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The front door of my house |
Another week has passed! This week was good. Really hard, but there is always a lot to be grateful for. Ataco is wonderful, but it is a difficult area when it comes to missionary work. It is a tourist town, so everyone that we talk to in the streets is just visiting, and people rarely let us into their houses because they are strong Catholics. We work hard every day, but we haven't had a whole lot of success. After 4 nights of getting lectured by our district leaders for not having a baptism yet I asked if they wanted to come contact here for a couple of hours to find people for us to teach since I'm still trying to get the hang of things. They came and contacted for 3 hours and couldn't find anyone...they were shocked at how difficult the area is. So, they are a lot nicer now which is nice - but it is going to take a lot of work to have success here in Ataco. I am sure we will figure out how to help these people, and I am excited for that.
The good news is that my relationship with Hermana Reyes has improved significantly. As my ability to speak Spanish has improved, and her ability to speak English also, we get along great. We laugh all of the time, and are able to make the most of any situation we are faced with. The fact that we are getting along well makes everything else doable. So while it was a hard week, it was probably the happiest one that I have had her is Ataco. I'm thankful for that, and for my sweet companion.
We had inter-changes this week, so I spent a day in Espino with Hermana Guzman. It was nice to switch things up for the day but I was really nervous because it was an evaluation of how I'm doing as a missionary. It all went well and I learned a lot. We were in a lesson with a really sweet lady who is going through a hard time in her life. I've never been someone who could just pull scriptures from the back of her head and apply it to someone, but as a missionary that is pretty much what we are supposed to do. I've been learning how to rely on the Holy Ghost more, and I had read in Preach My Gospel that if I would listen to people genuinely, I wouldn't have to worry about what to say. So, during this lesson I decided I wasn't going to think about what to say. I was just going to listen. As I was listening to this woman's story, a scripture came into my mind out of nowhere. I had no idea what this scripture said, but decided to trust in the Holy Ghost and read it with the investigator. The scripture was exactly what needed to be shared. I was able to bear testimony, and this woman cried and cried about how she knew that her Heavenly Father had answered her prayers. It was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had.
I continue to become more humbled by the people of Ataco every day that I spend here in this crazy town. On Saturday morning we had the most amazing storm I have ever seen. It poured for hours and hours. We spent most of the afternoon clearing water out of people's flooded houses, it was a disaster. But, in church yesterday during testimony meeting every single person talked about how thankful they were for the rain that we had received, and how they knew that God loved us and was aware of us. Pretty amazing.
Well, I love you guys. I am sorry that I don't have more exciting news. I don't want you guys to worry about me, because overall I'm going good. I'm exhausted, but I'm learning. I'm struggling, but I'm happy.
Have a great week!
Hermana Houston
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