Monday, April 8, 2013

Week 9: Miracles Just Happen

Hola todos!

I am starting to feel more at home here in Guatemala and am loving it and the mission work! There are so many small little moments that make us laugh, and I don't ever have time to write them all each day, but I will try to collect them this week and offer a sampling next week. Oh, and on Friday I taught English classes in the church! That was way fun.

This week we really focused on getting people to General Conference (Oh my goodness, I hope everybody at home watched it!! And if not, go to lds.org. SO good. Even translated into Spanish. Though I watched Jeffrey R. Holland's talk in English, because you just can't pass that up.) 

Anyway, we were trying to get as many people as possible to Conference because we knew, and had a promise from the mission president (who stops being the mission president in June and got called to the Seventy this conference) that if they went they would feel how right it is and want to know more. Here's who came...

*Benjamin, to two sessions. He wears a different article of clothing from Cuba everyday, sometimes more than one. My favorite is his Fidel Castro hat. He really likes socialism and gave us some literature about it during the opening song of the first session of conference. He has started reading the Book of Mormon, lived in Mexico for 30 years, and is very smart. I'm excited to meet with him, but it's hard to get appointments because he doesn't believe in planning anything because he believes in living for the moment. He's gonna get baptized, and it's gonna be a fun journey there.

*Estaurdo, his wife, and his seven year old daughter. He was just a contact on the street one day, but was given a Book of Mormon years ago and is curious. We met him a week and a half ago and weren't able to teach them, but we kept coming back and bugging them, and lo and behold, they came to conference! They operate a little window store out of the front room of their house, and have a white cat that always sits in the window waiting for people to come shop, but jumps down when we get there.

*Juan, who is 75 years old and just like our grandpa! He told us where to get the best doughnuts and Mazetenango and is getting baptized on the 20th.
*Patricia, who my companion found while I was convincing four barefoot neighbor kids that my blue eyes are in fact real, and teaching them how to say body parts in English. She's 28 and lives with her parents in this hidden away property full of mango trees and chickens and dogs and cats. We drank Coca Cola with her parents, who are really really nice to us despite being strict Evangelicals themselves, after the lesson.

*Tommy, who is last because he was the miracle. We were late to the Sunday morning session because we were walking all over the town trying to find people and get them to conference, all with no luck. The last straw was when we went to see this woman Sarita, who works in a tienda and was a reference from a member, and who had said she would come. But when we got there, she said she couldn't because she was waiting on her pollo, which means chicken. Determined to have her come at all costs, we sat down on the curb at 10 a.m. sharp, read her scriptures, and waited together for the people to bring the chicken for the week. When it got to 15 minutes past 10, we decided to leave. We walked down the street, and I hailed this tuc tuc motertaxi that was driving on the main road in front of us quite a distance away. I have no idea how he noticed, but he saw us and turned around and came and got us. We started talking with him, like we do with all the tuc tuc drivers, and my companion invited him to the conference. Then..... HE CAME. He parked the tuc tuc in the church parking lot and walked in and sat down with us. Afterward, with glowing eyes, he said he loved the messages and asked us to take his number and come visit or invite him to more things. AND, guess what? He LIVES IN OUR AREA. There are like 9 areas in this city, and tuc tuc drivers can be from any, but he's from ours. He actually lives in our NEIGHBORHOOD. Guys, missionary work is not this easy. But I am so excited for him.

Okay, that was a lot about people you don't know. This girl you do know is doing just fine! Loving life more and more each day and hoping every single one of you is too. You are a child of God and he LOVES you, and he is guiding your steps. Get to a point where you can catch glimpses of how he's guiding yours, and I guarantee you'll be ten times happier.

Much love to all! And a request to please send me news from your lives and the states. Happy April!

Hearts and abrazos,
Hermana Ison

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