Lots of Exchanges ... and a Guitar !

On Monday Hermana Gonzalez wasn't feeling too well, so while she napped, I died my hair and cleaned the house.  Then we ran some errands and ate lunch in a cute cafe.  It was a beautiful day and in the evening we visited several less actives.

Here is the Yerra familia. They always treat us so well and when
we eat with them it is like a Thanksgiving feast.
"always the best for the missionaries" they say.

Tuesday's district meeting went well and we learned about the importance of having companionship inventories.  I am so blessed to have had great companions.  When we have unity in our companionships, the area is more likely to have success.  Each day passes so quickly because we have fun together and we focus on the work.  In the evening we had exchanges with Hermana Avelino and Hermana Bingham from Terrazas.

Me being crazy with money

Wednesday was scorching hot - pretty sure I got a little sun burned.  I worked with Hermana Bingham in her area and I learned several things from her.  She and her companion are being really obedient, but not seeing results - which is rough.  Hermana Bingham taught me how important it is to be humble, patient, and trust in the Lord's timing.  I loved how much energy and enthusiasm Hermana Bingham had, despite her difficult circumstances.  Her example motivated me to be better and I really enjoyed the day with her.

Thursday flew by after weekly planning and we visited Brandon with Hyrum, and Enriqueta and Mariela with Hermana Nino and her daughter.  I love lessons with members!  Right now we have been inviting everyone to the stake activity we have on Saturday.  I am so excited for the activity because one of the members in our stake is one of 23 people in the entire world that knows (fluently) 9 different "dead languages".  His name is Brother Roche and he is going to historically prove that the Book of Mormon is true and that Jesus Christ visited the American continent.  Aside from his incredible conversion story and strong testimony, Brother Roche has studied over 30 years in ancient languages and religions.  (Not long ago he converted and baptized a well-known Jewish Rabi!!)  Anyway, I'm pretty pumped to hear what he has to share with us.  In the evening we went on another exchange with Hermana Carreto and Hermana Leo from the area of Independencia.

Here is Jose Guadalupe with his corn plant! He has a cool garden
in front of his house with chilis and tomatoes and melon.

I spent all day of Friday with Hermana Carreto in her area, just like last time.  We click really easily and I like being around her, because she teaches me so much.  One thing I really love about Hermana Carreto is how humble she is.  We made lots of visits and enjoyed the day.

Saturday, for the first part of the day, I was still with Hermana Carreto for exchanges.  And then in the evening at the activity, Hermana Gonzalez and I were reunited again.  The activity was really interesting and Hermano Roche explained a lot about the ancient inhabitants of the Americas.  He used lots of photos and visuals to capture our attention - smart.  I learned a lot.  After the activity, our lesson plans fell through, so Thalia bought us hot chocolate in a cute restaurant.  Oh, and it rained - the weather is so bipolar!

Sunday night it rained again, but throughout the day it was nice.  Teodulo and Maria received the gift of the Holy Ghost during the Sacrament Meeting.  They also gave Hermana Gonzalez and I new shoes and asked us when "it was their turn to feed the missionaries!?"  haha  They are incredible.  I love them so much!

Enriqueta, Mariela and her other daughter, Ximena, came to church and the Bishop announced Brandon's baptism for this Friday.  :)  In the evening, we had the meeting with the zone and district leaders that went really well.

Zone leaders on the left (Elder Cusworth and Elder Flores) and the district leaders (Elder Geddes, Elder Pico, Elder Espinoza, and Elder Summers).  They are all fun guys

We are going to print and laminate a big copy of our area and use push-pins that are numbered to correspond with members, less-actives, and recent converts.  It's kinda hard to explain, but I'll take a picture of it when we finish.  :)

**Fun fact:  One of the investigators that the Elders are teaching owns a big clothing knick-knack store.  She loves Hermana Gonzalez and me, and one day when we passed by to say hi, she invited us to look around and see what we liked.  She ended up giving us two beautiful dresses and before leaving, I saw a cute guitar in the shop window and asked how much she was selling it for.  "$50, but do you like it?" she asked me.  I told her I always thought it'd be fun to learn how to play, but didn't know how to read music.  She just smiled and handed me the guitar saying, "If you really like it and want to learn how to play, it's yours."

So, yea.  I now have a guitar  :)  And when I told Brandon, he gave me a guitar pick (since he plays the electric guitar and had extras).  Hermana Gonzalez and I have been having fun intenting [attempting] to play it  :)



All in all, another excellent week.  The people are so kind to us and I feel great.  I hope all is well for those back home.  Enjoy the last week of January!





Love,
Hermana Eliason




[more photos]

Me and Hermana Gonzalez

Hermana Gonzalez being funny with money