So this week was a lot better than last week. Nothing too crazy happened. This week just absolutely FLEW by. It was nuts. I learned a lot of patience and me and my companion are really bettering ourselves. It's getting better! My companion is just a little different and we have nothing in common. This week we haven't had any arguments at all and my patience has gotten a lot better with him, which is good. He's respecting me and my needs more and visa versa, I'm doing the same. I know things will work out and it's always good to start and end the day with a good attitude. Slowly but surely it's getting better. I'm pretty sure I'll go this next change. In fact, I'm almost positive. And sadly, we have a ton of baptism dates for the 4th of March and also the 11th, that I would miss. But.. that's the way the mission is. The Lord doesn't count your success by how much time you're in the water but by how much you bring people closer to Christ. That's really what it's about and that's really why I'm here.
Anyway, so about our investigators! Sooo one day we were walking around town, doing what we do, and we walked down a hill and then we get this call from Joiner and he was like, "Hey! I see you! Come up here!" So we went up and taught him. He was playing his guitar. He's super good. But we taught him and then he came to church! He really wants to do the right things and is super receptive and he loved church. So we are excited for his progress. We don't have a baptism date with him but we will soon.
Also this week, we found a family, and the dad, Victor, reminds me of Chad haha. Just a big guy, beard, he's got bushy hair, but super fun and cool and just really receptive to the gospel. The same day we found him and his family, we went to knock on a door to contact a referral we received from Rosa. Her name is Lucia. (... some kid, like 8 years old is just standing here looking at me type and is reading my email... hahaha) anyway, we went and knocked and some old lady walked out, and she was like 97 years old, and she goes, "TEACH THEM TO REPENT!!!" Hahaha me and my companion were just dying!
Manuela is really progressing. We went to go visit her and we asked if she read 3 Nephi 11 that we left with her last time, and she goes, "Yeah, I read a little bit", and we were thinking, oh okay, she didn't finish the chapter, no big deal... but then we start talking and she starts talking about tithing.. and we`re like, tithing? And she starts talking about 3 Nephi 13! She read all of 11, 12 and 13... Yep, that's a "little bit." But she's doing great. Reading, praying, and coming to church. She's just a sweet little lady, but when she doesn't understand something, she gets heated and goes off for like 10 minutes and won't let us explain. Most of the time, it's super dumb stuff that could be explained in about 10 seconds.. but she likes to get heated, and we let her just go off until she's done, then we explain it. We think it's pretty great. Also, she has been confused about why she needs to "get baptized twice." We keep trying to explain the authority part but I don't know if she's really getting it.
Lilia and Abraham, just the same. We haven't been able to visit with the both of them this week. We passed by but he was working construction and his schedule wasn't set so we haven't had a chance to talk to the both of them. Abraham still isn't coming to church. I have no idea at this point what to do to help him... but we are praying and trying our best. The Lord will work out the other half.
Also during this week, we taught familia Risco. We taught them lesson 1 (Resteration) and the spirit was super strong. I about cried when I recited the First Vision. Super awesome family! It was a great lesson.
Yesterday was the most eventful of the week! So in the morning, I'm just chillin and I get this call at 7:30 a.m. from President Overt and he goes, "Oh hey, you have a talk today." I was like, oh... cool... haha I hadn't even gotten ready yet and it was 7:30 a.m. and we had to leave at 8:15 a.m. to pick up Joiner. But luckily I had showered the night before, but I was still stressing out a little bit. I said a prayer for guidance on what I should share and help the people with. I pumped out a talk about Faith in about 30 minutes. Then we got there and I wasn't nervous or anything, but I was still praying that they would at least be able to understand what I was saying haha. I got up there and straight gave a 20 minute talk on Faith, and it was the best Spanish I have ever spoken in all my mission. Words and grammer I had only learned once or heard of once, I was whipping out. It was so cool! And during the talk, the people were nodding their heads, like they understood and everything. It was a super awesome experience and I can just testify of the power of the gift of tongues and that it is so real! It was super awesome and I was so greatful to have that experience!
Later at lunch, we`re sitting there eating and Meyte, Flor's daughter, about 11 or 13 years old, not sure.. (she's a thug though..) scares Flor. We look back and Flor grabs a fork and was so mad! She was yelling and was actually straight up mad. I've never seen her so mad in my life hahaha, and she was chasing Meyte yelling, "nunca haz eso otra vez! te matarè" (Never do that again. I'll kill you.) But hahaha, it was hilarious! We were about crying! Even President Overt, her husband, was cracking up. I loved it..... (some kids are asking me why I'm writing in English and what I'm doing.. it's because I'm white hahaha...)
Later that night we went and taught C. and J. We taught them because we know they have been having some problems. We still don't know what, but just some personal husband/wife problems. We visited them and asked them how their reading and praying was and ... (haha now the kid is telling me that I write super fast....) They told us they weren't praying or reading. We talked about how that is what Satan wants. They're pleasing Satan and that he is trying to tear them apart, and as of now, it's working. I talked and shared about a certain member of our family and how Satan has them right now, that I want to live with my whole family, but Satan is working to destroy part of it and that I'm here with them because I don't want that to happen to anyone else. I traveled all this way to Perú to keep families happy. We shared that through small and simple things, great miracles are brought to pass. We asked them to pray as a family but J. didn't want to.. she said she would with her kids but not her husband. Eventually, after talking with them, we got the kids to come in and told them their homework was to have family prayer every single night. The kids were up for it! We asked C. to say the prayer and he said yes. Then right before he was about to say it, he aksed if we could do it on our knees. So we did, and he gave an awesome, super sincere prayer! He just talked with his Heavenly Father. After the prayer we told them that now they had to have a family hug. J. still didn't want to but all the kids were hugging their dad and then they all went over to J..., Oh shoot, I'm going to cry here in internet, big ole baby... haha, but they all went over to J. and finally, C. pulled her up and they just hugged as a family. Then just J. and C. hugged. It was the highlight of my week to just see this family happy! I wouldn't have cared if this was the only thing that happened during the whole week. That was the best part of my week. I was just so happy to see them as a happy family, and just see during that lesson and after the prayer, how much the mood and the spirit changed there.
I can testify that Satan is always there. He is there and he is trying to destroy families! He wants to tear them apart and destroy them. Do not give him an inch. If there is anything that I want anyone to get out of this email is to never give Satan that inch. Especially in the families. Families are forever. I testify of that, and I know Satan is there, trying to destroy them. But, there is help and there are tools to keep him out. And that is reading and praying every day. As a family. Through that, families will be strengthened and will experience a joy that cannot be explained. Not only in this life, but forever. I testify of that!
I'm thankful for you all and all your love, support and prayers. I will continue to work hard and I'm so grateful for this opportunity! I love you all. Have a great week!!!
After p-day futbol.
Like Goldilocks, Elder Alarcon sat in the little chair and broke it to pieces.
Me and my favorite dog, Negro. Yep, that's his name. Negro in Spanish is "black." He couldn't sit still for the picture, so that's the best I have.
Me and my llama friends...... They do exist!!
Sometimes when my companion is taking a shower, I get bored and take selfies.
