ haha. So I toughed it out for the most part... until we got to Saturday when my fever was gone and my throat was feeling a TON better... but I got a really bad eye infection. I thought at first that my contacts were just bothering me... but no. It was totally infected. We had lessons planned and went to some of them anyways... but when I would try and talk people would just be like what's wrong with you?? Are you okay?? haha. We even showed up with one investigator, Jesus... he's 19. And he was like "whoaaa. What is wrong with you? You look awful! Did you go partying last night? I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just being honest... you've had better days!!" haha. It was humorous. But I took some time and rested and stayed inside most of Sunday. It was tough to stay in because I hated not doing anything! So crazy how the mission has changed me so much already! We went to the doctor yesterday and I got some antibiotic eye drops and am feeling soo much better.
On Friday night we had a talent show in the ward. I was feeling okay so we went and it was awesome! The youth did tons of dances, the primary danced. Los hermanos did a skit. It was just a really funny, hilarious night. It was in honor of the Mexican Indepence day (which was Sunday). So it was a fun night and we had some awesome investigators come. One being Lupita. We actually had a lesson this morning with her. Her older son, Jesus (a different Jesus) is 22 and has a baptismal date for September 29th. He's meeting with the English Elders because he is going to the YSA ward. Lupita has another son, Miguel that is 15 that is already a member. But he has some bad friends and has been having a hard time. And so Lupita opened up to talk to us and to get involved with the church to help her son, but was very forward about how she would never get baptized. She "believes in the virgin very strongly, and absolutely will not give up drinking coffee." But we have just stuck in there with her, visiting her every week and getting her involved with the Spanish Branch. AND MIRACLES HAPPEN :] She has been coming to church every week for the past month, and coming to allllll the activities. And for the very first time today she told us she read in the Book of Mormon on her own. And she told us today that she loves church, and she is always looking forward to our visits, but doesn't know if she could get baptized because she is scared of water! haha. She brought it up all on her own, and we are so suprised, but excited! We are going to keep working with her, and it just made my week the lesson that we had this morning! We decided to use an hour of our p-day to see her because she couldn't any other time... and God blessed us for it :] She has changed so much. Her countenance was completely different today when we met with her. That might be my favorite thing about the mission (a love a lot of different things!) but just seeing how much people can change!
We have another part member family that we are working with; a recent convert Santiago, and his wife and son, Juana and Alberto. I'm pretty sure I've talked about them before. It's been a hard week for them as they have been having some family issues. We had a lesson about having a family prayer every night and when we went by two days later to check up on it... they had done it every night!!! And so that made us really happy. Juanita is ready to be baptized; She knows and believes everything, but just says that she can't be baptized with the feelings that she has in her marriage and family. So we are working with the family as a whole to come closer and have the gospel bless their family.
Sister Sordes is so incredible. She has taken such good care of me this week as I have been sick! One thing we have been trying to figure out within our companionship is our lesson length. Ever since E. Aidukaitis came we have been trying to have shorter lessons so that we can come by more frequently without bothering them, but it has turned into stressful messes sometimes. And I don't like being stressed out! We will schedule lessons every thirty minutes. It seems that we should be able to do it and just have a 15 minute lesson and then have enough time to get to the next lesson... but it hasn't been working. With trying to get members there for every lesson... it just turns into a mess! And I don't feel like I am meeting some of our investigators needs because we are in a such a rush and have to tell them sorry we have to go!! But that is something we are trying to work out--because at the same time hour long lessons are really long and sometimes overwhelming for people when they are just starting to learn! We're just trying to use our time effectively. But besides that.... we are doing really well and I love being her companion! It is so crazy to me that we only have two weeks left in this transfer together. I'm hoping we stay together for another.
Last zone conference, President Ellsworth announced to us that the 22nd of September we would be having a "special meeting" with the entire mission. And we just found out yesterday that Elder Bednar is coming to speak to the mission this Saturday! We are so excited. It's going to be such an incredible meeting to have an apostle there, and also to have the entire mission there together will be really exciting.
This morning we got to go to the temple! I love the temple. It's always fun to go with a big group of missionaries and be in the temple with your zone. Love it!
It's been a good week. I'm happy to be here. I'm able to say all of this because I went to the doctor yesterday and am feeling a lot better! (I was not saying this earlier last week!! haha) I love you all and hope that everyone is doing so well!!
Have a happy week!
Love,
Sister Larson