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| Arboleda |
So I think the craziest thing about being here in Arboleda is that it is a ward, not a branch. Which basically means that the church is bigger and stronger here! This ward used to have 4 missionaries but now there are only 2. My companion and I! So our area right now is bigger because we have to cover for what four missionaries normally did. In Merida, there is a huge highway that goes in a circle around Merida, and anything inside the highway is technically Merida, and anything outside isn't Merida. So my area has the huge highway going right through the middle of it. The area on the inside is where the other missionaries used to be. It is way more like a city. There is a Dominos pizza in that part of the area... crazy right!? Then the part on the outside of the highway is where we live. It is technically its own little pueblo named Leona Vicario, and we have 3 other small pueblos we have to go to on a bus. This part where we live is not city at all and it is like the smallest area in terms of being a city or not (except for Coahuila). So it is super interesting because we have to be walking between the two parts and in order to do so we have to cross the huge highway (don't tell my mom!!!). The ward here is super big... like it has shocked me sooo much honestly. It is one of the biggest Wards in Merida. 180 active members that go to church every week! I like don't even know what to do with so many active members that I have to get to know! It is super crazy because we actually have the meetings we are supposed to have with the members. Like Ward Council, members with the High Council members... etc etc etc. The thing that kind of makes me sad is that the people don't rely as much on the missionaries. Like in branches, if the missionaries don't do everything, nothing ever gets done. So it has been a weird transition feeling a little less important! But it has been super great to see the support that we have gotten from the people. The only thing about it is that in a branch, there aren't many members but it is super easy to find people to teach. Here in the city, there are a lot of members and it is harder to find people to teach!!
When I got here last week i realized that this area literally did not have even 1 investigator to teach. So we got to work. We did some hard missionary work. Where we are walking all day looking for people to teach in the blazing hot sun. But I am happy to say we had 12 new investigators we found this week :) 2 went to church!! Jesus and Wilberth. Two older men. One lives alone and he is a total miracle we found. He says he has desires to do some spiritual finding. Then Wilberth is an old investigator just is addicted to alcohol. But is slowly getting over it! Idk why here but in Merida it is like waaaay hotter I think because this week I sweat way more than I have in a really long time! The work is so tiring sometimes but I can truly feel the Lord carrying me.
We found a family. A whole family of investigators. There names are Yazmin, Armando, Cintia, and Ivan. The thing is, that the mom and the daughter told us they are atheists, while the dad and son said they are Christians. It was one of the most amazing lessons.. It was one of those lessons where we really have to search for the spirit to help us. I realized I wouldn't have known how to handle it 6 months ago, but I have learned so much in the mission of how to handle situations like that by following the spirit. How can we prove to them that God exists? And let me tell you, they are truly atheists. Like telling us all there doubts and whatever thing we say the mom would just throw another doubt at us about God. Like we would say about prayer and she would say... Prayer doesn't work I already tried it you guys are talking to someone who doesn't exist... So we just followed the spirit and focused on FEELINGS instead of FACTS. There came a point where i told her this.
-Sister, I know that somewhere in your heart you have a desire to believe. It might be the smallest little desire. It might be against what your mind wants, but your heart wants to believe.
- (The daughter) Mom that is so true!! Even though I don't believe, i honestly have so many desires to believe. He is so right
- (The mom) But no science explains that those desires just come naturally from us wanting to believe in a supreme being, but God doesn't exist and never will.
- (Me) Actually, those desires come from something that is called The Light of Christ. God plants in us the desire to believe so we can follow Him.
- (The mom) But even if He exists He doesn't listen to us. Then you guys just use the excuse that when he doesn't answer our prayers it is His will. It is just an excuse. He doesn't exist.
- (me) Okay Hermana. You have two kids right? Whenever they ask you for something, do you always give it to them? No. And it isn't because you don't love them. It is because you know what is best for them in the moment. That is how God is with us. He is our Father and even though we ask, He doesn't always give it because He knows what is best for us.
- (The mom) Okay well this life doesn't even have a purpose anyways. He sent us here to be sad.
- (me) Well, with your two kids, why do you send them to school every day? Your son hates going to school but you send him anyways because you know he needs to learn. That is why God sent us here, to learn.
Bascially the point is... it was a super powerful lesson and they all commited to go to church and keep learning. Wow :) Miracles.
Honestly so many miracles happened this week. The spirit helped me so much. One time this week I saw a house and just felt we needed to go. We went and it turned out to be someone that was really needing us that day. I am learning so much with my companion. Elder Luna is probably the most different companion I have ever had. He is teaching me a lot and we get along great. I really am becoming that next level missionary that I am trying to become. This was the most dedicated week of my mission i would say. I want to keep progressing and I know I can. It might take a while to see results in this area but it will happen :) I love this gospel and know that He loves you and that He exists. You guys are all the best!
3 And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.
Elder Plowman
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