It has been the most insane, exhausting, spiritually and mentally and physically draining week of my entire existence! And I thought the MTC was hard!! hahaha what a joke! Try adding all the studies and BAJILLIONS of PEOPLE and oh EVERYONE SPEAKS SPANISH ALL THE TIME. This is INSANE and ABSOLUTELY THE GREATEST THING OF MY ENTIRE LIFE.
I really have no CLUE how to go about writing a weekly email here... We taught 29 lessons this week. 29!!!!!!!! Hermana Perez said that NEVER happens, and she has only had that many lessons one other week on her mission so THIS IS AWESOME!!! I have so much energy right now so this email may seem super spontaneous and all over the place, but I will do the best I can.
SO. I guess I will just go through a list of different moments this week?
--FUNNIEST MOMENT. We were eating dinner with a member family, and they have 3 little kids. The youngest is like 2, and everything he says is a yell... And in spanish... haha he was trying to talk to me and I had no idea what he was saying. Eventually his voice got 3 times louder and he said, "USTED ES UN ESTRELLA FEA" (that means, "You're an ugly star!!") Thanks Matito ;)
--So one other funny moment haha we were teaching Hugo (remember that name for later)... we were talking to him for the first time, and his dad (or uncle--I don't know...some old guy) was there. He used to be a member, like ages ago. Me and Hermana Perez would be trying to teach, and he would chime in his interpretations of the lessons as he remembered them. We taught about the apostasy, and were about to lead in to the Restoration, and this guy chimes in, "Y despues, Nefi estaba preguntando que iglesia era verdadera"... ("And after, Nephi was asking about which church was true") ....no....no my friend, that wasJoseph Smith. hahah so poor Hugo is trying so hard to figure out what was going on and Hermana Perez had to keep correcting this sweet old man ;)
MOST EMBARRASSING- Let's be real, there's probably a TON, but I'd say the worst was accompanying the piano in Sacrament meeting...... First of all NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE IN MY LIFE. Second of all, the Spanish hymnbook has hymns that don't even exist in English. So guess which one they choose? One I HAVEN'T HEARD BEFORE IN MY LIFE. Hahahahaha it was a TRAIN WRECK. So that happened, the FIRST Sunday I meet the ward... I was way embarrassed afterwards haha and I could see the person leading the music from the piano bench and she couldn't even direct the hymn as I played hahah it was awful. Let's hope that never happens again.
AWESOMEST. (Most Awesome?)
HUGO!!!!! So me and Hermana Perez taught him once. (And it was the lesson with the funny old guy that didn't know the difference between Joseph Smith and Nephi) Anyways, this guy has been prepared by Heavenly Father. He had talked to missionaries in the past, but he said he never really had a desire to do anything about it (or something like that- I didn't catch his whole story because spanish) BUT HE CAME TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY, BORE HIS TESTIMONY, AND TOLD EVERYONE THAT HE HAD A DESIRE TO BE BAPTIZED AND THAT WAS HIS NEXT GOAL IN LIFE. So yeah, I guess you could say that was THE BEST THING EVER.
SADDEST: Our good friend Jose (one of the 30 Jose's I have met this week) has been an alcoholic since he was 14 years old. (He is in his 50s or 60s now I think?) He's now a less active, was baptized in April, and is literally drunk all of the time because when he doesn't drink, he is shaking and just can't function... He is alone because all his family has left him, and he told us while we were there that he is dying basically.. All of his organs are SO messed up from drinking. I have never helped someone get over an addiction and I have no idea what to do for him, but he came to church Sunday and ALSO bore his testimony (which was awesome!! The sad part is how hard his life is) I cry everytime I talk to him basically because he is struggling so much and it breaks my heart. I can't imagine being in his position :(
STUDIES: ARE THE BEST. So I am studying for my investigators ALL the time, which ROCKS. I love it! Even when I am studying "for myself", I learn things that can help specific people, or that I can share during lessons, and it is great :) So I have found so much comfort this week in the scriptures- Its been HARD and I've come home a couple days super frustrated with myself because I can't understand everything in spanish, or I don't know how to contribute, I can't remember people, etc, etc... Hermana Perez keeps telling me "Be patient with yourself, Stay Positive, and Lean on the Lord". It has helped me so much.
One morning I was reading in Mosiah and started finding all sorts of scriptures! The 3 most helpful were Mosiah 23:10, 21-22
Mosiah 7:33 and
Mosiah 9:17-18
Its awesome. Basically they all taught me that I need to have patience and faith, pray always, trust in the Lord, and serve Him with all my might. I wrote them out and stuck them above my desk where I study. :)
I haven't baptized everyone in Houston yet, but I am workin on it ;) I love you guys so much!! Hope all is going well at home and school! (PS I am so glad that isn't me right now ;)
I LOVE THESE PEOPLE. This is hard!!! BUT I am working on trusting the Lord and having patience and faith! That's helping me stay positive and realize that if I am working hard and being obedient, miracles can happen! This definitely is the PROMISED LAND. West Lake Houston is WHERE ITS AT! :) Hermana Perez is teaching me SO much about how to make things happen.. I love it!! I still am convinced this isnt real life...
IM A MISSIONARY!!! I am a FULL-TIME, DAY IN AND DAY OUT SERVANT OF THE LORD!! This is His work and He knows and loves me! I'm in THE Mission! :)))))) This is LIFE and I wouldn't have it any other way! :)
Have a GREAT week!! Talk to you soon!! :D
Sincerely,
Hermana Royers
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