So much to say!

Hi guys! :)

First... shoutouts! Things move slow here, so I finally got (what I hope) are all the letters sent in the month of July! If I don´t mention you.... then it might be lost... so let me know!

 Letters:

Elder Preston Hale in Germany, Elder Chase Weight in Alabama, A letter from a future sister, Claire Neilsen

Darling Nicole Hopkinson, And of course, one from Brooke Michele :)

Aaaand finally a package put together from my parents, left in the care of Chad, and mailed by Rachel. Thanks to Lisa Mott and Marilyn Steffensen for contributing! And a bunch of pictures from Brooke. Thanks! We had so much fun looking at them and sharing stories!

Now to the good stuff....

The family Salines, Rolando, Rosa, and their daughters came to church yesterday! Boy, was it an ordeal! We left our house at about 7:45 and walked over there. We got there at around 7:55ish. Rolando was up, eating breakfast and he said that the girls were still asleep. Rosa was saying that she couldn´t go. Awesome. Well, then Juliet came.

Pause: let´s talk about Juliet. 

The same night we found Marta Flores (miraculously) in the street, we were walking to the pulperia (kind of like a gas station store, minus the gas station.) to get tortillas. This car pulls over and asks where we´re going and we explained just to the pulperia. She asked if we were in our area and we said yes, and then she said she had a reference for us. Yippee! So we hop in the car so she could drive us to show us where the reference lived. She told us her name was Juliet, and that she had been a member for 7 years. In the time we´ve known her, we´ve learned more of her story. She´s a single mother, and was feeling sad when she had her second child because she didn´t understand why God would bless her with these children but not with a father to care for them. She had a dream where a man came to her, and then he turned out being one of her missionaries! Anyway, she lives farther away, but her mom (a nonmember) lives in our area, so she was driving to her house.

So then a couple days later we go with Juliet to visit the reference who isn´t home. So Juliet asks if we have anyone else she could visit with us, so we go to visit the family Salines. We are at the gate to their pueblo when she said, "Oh, Rolando Salines? I know him! We´ve been friends for 20 years". oh, well alright then.

Guys, there are no coincidences. 

So pretty much Juliet has been there every step of the way, and we call her our angel from heaven. She has such a strong testimony of this gospel and a desire to share it with everyone (hey! kind of like me!) and has been hugely helpful. 

So Juliet comes and asked where Rosa was and I guess talked to her because Rosa came out 15 minutes later dressed and ready to go. The girls woke up one by one (only one bathroom) and after we braided all their hair, everyone was ready to go. Woot! The girls rode with Juliet, and we rode with Rolando and Rosa. 

Well, we were 15 minutes late, but made it in time to get the sacrament in the hall, then went in and listened to the talks. Rolando, Rosa, and Katherine (the oldest) all left because Rolando had work, Katherine had homework, and Rosa just goes where Rolando does. But Katia and Alison stayed for Primary and LOVED it. 

After church, one of Juliet´s sons (Alejandro is 13, and Ricardo is 10), Alejandro had a super bad head ache and wanted a blessing. So he asked the Elders and we went in one of the rooms so they could give it to him. As soon as they anointed the oil there was just this beautiful spirit. These boys were called of god, and they have the preisthood authority. I knew the girls could feel it too, and it was so great :)

We taught them law of chastity last night. They understand the importance of marriage, but said that they want to talk about getting married. Makes sense... but frustrating at the same time. We think right now that the girls will get baptized first (the 31st of this month) But we´ll see :)

We went to the temple, but didn´t go inside. It was a trip with the missionaries in our zone, another zone and their investigators. We had a FHE where we talked about the temple, and the importance of it. In the first picture is Juliet and her kids on the left, Katherine, and on the right is Francisca, one of my students in the English class. She lives in our area, and we´ve tried teaching her but she thinks that all the churches are good, and doesn´t think that one church can have the power and authority from god. and so it goes.

 And here are some more of my adventures with pictures attached!:)

So, the other day we get home and realize the bedroom door is locked. Well, this is a problem because Hermana C. lost all of our keys the day I arrived. The only key we have is the one that lets us in the gate to the main house. So we´re trying to figure out what to do. Well, Hermana C grabs our mop and tries opening the window. (our hallway is outdoors, and so we can touch the window that way. She´s too short, so I took over and managed to open the window.

Now we had to get IN to the room. So I stood on the banister, and straddled between the window and the banister, then pulled myself onto the window ledge, then into the room.

 

 

 It was hilarious, and we hope it never has to happen again.  :)

 

 

And here is another view of the city

 

 

 

 Love you all!!