Well, even though I didn't get to stay with my dear Hermana Hernandez in Roosvelt, I haven't changed wards (personal record!) and I now am here with the lovely Hermana Herrera, from Peru.
The ward is doing pretty well. I still want to help the members capture the Lord's vision of their potential and how much they have the potential to do to help others come unto Christ. I feel like we lack unity and Christlike love somewhat and there is a bit too much of gossip and bitterness (somewhat typical of the culture here...people tend to hold grudges). In sacrament meeting a few weeks back, one of the members of the ward gave a talk about anger/hatred is like holding burning ember...it only hurts the person holding it. I really hope these words can just sink into our hearts and we can apply them. (I continue to learn patience as people progress at their own rate and not the rate I wish they would).
We are supposedly in the rainy season here, but we've been in the middle of a drought, which means any of our investigators or less actives that are farmers (quite a few) have been losing their crops and don't have money to come to church. And possibly not enough to feed their family either. But, as an answer to many prayers, it FINALLY rained this week. And, boy did it rain! (see attached). In one of these grand torments, we were trying to teach a lesson and ended up just shouting (because our investigator has a tin roof and mangos were falling so there was a lot of background noise). We had adventures heading home that night, wading through flooded streets and jumping over puddles because our friend the taxi driver didn't answer.
But I think my biggest takeaway from my time here in San Miguel (aside from the excitement of adventuring through the countryside), is seeing the effects of breaking the commandments more clearly, and wanting to help people overcome the effects of their mistakes. We have been helping several families that have problems with alcohol, and I see now why it is so destructive and why God would advise us to abstain from it.
There are so many people in this area that have desires to change their lives and I am so happy to help them do so. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, as taught in his church, has the guidelines to a happy life. Not without trials, but with an internal peace because we have the promises of God that he will help us carry us through them. We have been given this life to show Him what we are willing to do, and we have been given the right to choose. I love Dad's column of the week, that even though sometimes we feel powerless, this is just our attitude...we always have the ability to choose. And I know that we see more results when we are proactive.
Thanks for your love and support! I want to hear what you're all up more often. :)
Love,
Hermana Romero
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