Dear Friends and Family,
I write to you from Montevideo. Today
Hermana Linnell had to sign her residency so we're in the terminal waiting for
our bus. Two hours here, two hours back. Tomorrow we have a conference here, so
we'll have to return-- two hours there, two hours back. So I'll at least have
some time to catch up on my journal. I'll need the time, because a lot has
happened.
Elda Ricardi got baptized on Saturday!!!!!! I love her so
much! Like Hermana Linnell keeps saying, the angels did a really good job
preparing her, because we feel like we didn't really do anything. That's how it
is when you're teaching someone prepared. When people open their hearts to let
the Spirit in there's really not much else to do. Keeping commitments becomes no
problem. Now we'll be working to retain her in the church and help her daughter
come back to church as well. (If you want to pray for her too, her name is Eva
Cardozo)
We are currently teaching a golden family: Federico, Cecilia,
Nicolas Federico, and Belén. Amazing little family. I am so thankful for the
opportunity to have found a family to teach. The only obstacle seems to be
finding them all together. They work a lot.
Yesterday it was SO HOT.
You'll probably read that phrase a lot in the next couple of months. I need to
start wearing my hat again, even though I look a little funny; it's better to
look a little funny than to pass out of heat exhaustion. Mom-- every time I put
sunscreen on my ears I remember you, because at home when we would go on hikes I
always forgot. Almost without warning you would grab me and put sunscreen on my
ears. I guess that's a weird thing to remember, but it's the little things that
make me think of home.
We have talked to an unusually large number of
people who are devout members of other churches, in recent days. Not that that's
bad-- I'm happy to talk to people of other religions. It's just frustrating when
the conversation turns into them inviting me to their church. That must be how
they feel, I imagine. We stopped some ladies in the street the other day, and I
wanted to give them one of our pass-along cards with Jesus on it. The first one
took it, but the second one practically leaped back and said-- very offended--
"No, I don't accept images of God. Jesus asked us not to worship graven images."
I felt bad for offending her, and even though I explained that it wasn't to
worship, but to remember our message, she refused. So I gave her the pass-along
card with the nice-looking family on it instead. Later that day we passed by an
evangelical church that was holding its worship service with all the doors open:
there were the three ladies, preaching into microphones. Awkward.
I
love you so much and hope you are doing well.
No comments:
Post a Comment