MONDAY - November 12, 2012

breakdowns and Ivan

Dear Blog Readers,

I feel like I start off every letter with ``this week flew by`` but for reals, this week flew. I would like to say it was a perfect week, but to be quite honest, the week came with more bumbs than normal. Imagine driving down the freeway and hitting bumps in the road....(michael said he hit some traffic bumps on the highway...i wonder who he ran over) And after that pathetic quote from the office, I will start off by saying the first bump happened Monday night.

We have been warned to stay out of the favela for the past few weeks as things have been acting up. To say the least, Monday night was a very close encounter...too close, and i had a little tantrum when we got home that night. Okay, not tantrum. More like full on child kicking and screaming out of control crying session. Just kidding. Maybe.

After Monday night I asked for a blessing from Elder Jones, our District Leader. Heavenly Father knew just what to say, and Elder Jones had the rare oppertunity to quote my Patriarchal Blessing-truly, behold the power of the priesthood. After calming down and about a pound of brasillian chocolate, i was ready to start the week.

I have been praying a lot lately to see people the way Christ sees them. It was my mistake in praying for this because as of Tuesday, I have cried every day. And I dont even have that ``special time of month`` to blame my blubberiness on. In fact, you could say i have turned into the pathetic woman who cries for every circumstance. But for reals guys, Heavenly Father loves you. We have been in lessons this past week or sitting on the bus, or talking to members and I just feel this overpowering LOVE. Except it is more than that, its just this deep bone filling heart thumping feeling I cant quite describe.

There is a woman in my ward named Ana. Ana is in her 50s. She is the only member of the church in her family and she has lived a very hard life. She walks every single sunday the 4 some odd miles up and down hills to get to church all by herself, and she sits alone on the back row during sacrament meeting. She is an incredible woman, and an incredible cook. When Ana feeds the sisters, we fast the day before. It is without exageration, Thanksgiving and Christmas and St. Patricks Day put together (you dont eat a lot for st patricks day? you would with Ana). Every time we eat with her, we have the oppertunity to talk with her son, Ivan.

Ivan is 29. He was 20 when Ana was baptized, hes been to church many times, he has read the Book of Mormon with her, he has seen general conference and he has had the discussions. Hes a sweet man, but he has no interest in the gospel. Until this past week. We challenged him to start reading the book of mormon a few weeks ago and he is already in Mosiah. When he told us this Saturday night, we invited him to church. He said he would try, who knows.

Sunday morning Ivan misplaced a very important piece of paper. He had every plan to go to church, but because of misplacing this paper, he decided instead to search for it. Ana helped him for an hour and then told him she was walking to church without him. She left, and he decided to pray. He prayed that if he was suppose to be baptized in the church, he would find the piece of paper and make it to church in time for sacrement meeting.

He made it in time for Sacrament Meeting. We went to his house after church and he filled us in on the rest of the story-after finishing the prayer, he found a picture of his mother when she was baptized. All of a sudden, he realized how her example of going to church alone for the past 9 years had given him a testimony of the importance of church attendance. After having this thought, he remembered he had left the paper in the barbarshop. But it was Sunday, surely it was closed. He ran to the shop anyways, to find the owner passing by on his way to the bread shop-with Ivan´s slip in hand. ``I found this yesterday and thought you would need it.``

Ivan then explained to us how the past 9 years had been hard on him. How he had made a whole lot of mistakes and a whole lot of bad decisions. But that no matter what, Ana had loved him and supported him through his trials. And she had gone to church, no matter the circumstance, alone for 9 years.

Ana cried throughout the lesson. We cried. Ivan cried.

He will be baptized this coming Sunday.

Dont underestimate the power of your example to others.

love you all, sister mad

 PICTURES!!

Locked out of the apartment!

The RAIN!