Week 64: Fallen

I truly love this assignment as sister training leader. Woke up Friday, exercised, began to mop, and the cell phone (yes, we have a cell phone! mwa ha ha) rings: 

President Klein. 

Oh, that`s important.

Clear my throat to get the morning sound out of my voice, and answer.

Turns out, a sister fell down a flight of stairs and (obviously) wasn´t able to leave and work. So, we threw the bags together in 10 minutes, and flew out the door to do divisions for the next 3 days. It`s strange, but very interesting, to be in divisions so often. I haven`t been with OUR investigators for a whole day this whole week. Because earlier on in the week, we did divisions with other sisters. 

I love working with sisters who speak English for one reason: because I struggled at first, and I had no one to talk to. I was so alone in a language I didn`t know, a country I didn`t know, teaching principles I didn`t know how to explain, and with people I didn`t know. I`m into things like that, but even so, it was hard. So, I love just joking with them, encouraging them, relating how I felt the same! And to help them see the vision of serving a mission: that when your mission president tells you ¨All I can say is that you better enjoy your time as a missionary, because after this time of 100% service to others, you`ll have to share your time and other demands...¨ like President told me this week in his letter to me, I want to cry at the thought of not being serving a mission. 

Does that mean every day is perfect? Nope! But, the amazing miracles outweigh the bad. 

I always wanted to be just hug those new  missionaries so tightly and assure them that yes, their ears will adjust, their stomachs will adjust, their skin will adjust, that they will feel Heavenly Father`s love around them, that they will teach every lesson, that they will find people who want the gospel.... and that hasn`t changed. I still want that for them, but magnified. 

While very exciting, a part misses consistency. I miss Porfidio and Estella, the grandparents of a recent convert who remind me of Angel an Hilse, converts from my old area. We were in a lesson with them, and her other grandson and wife were there, and they thanked us deeply for our time, and said that they are looking for what we taught. The Spirit witnessed that yes, this is the work of Heavenly Father. Estella wants to do a service project to help the youth in the ward. She`s so excited about the gospel. Porfidio wants to pay this tithing NOW. 

On Saturday, I stayed with the sister who fell while my companion did divisions with her companion. President stopped by with sweet bread. (he`s a GEM!) and asked me a question: ¨Which service is more important---service of teaching an investigator or service being with hermana Baltazar?¨

Not sure what to say, I replied: ¨Well, right now, service to Hermana Baltazar.¨

His response: ¨It`s the same... because they are both children of our Heavenly Father.¨ 

He`s teaching me so many lessons it`s not fair to him. Because it was weird to be inside all day, even though we studied, cleaned, planned, etc. It was... very different....

President gave her a blessing, and it was so... touching... what he said. That this was a trial of faith. It`s not a trial of health, it`s not an accident. It`s a trial of faith. The nametag isn`t the only part protecting her. She will be protected after the mission because of her faith. 

So, falling isn`t always a bad thing.

1. package from home!

 2. yummy shakes

3. our front door broke. This is how we enter our house....

baptism of Gibelli.... a 13 year-old. Her brother is a member who was baptized 2 years ago, and is preparing to serve a mission. He was able to baptize Gibelli. She is incredible! And such an example to everyone. 

1. Oh, wouldn`t it be wonderful to ride bikes as missionaries!

2. When Elder Ochoa, of the Seventy, came, we 4 sang a little rendition.... it was ¨Lead Kindly Light¨ and ¨I Need Thee Ev´ry Hour¨ mixed together, between English and Spanish. And of course we had to coordinate our outfits.... :) 

3. The sisters with whom we did divisions because the one with a yellow shirt fell down a flight of stairs and can`t walk much yet...