Week 12 - Cultivando with Machetes!

November 2, 2012

Familia!!!

I cant believe everything that happens in one week there! Incredible :) Well this week was  another great week as a missionary, and a hard one...but i think i could say that every week! 

This is us cultivating with our awesome machetes (actually, they really
hurt your hand)!

We did cultivando for our service activity on Wednesday this week, which basically means you use a machete and shovel to cut the grass down to nothing. I am still amazed I can sweat to the point of being completely drenched! It was a little area but it literally took us 2 hours because we are all pretty inadequate at it :) And the entire time they wanted to give us food and juice and chocolate.  The people are so generous here. They have such pure and humble hearts, willing to turn to God.

So update on the family that lives in the stilts house...they are progressing a ton and really understand the why behind everything. They really don't have very much money but they are determined to go to church every week without us picking them up and paying for them. They are also getting married (most people here are not) and baptized on the 21st!!! I'm so excited! Little tender mercy with them...I called them to remind them about church and they told me they weren't going because the father was sick.  We have been praying for this family in literally every prayer all week!! So, we were super disappointed. They called back 10 min. later and told us they were coming because it was more important!!! I seriously couldn't believe it!!! So incredible!  They are the type of people that actually follow through with their compromisos (promises). They actually come to church and read the scriptures and pray! They ask questions in church and their goal really is to go to the temple in a year because they understand the importannce of eternal families!!! I just love them!!!!

This is a stream that runs through our
 area!! Gorgeous besides the fact that
 there is so much garbage everywhere!!!

Also, Hermana Willes got sick Saturday, so we were in our apartment for half of the day.  We don't know if it's parasites or not, but during that time I read the Book of Mormon out loud in Spanish for a straight hour and I couldn't believe how much it helped the next day! Learning through the spirit is real!

Our companionship has really progressed too. We haven't always seen eye to eye, but the Lord has helped so much with that process.

Every Sunday as a zone we go and visit different menos activos (less actives) with the members in different wards and yesterday I silently prayed we would find someone to teach. Well, we found someone and the entire time the mother was complaining about her daughter and right when I tried to wrap it up and leave her daughter who apparently had been listening to the entire thing came out to defend herself....oh, man, it was crazy. And, so, finally, after an hour and a half of being there and 45 minutes of me trying to wrap it up we got out of there. But it made me so sad that this was happening because the teachings of Jesus Christ weren't in their home. I know that with Jesus Christ we can overcome all our tribulations! It's never easy, but it's always worth it.

I am loving becoming submersed in the work!!! That is seriously the best but it takes the most effort not to think about yourself. I love talking to people and you build this different connection with them because of the spirit. I love teaching people that want to progress...

Thanks for reminding me of the reason I am here every week!! 

Love you with all my heart to the moon and back!

Love 

Hermana Briggs