Maywood: Semana 11 Beach P-Day! 4/19/10

Hola Querida Familia!
 
Where do I even start? This week has been incredible! I just got back from once a year Beach P-day with my zone, and it was so much fun! I thought it was going to be torturous, because they don't let you touch even the wet sand, but it was all planned out with a lot of fun activities. We played ultimate frisbee, volleyball, water balloon volleyball, and football. I have come to really love Volleyball, mostly because I got pretty good at it after playing everyday for eleven weeks in the MTC.
 
Yesterday at church we had the Sunday that every missionary dreams of. We had the cutest little family ever come with us- A mom and dad with their three adorable little children that all dressed up and even came early. We also had Mirna and her eighteen year old son Felix come. They are both very interested and read everything we give them and are preparing to get baptized on the 9th of next month. We also were surprised to have a man come that we met the other day. His name is Frank and he is about thirty and looks kind of like a gangster, but he is so excited and ready to learn about the gospel. He has changed his whole life around and has been wanting to learn about religion, and is so humble and amazing. He rode his bike to church even though he is still suffering from an old gunshot wound in his leg. (our area is pretty close to some really urban, ghetto areas like Compton- but not close enough to be dangerous, so don't worry.) They all loved church. It was fast and testimony meeting and the spirit was so incredibly strong. It was so amazing to see a lot of the members, less actives, and recent converts that we have been working with get up and bear their testimony. It was so crazy having almost more people than we could handle at the church, but it was such an incredible blessing. Any missionary knows how awful the feeling is of pacing outside in the foyer praying that their investigators will come to church, or better yet what we usually have to do is go and wake them up and help them get ready.
 
We also had a miracle this week with the Rodriguez family. They decided that they are ready to get baptized next Sunday! We've already taught them all of the lessons, and so we asked them to pray about it and they finally feel ready. They are such an amazing family! They came to the temple with Sunday afternoon to see the Joseph Smith movie. Once each transfer we go to present the movie and give temple tours, so our day was yesterday and they came, and we also had Ariadne (the girl who was baptized last month) and her grandma come to see the movie. The visitors center still isn't open, so they have a special living room type area in the mission home where we show the movie to investigators.
 
It was really interesting this week because last Monday I was thinking about my life and what I expect to happen after my mission, and I decided to just completely let go of every expectation of my future, and stop worrying or trying to control things so they will work out according to how I imagine them to be. After I made that decision to just completely trust in the Lord I feel like I was hit with this huge wave of success in the work. I still don't know how much it really is relating, but I do think that the Lord was trying to teach me the importance of truly trusting in him if i want to accomplish my purpose as a missionary. I've always wanted to come on a mission, and it is really interesting thinking about why and what drove me to come- especially when it has been hard and I haven't felt like I've been living up to my expectations for myself as a missionary. I think I realized that I can't do it on my own or control it at all really- if I have success it will be because the Lord blessed me with it. It is somewhat conditional, considering the Lord can only bless us when we are being obedient. When we are being obedient and when we are trusting him, then he can truly guide our lives.
 
This week also had an interesting mission "worst" for me so far- and that was the "worst and grossest thing I have ever had to eat in my mission/ life." We had some pasoli the other day, which in and of itself is not bad. It is kind of like a red soup, with these really big corn kernel things in it, and some sort of meat. I had it with chicken the other week and it was pretty good. This time though it was something else. I didn't ask at first- I just ate it. I assumed from the look and texture that it was probably menudo- which is cow stomach. So i prayed really hard and just ate it all. After i had eaten it, with a smile and showing my appreciation and gratitude, I commented how "I hadn't ever had menudo before, but I was surprised that it was pretty good." (yes, I lied. Well, the soup was really good- the meat was such a gross texture though- just like eating this quarter inch layer of fat). The Sister responded, "Actually that was pig ear, but yes it is pretty similar to menudo." I ate pig ear! I felt so gross for the entire day after. But I did it! I ate it. It is really important to eat all of the food they give you in order to have the support and love of the ward.
 
They really are so sweet and are such good cooks for the most part. The hardest thing is how much they give you. I feel so grossly stuffed after practically every dinner appointment, but at least they know that I love them. Part of it too is because I help Hermana Salazar out with eating hers. It is a sacrifice I have to make, but if it helps the work go forward I will continue to do it. The only problem is that, as can guess, I have been getting fat. :( I have started to have a visible "pancita"as they call it. (The literal translation is "little loaf or bread," and is equivalent to our saying "spare tire.") I only ask that you don't tease me too relentlessly. I am trying to make up for it with exercise and only eating really healthy for breakfast and lunch, but it has also been hard because Hermana Salazar has an injured knee and we can't run outside anymore. I haven't really been as preoccupied though about myself. My only worry is that I need to focus on being healthy still. :P If anything the people here would just love me even more if I was fat. That is one thing about Latin culture that is nice- they aren't nearly as prejudiced. Anyways, that was a really long tangent. I'm just saying, I hope you will all love me just as much, even when there is a little bit more of me to love. (Alright, it actually isn't that bad. Yet . . .)
 
I love how amazing it is being part of this missionary work. This week i experienced what Alma describes in Alma 29:9, where he talks about the joy that comes from seeing a soul repent and come unto Christ. It is so incredible to see people change, and see the happiness that comes to them from excepting the gospel.
 
I love you! Please keep praying for the missionary work, for the people who are investigating the church as well as the missionaries- it takes a lot of courage to change your life to come to the church. Have a great week!
 
Hermana Dansie