Hello friends and family:
Sorry about last week. That was rough. But Don´t worry, now I have 2 weeks of stories to tell you. But the keyboard here sticks and it´s making my hands tired so I´m going to bulletpoint instead of trying to make it flow or have a theme. Don´t hate, I´m a good writer.
1) So we went to the open house with our new converts. And at the temple they give you a little card to fill out with your name and information. Well, one of the box essays “Religion” and one of the little girls asked, “What do we put for religion?” and her sister replied “Mormon, We´re mormons now.” I nearly leaped for joy. They have no idea what all that entails – we will continue to teach them that – but they were super proud of the fact that they are mormons. And I loved it.
2) Buahaha,okay, so the other day we had a member ask us to help them! That in and of itself could be a bulletpoint because it´s a miracle, but the story is a bit funnier then that. So, an Hermana had been assigned to clean the church, and due to work and other complications, she ends up being the only one going to clean, with an added homework to help cook for this big Bishops lunch the next day, so she asks us to give her a hand. So we go to the church to begin cleaning, and we´re doing fine when all of the sudden I hear this squeal “HERMANA!” What the freak!? I turn around and Hna Lobos has just found a little grasshopper in a corner. Now, to be fair, Hna Lobos is deathly afraid of insects, which I think is funny. We´ve had a couple of opportunities to kill small spiders and bugs together. I don´t do it for her, I help her do it. Anyways, well, we can´t kill it when it´s in the corner so I help her get the grasshopper out of the corner, and it jumps, natural right? Grasshoppers jump. Here´s what´s not natural. Her reaction – blood curdling scream! In the chapel. I was dying laughing. Absolutely dying. Anyways, I tell her, we have to kill it or you´re just going to be scared. So we get some paper towels and cover the poor grasshopper (o, did I tell you that it was already wounded? Yeah, we have a fun time) and then on the count of three Hna lobos steps on the bug. Blood curdling SCREAM otra vez! IN THE CHAPEL! And I was just laughing so hard. I´m such a bad person sometimes. Anyways, we get her calmed down, I clean up the bug and we move on cleaning. But, so funny.
3) Where´s Crystal? I finally got to talk to Elder Vargas from El Salvador, he was doing tramites last Monday as well. His eye´s nearly popped when I said that you say hi. And he got excited to know that I know you. He still looks up to you a lot. I don´t know if you have ever written him, but it would probably make his day. I also learned he has very good art skills that he learned from his life before the church. Maybe you could explain that to me someday???
4) Even in the boonies of Zarate we received a temple miracle. We have been working with a recent convert to help her start coming to church again. She had been out of work for a long time, and when she found work, it included Sundays. We started talking to her and really encouraged her to do everything in her power to go visit the temple. She finally did, the last Saturday it was open. But, unbeknownst to us, she took her daughter with her. And her daughter loved the temple. She said that she felt a peace inside that was out of this world, and it was peace that lasted. Afterwards, the daughter ends up showing late to work, and instead of being irritated by all the normal negative comments, she just kept feeling peaceful. And it´s a miracle because apparently, the Elders of Zarate 1 always go there to buy bread (normal) but by this interaction she was even more willing to talk to us. Because this last Wednesday, the recent convert moved in with her daughter, when we went by to give a leccion deretencion, our convert wasn´t there, but the daughter was. She recognized us as missionaries and asked us to come in. We started talking with her, she told us her story, and said if it hadn´t been for her experience with the temple and the Elders, she wouldn´t have spoken with us. Normally she doesn´t bother talking with religious people, because they just have the title and don´t really live what they believe. But us "Mormons" we´re different. We were able to teach the Restauration of the Gospel and give her a Book of Mormon. And that night she was reading and asking her mom all sorts of questions about the church. She wasn´t able to come to church with us the next day because she worked but she already promised to come on the 16th. And she was excited, she wanted to go. So much so that she allowed her mom (recent convert) to take her two kids to church on Sunday. And they loved it and were singing and sharing their experiences with their mom afterwards. That is our temple miracle.
5) Okay, so one of my favorite recent converts is Walter, and he´s not even my convert, but I claim him. So, last week he received the priesthood (finally!) and so this week we were searching everywhere to find him a white shirt and tie, and pants. Which means, we asked the Elders to loan us some. Loan, to gift of their own. And seeing him in church this week in a white shirt and tie. Shoot, it was like a mother´s pride, I nearly cried watching him pass the sacrament (he was super nervous to do it, he asked us about it and I told him that one of the Hermanos would help him out.) I´m such an emotional baby these days, but I don´t even care. It was so great to see how far he´s come in his progress, and to know that he´s now prepping to serve a mission.
6) I´ve learned that I have changed a lot. The people here know that I¨m leaving soon. And they keep asking me for my name. But I don´t give it to them. I told them I would give it when I leave, and I´m not saying my name a minute earlier! Even though some sneaky elders kept trying to look at my name on my tramite paper last week. Elders….. anyways, I just have been able to notice that I´m not “Carlee” right now. I left her behind when I entered the MTC. Right now, I´m “Hermana Reed” and I like myself better that way. It´s weird to hear my name, or even to see it. It just looks wrong. The people in tramites even called my first name. I was like 2 feet away, and they called my name like 7 times and it didn´t even register that they were talking about me. One of the sneaky elders who saw my name had to call my attention to the woman.
Alright, it´s time for me to head out. Love you all. I hope you enjoy my letters. My life is hilarious.
Hermana Reed
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