So, lots of cool stories to share this week.
The first one. We were out walking trying to contact some formers, and there was one that wasn’t on the street we thought they should be at, and we were right at the edge of our area so we were half heartedly going to check out the next street. When we decided to stop and buy ice cream cones. Hna Solorzano was trying to pay for mine with her last 2 dollars and I was telling her not to worry about it because I was still pretty rich and had a whole 8. Anyways, the guy working there heard us and just gave them to us for free. MIRACLE. Then we went to this street that Hna Solorzano said she had never been down, because I told her, “I have a good feeling about this street.” We were walking along and I really felt like knocking this door. As you know we are not supposed to knock doors, and I really hate knocking doors because I’m as socially awkward here as I was at home, but I got this really sick feeling in my stomach when we started to leave. So, Hna Solorzano and I sat down and ate our ice cream cones so, that we could look more professional with our door approach. Anyways, this house had no signs that the people inside were Hispanic or anything, but the guy who answered the door is named Rodolfo and he’s from Guatamala and he has a baptismal date for the 26th of May now. MIRACLE.
Second one. We decided on a lesson with Luis in the visitor center, and we were going to watch God’s plan for his family and then talk a little bit about the plan of salvation. So, we listen to the christus presentation, then watched the video, and when we started teaching the lesson is when it got crazy. So, we start asking him if he ever has wondered what the purpose of life is and he says something a long the lines of “Well no, I know that there’s a reason why I’m here.” Ok, not that unusual of a response and so we start to ask about where we came from and he says, “Well, we used to live with God but it wasn’t like here we were all spirits.” What!? Then he starts talking about all the experiences he’s had in life and how they’ve been so that he can learn and grow. Like how he left his parents house early so and how that made it possible for him to learn a lot. So, I started to compare that to Adam and Eve when he cuts me off and says, “Yeah, I don’t know why everyone thinks it’s a bad thing that they ate the fruit. I don’t think we’d exist if they hadn’t.” It was so crazy. MIRACLE. He also has a date for the 26th.
Third. The branch did a cultural night and it was a lot of fun. They did traditional Mexican dances, a couple of guys sang ranchera songs, and a couple from the branch, who are professional opera singers, sang as well. Then we all ate Mexican food and it was a good time had by all. It was lots of fun, and I was glad that we got to go because Carmen actually preformed in one of the dances. She’s really active in the ward. She just needs to finish the lessons, quit smoking, and get baptized.
Fourth and last. We have some investigators who we hadn’t really ever had the chance to invite to church so, the night before we decided we’d swing by their apartment in the morning and invite them. We knew they’d probably say they were too busy because the 2 year old was going to be having some huge birthday party that night, but we decided to give it a shot. Anyways, the 2 sisters were the only ones home and they said they needed to clean and blah de blah. So we told them to get ready and while they did we’d clean the apartment. They accepted, we found them a ride, cleaned the whole place in 30 minutes, and still made it on time to take the sacrament. Hardcore.
Anywho, in summary. It was a good week but a long week. We did a lot of walking because I’m not really down with getting back on a bike. Hna Solorzano for some reason is fine on a bike but not walking. So, one of the pictures is her asleep still in her skirt and everything after planning one night.
That’s about all I’ve got to say. I love you all. People should write me more letters because I’m really home sick, and I hope all is well with you.
Love,
Rachel Face
Questions
Please tell me a little bit about your companion. Where is she from? Are her family members of the church? Does she come from a large or small family?
Hna Solorzano is from Nicaragua. She doesn’t like Costa Rica. She has one sister and a brother who passed away when he was little. Her family are members of the church. She loves me a lot, and when she gets sick she lays in bed and yells, “Hug me, kiss me! Sistercita! Sistercita? I love you.” Then it goes something like this, “Hermana Holly? Holliiidey. Are you ignoring me?”
I also attached pictures from when she got her hands stuck in a picnic table. We were having a family home evening with some people from the branch and investigators. Our investigator Carmen is the one putting lotion on her fingers to help get her out. Yeah, that really happened, and I really did just take pictures instead of helping.
Do you ever feel like the areas you work in are dangerous?
In my old areas there were some pretty sketchy apartment complexes. In this area there’s only one. Otherwise it’s by far the safest area I’ve been in. Actually I think out of the 3 areas I’ve been in they’ve been getting progressively safer.
What artists or types of music do you want me to send in your next package?
Probably mostly just instrumental stuff. Maybe some opera. No efy. And if you send me a cd called “The Work” I will probably kill myself. Really, I hate that cd more than words can describe.
