This week has been BEAUTIFUL. This whole summer has been impossibly hot throughout the whole thing, but this week it has cooled off and its even a little bit chilly during the night. I have slept with a blanket for 6 nights in a row! Thats a new record.
Im not really sure how, but the town of La Paz has this overwhelming smell like cilantro. Not so much in the downtown part, but if you get out in the wide open spaces with fields and farms and acreage.....the whole town has a cilantro smell for some reason. It just barely started...maybe its cilantro season? I have no idea. I dont even like cilantro, but I cant seem to get enough of this smell. It is just so fresh and wonderful....its like I am living in paradise!
We have an investigator named Tito (not sure if I have talked about him) but he is awesome. He is 20 years old and working hard. He doesnt acutally live with his family though. He comes from a humble background, is the oldest of 6 kids, and when he was little his mom would send them out to beg for food because they had no income. He would always go to the Castella family....who are less actives in our branch. The mom would give him lunch and let him stay to play with her kids. Play out 15 years to where we are today, and that mom is a nice grandma, her daughter lives in the house in front of hers, and Tito is like the child they never had who helps out with nearly everything. He helps take care of the paralyzed grandpa who cant eat, go to the bathroom, get dressed, or anything. He runs errands for them, cleans stuff up, and its so cool. This boy who was so little when his mom sent him out to ask for food is able to give back and help out. So he has been living essentially with this less active family. We have visisted the family a what feels like a million times and they know they need to come to church, but actually getting there is a strugge. A couple of weeks ago we met Tito and started teaching him and he is so awesome! He absorbs the lessons like a child....sincerely interested in learning and so quick to act on faith and believe. His work schedule has made it hard for him to come to church, but he has progressed so much so far, that I know he can do it. He told us that he met with the missionaries for a while about 4 years ago, and he wanted to get baptized but he was only 16 and his parents wouldnt give him permission. Now he is 20....so baptism is his independent decision! We are excited and hope he can get baptized.
Tito is really the only investigator we have though that is pulling through and keeping his word. All of our investigators keep meeting delays in progession....making up excuses for why they didnt come to church, or trying to explain that they are just so busy they didnt have time to read the book of mormon. The best part is that when we have these conversations withi people, we are usually talking to them while they are sitting there drinking mate telling us about how stressful and hectic their lives are. These people have the time to give to the Lord, they are just choosing to satisfy thier carnal desires instead of their spiritual hunger. Im working hard to not be frustrated though! Because frustration just drives the spirit away, but seriously.....where are the people who are ready to progress? Our teaching pool has been cycled through several times and its hard when all of them dont want to choose the Gospel. Maybe they still dont get how important it is (even though we have explained it like a thousand times) but its okay. Missionary work is all the same. Some are get to plant for a while, others may be in charge of weeding, and some get to pick the fruit. It feels like I have been in the weeding department for a really long time, but maybe thats what I am good at. Ha, who knows. Success isnt manifested by the number of baptisms but rather my desire to bring people to the gospel.
So I got another box with the garments. I think your theory about the boxes being faster is true. I know they are more expensive, but I still havent got the padded envelope you sent in October, but I got a box sent January 30. It doesnt add up but it makes me feel closer to you guys when I can get notes and a package that isnt 3-4 months out dated. I opened the box up right away and gave a tootsie pop to each of the Elders. The one from the Jungle of Peru loved it. I also gave one to Pepe our missionary leader and in Spanish he was like, "candy from America?!" Ha it was fun to share. Dont worry, I am keeping the rest for me. From the other package I let the Hermanas from Santa Elena try a tootsie roll. One is from Chile and the other from Peru, and they were so funny. They kept asking if it was gum or if it was chocolate....and I was just like......"uh...neither. Its a chewy sweet called a tootsie roll with chocolate flavoring" I also got a birthday card from you guys, and one from the VV ward. And also 3 letters from Pamela Heassler. This Pam lady is really nice.....but I have no idea who she is. The Elders handed me my mail and asked "who do you know in Canada" my answer was "nobody" but I assume you guys know her. She just wrote about random things and introduced me to her family and talked about the local protests...I honestly got lost in her letters. The best part though was that she used the word whippersnapper. I felt like I was in MN all over again.
The Elders who are working in the La Paz branch had an investigator who is living with a less active at church yesterday. She was really nice and they have plans to get married. The only weird thing is that she is 37 and he is 19. They are probably the strangest couple I have ever seen. She could technically be his mom and his is only 10 years older than the kids she has from a different marriage. Its like a mom son, brother dad relationship mix up that is just bizarre. But.....love is love, so whatever works I guess.
My companion wants me to ask you mom about hair loss. She is still losing a ton. We went and got a blood test to see if its her thyroid and we will get the results back this week.....but do you have any recommendations other than that? How to take care of it or what to eat? If not its okay, her mom has been googling a bunch of stuff.
I love you all sooooooo much and hope you know I pray for you every day. I am so grateful you are all doing well. Thanks for you emails Chad. I had no idea you were transfered or training. Keep up the good work and know that I love you more than all the plates of noodles with bread I have eaten since being here!
Hermana Withers
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