5 October 2014 - Making Memories

This is a rice field right before they harvested. 

This woman's name is Pising. She is the tallest sweetest old lady--
look her hands are almost as big as mine! Amazing! I love her!

     Ok a few things that happened this week... we taught brother Canoy again (the witchcraft brother) and I am not sure if we are going to go back very much. He was talking about how the Book of Mormon is God's revealed word and works but that there is others he has which are not revealed. He tried to do a healing hand reading thing on Sister Besiera and its just plain out weird. When we went back this weekend he was drunk so we could not teach. Soo.. we will see what happens.

      In the same neighborhood we met with one of our new, new investigators who told Sister Besiera that there was a LOT of "chismis" or gossip going around that we as missionaries are liars and all that junk and Sister Besiera broke down in tears. I'm still helping her get use to the life of a missionary. But I felt kind of bad that it didn't even phase me.... It's never been in my nature to "care" what other people think of me (that sounds terrible.)

Ok let me tell you about a few people we met this week.

Roberto is the one in the black in the back.
We just met this family this past week.

     First is Mari Lou she is a new house help of members in our ward. We met her and she said she would like to be taught. She is 27 years old and has four children, one died not too long ago due to pneumonia. The first time we went to teach her she was home alone and she just broke down to us in tears. She was so upset but was trying so hard not to cry and saying its ok "I can do, I can do it". She opened up to us that her husband when he is drunk beats her and she showed us the bruises on her body. It was so, so sad and set a completely different tone to the lesson. The spirit was so strong as we testified of families and eternal joy. When we got to the end of the lesson and were talking about the Book of Mormon and prayer she picked up her Book of Mormon and held it close to her heart. She said she had something she wanted to tell us. She went on to say that the night before she was crying and crying and could not sleep. Alone in her room she decided to pick up the Book of Mormon and pray. She told us that when she did, she almost saw a light in her mind and felt like someone was holding her. She held the Book of Mormon even tighter and said she knows God answers prayers and she wants to read the Book of Mormon. It was a beautiful sacred experience to teach her and we both love her so much already. She is so easy to love. She goes home on the weekends though and though she expressed real desire to come to church, she did not show up... so we are slightly nervous. Prayer. We pray and pray for her and hopefully we will teach her tomorrow.

MOM!! Ready for the real part of the email????

 I love construction pictures because I could never do this in America.

     I KNOW that God answers prayers. I also know that God has a ridiculous sense of humor. Sometimes our humors are not always the same but I'm learning to catch on.....
      We had weekly planning on Thursday where my companion expressed her desire to have every day be MEMORABLE before I go home. In her closing prayer she then requested to our Father in Heaven that each day is memorable. .. that night we get back from work and as we are getting ready for prayer to do our daily planning... my companion looks at my head and ..... SISTER RALPH! ... you have lice. Haha so for the next 2 hours my companion picks my head like a monkey while I just laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh. I was quite pleased at how I was not upset or annoyed. I just took it as a direct answer to prayer and asked my companion kindly to be more careful with her requests next time, haha. I love missionary life! 

     They don't really have mayo here mom but I bought this shampoo and have used it three times and will use it every other day till I leave. My companion has been looking at my head each day and night and this morning she did not see anything, Not even an egg but I'm not taking chances. It will be fine. We have a good of a comb as we could get but it doesn't work well and my hair is too long, haha haha.
     Oh great!! good to know.... well..... I wash my hair right after I let it sit in my head is that bad? Great... haha NOW I'm nervous. haha, joke. It will be fine. I took my first de-worming pill this morning..... ahh!

     Also mom just FYI I'm literally coming home with like 3 skirts.... that's it. I cannot COUNT the number of women who have asked me for my clothing. It's RIDICULOUS!

Elders at FHE at Bishops house (=

     Oh boy. This is exciting. Well.... 2 weeks to go. I am fine during the week when we get to stay busy with work. The only hard part is at church when EVERYONE talks about me going home and I just get overwhelmed.... so God is kind and let me have general conference this weekend. I'm so blessed (=   

     I did not see anything of General Conference yet. We will watch conference this weekend and Woman's Conference, I will have to watch when I get home.

     Thanks Mom and Dad! I love you both so much! Sleep well and we will chat next week (=

All My Love,
Sister Ralph