Fast Week

This week went super fast again. Its crazy how fast the weeks go. I feel like I dont remember much from the beginning of the week...I dont know it just went by so quickly. Hermana Estevez was a little sick for a few days this week. Basically everyone here has gripe but she is feeling better now. But we had a day or two where we werent really working. I went on splits with some ward members and with another hermana from the other area while she was sick. Kind of hard to go on splits with members because they sometimes dont know completely how to work or they like to talk a lot with the investigadores. But it was fine. Also every thursday we have what is called Noche de Hermanamiento and this thursday we were in charge. But hermana estevez was sick, so i had to lead the activity solo because i was on splits with the members. We just had a small activity talking about goals for 2014. Most of the members i felt like just stared at me...it was kind of disappointing when i was trying to get them excited and such but i felt like they all didnt really want to be there...but whatever. On Saturday we had intercambios with the sister training leaders. I stayed in the area and hna estevez went to the other area and Hermana Rodriguez came with me. It was a really good experience for me to lead the area. We worked super hard and it was good for my confidence to grow that I can lead an area. Also it made me feel good to know that i know enough spanish, sometimes with hermana estevez i worry that i dont know enough spanish because if i dont understand something she helps me with it, but this day on intercambios i was with hna rodriguez and she doesnt know hardly any english and i did fine. So that was good. I learned a lot during intercambios and it was a good experience. Then yesterday at church was super amazing. We had 6 investigators at church and it was a great meeting. Eloisa and Marcos came. They are progressing and Marcos says he has a testimony of the book of mormon. They only say they need more time to feel more sure about baptism. Marcos is more positive then Eloisa but I know that both of them are going to be baptized. I just dont know when. Marcos is so smart and he loves to read which is great. We are just going to keep working with them. This week we are going to start teaching them the commandments. Also at church was this investigator named Roberto. I have only taught/visited him maybe 2 times. He has received the missionaries for a long long time now. He knows the book of mormon is true and everything. The only problem is he works on sundays. He sells food in the streets and that is the reason he hasnt been baptized is he wont give up his work on sunday to go the church. He doesnt have enough faith that he will be blessed if he goes to church on sunday. Also he has problems with drinking when he has problems in his life. When we have visited him he says he want to go to the church, and he prays for the strength to have faith to go to the church and not work, but then he never goes. But saturday we visited him and had a similar experience. But we put him in part of our fast and it really was a miracle that he came to the church. He wasnt there at first, but during the sacrament i was just praying in my heart he would come late, and at the end of the sacrament he walked in, also one of the ward members shared their testimony and mentioned him specifically that he was going to be so blessed for being here today in the church. Really the missionaries have been trying for so so so long for him to come just once to the church. Hopefully we can continue working with him. Also David Calderon (Albas husband) came to the church! We have been inviting him everyweek and he always says he is going to come, but then never does. But this week we had more formal visits with him and he said he would come and Alba told us she would make sure he would come. It was so neat to see them in the church as a family. And probably most especial of all, was Alba shared her testimony. Never have I heard a more powerful testimony in my life. Wow. First of all she talked about how grateful she was for us and our love for her and our patience with her when she was deciding to be baptized (which was great for Eloisa and Marcos). It really made me realize that I am making a difference here, even if sometimes I dont feel like it because of my spanish, but it made me realize people really can feel my love for them. Also she shared her experience of when she decided to be baptized and her baptism. She talked about when we had the lesson with her in the chapel and everything. She also talked about the Book of Mormon and how important it is for her to read and study every day even if its just a little. Right now her mom is sick so she has been really busy taking care of her, but she said how important it was for her to find time to read for just 5 mins every day. Then at the very end she talked about how much it meant to her to have her husband here with her at church and talked a lot about that. It was neat enough that she got up to share her testimony, and then how powerful her testimony was...wow. Never will I forget her testimony yesterday. Its also so neat to see, because at first she was really shy to share her testimony or she didnt really have confidence to invite her husband but now its different. Also we had a noche de hogar (family home evening) with them on monday and one of her goals was to go to the temple to baptisms (which was one of her doubts originally before she was baptized). I really hope we can continue growing on this success we have had. That was basically the highlights of this week. Hopefully I can continue to have another good week. Im glad you got my letters for christmas. I couldnt find any gloves still...but whatever. Sounds like everything is going good at home starting off this new year. Love you all so much! Hermana Groneman