¡A LA GRAN!

Wow, is a mission hard, in a good way.

To start off ... I have a companion that doesn't speak a lick of English. So there's that. I mean I'll learn Spanish much faster this way. But it definitely comes with its challenges when you struggle to understand what people are saying in lessons. So basically I just sit there until he asks me a simple question, asks me to read something, or gives me that look that it's time for me to bear my testimony.

But other than that I consider myself pretty lucky. I'm in the awesome little town called Genova in the zone of Coatepeque. And basically all we do is walk up and down this little main brick road, occasionally taking a tuk-tuk to a different neighboring little town, sharing messages and working with three people on their journey to baptism for this coming week. We have a baptism this Wednesday and Thursday and possibly another this Thursday. We are praying for the third to happen.🤞🏼

Another thing that's pretty fun is being the only gringo in town. So as we walk around all I hear is "Hey Gringo!", "psshk Mi Visa!", and "psshk Kanche!" Or at least I think that's how it's spelled. Basically it just means white hair, like white person hair. But ya it's a blast. I also got lucky and happened to get one of the few houses in the mission with a water heater on the shower head. So that's another plus!

Oh, before I forget I did a thing. Now before I tell y'all ... I wasn't going to do this but my comp kinda botched it first...

So I needed a haircut and my comp wanted to try on me. And I explained as best as I could how I liked my haircuts. (Now keep in mind there is a slight language barrier) So I explained it to the point where I was slightly confident that he understood .... He didn't. A long story short, don't let a Latino with curly hair cut your hair if you have straight, white hair. He didn't do a great job, and as he showered I was trying to convince myself that it was good, but I couldn't. It really wasn't good. So as he was in the shower and me over-thinking and with the cutters sitting right next to me, there was only one thing that could have happened... I now have a buzz cut.... and am now not letting anyone touch my hair with a pair of clippers again until I'm home and my mom can cut my hair again. But until then ... Imma learn to cut my own hair.😂

Alrighty now for something spiritual. This week I've learned just how much the scriptures and prayer can help you when you are struggling. Getting to the point where you can accept that you are going to be gone for two years, in a different country, doing nothing but teaching in a foreign language is difficult. But as I read in the scriptures today, after praying for help and comfort, I came upon a scripture in Alma about Alma and the sons of Mosiah when they had met back up after many years.(Sorry I would link the scripture but I have forgotten which chapter and can't find it and don't have my journal on hand.) It says how Alma is joyful that the sons of Mosiah had become great missionaries and kept to the ways of God. It says that they became great missionaries through much fasting and prayer. So now I know what I must do. Cause I need to improve a lot and the easiest way to do so is the way that God would have us do it: with Him by our side. There is no better way for us to improve ourselves without Jesus walking with us on our paths to our better selves. It reminds me of a poem about Jesus and us walking on a sandy beach together. As we walk we can't see Jesus but we can see His footprints. And as we are walking on the beach (as we are walking through life) there are at times two pairs of footprints, and at times one pair. And the times when there is one pair is when life gets hard and we have trials. And in this poem we, or the person in the poem, gets upset and asks God, "Why do you leave me when I struggle? Why do you leave me when I need you most?" And the response he got was, "I will never leave you. Those times when there are but one pair of footprints, that is when I was carrying you." This is something that I've been trying to remember. When life gets hard, go to Him, talk with Him, ask for help, and He will pick you up and help you through anything and everything. I know that Jesus loves you and if you let him he can bless your life and can help you in all things, all you need to do is ask. I know this is true and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sorry for making that so long. There's just a lot that happened this week. I learned a lot. But I'll end it here.

So until next time! I'll bug ya'll later. Love you guys!!