Well family. Another week down here in good ole Oregon. You
know when you are in the real world and you have Christmas and everything and
then like after the new years you are like everything is so boring? Well I have
been waiting for that but it just wont come. Especially because a lot of
Latinos celebrate January 6th. I dont know if Aunt Pam remembers but I remember
when I was little she bought a cake with a baby hidden in it and I got the baby
and I was so excited- I still have that baby! Well I found out what that was
all about this week because my comp and I have eaten about a total of 8
"Roscas" which is this huge bread thing and I hate bread more than
anything now haha but whoever gets the baby has to be the one to make Tamales
for the next party. Out of the millions of pieces of bread we ate, I only got
the baby once. But I hope I dont have to make Tamales because I have a feeling
no one will want to eat them. Because cooking is hard.
This week was such a good one because we got to go on
exchanges for my first time... and before it I was pretty much like I hate
exchanges, i know it because I just love my comp so much and there is nothing
she cant teach me so I dont want to do it. Well God put me in my place because
Exchanges were pretty much the absolute best. Of course I missed Barrios but it
was a night full of just stunning things. First off I was with Sister
Christiansen here in MAC. And she is an English speaking missionary and we dont
teach in English. So fresh out for the first time I was really obligated to
listen to what these people were saying because I had to translate for her. And
all the people that we went to see understood English but just couldnt speak it
so I couldnt just like make something up because they would have totally known that
I was lying. And somehow, I understood and could respond but the bigger miracle
is what happens when you actually, really listen to what a person is saying.
The love comes so quickly for these people and their lives and their struggles.
And you start to care and want to help so much. It starts to make you realize
what is so awesome about missionary work. There is one woman named Cony who has
two kids and her husband is in Mexico and cant come back right now. Money is
scarce and she is so tired because she works and works. The missionaries have
tried to teach many times long before I got here. The progress is slow and
sometimes nonexistent. Well while I was translating I started to feel a love
for her that surprised me because frankly, before I had never really focused on
her because I was always playing with her kids or just not really intent. And
then when I was the only person that she could count on in that moment to speak
to her and teach her, I think that I had the opportunity to feel just a small amount
of the love that Jesus Christ has for her. And it brought tears to my eyes and
when I told her of the love that Jesus Christ must have for her she began to
cry too. She is an amazing woman and I hope that she finds peace in this
Gospel. The funny thing about exchanges is that we were driving down this road
and I was just telling Sister C that we dont walk around that part at night
because a lot of homeless people live around there and it is dangerous. We
passed a man walking on that VERY street and she goes, Pull over we need to
tlak to him!" I was like have you not been listening to me at all?!? haha
so we got out and tlaked to a man named Phillip. He looked a little sketch if
you ask me but it turns out that he is an aerospace engineer who has been to 54
deifferent countries. we talked to him and set up an appointment and then a few
minutes later we got a call from the elders saying they had just pulled over
and talked to a guy because they had felt like they needed to and they said his
name was phillip and that he had said that it must be missionary night. haha
such a cool thing. I am mostly just glad we didnt get jumped.
Other than that, life has been pretty normal. The usual.
Working hard. We had 9, thats right 9, investigators at church. I wish that
yall could meet every single one of them because each are unique in a certain
way and fabulous.
Our district is also pretty small now because two elders
went home this week. That is just about the saddest thing ever. Especially
because we are all friends and this work is hard but when missionaries go home
early is just kinda makes you want to cry a little bit.
Thats all I guess.
Oh wait I lied! I have a big surprise for dad- you are gonna
be so jealous. Hermana WEst got us tickets the the Aerospace Museum today and
it was totally rad. I will send pics.
Loves!
Hma J
Sister Barrios, Gustavo, and Sister Johnson
