Espero que todo esta bien con todos. So it is the middle of July. Already. I can seriously hardly even believe this! Time is FLYING. We had a really good week. We experienced some kind of random things this week that I really did not expect. First off we found a new investigator at the beginning of the week who accepted baptism in the first lesson. This lesson was AWESOME. I felt the Spirit testifying and she was really excited. She made sure that she had our phone number and that we would be coming back the next day, she even said that we could come early if we wanted to. So the next day we showed up for our appointment with her and she was not there and would not answer our phone calls. Later in the week we called her and she answered, then when she found out who it was she hung up on us. Yeah. It was sad because I know that she really felt the truth of the message, but I also know the the adversary works so hard after a time of light. This woman lives in one of the shadiest parts of the city, she is black and not even kidding you, her name is Moquesha. Can you imagine if she accepted the gospel, was baptized and really started to understand who she is and what she really can do? She could live COMPLETELY differently than she is now but I don't think that she could even imagine living a different way. We see this all of the time. These people don't know any different because of the way that they were raised, but a good amount of them are living off of the government month to month and suffering from horrible addictions. I have never seen so much substance abuse or really so much abuse period. It makes me feel sick because we can only do so much, and what we can do is completely based on whether they choose to let us help them. Every day my heart goes out to these people and I love them more and more. Although I feel so sad when others choose to not even listen to what we have to say I also feel so incredibly blessed to be able to see these things, to show me what things to REALLY avoid. I know now more than I have ever known in my entire life what I want. Sometimes I think of a mission as having a whole life's worth of experience in a year and a half. I continually and grateful for this mission and especially for this area. Above all I am thankful for goodly parents who showed me how to work hard, who showed me that it is necessary to be self-sufficient. So many people have not had anything close to this.
The day that we went back to Moquesha's house and she was not home, we were tracting and we knocked this door and this woman named Barbara came out. She let us in and we had an incredible lesson with her. She also committed to be baptized and she also did not show up for the return appointment the next day. This was a week full of ups and downs, such a roller-coaster ride! You know what? Such is life. Sometimes I want to just not get excited over anyone who commits to do something or over an awesome lesson because a good amount of the time it does not turn out how we hope that it will and then it feels like we go our hopes up and they were dashed.. I am not going to stop getting excited though. I am not going to stop holding in the my squeal of excitement until I get to the car. I am going to continue to squeal after something exciting happened and smile so much that my cheeks hurt at the end of the day, because I know that "men are that they might have joy". Although these things may have not turned out the way that we would have liked, who are we to say that our teaching and our excitement was in vain? Dios sabe, todo.
The temperatures are supposed to soar for the next 13 weeks! This guy at church told us that it is supposed to reach temperatures of up to 120 degrees! Wow. I thought 110 was bad. Pray that we don't melt okay? Remember the Wicked Witch of the West? Yeah. That happened here people!!! It must have been a really dry and hot summer like this one in the Wizard of Oz...sorry couldn't help making a Dorothy joke, you knew it was bound to happen sometime. :D
So a quick, funny, and typical story. A few weeks ago we were at the gas station filling up the car. I was the one filling up and Hermana Sant was sitting in the car with the windows rolled down. As I was waiting for the pump to be done this black guy comes up to me and is like "What is the uniform for?"(I guess the shirt and skirt combo I was wearing looked like a uniform). I told him that I was a missionary and then I promptly turned away so as to not encourage further conversation about my wardrobe. Well that did not deter him, her then said "Giiiiiiiirl, you make that uniform look goooooood!". Not even kidding. I was trying so hard not to laugh. Then he just stood there and stared at me. After what seemed like forever he left after having said something in my companion's direction as well. Asco. This is now a joke between us. "Giiiiiirl, you make that uniform look gooooood!" If only he knew that this is the "uniform" of a missionary of the Lord, boy would he have said something different. I am attaching a picture of me wearing the "uniform". ha ha.
Thank you for the support that you all give me. It helps me so much to get letters of encouragement. Special shout out to my Mom for writing me every week, your letters always make me laugh! Thanks Nikki for being a cheerleader(ps ha ha ha HA!) and thanks Payson 11th ward for your hilarious card!
les amo muchissimo!!!
con amor,
Hermana Thorne
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