Hola de Hermana, 9/4/12

Hola mi familia!

Today our zone went to a nearby park, se llama "Baul", which is why I''m online later.  It was so much fun!  We slid down giant concrete slides using cardboard to not rip our clothes, and I think I went down about six times.  It was a blast, and I enjoyed letting out yells on the way down.  :)  Yelling (like on rollercoasters) isn't something we get to do very much as missionaries.  ;)  Hermana S also insisted on giving me and her "hija" ("daughter", the missionary she's training), a piggyback ride at the same time, and I was letting out my typical yells even more than on the slides.  It was very fun.  :)

We found out that if our zone baptizes 30 people this month, we can go to the temple! It's TWICE the number we got last month, but we had a zone fast and we're working to find families, potential priesthood holders, and people who are ready for us.  Please pray that we can find families who are ready to teach.  And that Tito and Victoria, a young couple we're working with but aren't progressing, will understand the lessons and will hearken to the Spirit testify that they need to be baptized.  

Random thought: I'm going to be here when the Mayan calender ends in December, the ""end of the world"".  This week I wondered if the Mayan government didn't just have budget cuts and that's why they stopped counting the calender...  :)  

Lui blessed the sacrament for the first time on Sunday.  I wasn't expecting that, and it was after a rather difficult morning of not being able to bring investigators to church.  It was a sweet moment to watch him bless it with so much heart.  

 This week was a learning experience.  There were a lot of Catholic processions in the streets when people would carry replicas of the Savior with brass bands playing somewhat mournful music, and with incense burning...  I bet you could look up fotos on the internet.  (There's a rule we're not supposed to look like tourists, and I never took any pictures).  But I liked the symbolism, how their processions change with what occured during the same week of the Savior's life.  Like on Saturday, because He was in the tomb, people wore black and paraded with a replica of his body in the tomb. 

 On Sunday afternoon the big Catholic church had a big musical gathering to celebrate the Resurrection, and when we walked by a TON of people turned their heads and stared at us.  I did feel embarrased, and for the appointment we had later we took the long way around.  I can certainly imagine how weird it would be to be leaving or arriving at temple square and seeing other preachers nearby.... 

I love you TONS!  I testify our "Lord and Savior LIVES!  He suffered and paid for our sins so that we don't have to.  And all He asks is that we love Him and keep His commandments.  He has given us a prophet on the earth today to lead and guide us, and his name is Thomas S. Monson.  The Book of Mormon is the evidence this is true.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

LOVE YOU LOTS!

--Hermana Ivy [-]