20 Junio 2011

¡HEY HEY HEY mi familia bonita! How's it going? Are you all dying of
heat or what? Today in Cuenca is super beautiful! We played Ultimate
Fresbee again. We haven't played in 3 weeks because we hadn't gotten
permission the last 2 weeks, so we were all super happy to play. Now
we're writing emails...

I'm glad everyone had a good week, especially Daddy. I'm jealous of
your new iPad Padre! I'm excited to SEE it and BORROW it, when I come
home...in 13 months haha. I hope you had great Father's Day. It stinks
that we can't call on Father's Day, but Christmas will be here sooner
than we think. Time is flying! I'm already half way through this
transfer...crazy!

Well, I'll get started on telling you all the things that happened
this week, especially because I don't have a lot of time. AHHH...

Tuesday we had our district meeting. I had made cream cheese
chocolate chip cookies, which were kinda sort of an epic fail (because
we don't have a beater in the house, opps). Nevertheless, the Elders
were happy to have American cookies. We also got mail, which I got two
DearElder letters. Hermana Barker got her flight plans too. It's
such a weird feeling to have a companion who is about to end her
mission. She is definitely focused and we're working hard, don't get
me wrong. It's just a weird feeling, because that day for me is
forever away, haha. However, I am so grateful I still have year left!

Last week, Hermana Barker and I got switched into a different
district, I don't know why, but now we're in Elder Sandberg's
district. Wednesday afternoon/evening he and his companion came to
the church building for the baptism interviews of Ximena and Isreal.
After the interviews, we did divisions; so Hermana Barker went with
one sister and me, another sister, and the Elders went to visit la
familia Quituysaka. On Monday night, they had told us that they
couldn't get baptized for the 18th, so went to talk to them and see
what we could do to help. This was definitely a learning experience
for me. Even though I know exactly were this family lives, we missed
the bus stop because I was explaining to the Elders the situation and
wasn't paying attention to where we were. We ended up getting off
like 5 or 6 blocks down the street, so I paid for a taxi to take us to
their house. Once we were dropped off, climbed up a hill, and arrived
at their house, we discovered that Juan wasn't home because he was
visiting his dad. And since there wasn't a man in the house, we
couldn't teach. Piedad had also told us, that someone broken into her
sister's (Nidia, who was baptized in May) house. So then we walked
down to Nidia's house to see if we could help, but she wasn't home.
At this point in time, it was super dark, and I only knew one way to
get to the street to go to the bus. So we ended up going down a hill,
with no light. I probably fell down like 3 times. I felt SO BAD for
everything that happened! But at least we were all laughing as we were
struggling to walk down a hill in the dark.

Thursday for our weekly service, we went to help Maria Prado deliver
lunches. It was pretty cool, except for I stepped in a muddy hole and
had a wet and dirty foot all day. After the service, she gave us
lunch and we taught her a lesson. In the afternoon, we went to teach
la familia Salinas-Muñoz. Ivan's birthday was Monday, so we taught a
lesson, ate ice cream, and gave him his present (a blue tie for
church, because he didn't have one). It was great to teach them
because we hadn't been able too as much as we did before they got
baptized. In the evening, we had a really great lesson with Clifton
St. Felix (Francia's cousin). Two recent converts came with us to
teach him who had a similar situation as him. He is really confused
with what to do, because he likes the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, but he attends a different church and says that he
feels good in both churches. He's such a great kid and knows what he
needs to do to get his answer. I'm just hoping and praying he does
those things and receives his answer, really soon. He told us he'd
like to serve a mission and he asks tons of questions about the rules
we have, haha. He's 24, so he would have to get baptized really soon
so he can leave before he turns 26.

Friday we went back to teach Maria Prado. Just for chance, Nidia,
Ivan, and Fernando were there. They all shared their testimonies of
how the gospel has changed there lives, which made me super happy.
And then Maria accepted the date to be baptized on July 23rd!!!! She
is really receptive and loves listening to the messages of the gospel.

Saturday was super great also. We had the baptism of Isreal Infante
and Ximena Puchi. It was a very small baptism, only a couple ward
members, Isreal's wife, daughter, and in-laws, and the missionaries
(us, Elder Sandberg, and Elder Fares). Elder Sandberg baptized both
of them and Hermana Barker and I sang "Teach Me to Walk in the Light"
in Spanish and English. There's nothing much more to say about this
baptism service, but that it was great, peaceful, and the spirit was
there. What more could you ask for? Isreal had to leave right after
he was baptized because he had to work, but after Ximena Puchi bore
her testimony. She is such a storng young woman and she's going to be
a wonderful in the church, I just know it.

Sunday Ximena and Isreal were confirmed and received the Holy Ghost.
Isreal came staight from work, tired, but super happy. Another thing
that made me happy was that during Relieft Society I sat next to
Ximena, she asked to borrow a pen and took notes, she is seriously
amazing.

That's all the exciting and great things (and some not so great
things) that have happened this week. This week's e-mail isn't super
long, which means the week was good too. Hermana Barker and I are
continuing to work hard and trying to find more people to teach. The
Gospel of Jesus Christ is still helping and changing people's lives.
And the Lord is helping me and strengthening me every day.

I love and miss you guys! Have a great week!

Love,
Hermana Smith