Okay, what all happened this
week.
Elder Velasco's mom came up the
day it happened to be my turn to be in the hospital with him, so I got to talk
to her and his dad (he had been up here since Sunday). They're both really
interesting people, and rather desillusioned with religions in general but were
really well impressed with how well everyone treated each other in the church
and particularly with how we've been taking care of their son. His mom was
saying something about how she always sees the missionaries down there in
Mexico (supposedly it's like the "utah of Mexico") and now she will
always try and help them however she can, she'll listen to them, she'll give
them water and food if they need it...etc. I was talking with Elder Velasco
after they left for the night and he said he thinks all this happened to him so
that they would come up here and see how the church is and get interested.
We'll see what happens.
But he's already been sent down
to Mexico. (By the way, when you're in Mexico and people way
"Mexico," they're talking about the state or the city.) There wasn't
a specialist here in Monclova to be able to operate on his hip.
Luis has disappeared. Remember
what I said about why it's hard here? You find awesome, super duper people and
then they disappear. People don't bother checking planners or agendas here, so
they'll tell you come at 6 on Tuesday or whatever, we show up and turns out
that they're working or went out of town or shopping. We've had to drop way too
many investigators just because we set appointments and then they disappear and
then we never manage to localize them. That's what's happened to Luis. I hope
we can find him.
Maribel! She didn't come to
church this week because she went to La Madrid, a teeny tiny town about an hour
away, for fathers' day. By the way, HAPPY FATHERS' DAY! But she told us about
her experience last week in the church. She says she's never felt as good as
she did in the church. She says she just felt like "this is the right
place for me," her words. Best quote from her this week (and she has a ton
of these quotes): "So, um, I heard a word in the church and I didn't
really understand it but it really called my attention. What was
it...member....something member." "Active member?" "Yeah!
Let's say, if I get baptized, could I become an active member some day?"
Awkward silence. "Well, yes. That's kind of the point." "Oh,
okay. I want to do that." She also says she's already received a response
from God that this is what she should do with her life. She was even already
asking us about what it's like to be a missionary and if she could do it
someday and was talking about getting her parents (one Catholic, one Christian)
to come to church. She's so AWESOME! It's so cool when you get to the point
with an investigator when it's "I already know it's true and I want to go
through with it, what can I do to prepare myself?" From this point out,
it's easy and fun to teach. Well, more than normal. We just hope she'll be
ready for the opposition that's bound to come.
We also started in earnest with
a Leticia and Luis, a young Catholic couple. It's so much fun to teach them.
They just heap questions on us. They read EVERYTHING, which is amazing because
nobody here really reads. I know a lady that left the church because they asked
her to read in Sunday School. It's kinda weird because we gave them a pamphlet
of the Restoration and they liked it and didn't have any problem. So we gave
them the pamphlet of Plan of Salvation and THAT'S where the doubts came out,
all about Adam and Eve. Normally IF a Catholic has a problem with the doctrine,
it comes out the Restoration. It's the Jehovah's Witnesses that get worked up
about Adam and Eve. But whatever. We gave them a Book of Mormon and assigned
them to read Alma 32 (Luis says he has a hard time believing in something he
can't touch or see), 2 Nephi 2 (For their doubts about Adam and Eve) and 3
Nephi 11 (which Leticia said she read that one first because she like the sound
of Jesus coming to the Americas). They haven't been able to come to church
because they're always busy in their business, a cake bakery (or whatever a
Pasteleria is called in English), but she says she's determined to come this
Sunday.
We have CAMBIOS tomorrow! I'm
staying here in Frontera (which means I'm going to be here for the whole darn
Canicula just about) and Elder Stensrud is going off to Saltillo (the lucky
duck). My new companion is coming from Elder Stensrud's new area in Saltillo,
so they're just switching places. Cool thing about my new companion: his name
is Elder Briggs, his trainer was Elder Alcala and started in Aurora 2. Sound
familiar? We both started in the same area with the same trainer. Cool thing
about our "dad" (trainer): he is the new assistant.
I'm excited to have him coming.
I've heard a bit about him before and all great things, and I also know him a
little bit from leadership conferences, and he's really calm and pretty cool.
Let's see how this transfer goes.
Looking at the rest of the
elders that are going to be in our Zone, I think it's going to be a fun
transfer. We're getting a few really good, obedient and focused elders and a
few of our troublemakers are leaving to other zones, so it's going to be a lot
more tranquilo around here. Also, let's hope nobody goes bullfighting cars in the
highway again. Good grief.
In church a returned missionary
who had served in this ward came back and visited. Several of his converts were
still active and all the members remembered him. One sister came up and told me
to come back so that I get received the same way. I think I would like that, to
come back and visit. The problem is that to bring family with me there should
be somewhere to enjoy ourselves too, and there's nothing here in Monclova or
Saltillo. And least not to spend an extended holiday.
Oh well.
Well, that's all I have this
week. Hasta luego! Los quiero mucho muy bastante!
Elder Taylor
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