hola hola!
It's weird to think that I've almost been out 3 months! It's flown by, and it will keep flying by! Sometimes 18 months seems SO LONG but other days I look at how far I've come already.
Well being in this area has really opened up my eyes to some things. One of our investigators, S, is from El Salvador and is in the US on a work visa. He got into some trouble with the law and was on probation for a while, but we found out a few weeks ago (when we were translating a letter for him) that he was no longer on probation. But something weird happened and they took him to a detention facililty last week because his DUI was a violation of the work visa (obviously) and they are probably going to deport him. It is SO sad because he has a wife (well techinically girlfriend) and two little girls. They don't have much money and don't know what to do. It's so hard to see because if their dad gets deported, they may never see him again. It's just so sad and keep them in your prayers. his wife is super strong though and just keeps saying that God has a plan and its true, it's just hard to watch.
Also another sad story. There is another family in the trailer park and the mom works CRAZY hours milking cows (like 65 hours a week or something) and the dad can't work because he has health problems. And because of this, their kids haven't grown up in a home with parents that are always there for them, and they are just a handful. Well one of the sons fell out of a tree and got really hurt, and so child services counted it as neglect, and the mother is now in a detention facility waiting to be deported also. We heard about this from someone else, and so we went to stop by and see if there was anything we could do to help, and J (the dad) answered the door and he just looked so stressed. We asked him how things have been and he almost started crying, and he couldn't even get himself to speak. He kept walking around the room running his hands through his hair and kicking the chair and there was so much pain in his face. He couldn't get himself to say what had happened, and he just told us to come back later. It was so hard to see that. I wish there was something we could do to help these people in their suffereing, but all we can do is pray and tell them God has a plan for them.
Other than that, things are going pretty well. We have a baptism on Saturday! I'm excited. It's cool to look back and remember one lesson we had with him where he argued with us about the difference between a profet and a pastor, and then to see him invite a friend to one of the lessons and bear his testimony to his friend about how he knows Joseph Smith is a profet. It's so awesome!
I've been having a hard time this last week just being afraid for the end of the transfer. Hermana W goes home after this transfer, and I am pretty sure I will stay in St. Peter, but I rely on her SO MUCH and I don't know how I will be able to do things without her. I am so nervous for my Spanish especially. But I know that it is not going to be easy no matter what, so I just need to buckle down and try and learn all I can before she goes. Everyone says that they are finally comfortable with Spanish during the 3rd transfer, and I feel like I won't be then and so that is also making me nervous. I just need to work really hard and expect miracles I guess.
Yesterday we taught a viajito English! He is going to take the citizen test so we helped him learn some of the words he will need to know. The saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" really is true haha. He just kept saying that how we were saying it was wrong, even though we were saying it in English how it is supposed to be said. Then he would say it in a Spanish accent and say that was the right way. I was cracking up. We are starting an English class at the church this week! we are going to do it after church every sunday as an incentive to get people to church and also to find more people. 100% of the people we teach that don't speak English want to learn so it will be a good opportunity for them.
One of my favorite people, C, went to California :( he is going to be working there for a month and then in Iowa for like 6 months, so I don't know when we will see him again. He is a recent convert from mexico and is so awesome. He is just so short! I am sad because I didn't even get a picture with him because one day he was just gone. it was so weird.
There are 3 people we are teaching in Madelia. J is 17 and from El Salvador, W is 12, and W is 13. They are siblings and so awesome. It was really hard to get a hold of them for a while, and FINALLY this week we got to teach them....TWICE! They were both great lessons. We are going again tonight and hopefully they are there. We have learned that the best thing to do is to just stop unannounced and so hopefully they will be there!
I can't think of anything else for this week. Its getting really cold here and everyone is getting ready for the winter, Christmas lights and everything! I can't wait to get my David CD!!!
Thanks for all the support!
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