This week has been reeeallly good! We have been working hard visiting less active families and our investigators. If anything, this week was a testimony builder of the power of Hope, especially with miracles in the work. Currently, we have 5 investigators, including Mabel. She is a woman we met outside of her house a couple of weeks ago, chilling outside on the sidewalk with her german shephard Matías and enjoying the summer evening. We chatted with her for a few minutes and gave her a pamphlet about the Plan of Salvation and set a day when we would return. We came back later that week and she had read it and liked it! She told us she has heard our messge and other church´s messages before, but she was down to keep meeting with us and do the things we invite her to do to strengthen her faith in Christ and she does them! I love visitng her because she loves to read and has a good spirit about her.
We also had lessons with Norberto, the sweetest old man who broke his hip a few weeks before his baptism. We taught him the Word of Wisdom and the 10 commandments. He is solid and loves to meet with us, even if he is bed-ridden while he recovers. He is legit the sweetest man ever! We have to re-teach him a lot of stuff since his memory is not good, but that means I get to practice my teaching skills more.
We also had a Noche de Hogar (Family Home Evening) with a less active family, Familia Mercado. The Dad, Luís is my favorite member to visit becasue he is just so chill and loves to practice his english with me haha. His family is awesome too, including his pet loros he let me hold a few weeks ago lol. We have been going to families like him and teaching out of the new Come, follow me (Ven, Sígueme en castellano) manual and we have had some great experiences teaching out of it, especially since this week was about Jesus teaching parables about forgiveness. The manual is over the new testament and if you haven´t read it yet, DO IT! It will be a great blessing to you I promise.
Weather wise, we are in the dog days of summer. It is either so hot and humid (it was 102 one day...we ended up taking a taxi back to our pensión lol) or it rains. And when it rains in Argentina, it POURS. Which means all the frogs and toads come out and go crazy, including one species that legit has a high pitch scream like it saw a ghost! The insects and cicaidas and frogs here make the evenings sound like a rock concert! (If you get the reference to the subject title of this email, you are my favorite)
This week was really special to me because my testimony of this work, this gospel, and my love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ was strengthened tremendously. I was fasting this week and praying for our investigators and less actives and for them to come to church, and there were times where a voice in my head would say, "They aren´t going to come, you´re trying too hard. Just quit" But everytime that negative voice popped up, a positive one would chime in and say "They will come. Keep praying and working hard!" It was amazing to be filled with so much hope! And on Sunday just when I was about to lose hope because no one was answering their phones, 2 less actives that I was praying for came, and it was great to see Heavenly Father answer my prayers. Although I wanted more people to come, I was happy for the two less actives who did come. It was a testimony that if I keep hope, then I will have success in what Heavenly Father needs me to do in Argentina.
And the highlight of the week was Sunday, when we got caught in a thunderstorm. We had just finished a lesson with Norberto and trying to contact people and hit our daily goal when the sky turned super dark, the wind picked up and we were in the middle of a summer downpour. We took shelter underneath an overhang in front of someone´s garage and decided to wait out the storm. We waited and waited, and watched the street literally turn into a river when, after about 20 minutes being cuddle in a corner, the people whose garage were camping in front of let us in their house, gave us coca cola and some bread, and tried to get their power turned on and clean all the water that was soaking in. We offered to help, but they insisted we relax and just enjoy the soda and bread. We ended up talking to a 5 year girl named Sofía who was super smart for her age and really chatty lol. After about 45 minutes the rain let up and their power came back on and we got to know them. The grandpa is from Perú like my companion Élder Marcos and they knew a little about missionaries and the church and agreed that we could come back and teach them! And when we were counting our numbers at the end of the day, we realized that the family helped us reach our contact goal!!! Milagro!!! The best part was trying to navigate our way home, becasue every street became a flooded river that we had to cross. We stayed mostly dry when we came to our street, which was the worst flooded of them all. We said forget it and just waded our way through the water, and it didn´t help that Élder Marcos´ umbrella broke during the storm LOL
Anyways, this week has been filled with miracles and great experiences with the people here in Argentina. I am filled with so much hope and love and compassion for this work, for these people, for this language! And it makes me so happy to know from the Spirit that I am doing a good job. Family and friends, read and pray everyday. Look to have hope in Christ during your struggles and during your blessings. I testify that you will feel so full of the Spirit that the problems you once had will no longer exist as you look to serve and glorify our Heavenly Father and his Son. I LOVE YOU ALL SOOOOO MUCH!!!
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