Painting Hermana Olmeda's wall
Delivering a mattress to an Elder in San Jose
Hey peoples! Long, interesting, trying week for sure, but full of tender mercies of the Lord! As we all know, a great roller coaster has lots of ups and downs, and you gotta climb all the way up the mountain to get the best view; you gotta be tested to get stronger. This has been one of those weeks.
The first bit of the week, we faced the worst rejections I've ever seen in the entire mission; lots of long days searching intently for someone to listen to us, but to no avail. We realized two things: 1) we were allowing ourselves to lose faith and become discouraged, which was hindering our progress, and 2) we had not been using the many great members in this fantastic ward, and thus we had been underestimating this great tool. We have decided to overcome both our weaknesses this week. We have done service this week, visited key members, and tried to serve and love however we can, and it has worked. Elder Araújo and Elder Manzanares even found a new investigator in our area while Elder Christensen and I found a new one in his on intercambios.
Something did happen this week that normally doesn't happen for the financers. We went on a road trip! A poor Elder in San José needed a new mattress because his old one was giving him back problems. The result: a 6 hour total of driving, much of it out in the country. It was so awesome to use the freeway for the first time in a year and half, and the country was so nice in comparison with the busy city. I truly enjoyed it. :)
Two of the families we ate with this week gave us ñokis, the Palavé family, and Hermana Olmeda after we finished painting her wall. Soo nice!
Elder Araújo and Elder Manzanares were able to teach Germán Lesson 3: The Gospel of Jesus Christ, and he is currently reading and praying on his own and with his family! He is so ready, and even Gerardo is opening up more and more and confessing the miracles he's seen. We are planning to invite him soon to baptism once again!
¡Les quiero a todos ustedes! ¡Que puedan seguir los ejemplos de la vida de Presidente Monson que compartieron los que hablaron en su funeral! Fue una experiencia maravillosa presenciar el servicio; sé que fue un profeta de Dios y que Dios cambió el mundo por él. Sé que él y Frances están felizmente reunidos, para siempre. :) ¡Que tengan una semana optima! (I love you all! May they follow the examples of President Monson's life shared by those who spoke at his funeral! It was a wonderful experience to witness the service; I know he was a prophet of God and that God changed the world for him. I know he and Frances are happily reunited, forever. :) Have an optimal week!)
Con amor,
Élder Newman :)
Mom, Pathways! Wow, that is super awesome! I've heard a lot of things about that program! I love Moses 1 and what it teaches about our identity as children of God. Quick request: the next time you send a package, would you be willing to include some athletic shorts? I've lost quite a few! Love you so much, Mom!
Emma, silver nitrate; man, been a while since I did that in chemistry! I have seen major growth in you throughout this year; the way you've attacked challenges and tests head on is amazing to me. I have had to realize the same about God's timing; this weekend and the past, we had had baptisms slated, but they have either fallen through or been postponed, and that's tough as a missionary. But I know that if I keep working and am patient, I will someday see those joyful results I desire, maybe even while I'm still here in Malvín! ¡Te quiero muchísimo, Emma! ¡Espero que las cosas vayan increíble para ti! (I love you so much, Emma! I hope things go incredible for you!)
Callerist! You are going to have me beat on piano by the time I get home! Yup, there's little time left for sure! Love you so much!
Good luck in your tourney, Bear! Praying and cheering for you all the way from here!
Mom’s Questions:
1. How’s Diego feeling? Is he still doing chemo?
He's still feeling under the weather
2. Is Daniel getting baptized today?
No, he didn't come to church and now he's out in the country doing a 30-day tomato harvest! And we've passed him on to the Elders from where he lives anyway, so they will be doing the teaching, and Elder Araújo and I will probably go up there when he does get baptized.
3. Any nuevos this week?
Yup!
4. Did you end up singing “We Ever Pray For Thee” in sacrament meeting?
No, because it was Fast and Testimony meeting. We will probably do it this week.
5. What is the funniest thing that happened this week?
I don't remember off the top of my head, but there are always random, unexpected moments every day that leave us laughing hysterically. You need something to reduce the stress of balancing demanding office tasks and the success of your area. :)
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