Living the Life

My face

My comp.  She is crazy. jaja

Wanilda didn't really get that they were suppose to be scary faces. Pablo made so much fun of her.

Classic Pablo.

HALLOWEEN

I’m going to start with my ponderize scripture, Alma 38:5 “I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day.” I have had some hard afflictions the last few months and my family has too and my comps and my friends and converts and just everyone around me but this week I have seen the promise of the last part of that scripture. I really feel like the Lord is lifting me up!!! I literally just feel all my burdens lifted. I was having a hard time in our area. I didn’t want to keep going to people that didn’t want to progress but it’s hard to not, because we have no one else. We have just been looking for new people like crazy. We have found some, but no one really that interested. But I am seeing so many miracles from this last week. I’m going to start with the first of the week. 

Tuesday we called some hermanas that we planned to visit and do splits with. She had been sick so we were worried about them. She told me that she was going home, but not because she had been sick. She was depressed. We asked if we could go see her right then. So we went and I have never seen someone like this. She was just crying and crying. So much for all our hermanas being chill. I didn’t know what to tell her. Anything I said she just erupted in mumbling “I want to go home. I want to go home.” I just held her and shared a few scriptures. We soon found that the comp was worse off because she had been locked up in the house with her like this for a few weeks. So we decided they should go out and work. I was left with the crazy one. We could hear her crying and talking to herself in the other room. It was so strange, she would be just fine one second talking about boys and laughing and then she would start to cry uncontrollably. It was so sad but I was just praying the whole time for her. They have her talking to a therapist and hopefully she will be able to do her treatment here in the mission so she doesn’t have to go home..... poor Hermana Mcdougal. Her first full week as an hermana leader was kind of crazy. 

So then the next day we had to go to Asuncion for leadership meetings. On the bus I saw an old investigator, and she told me her husband just died and would like us to come over that same day!!! It was such a miracle. We went and we just taught her the plan of salvation. It was such a cool experience. 

Friday we had splits with some hermanas. I went with a latina and it was way fun but it rained all day and the latinas are really scared of rain so that was interesting. I had to calm her down a few times. The weather has been so crazy lately. It’s so hot one day and the next total is a disaster. 

The other hermanas from San Lorenzo met this musical man in the street. He was playing the guitar. They invited him to church and he came twice and he just moved to our area! These things never happen to us!!! His name is Jose Maria, haha everyone is named that or for girls Maria Jose.... but he is really great. He wants to get baptized. He just needs to learn to listen when we are teaching him. He has a problem with that. ... 

HALLOWEEN!!!! So we had a great idea to carve a big box with Pablo and Wanilda and then light it on fire!!! It was so fun. The fire started out small and then got so huge... the cops may have come but they weren’t mad. They had just seen the flames and wanted to see what was going on... that may not have been a good example for the girls. I won’t be telling other missionaries about this but it was so funny. At the end there was this big twister of fire and Pablo was like “the spirits are free”!!! haha The best part is we live by the cemetery... Wanilda was like “What are people going to think of the Mormons? they are just going to be like ‘I don’t know them but one day I saw them behind the cemetery burning things.” hahahah anyway I just love them so much there down for anything. 

Highlight of the week, I get to church on Sunday and who is there, IVANA! I’m not sure if you guys know her but she came to church a while back with her whole family. She was a reference from that American, Andrew. Look up the pic I sent of a bunch of people at church. She is the girl two to the right of Hermana Austin. Anyway, she was there. Afterwards she told us that she had been in her car and had some time to kill and opened to 2 Nephi 31!!! One of the best baptism chapters ever! She was so hard to find and nothing really happened with her when she came to church. But she said she took this as a sign.  She is having a hard time so she came to church. She told us so many crazy things like “ya I stopped drinking alcohol and coffee.” It’s so cool. She is so prepared. We had a lesson with her today, which is part of why I’m writing so late. Well, first we had to go to the office. In the morning they called and said I had to go to migrations, which was a lie. It was a secret choir practice. They just knew I wouldn’t want to do it. We are going to have practices every Sunday from now on. So we were worried we weren’t going to get back in time for our appointment at 11. It was the only time she could do it, so of course, we didn’t care about our p day, you go when the people can meet you. Side note: today the buses decided to go on strike. They are always striking. So there are like no buses but we were able to find one and we got home. Huge miracle. We taught her about the Restoration. She speaks English really well. She lived in California. It’s weird speaking English but it just went so well. I was so happy. She is such a miracle. She told us that everything she believes she finds in the church and she feels like she has found her place after 24 years!!!! I haven’t found anyone like her since Pablo! and she doesn’t have drinking problems so it’s so great! hahah Not only does she want to change, she wants to convert her whole family. She said “I know this is the place for my family!” So cool!!! We have another lesson Wednesday but I don’t think I will be here. Stupid splits, oh well... 

That’s all for the week. I love you all. Can you believe its November!!!!  

Love you all, xooxoxoxoxox

Hermana Ball 

PS: This week I had a “Best Two Years” moment. A car pulled over and asked for directions and I told them... You can tell you have been in San Lorenzo too long when you know the streets better than the locals. It was a cool moment for me.