To start out, we went on inter cambios con the lideres de zona Monday. Remember I was sick--well yeah the doctor said the second shot the next day was going to hurt more. Oh and it did. Trust me. I was on exchanges with Elder Quintero for that time and we worked super hard. The exchange was in Ticul--its about a little smaller than Merida
Well we went to oxk Tuesday to change back to our regular comps and they did an inspection of our house while they were there. At the end Elder Quintero asked us something that I didn't understand, so the American ZL translated it for me and he said 'do you guys have anything that you shouldn't have, like knives or pornography', and I was like, 'Nope'. My comp just didn't say anything. Two minutes (after just a silence) my comp went to the room and he gave Elder Quintero the Jehovah Witness book that he reads. I was honestly really proud of him. I know that it was tough for him. Its not easy to do something like that 'cause its embarrassing. But I was proud of him for doing that.
Well we struggled a little bit yesterday to get along in the morning, because he missed his family. And he wouldn't really help me with planning the day. So I just told him to think of the reasons why he's really out here. I told him that its normal and okay to miss your family but that I needed his help planning. He just broke down. Its was sad, but once we got out and started trying to find people and teaching people I noticed that he wasn't as sad or didn't seem as sad.
I saw my first sonnette this week. I'll tell you guys the story. I was on exchanges with a new missionary who has 2 weeks in the mission here in oxk Wednesday while my comp and his comp went to Merida for a District Leader meeting. So we were trying to find this one contact from a while back. This person lives on the top of the mountain. and so we climbed it (that was pretty fun). So they weren't home so we just went walking back down the other side of mountain and we turn the corner and there's just a huge hole in the ground--and you could walk into it. We didn't go in it but we could see water. It looked pretty sweet. Well that night I had a dream we went in it and we got like kidnapped (like the Saratov Approach). I don't wanna go back to the sonnette again 'cause I'm too freaked out.
I can't remember if I told you guys about Zulma, but she's one of our best investigators we have here in oxk. She's the lady who has no problem just breast feeding out in the open. Well we taught her yesterday and it was awesome. We were gonna teach and ask her why she wasn't going to church. Wellllllll--it was pretty funny--she said that she didn't wanna go to church or get baptized because she didn't wanna serve a mission 'cause she has kids and a esposo. She thought that by becoming a member that she had to go on a mission and had to be a missionary and leave her family to serve a mission. Wellllll--that's not the case and she was very much relieved haha. It was super funny. Then she asked why we don't pray to Mary, and so my comp answered that. I don't know what he said. but basically that we don't. Well then we committed her to a fecha for 20 de enero which is awesome. I really think that she'll follow through. Then she talked to her esposo about this all and he said that it was her decision and that she can if she wants. She said that she hadn't gotten an answer sobre el libro de mormon but she said that she feels something different when she reads it and she feels peace and just feels something different. I just paused and I just thought of what to say, and I just said, 'You know honestly, I know what your feeling. And the feeling is that the palabras your reading are true. That's what the Spirit is telling--the book is true'. And she said, 'Yeah, I agree. I think this is my answer'.
Well another insane (probably the second coolest) experience on my mission so far. It was the same day as the sonnette experience. I was dropping Elder Duran off at the mayab terminal and we were gonna meet up with my comp and his comp. But Eldre Duran said that he wanted to go get water real quick so we did. We went to the store across the street and he got water. There was a guy just standing there. I talked and shared with him the folleto de the Plan of Salvation. The guy's name is Roel, and he's like 25. He lived in San Francisco til he was 17 and knows literally perfect English. So I talked to him in English. I just felt the Spirit insanely strong for some reason. and I asked him if he has ever wondered like where he came from before this life, why we're here on this life, like our purpose, and then where we go after this life. And he said yeah I think about it every day. I asked if he believed in God and he said yeah. He said yeah someone had to give us all the things we have, the food we eat, the water we drink. At that moment I felt something insanely strong, like I've seriously never felt anything like this. And I said, 'IDK, but for some reason I honestly feel that this message is for you. I'm not just saying this cause I'm a missionary, but something is telling me that you need this message'. And he said, 'Oh really? Well here's my phone number, and here's my direccion.' And I said, 'Hermano, when can we come by to visit you?' He said that we could pass the next day. So we went to his house which was in the boonies and we found his house and we asked for him but he was sleeping. So we didn't get to teach him, but this was seriously a crazy thing. It was insane.
Well we had our ward Christmas party this week and we had a pretty good turn out. We had one investigator there Aida. Well the young women did a dance--remember this is in the chapel..and they dance to this song that cussed like 5 times. Presidente just put his head down haha. And then looked at us and we just started laughing. Well the best part of the whole thing was the Primary. They acted out the the nativity. It was insanely cute
Well Saturday we visited a contact that we contacted like a week ago after asking where someone lived. The guy is like 90 I think. Well we go to visit him Saturday and come to find out he doesn't speak any Spanish, but luckily one of the members is his daughter and was at the house when we showed up. He doesn't hear too well. We asked how old he was and then said he was 84. I was like this man is older than that, and then they said well to be honest we aren't sure how old he is. haha Well he only understands Maya, and so the hermana translated for us. Well come to find out while talking to him that he's a member, but he can't get to church 'cause he's too weak. I volunteered us to pick him up and have a taxi for him yesterday, and then the hermana just said 'no, no, its fine. He'll come'. So we just waited yesterday, and I was like 'he's not coming'. Midway through sacrament meeting he walks in, and I just went over and tried my best to talk Maya. I know five words and I said them--basically I said 'How are you brother?'. He asked me and I said, 'Good!' hahaha, But it was cool--he's awesome. I just hate seeing these old people that are so lonely that live by themselves.
Well, what else? We haven't had water for the past two days in the house, so we do everything out of buckets.
All is well here in oxk. Its been a good week, and I'm looking forward to this coming week. I try to make 10 contacts a day which makes 70 contacts in a week which is a lot if you think about it and its tough but I did it the other day when we had nothing to do all day and all 10 have return appts. While contacting I noticed that basically everyone here is related somehow. 'Oh my that's my brother', 'Oh yeah, that's my hermanonita', 'Oh yeah, that's my sobrino'.
Oh my gosh--so we have a one less active member who feeds us on Wednesdays and its literally the best food here. So we saw him on the street so we just talked to him and he loves the sisters. He's not active when the Elders are in the ward, but he goes every week when we have sisters here. So he has pictures of all the sisters and with them all, and he's showing us and he's scrolling through his phone, and I'm not gonna say what happened in English but let's just say he said "chispas, fotos de mi sobrino...." hahahahahaha so awkward.
Well that's about all for this week. Hope you guys are having an awesome Christmas. I'm talking to my family later and am super excited. I'm not really nervous. haha My comp was pacing for the past two hours in the chapel while waiting for his family to call. I'm just here chilling out haha. I'll send pictures next week. I don't really have any good ones from this week and this computer isn't too high tech, so sorry for no fotos.
K--love you guys.
Keep being awesome.
¡Feliz Navidad!
Elder Hall
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