Keep Going!

Not to say I'm counting, but today marks a year left of the mission. It's sad, and it's exciting. This week was quite unique.

WE spent ALLLLLLLLL DAY EVERY DAY in the sun talking to people and looking for someone to teach or help. All that work ended up very fruitful. Actually, about like this orange: 0. Nothing, nothing, nothing. But at least it did so in a variety of entertaining manners. :)

For example, we found a lukewarm marriage and very enthusiastic children. We taught them about baptism, prayer, and church attendance, we came back the next day, and the parents didn't want anything. We helped the kids with their math (there's worse apostasy in math than in religion here) and then I received a bit of my childhood revenge with the most obnoxious child I have ever met. He threw water at me and SOAKED ME. almost getting my scriptures, which was my real worry. He moved the table every time his sister started writing. He tried robbing our bikes from us and then when we locked them together, started taking them apart. Then he started throwing a metal tent rod at us and started drawing all over his sisters homework. He told us he didn't like us and we were bad people in a way loaded with swearwords, both in spanish and english. Then he played his cop siren really loud right by us. What did we do? We taught him the dirtiest naughtiest most offensive swearword in the english language so he could at least focus on one problem: Peanut butter jelly. :) At least he cleaned up his language. :) I think that was the highlight of a stinking difficult day. :) It was SSUUUPER difficult.

Every day of the week last week was out in the sun looking for someone to teach because for some reason the 10 investigators that were progressing two weeks ago kinda burnt out. Oh well. Bye bye O* and G*. In the past two weeks, we've found 32 investigators. The only one that was progressing decided to move to a place called Puertocitos, about 2 hours from San Felipe and without cell service. I can't believe someone would go and built a city where there wasn't cell service!!!!!

Anyway, we got to church worried about what would happen with church attendance, and nobody of those 32 people came. The interesting thing is that the branch members, unknowledgeable and imperfect as they may be, certainly do their missionary work well. They brought 3 people to church that we had never even seen before. God does His work, with us or without. Isn't that comforting. :)

You ever seen that upside down cup thing where it's full of water? We did that with a member. It was pretty funny. We filled up a plastic cup with water and then put it upside down on the table. Hermana G*'s 12 yr old daughter, M*, picked it up and got ALL wet. Then they did it again, and got her 15 yr old brother, J*. They did it again and got his friend with it too. :) It's a pretty good prank. :) Just try not to do it on wood, because water can stain it pretty bad.

I know I already sent a bit about it last week, but it really does help. It changes things. Every night I've tried to think of all the people who have helped me or others and given me an example of christlike attributes. It changes me. President Eyering told us about it in his talk, "the priesthood man". It really surprises me every time. Time and time again, I realize just how much God loves me.

Actually, I've been learning more and more personally that I am a child of God. You are too. We might say, "I'm bad at (fill in the blank)" or "Im easily frustrated", but not I'm a child of God, with eternal potential. We might also say, “I might struggle to learn (fill in the blank)” or “I might lack patience,” but the only thing we really are is a child of God.

Another thing. I've learned is that it's really really easy to almost leave the mission, to almost leave the church, or to almost give up. I am convinced that President Monson almost gave up. Everyone does it. Ammon did it. There is no one that doesn't. Everyone gets discouraged and doubts their core beliefs. I learned a really useful trick to help me in these times, because many times, we're too scared to even acknowledge it. I was really down in the dumps one night. I couldn't sleep, I was sick, and there were some serious regrets running through my mind. It happens. It will. I sat down and wrote every single one of them out that I could think of. Then I prayed to ask for help in identifying the truth from the falsehood of the situation. I felt like a failure in more than one way. In more than five ways. I wrote it out and acknowledged it. Then I prayed to ask for God's perspective and when I wrote a second time, things seemed better. :) Maybe it could help you. :)

Anyway, good week, still alive, pretty interesting in a rather dull way. Enjoy your life! :)