Is Kelly okay? I just finished reading the letter.... I have a postcard that I want to send them, once I finish.... it's so hard because I have so much I want to share and write to people, but there is seriously no time whatsoever to write, you I write in emails, and I try real hard to be regular with Lou.... which I don't know if you know, but he might be going home (from his mission in NY) because his health is really bad.... Poor thing!!!! Such a hard worker!!!
(Please pray for Lou. He is a friend of Jessie’s from the Key West, FL branch. His father passed away when he was young causing Lou to become the ‘man of the house’. He is a convert of 4 or 5 years. His mother is not a member, but his 12 year old brother is. Lou didn’t get out on his mission until he was 23 because he had health issues which he thought were resolved. Things surgery was supposed to take care of. Lou and his family need the blessings of his service. Please pray for them. Thank you!)
Speaking of health, I had a little bit of a health scare, not serious, but a little bit.... so we finally rode our bikes, horrible!!! The streets here are miniscule and there are potholes the depth of a volcano.... anyways so we were riding and usually people mistake us as Jehovah's witnesses, but when they see our plaques or we tell them then they know we are Mormons. Heheh who needs a plaque when you have a bicycle.... yep I think every soul in Adjuntas knew that we were Mormons. Girls in PR don't usually ride bikes, so that was something new for them and then the moment they noticed skirts, yep they knew who we were. I’m surprised we didn't cause accidents because every eyeball was focused on us, every conversation was about us on bikes, and we even had someone help us. Hermana Angel fell a little in a very crowded, trafficy place, and a man stopped the traffic, and tried helping her, and she was nice, but in her head "Por Favor" I'm okay LOL.... very interesting... then later we parked our bikes in some railings. I stepped down to lock my bike, and all of a sudden I had serious jolts of pain in my legs. I thought I rubbed my leg against a bush with thorns or pricklies... nope I stepped on an ant hill with good sized ants. I was attacked and I was slapping myself, and so another reason for everyone to check out the Mormons. The health issue was (not as bad now) was my legs were getting red and puffy around the spots and then they were painful, not itchy, but aches in my legs (different pain) Then they were bruising around the spots, so I talked to someone about this and they said my legs were infected.... I took pain killers and it helped.... good thing is they are better and I don't think its infected.
(I asked her if previous sister missionaries rode bikes……….)
No the women here are girly girls and the roads are awful. Who would want to ride bikes anyways? LOL. They know cuz elders ride bikes.....
1. I've learned something very important this week.... the importance of less-actives. Mom you are the Relief Society president make sure you search for less-actives until they tell you or their visiting teachers no more. Rescue them, I've learned that so many reasons our less-actives aren't coming or are lost is because they don't have people visit them or people just gave up on them, but a less active should never be forgotten or given up on until they have come back and repented. I know that's hard for you to have a responsibility like that, but have the sisters in the ward search for the less active and do their visiting teaching with no judgments or rumors about that person.
2. Oh Nestor, love the man, but he's killing me..... he will not be baptized.... I think I have a curse with the people. Every time we have a date or someone progressing we lose them, they don't want to work, or be baptized (at all or until I leave).... that’s hard to take. We lost one and we lost our investigators in Guaynabo, a family in El Tuque, and now Nestor's baptism, and Pedro was baptized after I left, and all it's rough having that. Anyways smoking is still the issue and I tried helping him the other day. Nestor is special for me, but at the same time I'm disappointed in him. He is allowing the worldly thing like smoking stop him from receiving something like the will of our Heavenly Father and salvation. We are still working with him and still trying to help him. The other day I bought gum and brought tape to put the gum with his box of cigarettes. I wanted to tape them together to help him get in the habit of gum rather than cig. He didn't accept my gum and explained that he was a little bit offended and that he didn't want to offend me. I felt horrible beyond belief and this was before our lesson. He is prideful. He thinks he can stop if he says it, but isn't doing something different about it, and he won't let us help him. So I was hurt that he rejected my help. Anyways we had a lesson that completely changed from what we planned and ended up being about 3 Nephi 11.... and then we talked about listening to the voice of the Spirit and the importance of repentance and being clean for the second coming.... after our lesson, right before we left, he wanted my pack of gum
3. I'm almost done with the BOM (Book of Mormon). I am in Ether 7.
In El Tuque we had two baptismal invitations where the people accepted. I have a hard time believing people and giving invitations because every time has been a failure. Anyways One is to a girl the sisters have been working with and is pregnant at 15 years old, really sad... and the other is with the woman that is like a mom here (for Jessie). We invited her and her boyfriend, ex-husband.... and she accepted (but is strong Catholic so a lot of work to do) and the husband was like I was already baptized.... we explained about the priesthood and the difference. He was like “we'll see. I'm going to read this book (BOM) and listen to your messages.” We had him pray and ask specifically if the baptismal date was the correct choice. He prayed which was a great prayer, and actually asked specifically, which is rare for any person. He then meditated and it was long silence for all of us, then he said “my heart is clean, but I will learn this new gospel and change my life.” He didn't quite accept the invitation, but he accepted to change and learn more.
Jose R. who was shy to go to church, went and loved it. We were going to basically drop him from our investigators, but then he showed up unexpectedly. (Before I forget…the stake president talked with us and with all his dreams and desires, and has the crazy idea of having a stake in Adjuntas. We told him, um we need a ward first. LOL) Anyways, he loved it and it was interesting because when he went to church and we went to teach him, his interest was better. It was like he wanted to accept the gospel more openly. We asked if he would be baptized and he was like probably. LOL. So we are hoping he will improve and will become baptized.
It's just hard because everyone around is seeing positive results from their work, and for me every person is falling, leaving, or disappearing.. OUCH!!!! Anyways, I just want to have that desire to keep going, but wow no more energy left. I really need Disney and sleep, and a serious mom hug!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
LOVE YOU TONS!!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment