Monday- We went to Walmart! WOW! that was crazy. Walmart has so much to offer, it was a little bit of a culture shock. I bought ham, cheese, mayonnaise, and a whole bunch of exotic looking fruits. It was a day for the books.We then had family night with the district president. They had a broken guitar which I tuned and we played I am a child of God together as we ate a whole bunch of rice and beans.
Tuesday- We visited a couple of families who told us that one of our investigators suddenly died. We visited her house the following day and it turns out she was alive and the death was someone else in her family. We taught the plan of salvation to her family and her neighbors.
Wednesday- We brought over two families to visit one of our strongest investigators, Milka. The two families walked with us to her house, bore strong testimony of how the church is restored and the priesthood is again on the Earth. They spoke powerfully in Quiche, and I understood it all. Milka asked her husband if she could go to church and he gave permission! We have plans for her baptism next month.
Thursday- We visited Bacilia and Alexander, the family who came to church at our invitation last week and wanted to return. They weren't home, but we gave a lesson with their family which was well received.
Friday- We visited Sasaclac (a village about 40 minutes away) and we talked with Celestina, Wendy, and Ingrid (A mom and her two daughters) who said they'd love to go but aren't ready to make the long walk to church. We have plans from their baptism in a month. We then visited an amazing house.
We found, in the most vacant lot of Mirador, two youth leaders in the Catholic church. They accepted us and gave us oranges ( which tasted amazing). They showed us some music from their church, and agreed to hear our message. We testified boldly of the restoration of the Gospel. They brought out a book of questions and answers of what to say to Mormons if they find them. My companion yielded the time to me, and I explained with love and conviction the answer to every question and encouraged them to simply ask God. I answered all their questions with scriptures in the Bible, and then I testified that if they would read our message and ask God they could find out for them selves. I'll never forget what happened next: one of the youth leaders took the book in his hand and said: I'm going to read it. I feel strongly that I should read this book and that what this elder was saying was true. To the dismay of his other pastor friend, he committed to read it and basically bore his testimony of everything I said. He started crying, and I did a little bit too. He asked us if we could visit again in the future. We told him any day at 6 he could stop by at the chapel. He doesn't live in Racana but I expect him to be baptized in the future.
Saturday- We did service with a member, cutting a bunch of branch looking stuff in his yard. He gave us sugarcane, which was demasiado deliciouso, and the best, richest orange i've tasted in my life. It was so good. We then taught some people how to speak English and visited some less active members. I felt like I should leave a note on the door of a man who hasn't come to church and has been drinking for the past 6 months, so I did.
Sunday-
It turns out that the man, Joawaqun, read my note I left and decided to stop drinking and come to church for the first time in 6 moths. We went to his house and shared the word of wisdom and he committed to live it. I LOVE THAT MAN. He gave the most sincere prayer I've heard in my life. To hear a 70 year old man pray for forgiveness from his life of drinking and say that he wants to walk with Christ again was priceless. Priceless. Also...
Our district president specifically requested our mission president that I stay even more time here in Racana in order to teach people how to sing and play. He said he didn't want me too go without teaching everyone.
President Smith (Mission president) gave special permission for me to go around to all the branches in the district to teach them how to SING!! I gladly accepted. I traveled with District President Gustavo through the mountains into a branch called PANCAW. I taught them how to sing, and it was a BLAST. Next week and all the weeks in the future, I'm going to be able to do that: go on splits with Presdient Gustavo and meet all the people who live in teeny tiny villages and teach them how to sing! This Sunday we are going to KONKEESHAHA. One of the mission presidents counselors that night told them whole branch that they need to teach their kids to sing and play piano so they can be like ''elder young''. He said that Elder young is famous throughout the mission because he ''had an amazing mother who taught him how to sing and play piano.'' And that all the mothers and parents should be like my parents and teach them how to be musical. I thought it was cool that in some obscure branch, 1000s of miles away from home, a whole congregation was praising my mom's efforts (in the Spanish language) to teach me piano and sing. Thanks for putting up with my constant not wanting to practice, Mom. Because of your persistence, all the branches of Racana are going to receive instruction on how to sing hymns, play piano, and teach their kids music. How cool.
Monday- Today we visited a waterfall in RACANA and afterwards played Monopoly for a district activity. It was fun to trade and play it in Spanish. I won (always bet on the oranges).
Other stuff-- we found a man called Juan Acabal torres. He is so sincere and very funny. He called us five times a day and asked us to pray for his business. He can't read but he loves to hear his children read to him. We gave him some pamphlets to read and invited him to church.
We are trying to baptize the sons of Julio and Pualina. They, J and P, are hilarious. The wife can't speak Spanish and the husband can't hear very well. I taught my first lesson in complete Quiche with the family. They liked it, and two of the kids are coming to church, but they don't want to get baptized still.
Hope thats a good update.
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