On Wednesday, we visited two new people to teach who in the first lesson asked us if they could be baptized. Of course we said yes! The first one is a 13 year old girl named Diana. A family in our branch recently took her into their home because her parents abandoned her and her grandma hates her. She's been coming to church and reading the Book of Mormon and is ready to be baptized. The tricky part is that her grandma is not the most pleasant person, and says no, just to spite her granddaughter. But worry not, I'm a pretty persuasive person, and the Holy Ghost is even more so.
The second is Dominga. She's the husband of Jose Damian, who is the sister of Maria Damian, who is the boss lady of the church in Yutandayoo, and one of the best member-missionaries to grace the earth. Fun Fact: Dominga is also blind. Anyways, we got done with the lesson, and Dominga says, "I already got baptized in the christian church I usually go to, but I want you guys to baptize me, because I feel like your church is more true than the other one." Not only is it more true, it's the truth, Dominga. However, her husband asked her to wait a few weeks so he could finish what he needs to set straight before he gets baptized, then they can get baptized together. So, I'll be receiving their baptism fotos in an email in a few weeks, which is becoming a common reality, and it makes me super sad.
On Friday, we visited a village called Vista Hermosa (translation: beautiful view) and it is BEAUTIFUL. It's a great little town where everyone is super nice and totally open to talk to us about anything except Jesus. We went to visit a few people that some members had asked us to go visit, talked to a few strangers, tried to find a less active family. It was not Yutandayoo-type gold mine, but it was like a 7 out of 10, would recommend.
Friday night was when things got interesting. A couple weeks ago, Elder Maxwell got food poisoning, which is a normal occurrence for us gringos here in Mexico (and honestly, especially in Pinotepa), but it was kind of off and on, it never really went away completely. So we went to visit the branch president's wife, Hermana Mayra, who is a nurse, to see if she could help us (because we had going back and forth the insurance company who didn't want to send us to the doctor and Hermana Treviño who, bless her heart, is still new and doesn't know what to do with sick missionaries). Elder Maxwell was not getting better, so Presidente Bautista just put us in his truck and took us to the hospital. Hermana Mayra hooked us up with a free doctor visit. Her doctor buddy did the diagnosis and she stabbed my companion with a needle and gave him drugs. It was a fun little adventure and Elder Maxwell isn't broken anymore.
Saturday, we were asked not to leave the house, which I'm never ok with, but I didn't want my companion to die. So we stayed in and I found all kinds of way to use my time wisely so I didn't hate myself. I took an extended personal study, updated the area book, took time to stress over the needs of the people we teach, I started to call every person saved as "investigator" in my phone (started, but never finished, because they're like 100.) and got set appointments with each who accepted a visit (however, everyone that said yes to a visit lives in the area of the Pinotepa 2nd branch. I got frustrated that I was finding people that I wasn't going to baptize. My companion was so kind as to remind me that at this point, even when I find people in my own area, I'm finding people I won't baptize. It was a depressing thought. (The people around me never fail to keep me trunky.) I even cleaned the kitchen and cut my hair. I tried to keep the day as productive as possible, but I was sure glad to get out and be a missionary again on Sunday.
I spent my last Sunday in the family group in Yutandayoo. I really am just so thankful that the Lord has allowed me to be part of something so great. I forgot to take bread, so we used to tortillas for the sacrament. I feel like no mission in Mexico is complete unless you use tortillas for the sacrament at least once.
I have so many mixed emotions right now. I do not want to leave. But I'm also excited to see what the Lord has in store for me after the mission. It's exciting and sad and stressful and intriguing and happy and joyful and just all the feels; I just don't know that I can handle it. But for now, I don't have to leave. For now, I'm here where the Lord has called me to serve, and my head and my had get to be here as well.
I hope everyone has a great week! I love all y'all!
-Elder Aldrich
FOTOS
THE HOSPITAL ADVENTURE. It brought me back to memories of last year...
