That´s how the cookie crumbles
November 10, 2014
Week 74

Hey guys!

So remember how we are teaching Angie? We are trying to get her Mom active in the church again. Well, her grandparents happen to be active members who are the same members that tried to give me all that Malaysian nutrition scam stuff? We wanted a family night with all of them together so we went back there. Big mistake! Angie couldn´t even come and the hermano launched into a full blown sales pitch. The good news is that they gave us cookies. I think I was getting a little stressed out, though, as he went on and on about how if I go into business with him I can earn points to go to Cancun without stopping to take a breath. The cookie I was holding in my hand--I guess I held it a little too hard and it exploded and got crumbs everywhere. It was funny.

Guess what?! Ever went to the temple this week to do baptisms for the dead! Our ward goes to the Cochabama Bolivia temple twice a year. It is about 14 hours of travel plus time to go through border control and all that. But he was so happy! He just was talking about how it was paradise and he just turned to me and said thank you for helping me know this. That was a payday moment. He wants to go back to the temple and was just so happy! He had a wonderful experience and I am so happy he had that opportunity.  The sad part is that he is going kind of far away for work. He is going to the border of Peru and Brazil to work. But he is going to keep going to church so he can go back to the temple. It will cost him 15 soles and is far but I am grateful he had this strengthening experience before he leaves.

We had a few first lessons with less actives we haven´t been able to teach before. One is named Maria. We asked her why it is important to go to church and she said because it is a commandment. I like that answer. We asked what happens if we know a commandment but we don´t keep it. And she said we go to hell. Okay, well we can explain the plan of salvation in more detail later but she understands that there are consequences for not doing what we KNOW we should. She is super smiley and got married and baptized with her husband on the same day. Excited to work with them!

We were walking the other day and we passed a house where a man Hermana Hunter and I had contacted lived. I felt like we should stop by and we met his teenage daughter Liliana. We asked her when the whole family is together and she said Domingos. We came again on Sunday and they let us in and we had a lesson with the father, mother, and daughter! It had been a long time since we had taught a full family for the first time. And it was so much better! It just feels a lot more effective because they can make changes together and there is none of this wondering about what their spouse or parents will say, because we already know. And they are letting us come back! Also we have a really good relationship with our landlords and they always want to talk to us, but we have never really been able to teach them, but we finally made an appointment to share something with them and it was great! I was nervous because they are our landlords and it was kind of weird but once we got going it was great. We learned they are a great family and were touched by the things we taught about the family and parts of the plan of salvation. They didn´t give us a return appointment, but we left them with a little reading and they are going to get back to us. So we are trying to focus on families and it is wonderful.

This week I met a girl named Milady. Or, my lady. Haha. I felt so strange telling her, “nice to meet you my lady!” And so many other things. It was so funny using her name and I am telling you this because you speak English and will get this.

I love you guys so much! Have an incredible week!

 

 Ruins! They are called Sillustani. I went to these with Hermana Hunter too.

Love you and have an awesome week!