OH the elders. They keep me sane at times. Especially when we go get pizza and they spend $11 on photobooth pictures.
some things never change.
This week started off....rough? to say the least. We had the whole "break up talk" with a few of my favorite people...one of the times I didn't even know it was going to happen, so I had no time to brace myself for the blow. let's just say I had a good long talk with Heavenly Father all night Monday.
And by Tuesday, every prayer was answered. We had a zone meeting and one of the Zone Leaders said exactly what I was praying/thinking/preoccupied about. We were doing just a regular training, and right out of left field he says, "I kind of feel like some of you are feeling like you're at the bottom. That things have happened and you don't really know where to go from here. that maybe your faith is being tested more than you thought. and you're just tired..." *amen*
He said a lot, and we watched a little clip...which I wrote over 2 pages of goodness, and it was everything I needed to hear. I was finally able to concentrate again, and forget about everything that was going on.
"We can overcome something even when we don't think we have an ouce of strenth left"
*sigh* the church is true.
afterwards we had a powdered sugar fight at a pizza place with the elders and the photobooth weakness set in :) Elder Hanni also told me he would provide me with a tie to burn to celebrate my 6 months! (I hit that in a couple of days....what?!)
In other news, I got a super interesting call the other day. Two of my investigators need to get married. he only speaks spanish, she only speaks english. How the relationship works? I still ask myself that daily. Well....let's just say there was an incident, we end up at their house, and for what seemed like 2 hours we played Marriage Counselors. Two twenty something year old girls who have ABSOLUTELY NO experience dealing with relationships or marriage are the people they are looking to as "guides"...and to make it even better. We were the interpreters.
sometimes I lye in bed at night and just laugh to myself about the situations we get ourselves into.
marriage counseling 2.0 also happened a day later, and while the girl was bearing her soul about a void being in her life, he says "would like a glass of koolaide?"
again, I ask you...how?
I love them though.
We're also teaching this girl, Berenice. She's a little older than Matt I think. Married and has a 12 year old son. She's the sweetest/funniest person I've met. When she prays she always forgets how to pronounce Waters (you never really use W in spanish) and so eventually I told her Waters, like Aguas. She just cracked up and said, "what were your parents thinking? Did they see the ocean and decide to name you Water?!" Once I explained it was my last name she's like, "ohhhh....that makes a lot more sense!" and then she started laughing again because a Mexican dicho "aguas" means "Watch out!".....pretty sure every person here has told me that.
never gets old.
She also calls all her friends and says "guess what? I have two little gringitas (gringos) who come visit me!"...when her friends don't believe it she's like, "no! really. One has blue eyes and blonde hair. she's a REAL GRINGA! I've never had white girls come to my house before"
She's awesome, and we're helping her get ready for baptism next month.
Oh, and then there is my sweet sweet Maria. (sorry Jared, I'm aware I'm long winded). She's really been looking for patience and faith, and the hope that this will change her life. She's been getting a lot of heat from her husband about us and she told us last night that she almost told us she didn't want to see us anymore. But then, we randomly stopped by last night and she unloaded everything. At the end she said, "I was going to tell you not to come back. But there's something more. I want my girls to have the best, and I know there's something more here. I know with this I can change. My family can change. I want this. Please...please keep coming".
It was crazy, and I've seen so many miracles with her. Her two teenage daughters are now listening, and I just adore their entire family. Especially her 4 year old grand daughter who ran into a screen door as we were testifying about keeping the Sabbath day holy. (No worries she's fine. Once I let her start braiding my hair she forgot all about her embarrassment)
And for one more good bit of goodness, I had a guard dog chase after me, but there was as fence inbetween. When I turned around and started laughing at it (taunting perhaps?) It ran over to a TRAMPOLINE and tried to jump the fence via the trampoline. Tears. Real tears came I was laughing so hard. Pretty sure it's gonna try pole vaulting next time. Just a day in the life. Door slamming, sweat dripping and dogs jumping on trampolines.
Happy Fathers day!!
love you!
give Grady kisses for me
xoxo
kait
hermana aguas
Adorable!
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