On Tuesday, 4:00 rolled around and we had set an appointment with a lady named Carmen. Problem: neither one of us could remember WHO THE HECK IS CARMEN. So we retraced our steps, asked around a bit, and we just could not find this lady. So we had nothing to do, so we decided to pass by Teresa, a reference we had contacted a few days before. We knocked on the door, Teresa let us in. We sat down, started the lesson, "Hermana Teresa, what roll has God played in your life?" "I'm not Teresa, I'm Carmen." I don't know if that was a light bulb moment, or just evidence that I was probably dropped on my head as a baby. But what I do know is that Heavenly Father must have really wanted us to pass by, because we made the cita even when we missed it.
But then that raises the question, Why did both Elder Cerda and I think her name was Teresa?
Jardín, once a desolate mountain without hope or love, now has a pizza shop. And it delivers. Can you hear the angels singing? That's right, you can't. Their mouths are full of pizza. And the number for the pizza shop has a new home in the "Important Contacts" section of my daily planner.
On Thursday, on our way from the base of Jardín to the top of the world, we were stopped by a group of like 8 people crammed in a Volkswagen Beetle. They flagged us down and told us that they were members. We took down their information and went to visit them, because I had never met them, and I've been in Jardín for 5 months.
So we passed by the next day, and wow was that an interesting visit. The mother of the family is certifiably crazy and we talked to her daughter too, who is certifiably stuck up and snobby. At one point, Elder Cerda asked the daughter to read a verse from the Bible, and she snapped, "No. I don't answer your questions or read none of your little bible verses. I will speak when I choose to speak." The mother kept stroking the tattoo on her daughter's ankle and the daughter kept slapping her hand away. Their cat walked through and the mom raises her hand and says, "We used to have 2 cats but the other one died." The daughter: "8 years ago. Elderes, continue." A few minutes later, the mother: "We have apples in the kitchen if you want." I responded, "Gracias, hermana. Maybe in a minute." "Are you guys really going to eat my apples or are you just saying that so that I stop talking about apples?"
So the lesson was a little rocky. But ultimately, it was good. We shared the Plan of Salvation and when we finished, both the mother and her daughter were crying. At the end, the daughter informed us that a couple years ago, her husband passed away, leaving her alone with their 2 kids. She said that this was exactly what she needed to hear and that it was such a blessing in her life to learn that she can see her husband again.
On Saturday night we received a reference from some other missionaries in Acapulco. We called the reference and set an appointment for Sunday. Here's the catch, we really didn't know where we were going. We were searching for a pueblito called (something) de Oro, between Pedregoso (20 minutes from our house) and Coyuca (an hour and a half). So we were moving along in the combi, when I overheard a lady in the combi tell the driver that she needed to get down in Cerrito de Oro, so a few minutes later, the Combi driver let her down, and Elder Cerda and I got down too. We walked around a few minutes to find the street where we were going to meet Agustin, and we somehow found it.
We went with Agustin up to his house where we met his wife and his 40 day old daughter. Agustin and his wife were talking about what religion they wanted to raise their new child in. They didn't want to have her baptized catholic, but they really just didn't know what to do. Agustin's sister is a member of the church in the US, so when the missionaries in Renacimiento contacted him, he was willing to listen. We went, taught the message to the Restoration, and they accepted the invitation to be baptized.
I just couldn't help but think of the story of my Grandma and Grandpa Aldrich. The story is essentially the same. And to think of all the lives that have been changed because my grandparents received the gospel. Two of their sons and two of their grandsons have served missions, with more to come. Not to mention Grandpa and Deanna who are serving a mission of their own in New York. And so many more great things that have come into our family and the lives of those around, because a couple of young men showed up with a message, and my grandparents were humble enough to listen.
I write a lot of words every week, but none of them can really describe how much I truly love being a part of this Work. The miracles I see every day, both big and small. The man I'm becoming. The people who I get to help receive this great message. It's so amazing.
Everyone have an amazing week! Be sure to look for God's hand in your life; it's there, I promise. I love all y'all!
-Elder Aldrich
PICTURES
1) This is the patio off the back of our church building. It's ok to be jealous.
2) It's mango season! It's pretty much the greatest. And there's a HUGE mango tree on the property of the church, it's just a little hard to get to. But if there's a will, there's a way.
3) La Capilla de Barrio Jardín.
