Hunucma - Week 11

Hello everyone!

This is my second to last letter before I'm HOME. Can't believe it. Everyone has been asking how I’m feeling- and I've just been saying "excited!" I've been enjoying the little time I have left, because it's almost gone!

This week I learned how to make horchata. A member named Mayita, who used to sell it for a living, taught us how to make it. So if I get home and can't find it anywhere, I'm prepared, haha.

Saturday and Sunday we found two really great people. Earlier in the week, we passed by a member (Tere) who was outside talking to her friend.  We took advantage of the moment, introduced ourselves, and asked if she wanted to listen. She told us she was really busy, but Saturday at 2 pm we could visit her. We showed up Saturday and she was outside washing clothes.  She said she couldn't listen to us because she had a lot to wash. To help her finish faster, so she could listen, we jumped in and started helping her wash what she had left. While we washed, we started talking and she mentioned that a lot of her family had died- parents, her husband, some of her kids. She asked us what our opinion on death was and we talked to her about the Plan of Salvation, and she was really interested. She said she worried a lot for those that died, and never accepted Christ while they were alive. She told us that she would like to know if what we were saying really was true, because it gave her hope that everything doesn't end when we die. She also told us about her situation and how she helps her daughter who lives next door. Its was her daughter's clothes we were washing, and that's the only way she has money to live, she said. From what she explained, her kids treat her really awful. She makes their food for free, and they just pass by to pick it up. They aren't good either about making sure she has money to live, because a lot of days she says she goes without. I think it meant a ton to her that we were willing to help her, because she has no one who does that for her. Unfortunately, after we finished helping her wash the clothes, we didn't have time to teach a lesson. But for next week, I should have more details!

On Sunday we had a lesson with a guy named Richard.  He was another reference from Tere and her daughter-in-law,  who lives in a house behind her.  When we showed up NO one was home, so we went a little down the street to Wendy's house (Tere's daughter) and Michelle (a guy who is living with Wendy and her family) told us that they'd left and that Richard started drinking again and was with his friends. We were super disappointed, but Michelle told us "if you want, you can teach me!" Every week we with Wendy, so we've gotten to know Michelle a little, but we've never really invited him to listen because we didn't know his situation. Apparently he's had a rough life, and that's why he's living with Wendy. He said for a long time he never wanted to listen to missionaries, even though Wendy and her mom always insisted on it. He's 29, and said he started drinking at 21 or 22 yrs because of problems in his family.  He became really addicted, until a month ago. He had an accident while driving his motorcycle drunk, and the whole time he was injured, none of his drinking buddies came to see him. He said he has had 8 other accidents like that, and really has the desire to change.  He's been sober a month now and started reading the Book of Mormon.  A year ago, he listened to the missionaries and had all the lessons.  He was one Sunday short of being able to be baptized, but he fell into his addition and never made it. He said he feels like it just wasn't his time, but this last month he's thought about it a lot and really wants it. He accepted the baptismal invitation before I could even finish the question, so Hunucma will have one baptism, for sure, in 3 weeks!

Adios,
Hermana Harper

Happy Birthday Hermana Harper #22

Hermana Harper's Birthday Celebration

Hunucma - Week 10

Hola!
I Hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's day!

This week was pretty average, a little low on lessons too because my companion was sick Tuesday.  At church, it was super disappointing because NO one we invited came. And they all promised they would. We're thinking it was for the holiday though because the church attendance overall was lower than usual.

Throughout the week, we found 3 new people. The first was a reference from someone we met on the street. She said her neighbor (Jaime) was sick and suggested we visit him. His wife received us really well, and we found her husband on a hospital bed in their room. He had an accident 12 years ago, and was paralyzed from the neck down. It is such a sad story, because all his kids were little when it happened, so all growing up the wife had to care for her husband and kids. The one good thing I could see from it is that their whole family is really united and really sweet. They go to church every week too and have strong testimonies that God exists. We were only able to meet him and talk to him for a little bit before his physical trainer came to do exercises with him, but we scheduled another appointment. I hope it goes well because he says he's received lots of missionaries, but has never been interested in anything else because he believes all the churches lead to the same God.

The second person we met was Armando. We met him when he gave us a ride in his mototaxi, and he said he was interested to learn more when we talked to him. We brought a member to the first visit with him and he listened really good to the entire lesson of the restoration and accepted to be baptized. We invited him to church and he said he'd come with his wife and 2 little girls, but they didn't make it, unfortunately.

The third was a young kid (16 years) named Edwardo. We found him while looking for someone else, and had a little mini lesson on the spot with him. He said he's listened to lots of different churches and loves learning. I had a lot of hope with him, but he didn't come to church like he promised, so we will need to follow up with him.  That’s the life of a missionary though- getting excited after a first lesson, but you never really know until you get the chance to verify!

On Monday in our district "council" meeting, we were brainstorming what we needed to change to start seeing more miracles in our areas, because all of us are struggling. Everyone in our district (3 companionships) is in a pueblo, so we have a lot of the same weaknesses as far as people we are contacting. One of the companionships is a married couple, and the wife (Sister Lopez) made a comment that brought tears to all of the sisters eyes! She said she felt like we were all trying to give so much to our areas, but you can't give what you don't have.  We all know what we need to do, but just aren't quite making our goals because discouragement gets to us too often throughout the day. She gave the idea that we ask for priesthood blessings. My whole entire mission, I've never asked for one because I always felt like there was something else we needed to be doing, but I really felt the spirit when she made that comment. When we're falling short and need extra strength from God, we shouldn't hesitate to use the priesthood that God has blessed us with as members of Jesus Christ's church. I feel super thankful honestly to have that resource!

Love you all and see you SOON!

Hermana Harper

Hunucma - Week 9

Holaaa!

This week at church we had TWO new people! Yay!

One is a guy that scuba dives for a living and drives a mototaxi. We met him like a month ago because he gave us a ride in his mototaxi and he was pretty interested, just that he didn't have the time. We've run into him twice since meeting him.  He told us, because of the weather, his work got cancelled, and he wanted to go to chuch.  He actually went! It was really sweet because he said before coming he felt nervous about going, but once he sat down he felt a peace come over him.

The other was a guy who the missionaries before us taught and who's called randomly from time to time asking for them. He called Friday and said he wanted to go to church, and he went too! A member introduced us to him and he wants to start listening again.

Berenice was also at church and 2 of her kids. She's ready to be baptized pretty much, just needs to decide if she's moving or not. Her situation is a little complicated because she's separating from her boyfriend, but she's not positive where she's going to go yet.

Other things this week...

I celebrated my 22nd Birthday!!!  It was pretty normal except for lunch. We ate with a member who's husband ALSO had his birthday May 3rd.  They invited the other missionaries and put out little decorations that they had,  which was really cute.

One thing our leaders have been bugging us to do is ask for references. They've been telling us to be almost obnoxious about it and try and get the names of all possible people from them.

On Saturday night, we went looking for a guy who wasn't home that we'd contacted like 2 weeks ago and we met his neighbor (and sister-in-law) instead. We invited her to listen and she told us politely no, so then we proceeded to ask if she knew anyone who could benefit from our message. At first she said she didn't know anyone her, even her neighbors, because she's in the house all day. But, we kept insisting on who she knew who was passing through difficulties and she ended up coming up with the names of 3 of her neighbors.

The first was one we'd already met, the second wasn't home but has a super cute family that told us the next day we could come by and the third was a super awesome lady named Betty. We showed up at her house and met her son and husband who were super nice and let us in. A few minutes later she walked in and after we started talking to her a little bit she said what a miracle it was that we showed up right now in her life. She barely discovered that she had a tumor in her brain, and she said she's in need of comfort. All of her family (4 older kids that live with her) are really nervous about it too. We started teaching plan of salvation and she liked it a lot because she said she'd never heard about the pre-mortal life.

One thing that was disappointing this week is that we found Pedro passed out and drunk when we went by to see him. When we saw him later in the week, he confessed that he gave in and drank. With him, reality is starting to hit and I'm pretty sure he won't be able to get baptized super fast because his addiction is really strong. He has the desire though and asked if we could check on him everyday to help him not drink. Poor guy.

This week  we had to be in Merida again, THREE times!  Thursday they talked to us about a topic that I really liked. They said that the prophet and apostles had recently felt that as a church, we're missing something to strengthen our relationship with God.  In order to find out what that was, they all prayed and fasted together and all came to the same conclusion, which was how we're keeping the sabbath day holy. When I thought about that, it really is so true.  When I was younger, I always thought sunday was boring and how it was a chore not to get to do "fun" stuff on Sunday. I think a lot of times we feel like if we go to church, that's good enough, but it shouldn't be like that. A day is 24 hours and if you try, there's a lot that can be fun, but helps you feel the spirit too. One example I like is of charging a cell phone. If you let it only charge 10 minutes, the battery doesn't last very long. But if you leave it until its completely done charging, it lasts for days. The sabbath does that for us, gives us spriritual energy to face our week with an eternal perspecive in all our decisions.

The best news of this week...we just found out Elder Bednar is coming on the 22nd of may to speak to all the missionaries and members. And apparently he speaks Spanish. Cool right? So I’ll get to end my mission with a visit from an apostle!

Well, see you all in 3 weeks!
Love Hermana Harper