¡Con mi burrito sabanero, en camino de Belén!
You should all go look up that song. Mi burrito sabanero. You will love it, even if you don't understand the words. Feliz Navidad.
This was a full week! Lots of exciting experiences. I'll just go over them with you.
On Monday I got beat up by Lima. We went to some ruins to play Capture the Flag with our district and one of the others in our zone. On the way I hit my head at a full stride on an overhang from one of the buildings along the sidewalk and...well, it hurt and I fell down and just sat there for a second. Didn't cry. I was just sort of stunned. Then on the way back to the church from the ruins we were all walking and kicking a soccer ball back and forth. On a decline I ran to kick the ball and it bounced off an elder's leg and returned back beneath my foot (still mid-run) and WHOOOSH I went sailing! Did a half-backflip in the air, hit the ground, and gave a few rolls for added measure. Hahaha I landed flat on my back with my hand covering my eyes like when the ladies faint in silent films. It was extraordinarily dramatic and I laughed so hard it hurt more. Nothing broken or bleeding, just a lot of hearty bruises. To my ego. About 20 people bore witness. I just wish I had a video!
It probably didn't look quite as elegant as this!
On Tuesday we had a marvelous mission conference with Elder Hafen of the Seventy. Saw a good amount of old friends and was filled with the Spirit. Elder Hafen talked about three different types of blessings we can receive through the Atonement of Jesus Christ: Redeeming, Strengthening, and Perfecting. Jesus Christ didn't just come to redeem us from our sins, but to strengthen us in our limited human capacities and to add the finishing touch to good lives. Like Elder Bednar said, "To make bad men good and good men better."
On Wednesday my companion asked me to cut her hair and then told me it was awful. She subsequently cut a whole lot more herself and then resolved to wear it in a ponytail for six months. She told me that this was just her way of preparing me to have teenage daughters one day. Ha!
On Thursday we had our district meeting and Elder Poma, our DL who is also going home this transfer, related extending a baptismal invitation to proposing marriage. I wanted to strangle him. Well, not really, but I wanted to yell "LOOK YOU GUYS! I AM NOT THE TRUNKY ONE!"
However, I refrained.
On Friday I saw another white person. Want to know what he was doing? Standing on the back of a moto-taxi in rodeo clothes tossing fake money with his face on it into the street. On the back of each bill was an advertisement for the local circus. He is Gringo Carl, the famous clown. His act was there one day only.
Respected.
On Saturday we bought balloons to contact with and we drew faces on them. Mine was ugly and so it had to stay home. :( We also ate lunch really fast so we could use our lunch hour to decorate the house for Christmas. It is beautiful. We have a tree and everything.
On Sunday we were a little tiny bit frustrated because we had not found many people who wanted to hear us and even fewer who said they could come to church. We have been working with Katty and Diana, a mother and daughter who are from a part-member family, for a few weeks and Katty has only gone to church once. When we called in the morning she said she was too tired and not going to go. My comp started to remind her how important it is that she go to church and then BEEEEEP no more credit in the teléfono! After a long search in the morning without fruit, we (literally) ran to church just in time for the sacrament and then filed into the packed chapel to watch one of the sweetest Primary Programs I have ever seen. I felt a lot of peace having taken the sacrament and knowing that we could start again this week with a clean slate, but I still was disappointed that we didn't have any investigators with us. Suddenly Hermana Paredes nudged me. "Katty!" she whispered. Katty and Diana and their less active mom came! I am not going to lie to you, I cried.
The Lord truly is merciful. Sometimes we struggle to turn our hearts to Him and be perfectly in line with His will, but I want you to remember that He doesn't hate us. He wants so badly to bless us and all of His children, and He will do what He can with what we give Him.
I have been reminded this week of how immensely blessed I am to be a member of Jesus Christ's true restored Church. There is so much available to us when we exercise faith in Him. A life of true discipleship is not easy (and I know I have a long way to go to get there), but in the small glimpses I have received, it is well worth the effort.
I love you all! Endure to the end!
Hermana Hewitt
P.S. Check out christmas.mormon.org RIGHT NOW!
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