(day it happened)Dear Family & Friends,
Wow! What a week! It was definitely an amazing week, one that I'm not going to soon forget.
Monday: Magda has wanted us to go to her house and exercise for some time now, so we finally made time on Monday. We went on a nice, long, fast paced couple mile walk (luckily the weather was gorgeous, more like March or April that I'm used to) then we went back to her house and did an exercise routine that worked every muscle in our bodies from the tops of our heads right down to our toes. We were dead tired by the time we left.
Tuesday: Transfer day! But like I said last week, I'm staying right where I am with both of my companions. We did go down to the office because Sister Abrith, one of the office sisters, is leaving next week, so we went to say goodbye to her, along with one of the other sisters who was going home. The weather was beautiful--I didn't take a coat and was just fine with only a sweater all day long. And it was quite entertaining... the longer we got into the day, the stiffer we got and the harder it was for us to move as a result of the exercise. We get our exercise, just not that hard-core. We had some amazing lessons too. We went to visit the Marquez family, who we have been trying to get into since my first transfer, and they let us in. We've met with Elva, the mom, before but never really with Eddy, the dad, other than on the door step and he told us that he wasn't interested. Well, Elva invited us in and said that Eddy was going to join us for the lesson. Mind you, this was just a pop-in visit on our part. Well, the lesson was great with a very strong spirit, and we were able to set up a return appointment.
Wednesday: Again, the weather was beautiful. That sure makes walking around outside a lot nicer. Later that night, I answered the phone and it was one of the members who speaks Spanish, so naturally I answered in Spanish, though forgot to say my name. Sister Gonzalez was like, "Hermana Cabello". No, soy Hermana Good. I said. She said that she thought I was Sister Cabello because of my accent. I have lots of people thinking I'm a native speaker because of my accent, and I have another year to practice that and improve it.
Thursday: We had a 20 degree drop in the temperature. I kept telling myself that it would be colder in Idaho, but that wasn't very comforting. As I was sitting at my desk studying thinking how cold it looked outside and told myself that it would be colder in Rexburg, I realized that if I wasn't here I actually wouldn't be in Rexburg right now.
I'd be living in Utah doing my student teaching which thought really weirded me out. I can't be old enough to be almost graduated from college yet! But really, I am and if I weren't here, I would be. Yes, I am very grateful for this time which I have to continue learning and growing before I really get out into the world.
Friday: I said that I would sing a song that was a special request for Zone Conference from President. The Zone leaders brought me the music, and as I looked at it I really got scared. It is at the top of my range, and the piano part looks way hard. I felt bad for the poor Elder who said he'd play for me. The song is called, O that I were an Angel. It is a really pretty song with a beautiful message, I'm just praying that I can sing it. Your prayers would be appreciated too :) We had another lesson with the Marquez family--and this time all of their 4 children, ages 10-14, sat in on the lesson too. Again the Spirit was amazing. We invited them to be baptized, and the 10 year old daughter eagerly nodded her head. Eddy said that they'd need to attend church a few times to see what it was like before they decided anything, though Elva was a little more apprehensive. We have a very good feeling about this family. As we were teaching, Eddy was explaining things to his children, with quite a bit of detail, from what he'd read in the Testimony of Joseph Smith and the 3 and 8 Witnesses. What an amazing help for his family!Saturday: Elder Wood and I had time to practice the song for Zone Conference... lets just say that any and all prayers would be appreciated that he'll be able to play and I'll be able to sing. I was able to hit the notes okay, but the timing in a few places for me is a little weird, and the piano part is way hard. He told me that he'd already practiced for over 2 hours and was still very uncomfortable playing it. Oh boy. We did NOT know what we were getting ourselves into. But with faith and prayers, it will be absolutely perfect by tomorrow (Tuesday).
Sunday: What an AMAZING day! The Marquez' had told us that they'd be to church, and we told them that we'd pass by their house so they could follow us since they weren't exactly sure where the chapel is. Well, Eddy called us in the morning and said that he was up in Santa Fe with his boss and wasn't sure if he'd be able to make it. We knew that if he didn't come, none of the family would, so we started praying. We passed by their house anyway, and the kids told us that Elva was finishing getting ready and that they were waiting for Eddy so they could go to church. We kept praying. Well, 1/2 hour before church starts, Eddy called us and said that he was home and was going to change and they'd be there. And then he called us back and asked if they needed to bring anything other than the Book of Mormon. It was so exciting to see that family arrive at church. And the Spirit in the meeting was amazing! Just what they needed to hear. And everyone was so welcoming to them and helped them feel very comfortable. After church, they told us that it was a very good experience. Not to mention, there were 44 people in the Service. The Stake President was there again, only this time there were 4 times more people than the last time he was there. And he bore his testimony, which was so good for the Marquez family to hear. The Elders actually had a couple of investigators there as well (a couple sisters who we were teaching before the area split) so there were 8 investigators in all. And about that many members who are less active. We just could not stop smiling the whole 3 hours. What an amazing day at Church! Then after church, we went to one appointment, then to our dinner appointment. The family we ate dinner with has a tradition to gather around the piano and sing hymns every Sunday night and invited us to join them. We didn't have anything other than language study, (and singing hymns for pronunciation is very good for Sister Cabello) so we stayed and sang hymns for close to an hour. It was such a neat spirit. I really kinda miss singing hymns with my family, so that was good for me. Oh yeah. And while we were in the foyer at church waiting for the Marquez family, a sister in the River's Edge ward (I can't remember her name) came up to me and said that she'd been e-mailing mom through Missionary Moms this week and gave me a hug from my mom. That was fun. Not quite the same, but close enough.
So yeah. It was a very amazing week. It's weeks like this that really make me glad that I made this decision to serve a mission so I can feel the Spirit that I can here and have these wonderful experiences that are really helping to build my testimony. I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve and for all of the amazing opportunities I have to meet people and make new friends. The experiences I am having here really are helping to shape me into the person I will become. What a wonderful way to spend a year and a half of my life!Love,
Hermana Good
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