Picture 1 - where I eat and plan and do all my things
Picture 2- a favorite family we are working with. Party for the little girl who is one of my main Spanish teachers. So grateful for the children who help me learn Spanish
Picture 3- a volcano view from my area
Wow... another week. Time is the weirdest concept. The days feel like years and the weeks feel like days. And some minutes feel like hours when your investigators are telling you stories about seeing spirits and you can only understand 3 words that don't even make sense in the same sentence. Life is so good. I am loving this area and the people are wonderful! I made a huge pancake and egg breakfast this morning for my comp and blasted MoTab while I did it. We have a 2 burner portable stove and the pan is totally bent so it was tipping off the whole time and I was flipping pancakes with a spoon... haha but it all worked out ;) We had a good laugh eating it together.My comp and I sang in Sacrament Meeting. Nobody plays the piano so it was aCapella which was interesting. A few things I have learned here...
1. All dogs have rabies.
2. All buses would rather reach their destination in 10 minutes than have their passagers alive and well.
3. Most people live together and very few married.
4. I love washing machines because the rivers and wash tubs are sketchy and washing your clothes with you in the shower is hard. hahaha living the dream :) I love it so much.
So this week... so many things happened. I don't remember If I told you this part last week but we hiked straight uphill for 2 miles to reach the upper portion of our area, Terror Alto, and I have never been so hot and tired in my life. Seriously. No idea how these tiny, suntanned ladies do that walk every single day with an 800 pound basket of goods balanced on their heads. But the view from the top was so beautiful! We sang How Great Thou Art in the tiny little room of Griselda. She doesnt have a door so we were overlooking the whole valley and I just had tears in my eyes looking at this tiny woman, with no husband, a rock floor, a board with a blanket on it, and a picture of the Savior hanging next to her as she holds her little Book of Mormon in her precious hands. Ah! She is so beautiful. The Spirit was so strong. She is less active but came to church this week which was so fun! The Lord blessed our barrio with many investigators and less actives this week and it was beautiful.
I feel like so much of mission is going to be with recent converts and less actives. Oh man... they are so great and have once felt the power of the gospel and the purfying power of baptism but their minds are distracted from these things for a time... It is so great to bring them with investigators though and have them testify of the things they know. What a powerful experience it is to watch these people become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We taught 3 people this week who have lost their legs. I cannot wait for the Ressurecion and for these people to be healed of all these things! People suffer so much pain and affliction and work hard to do what the Lord wants! The people here serve all day every day. The church is not just a Sunday thing for them. We had a huge stake correlation this week and it was awesome. We received 24 names of people that have come to church with their families and stuff or are part active but have just never been baptized so we are working a lot with those. We don't have a bishop which is a little bit difficult but hopefully we will get one soon.
More miracles this week... so we had the baptismal date scheduled with Dulce and we were so pumped for that and working hard with her. Then all the sudden she stopped answering our calls and we couldnt get a hold of her. She didnt show up for our lesson and we didnt have her address beacuse her Dad wouldnt allow it. We were getting all worried and working hard through prayer to find this sweet girl.
Then one day we had been hiking around for hours and we were so tired and I wanted to go back to our casa so bad. Then I thought to myself, would the Savior be too tired to walk up this hill and seek out those that need help and love. No, He would never stop walking and searching and seeking out those in need. He gave every single minute of his time, in thought and action, to those in His midst. He gave His very life for thier salvation. I can walk a little more and try a little harder to seek out those whom I can lead towards that blessed Messiah and Redeemer of our souls.
So we walked up another hill. My comp was talking to the member that was with us and I was just pondering many things in my heart. I had the strongest impression to knock on this one door we had passed so I told me comp we needed to. She said we dont normally knock doors we dont know because it is not as productive but if you want to we can knock this one that is closer. I said "we need to go back down the hill and knock on that door." So we did. I knocked and 3 minutes later... Dulce answered the door. It was her house. Oh my goodness. I almost jumped on top of her when I saw her face! And she was so excited too! Apparently she lost her phone or something and got a knew number... all the excuses and tactics of Satan... but all was well. We had found Dulce again and we were able to teach more.
We had some powerful lessons and testimonies shared... and then in one lesson she expressed some deep concerns for how her strong Catholic and Evangelical family would react to her baptism. We read a lot of scriptures and testified and she felt the power. She said she knew this was what she was supossed to do and she knows it is right but it is hard. She is so smart and knows all about the gospel. She is so strong and ready but her Dad took her away on a trip and I just hope that when she returns today or tomorrow she will still be on track for her baptism and still feeling the truth of the gospel.
Oh man... the Spirit is real. Revelation is real. We must follow the promptings we recieve.
Also, that darling Saira we found last week is being baptized this Saturday at 6pm. Ah! She is gold! When I was inviting her to be baptized she was knodding her head the whole time and just kept saying yes yes yes this is exactly what I want to do. I want to change my life. I want to show God that I love Him. Oh she is so great.
So we do these things called Noches de Juegos where we have members host it and they invite their non member neighbors and then we get references and its so awesome. Its the plan of Elder Duncan, the Seventy here, for the members to help and the investigators to make friends. The first night is only games and then we set up a second visit to teach. So we planned one with this family and they invited their neighbors. We show up for the activity and the cute mom that doesnt speak any spanish because she speaks Conjobal had made these huge pots of Incaparina over the fire, for us to drink after the games. It was pouring rain and the rain was dripping of their tin roof into a bucket that flitered into a pipe and drained in the well. That{s one way to get water... haha but we were waiting and waiting and they didnt show. We were so sad and so was the cute mom and the members. So we went and invited some of other investigators that were close by and they said they might stop by later. So we went back and were just going to play with the family to strengthen their faith and have fun together. I was praying so hard that this night would be of help to someone and not a waste. I started teaching a few games and right before we started, the neighbors showed up! And then the other investigators we had invited. So then we had 9 investigators there and just played and laughed and ate and talked... oh is was so wonderful. I was so grateful that Heavenly Father led them there and we could share that night in this tiny hut that couldnt even fit us. I shared a scripture at the end a bore testimony about it. One of the guys loved it so much and asked for a Book of Mormon so he could read that scipture again. We set up another appointment and will teach them this week. So excited. Love the games and the good times and the spirit that we can share.
These people have such great faith. I am so grateful to be part of this work. Alma 26:12- for with His strength, we can do all things. We can find those who need the gospel, we can walk up hills no matter how long and hot they are, we can serve faithfully in callings, we can respond to the Saviors commands with a cheerful heart and willing hands, we can repent, we can change, we can become more like our Savior Jesus Christ... we are never alone. He is in our midst. This is His church and His work. Oh how I love my Savior. And oh how He loves us.
My family... you are so precious to me. I love you guys with my whole heart and I pray for you always.
Con mucho amor,
Hermana McGill
