Hey Family! Week 2.5! I made it! It's amazing how much has happened this week. It feels like I've been here an eternity, and I can't even really fathom how much time has passed since being at home, but it's super great here. This week I've seen so many miracles and tender mercies, which has been really wonderful to see labors of working hard.
We had a Zone Conference this week, which is where the mission president comes and teaches the Zone different things for us to work on. It was very inspirational and awesome! President Maluenda talked a lot about the importance of asking everyone we talk to for referrals and working as hard as we can, and being super obedient. So we have been doing all we can to be exactly obedient, and cool things have been happening :)
Sunday morning we woke up, I made breakfast, and we were getting ready for church. We called one of our investigators who had committed to come to church, and he was like "what time is it?" and we said "it's 8! You have an hour to be ready and be there!" and he said".. no it's 9:00. the time changed." What? Yikes! Being separated from the outside world has downsides. We had absolutely no idea the time was changing, and our ghetto little phone didn't change until about 10. Ha ha. Oops, so we were late to church, but our investigator came!
I sent mom a bunch of pictures she can forward on, and here are some of the stories behind them. We have meals with members almost every day, and they alsways give us things, usually in the form of food, but this week we got a very special surprise. Hermana Paz had hair accessories for us "since we were rubios [blondes]." As you can see, I'm NOT actually a Rubio, but it was super nice of her ;) We bike 2 times every week, and we were biking yesterday in the rain and this little dog was following us. So I sent a picture of the dog and of our bikes, locked to a stop sign. We live a fancy life, I'm telling you :)
Oh, I think I sent some random pictures of a neighborhood on accident. They're not that important, (I can't tell what the pictures are of when I send them, so sorry this is super unorganized). Also I think I sent pictures of my apartment? Maybe? Maybe not. Let me know :) And I sent you a picture of a little trash heap with some Cactus in it. Because that's how we roll in Texas!
I actually really love it here. I always envisioned Texas to be hot and dry with cow skeletons and cacti everywhere, right? But it's almost tropical! There are really tall palm trees all over, and little Resacas (ponds surrounded by trees and grass and stuff) and groves of trees, and it's really pretty. The people are just so wonderful, too. We go and have dinner and appointments with members all the time and they're the nicest people in the world! They just open right up and tell you everything about their life and they're so adorable :)
We had dinner with one family who asked if I was related to and of the famous Reynolds, and I said no but I was related to Mitt Romney, and they were so impressed and excited! They were like "We voted for him!" and the wife then commented that he was really hot. Awkward.. They also gave us pineapple with Miguelito on it - it's a mixture of chili powder and salt and sugar. It's surprisingly delicious and addictive :)
Okay, here's a cool spiritual story of the week. We have this investigator named Leonardo, and he hasn't been committing to anything. He's interested, but keeps saying he doesn't want to change because he doesn't want to get better and then fall back. So we were talking with him on Saturday and trying to understand what his concerns are, and I felt impressed to share Matt 11:28-30. I told him that the Atonement was there for him right now, not when he's worthy or better, but right now. But in order to do that we need to act. I felt this powerful energy helping me call him out and be super stubborn and strict with him (thank you, Stubborn Romney genes), and I was pretty upfront and strict. I think most people would have been scared, but it was exactly what he needed and he committed to church and came! Yay! It was really awesome.
There is a lot of adjustment happening and it's hard sometimes, but once we're working I am just so happy :) It's the best to be able to say "I'm a representative of Jesus Christ!" and to be doing what he would be doing if he were on the earth.
God is good! The work is true! Stay strong :)
Love you lots
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