July 10, 2012

Hi Familia,

There are like a billion and a half things I feel like I need to tell you. It's so funny, when the mission life seems monotonous, and then I just look at my emails to you and see how many crazy miracles and experiences and stories happen each week. I love it!

Ok, so, to follow up on last week's email, Caitie is indeed a baptized woman!! Her baptism went through on Sunday. We haven't been able to talk with her too much about it, but she said that it was really spiritually cleansing, and the first thing she felt afterwards was just how much she wanted her family to be a part of it. She's definitely a character, haha which makes us sometimes like "huuuh?", but she's awesome, and has a rock solid testimony and is very willing to learn. So yes! Woohoo, she's awesome! We had 9 baptisms as a VC this past month, that all came from us teaching people online, etc. And that number is definitely growing...so cool, huh?

Ok next item of business...fourth of july! What a memorable day. It was actually really really happy. If I have time I'll send pics. So, we had a breakfast with the ward at the park in the morning. We of course were decked out in our red white and blue (as much as possible, while still being missionary apropiados), and we had bought mini flags to carry with us haha. So, Marta came to the breakfast! She's so great. Then, we were all just hanging out, and we look up and our former investigators are walking towards us! That means their entire family of 7, plus their dog Lucky, all coming to the breakfast! We had actually dropped them like 3 days before. We made a really distinct effort to drop them officially and completely, and state our purpose and help them to realize we're always there. Then, they showed up! We got a whole bunch of members to go talk with them, and then they actually went over to the chapel after to play volleyball with a whole bunch of them! So, we haven't seen them since (we did drop them, didn't we?), but we're lining an FHE up with them and some members. Way cool!

So, after the breakfast, we were in the VC. At lunch, we decided we were going to go to the burger place across the street for our american meal (because we were destined to eat mexican food for dinner). Well, we leave the VC, and it's RAINING! For the first time since probably January hahaha. It was like cold and rainy on fourth of july! And, not just that, but the burger place was closed! So, we have to go to dairy queen! And the only thing they had was hot dogs or BBQ sandwiches, both straight out of the freezer and into the microwave. So, we enjoyed our delicious microwave BBQ sandwiches and ice cream as we drudged back to the VC in pouring rain...no parade in sight. Then,a fter the VC we had dinner w/ Marta and the elders and Hno Pacheco, the Less active that fellowshipped her. We had invited Marta to be baptized the day before, and then Hno Pacheco told us something crazy. He told us that he had a dream the following night before that he was eating with Marta, when his teeth started to fall out. He showed Marta, and then something whispered to him "Tell her to get baptized." And that was his whole dream. Then, the next day (the day we came for dinner), he was w/ her at lunch, and she goes "I have a surprise for you." and he goes "Do it." and she was like "Did you talk to the hermanas?" and he was like "No, but just do it." And she decided to be baptized! So, that day, dinner with them was really fun, we brought our mini flags and we had bought red white and blue cupcakes and mini pies and brought those as well. It was a grand old time. Then, that night we went to the VC with her to watch the Joseph Smith movie. We committed her to the 14th afterwards! It was so good. Funny side note...during the whole movie, her phone kept beeping like every 5 minutes. I kept being liek "why doesn't she turn it off??". Then, after the movie, she goes to show us..she was FILMING the whole entire movie on her phone. Hahhahaha...so she could watch it by herself at home. Oh my goodness, so we had to explain to her that she can find it other ways haha. Anywho, so, we drove back from the VC, I was quite happy and we caught probably 5 second glimpses of fireworks. What a day.

Ok, next item. Crazy story! So, the Pratts, the members we live with, had been out of town for ten days, to return this past Sunday. So we were staying there by ourselves. Saturday night, we accidentally got two dinners booked. We normally would've cancelled one, but we decided to pick up food from one and save it, and go to the other. Then, on Sunday, we were at church and had to leave to go to the VC. We decided to grab that food from home to take it to the VC and eat there, rather than return home and eat it after our shift (which would be at 6 pm ish). So, we stay and we have a lesson with Marta at the VC at 7 pm. We walked around the temple with her and taught her the Plan of Salvation on temple grounds, it was so cool. That really is an incredible blessing, to have the temple at such easy access on my mission, because everyone can recognize the spirit there. Anyways, so we walked around and it was just like warm with beautiful clouds as we just taught her the purpose of life right there. She talked about how she had been really stressed about her rent, no work, etc., before she came, but there she felt a lot better. Way cool. So, we end our lesson, and then Elder Livingston, one of the senior missionaries, sees us and goes "Brother Pratt who you live with just called, and said that their house just got broken into, and you need to go home to give the police a report." Whaaat?! So, we book it out of there and go home. We get there, and the police is there and asks us what time we got home and all of that. So, we walk inside of the house, and there is a RIFLE sitting on the couch! Oh my gosh. So, we walk in, and the bedroom next to ours is totally TRASHED, everything messed up. Ours...completely untouched. They had come into the house, and broken into the gun safe of the members we live with (breaking several tools in the meantime), and stolen one of his guns. They didn't get into the other side of the safe, that had all the ammo and money. Anyways, so...basically, it was like a miracle of all miracles that this happened and all of us were okay. First off, the Pratts ended up taking like way longer than they expected coming home (their tire blew out, etc.), and if that hadn't happened, they would've gotten there right when the robbers were there probably. We were planning on coming home right when the robbers came, but we had that random dinner that we could take to the VC. Not just that, but what are the odds that they robbed the house just like 2 hours before the Pratts came home, after 10 days of us being by ourselves? We easily could have come home to find their place broken into, and a gun on the couch! (Ok, it wasn't loaded, but it still sounds dramatic!) Anyways, so, crazy miracles. So, as we were looking around our room, thinking it was untouched, Sister Cottrell sees her pack of gum sitting in the hallway. It was on her desk that morning, and that night it was in the hallway...with the last stick of gum missing! They took her gum!! Hahahha. Not just that...so, we thought that was it, and we got to bed. I crawled into bed, and pulled the sheet over me, and reached for the blanket that I keep at the foot of my bed. And it was GONE!!! THEY TOOK MY BLANKET! Hahhaha. And they also stole the Pratt's hamper...so we think they took those to stash the stuff they stole (even though it was just 1 gun missing). Anyways, so...crazy story of the week. We got robbed, and we were definitely, definitely protected. But I still want my blanket!

What else...well, on the Sister Cottrell rash news front, we took a trip to the allergist yesterday! And she got one of those crazy allergy tests, where they poked her with a whole bunch of her stuff on her back. She had to suffer thru itching for 15 minutes. Turns out she's off the charts extremely allergic to like 5 plants/weeds, and really allergic to a whole bunch of other stuff. So, they gave her some drops to take that will eventually make her not allergic to any of that. So...hopefully mystery solved!

Ok in other news...Transfers!! So, Well, they did transfer news a little different this time around. So, they told us if we were getting transferred on Saturday, but didn't tell us where or with who. We find that out tonight. So, I'm staying! Otra vez! And Sister Cottrell is leaving! We were a little worried that we'd be staying together yet another transfer (our VC director kept hinting at that), but such is not the case. So this will be like 7 1/2 months in the same area for me! And I'm okay with it. We still don't know what'll happen to sister cottrell, but transfers are tomorrow so there you have it.

Ok other crazy miracle...I was in the VC yesterday, making small talk with this family. The dad tells me he's from Guatemala, and I just go "oh, my dad served there." (no big deal). He looks at my nametag and goes "Dennis Fors?!" Whaat?! So, dad, and to everyone else listening, this guy is named Herbert Montoroso, and was a 12 yr old in the branch Cipresales in Guatemala when you were there! And he remembered you...crazy! Apparently you baptized his brother Douglas when he turned 8. He remembered dad and having a nice smile and always smiling, not very tall, brownish blondish hair, and being muscular...haha! His parents are Francisco and Marina montoroso, and now there's 2 or 3 stakes where that branch was. he said him and his dad remember you well, and liked you a lot and thought you were a great missionary. I'll send you his contact info :)

Craziness, no? Well, so much more to say, but I'm out of time. I love you all! So grateful for my mission! Love, Sister Fors