Okay, prepare yourselves for a bunch of random stories.
I had a nice long list of letters I was going to write last
week. But before I sat down to write I went to the bathroom. I flushed the
toilet, and then Tragedy struck. Apparently when I flushed, a little mechanical
lever in the back of the toilet seat decided to get jammed, thus creating an
endless flow of water. The Toilet overflowed, causing a minor flood in the
bathroom. Water dripped through the vents to the downstairs bathroom as well.
Needless to say, after getting emergency clean-up crew guys on the scene, the
rest of my P-day was spent on sanitizing efforts. I decided God must have a
good sense of humor. The Flood occurred just two minutes after I had decided
that "today there isn't time to clean, I need to write letters."
Mom, here's some quick answers to your questions:
Yes, we get plenty of dinners, one day we
actually had two dinner appointments. It was fantastic. I eat quite a bit,
constantly actually. I love the Mexican food the members give us.
I only have one branch that I attend but
they're great people. Quantity over quality :D
Yes, it's just me and Elder Brown in our
apartment.
Yes, I'm completely comfortable
driving. I'm getting to know the area pretty well. We don't bike much, only
when we're low on miles (we have assigned miles per month.)
How do we find Latino people? Good
question. We teach about half and half, half in English and half in Spanish. We
have a few talents for recognizing the Latino homes. It's not stereotypical. It's
culture, ha, ha. Sometime we just knock a door and ask if there are any Hispanics
in the area. We make sure to identify ourselves as missionaries, not as some
immigration enforcement organization (which is why we believe some Latino
people don't answer their door, a little frustrating).
Time is running out... AGH...
The status of our area is improving. Elder
Brown and I agree that changes are in the works. One of our less-active
families was less-active because they had to work most Sundays. But now the
Brother doesn't work Sundays and he and his family will be able to attend
church each week!
I'm learning not to believe
in coincidences, but to recognize those special occurrences as small
miracles. A few days ago while Elder Brown and I were tracting, we met a father
working in his front garden. Turns out he's from Russia and only speaks
enough English to say that he doesn't speak English but speaks Turk. Now here's
the "coincidence". Elder Brown and I, two Spanish speaking
missionaries, happened to have a couple copies of the Book of Mormon in Turk.
(We had ordered them a few days earlier because one of our member's had a
Russian friend that they wanted to give a Book of Mormon to). So we told the
guy in the garden that we'd back in two minutes (using an eclectic mix
of finger signals). We went back to the car, grabbed the Turkish copy and
returned to the guy. As we began inviting him to read it, his son came out and
met us. The guy's son could speak English so he acted as
an interpreter for us. We learned that they were Muslim but they
agreed to take the Book of Mormon and study it. BOOYEAH. Seed planted.
OH, Thank you for the cookie ingredients!** I
love that you sent all those ingredients. We made some yesterday morning. They
were a bit of a science experiment but still tasty, sugar is sugar. We
delivered them to a few investigators. It was thoughtful to include a letter to
Elder Brown, he's been homesick and has been thirsty for letters. We are also
working well together.
I thought of you all during conference! Dad I
thought of you especially during the Priesthood session, thank you for being an
example of a faithful and strong priesthood holder throughout my life. I've
been able to participate in several blessings out here in the field. They've been
great experiences. We watched the sessions in English (thankfully), with
the exception of one talk by Elder Fallaba of the Seventy. He had such a strong
accent that Me and Elder Brown decided it would be easier to understand the
Spanish translation broadcast. I am surprising myself at how much I'm able to
understand now. I’m far from fluent but I'm making strides each week. Church is
true. Thank you and I love you all!! Got to go. Have a good week! Read your
scriptures and pray EVERY DAY. Adios! LES QUIERO!
**(Lest you wonder why I'd send cookie ingredients and not the actual cookies to Kevin, you have to know that Kevin bakes really good cookies. He learned years ago when he realized that if he made them, they would get made more often, and he could eat them more often. It all comes back to food. I figured they would be better hot out of the oven than cold out of a package. They must have been a science experiment because of Ohio's lower elevation and its effects on baking. We are suffering at home with no one to make good cookies. Krysta tried yesterday, but accidentally left out the butter leaving us with cookies that no one would eat. Erin makes great banana bread; Camille is Kevin's heir apparent in the cookie department.)
