A lot of interesting stuff happened this week!! Someone´s cow fell over and the Elders had to help lift it up, we were given free ice cream because the vender said ¨he just felt he should give it to us¨, I tried some new fruits that I didn´t know existed (jocote and tamarindo, yum) and I just realized that also someone gave us a free watermelon. Lots of exciting things related to food, what´s changed right?
The food set aside, the most exciting part of this week when we taught a couple named Ismael and Carin, Carin has a baby on the way with one month pregnant! They have a portable little shack that they set up next to the hospital where they sell clothes. Awhile back we had met them in our everday contacting hour, we joked around that while they were offering clothes for sale, we as missionaries offer the gospel of Jesus Christ, but completely free! We set an appointment with them for this week and the day we showed up they told us that from the day we met they had been impatiently looking forward to the day of our next visit. As we began to teach about who we are and what we know to be true, Ismael asked us pulling out a necklace with the cross of Jesus around his neck, ¨¨I just have one question, in your church are you against the wearing of the cross of Jesus? My Mom gave me this necklace when I was younger, and I was planning to pass it down to my child as well. But if it´s not okay I can take it off,¨¨. We quickly assured him that it wasn´t prohibited to wear a cross necklace, rather that in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints we prefer to focus on the living image of Jesus, as we know that the third day he was resurrected, and continues to work miracles and direct his church in the world today. However all this time I was dumbfounded at his willingness to so freely give up a family heirloom, in hopes to put his life more in line with what he believed was God´s will. He taught me a great lesson of faith, and courage that no matter what we have been taught from our parents, or what traditions have been passed from generations back, our salvation depends on our willingness to give up our will for the will of God.
Also inspiring quote from my Mama that she wrote me today and I am going to put on my wall because she is wise and an all around wonderful human
¨¨do the harder right, not the easier (comfort) wrong.
the enabling power of the atonement makes the harder right easier¨¨
Here are some pictures of the family we have been teaching at this week´s District meeting and I will make sure to send photos of Ismael and Carin next week!
..and a picture of me eating a big taco
Also fun fact: In Peru they don´t eat tacos, or even tortillas! All of their dishes have rice. My compañion from the computer next to me just asked ¨what are those things called? tacos?¨
Love you, till next week!
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