Singing in the RAIN

Hola mi familia :]

This week has been full of unexpected situations. We were planning on having our investigator R go to an FHE at a members house last week. 30  minutes before we were suppost to have the lesson it started down pouring! The ground on our appartment complex flooded because the storm was so bad!! Sad to say R couldnt make it to the FHE activity because its super dangerous to drive in standing water. But we were able to teach Hermana A and her 3 little grand babies!!!  So to make them focus I taught the first vision of jospeh smith using sour patch kids HAHAHA. I wasnt being disrespectful I just wanted them to learn about the first vision. I promised them after the lesson they could have some sour patch kids and they were sooo attentive after that :] and they understood the first vision.

We were able to teach a new lady T who accepted a baptismal date right after we taught her the first lesson! it was so cool and she really wants to learn more. :]

R is good but a hard investogator. We taught him the law of chastity and he easily accepted to follow it! then last night we taught tithing and he had a problem with it because he belives we should just give as much as we want. but its okay hes progressing little by little and i know someday SOON he will be baptized. Hes a great guy.

Panchito the old member is funny. he bikes to see our investigators. everytime he sees me he goes "Jjjjaaaeger!" Haha hes happy he finally is able to pronounce my name :]

This week we've had a hard time teaching people. We talked to EVERYONE but very few would let us in a dn teach. My comp and I went to knock a house which the person was taught awhile ago, her name was E. This 23 year old kid with an eyebrow piercing opened the door hahaha.  I said, "Hi um does an E live here?" He said no and kept looking at us so I thought well heck what a good opportunity to share the gospel! So as I started to explain that we were missionaries his friend comes from the other room, no shirt on, skinny as a stick, long hair and you could tell right away he was smoking something. He stood behind the otehr guy and looked at me and said, "You have pretty eyes" HAHAHA I instantly said, "Oh thanks. Okay well have a great day!" And we walked away. Later that night I told Hermana O'Neill, "People are going to remember you by the girl with the glasses" she laughed and replied "and you are going to be remembered by the girl with the pretty eyes" Hahaha i cannot tell you how many times weird guys have complemented on my eyeballs. 

I know the work will not go forward without the help and support of the members! We are not suppost to knock doors anymore. We are suppost to receive new people to teach through the members. this week we have a few lessons set up with members which i pray will go well.

This past week had an amzing family drop us. We walked in the hosue and all the kids were excited to see us. We sat down and the mom who is super catholic explained she respects us as missionaries but because we believe differently and read from different books she doesnt want us to teach her family anymore. This was hard because a few weeks ago we had an amzingly spiritual lesson with the dad and kids. As the wife spoke the father just sat there with his head down. I know he wants to learn more about this gospel, but also doesnt want contention in the family. They handed us back the book of mormons and my heart just dropped. I told them i respect their beliefs and just like them, my religion is my life. We left with a prayer and said goodbye. The kids were sad and so were we. But I pray one day the mom will have an open heart to hear of this gospel again.

Two hours later we were teaching another lady, there we met her 20 year old daughter M. The spirit was so strong in the lesson and she asked for us to come by her house and teach her more. At that moment I realized, God knows exactly which people are ready to listen and change for this gospel and which aren't. God allowed at that moment for L and his family to stop seeing us so we can have mroe time to teach M who is ready to change. I know this is the lords work and its important to follow his guidance to attcheive,

The past week it has been extremely HOT.  As I bike down the looong roads in the hot Texas sun with my super grande backpack I cant help but imagine my savior when he had to carry his cross, alone, down a long lonely road. My testimony of my savior grows more and mroe as the days go by. I know he suffered for all of us so we dont have to suffer alone. Hes felt our pains, afflictions, difficulties, temptations. Hes been there! But through it all he loved those that cursed him, bore his pain with patience, and did the fathers will. He is the perfect example of enduring to the end. when times are rough he's there to lift up my spirits. He's the reason why I keep moving forward. I keep biking the extra miles. Keep visiting the investigator who has no time to listen. Keep acting on my faith in God.

I love this work. I love being a representative of christ. I know things happen for a reason. Some days the sun shines brighter then others. But even as the storms of life pass over me, i still find myself singing in the rain!!!