Ups and Downs in NM

So the other day when we were in the car driving to our next appointment and we were playing a CD that I had not heard before. One of the songs that came on was Josh Groban's Don't Give Up. I have always liked this song. Now it has a completely different meaning to me. The words are what I just needed to hear. It gave me the boost I needed to get through the rest of the week. You should listen to it again and think about how it relates to learning a new language. This week was rough too because I somehow caught a nasty cold. I’m sure I looked like a train wreck this whole week. Being on a mission is already exhausting let alone being sick. Thankfully it is slowly going away and I can breathe once again.  

This week we had some really solid plans and appointments. One day we had a member with us and all of the appointments were no shows.  It was supper disappointing. Then on Sunday one of our investigators dropped us. Her name is Juanita. I will forever remember her. She was my very first drop. After I finished talking to her on the phone I felt so disappointed, sad, and a little angry.  I was upset because I know what she is missing out on and she was so close to understanding. Sadly, she used her agency to choose otherwise. At least she was up front with us and called us instead of hiding. She works with a lot of member so maybe one day she will have the desire to learn more and we will be there when she does. 

On the other hand is Jose. He has been investigating for awhile now and his wife is a resent convert. He progressed so much this week it was amazing! On Sunday the Sunday School was about the priesthood. He had so many questions, though by the end you could tell he understood. Later that night we had dinner with the Branch Pres and they had invited Jose and his family too. His whole family came to dinner. I have never met his sons. They were really awesome too. One of them seemed interested to learn more. But anyhow the cool part happened after dinner. Jose asked Pres. if he could give his sons a priesthood blessing because he was worried about them and he knew a blessing would help them. Then after word he asked for a blessing. It was such beautiful site. I love that family so much. They have come so far. It is going to be exciting to see what happens to them in the next few weeks. 

Did I tell you we have to translate sacrament meeting too. We are in a Spanish branch and some members in the branch don't speak Spanish so they get to wear head sets and listen to us as we translate for them. Fun.

 Don't hesitate to hand write letters either. It’s always nice to come home to a letter:)  and little depressing when neither of  us get any mail all week. 

Love,

Karen