We had a really busy week as usual here. It was really nice not getting a new companion this transfer this is a first for me! It makes things go so much easier we didn't miss a beat just kept on working. Monday we had a really fun P-day it was R birthday so we had a big lunch and then went a park and tried to teach Hispanics how to play Rugby......soccer is definitely their strength haha.
Every companionship in my district changed except for mine, so I have three new elders that i have never met before and it just so happens that all of their cars are in the shop this week at the same time so its made things interesting, I have had to give them a few rides to church and such because they live so far away. On top of that it rained this week so they had a great day walking around in that! haha our car works just fine..... I did take them some hot soup one cold rainy day.
We have a couple members who have been on fire lately giving us referrals which is really good, they just expect us to be able to drop every thing in that second and go with them to see them, i wish that were the case at times but we are so busy right now that literally we need atleast a days notice so we can fit them in! Everyone is available at night so we teach EVERYONE at night and it makes things harder to fit everyone in.
We met this family who went to our church in Mexico and had the missionaries teach them for a while but never got baptized there and now they have asked to come by and teach them at least twice a week. Their entire family lives in the same complex like 3 or 4 other apartments so there is a lot of potential that comes form that as well. They are excited to come to church next week!
We have been working with a lady that was baptized in mexico when she was 14 but moved here soon after. She has three little girls of her own and always has like 3-5 nieces over. her brother is the only boy in the family, all the kids are girls.. the family name literally has dies out now. these girls are so funny!! from ages 9-4 they are all chatter boxes and love to ask questions and play around. We were over there yesterday after church, we were casually talking about family heritage and stuff and it started talking about native americans then the girls randomly asked if i knew the rain dance, so elder steele and I were like yes of coarse we do. we stood up started hopping around on one leg and doing the indian call got all the girls up doing it, everyone was jumping around yelling like indians. When we finished they asked how long it takes for it to work, we said give it a couple days and it will rain i promise. So i woke up today with these great plans to go to a park play some basketball early in the morning and I step outside and its RAINING!!! the rain dance worked and I am not very happy about it!!! That family is so great though we have been having a lot of fun with all the little chatter boxes, they actually listen really well and are not crazy or anything if you ask them to sit they sit, to participate or answer a question they do great! They even will line up in a single file line to get a sticker. That kind of discipline is not the norm that I am used to with kids here.
Had a very interesting experience this week I will only share parts of it because its kinda of personal to me and the person that was involved.
I would like to start out by saying God exists of that I am certain, that also means Satan exists. He has power on this earth. That power we must give him, but once he has that power he uses it. In Mexico there is a lot of "black magic" or "Santa Muerte" practices some of those things that someones family members were involved with followed them here. They have always had certain experiences and understand why they happen to them. This person reached out to me and said they did not know how to bring it up but shared to experiences and asked what we could do to help. We blessed the home and then I was able to give this person a blessing. I felt the Spirit every strong and know that God took care of the problems that were there. Light always stirs up darkness that is an eternal law. I gained a much stronger gratefulness for the gospel particularly the priesthood through other experiences and especially this one. God is real of that I am still certain!
I hope you are all doing great!!!
Love Tanner
