Hola, family and friends!
Our investigator, Rosa, didn’t sleep at all Friday night because she was busy making tamales. She has to do everything...grind the corn by hand, cook the chicken and eggs, make the masa, stuff the wrappers, and steam them over a wood campfire. She sold them for 1 sol and sold all of them. She is raising money in order to get her documents and get married and baptized, and the ward is helping to buy the tamales and to sell them. I was reminded of the support of my ward and my friends Raj and Nitesh (and others) who all helped me with my Indian food mission fundraiser. Thank you!
The sad-good news is that her husband, Amador, is going to work in provincia for 20 days. So, their marriage and baptismal date is postponed until November 20. My companion and I are sad, obviously, because we don’t know if we will see them again. (The transfers are November 3.) Fortunately, they are real converts, and they have the support of the ward and the leaders of the ward, so we know that if we leave them, they will be in good hands and can continue to progress. We gave Amador a copy of the Book of Mormon, True to the Faith, and a study journal with the assignment to read every day. We know that he will read, too. We absolutely love this family, and their kids participated in the Primary program. Poor little Aldair (4 years old) broke his collar bone and so he walks around stiffly with his arm at his side. Every time that we teach the kids, we have to be creative. We made different faces to express the process of repentance including surprise (recognition), anguish (feel bad), resolve (to never do it again).
This Sunday I was the pianist for the ward Primary Program. It was your standard Primary Program with your group of tweens who just stand there embarrassed and don’t even mouth the words (even though they have all the lyrics memorized by heart), the 4year olds that sing their hearts out, the kids that can’t carry a tune but belt it just the same, the kids that in one breath ramble their part so fast that no one can understand them, etc. In other words, it was beautiful. Those Primary leaders worked so hard to help those kids. They even had a party with cake afterwards for the kids and gave them journals that they painstakingly decorated with the theme of the Primary program.
We are teaching Sofia and Walter, who have lived together 26 years and have raised their children in the church. We taught them and they have a tentative marriage date for November 19. Sofia affectionately calls Walter her “concubino” (concubine) instead of her “partner” or “husband”. It makes me laugh.
I am so happy because we are learning so much every day and we love these people. I am sad when my investigators make choices that limit their progression. I am sad when we have to leave these people whom we love.
Lots of love,
Hermana Christensen
