2nd Scorpion Attack

 

Hello Everybody!

This week has been more interesting than the last. There's been more rain for sure, which is good and bad.

Tuesday it rained a lot while we were at the church after lunch for me to practice the piano. A tiny cockroach flew onto my leg. I swiftly dispatched it. There was also a cockroach in our bathroom two weeks ago or so. They both now exist as dust. Anyways, we finally know where Samir lives! But, we still can't find him there 2/3 of the time. We did do a ton of contacting though, which is good.

Wednesday morning was Multizone Conference. I met a couple new Elders from the CCM and MTC. It was good to get back to my roots in the good ol' US of A. We went to Santa Ana afterwards, and we just barely missed the bus on the way back to Masica, so we had to wait a little.

Thursday we waited for way too long to start, which is not good. We'll definitely be planning better from now on. While doing service for an Adventist family we recently contacted, I almost got stung by a scorpion! We were moving chairs and couches, and there was just a scorpion there. The lady said to be careful, and then I saw it. I'm very surprised at how calm I was with carrying it farther, and then setting it down. I took off my boot to knock it off and kill it, but she got to it first with her chancla.

We were in Santa Ana on Friday. It was raining cats and dogs, and my shoes got extremely soaked. While wringing out my socks, I found out the insoles of my favorite shoes are pretty worn out. We did get a really great contact at a pulperia when I went to buy some cookies (Galletas María--they're very good, and very cheap, at least here). The gentleman working there was very interested in how we were missionaries, and we talked to him about some gospel topics. He seems very interested! I hope this goes somewhere good.

Next day was Saturday! (That's how it works, most the time.) We went to La Cumbre for the first time in forever. We weren't able to find all the people we were looking for, but we found a few, and we tried some unripe cocoa fruit. It didn't taste much like chocolate to me. On the way back we met a lady who asked us for a book. We talked to her, and she said that she'd talked with missionaries 15 days ago, but we'd never met her. Maybe it was JWs? She seemed a little irritated and in a hurry. We've got the feeling she wants to contend with us, but we don't even know where she lives. We gave her the pamphlet of the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope she likes it. Also the power went out that night.

Church on Sunday was pretty good. They only changed one hymn back on Wednesday. The power came on before church, so I was able to play just fine! Not many of our investigators were there, just one (technically two because of Gilma, who would be baptised if it wasn't for her not being legally married to her husband). Hermano Rosanno (Hermano "Pura Vida!") gave a talk. While I don't remember everything he said, he did mention some deep doctrine that will need some explaining, maybe to everyone in the ward. We visited Fabiola (our baptismal date) that night (she still didn't go to church), and we taught about God's Plan of Salvation for us. Her little brother Jeremy (the one who is baptized and lied to us about her being sick last week) kept hitting their youngest brother, Mateo (he's two) and making him cry. I hate bullies. If I wasn't a missionary, I'd give him a piece of my mind; and since I don't speak much Spanish yet, I'd use a language which he clearly understands.

I'm trying to be better as a missionary in seeing what it is God wants me to do. I'm also trying to understand that nobody is perfect, so I need to try to see the best in others. If we don't try, I don't think we'll ever see it. Even in ourselves.

My spiritual thought this week is from Mormon 9:20. That chapter has so many good things in it, I've got it marked up like a Christmas tree on my phone. It says:

"And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust"

This scripture hits me like a cast iron pan every time (I should have several concussions by now). It has made me realize that I need to exercise my faith more because what good is my faith if I don't use it? It's good for nothing. It is dead as a doornail if I don't give it life by stepping forward in it.

Whelp. That's all I've got. I hope you are all doing well. You all take care, and may God bless you.

Pictures are:

The cucaracha, squirming in its final moments!

Flooded street outside the church (all the streets were like this)

Beautiful greenery in La Masica

A cool frog

Beautiful greenery in Santa Ana

A really really bad, or a really good idea (allegedly)