Ew! Cockroaches!

Hey everyone;

Today has been crazy. We had to get our oil changed and the guy behind the counter said it would take about forty five minutes but I think he really meant to say two hours! Needless to say, I was going nuts. Especially since the TV was on in the waiting room and it was raining outside. I tried to just write letters but then Ellen Degeneres (sp?) came on…haha. But I was actually surprised at how frustrating it was for me to be there. I didn’t realize but you’re so focused as a missionary – every minute has a purpose and a schedule – it’s hard to be stranded like that. It gave me a huge headache and now I feel like a rat on a wheel trying to think about ten billion things at once since we’re running almost two hours late! Anyways. Sorry ‘im late.

Update on investigators: Martha and Amy had to move so that her ex wouldn’t be able to find her again. They told us they would need help moving so I told her to tell us when and we’d be able to get a truck for her and some men from the church to help. She wasn’t sure when they’d be moving. But then a couple days ago we went to visit her around seven thirty and when I got there she was sitting on the couch eating an orange and talking about how they had to move so then I said, yeah, do you know when you’re moving yet? And she said yeah, tonight. I was like what? Tonight? And she said yeah, they’re going to put a lock on my door tomorrow morning and whatever is inside the apartment will be lost. I was kinda shocked and said, well do you need help? And she said yeah. But then she just sat there so I stood up and then finally she stood up and we got packing. I made one phonecall – ONE. To the ward mission leader. And within twenty minutes we had TEN men at her apartment, hauling furniture out and driving it to storage (three trucks.) They were all in their suits because it was Sunday and they had been in a meeting but it made me want to cry to see them all there helping her. She’s an investigator- most of them don’t even know her. But it was amazing how quickly they responded and she was really grateful. She came to a family night the next night and I think (hope!) she’ll start to progress here pretty soon. But I guess she had been in some sort of denial about moving so that’s why she was procrastinating. All I know is, I’m making sure I have a college education and legal U.S. papers so that I don’t ever have to go through anything like that, even if for some reason I end up as a single mother. Anyways. While we were moving her stuff we had quite the excitement over the cockroaches that would come scurrying out from the corners! We found a really big one and I was having a panic attack. I was trying to keep my backpack off the floor for fear a roach would climb in but eventually all the furniture was gone and I had to set it on the floor. Haha. You should have seen me squirm as we walked away from the apartment that night! It’s all mental, just like the fish in lake Powell, but EW it’s gross to think about one of those things being anywhere near me!

Carmen and Alberto are doing really well. We had a lesson with them about the importance of Scripture study, because I noticed that they haven’t been reading the book of mormon as much as they were when we first found them. They agreed to read every night, which will be awesome. But then they opened up and started being really honest with us about some doubts and just about their feelings about being baptized (which are really positive, by the way) and then it came out that their daughter who is in Mexico has been reading the Book of Mormon we gave her when she was here visiting over Christmas and she’s way excited about it and she keeps telling her Dad it is true! She said that she liked talking to us because we weren’t trying to persuade them but it was like we had won the lottery and we were trying to share it with them! Haha. Do you realize how good that makes a missionary feel? That’s exactly what we’re wanting them to feel. I told Alberto we could have missionaries go to visit her in Mexico but he said she was all alone and he didn’t feel comfortable sending people he didn’t know over, so he’d rather just talk to her about it over the phone for now, but he committed her to live the law of chastity after we taught it and she said she would! Haha crazy things happen every day. They are supposed to get baptized the thirtieth and hopefully all will go well, but we still have to teach the word of wisdom and I know they drink coffee so we might have to push it back a couple weeks. But I love going over to their apartment because I’m starting to feel really at home there. They are learning English so we have fun with the language stuff. (their new favorite phrase is “I got you”) They remind me of what we would be like as a family if we were investigating the church. They’re really smart. Carmen is reading The Divine Comedy. As a stay at home mom. Atta girl.

We got a media referral this week named Lionides and we stopped by but he wasn’t home, so we left a message with his Sister. Then, on Sunday the bishop came up to me and said your investigator lionides just called me and he wants to come to church but he needs a ride. What? Anyways, he came to church! I don’t know how he got the number of the bishop but whatever works, right? I went up and introduced myself and he’s probably about twenty five or so, but we set an appointment for Saturday. So crazy thing, our phone rings yesterday and who’s on the caller id? Lionides. What does he want? He wants to talk. He said it was a blessing to hear my voice. Isn’t that sweet. Then he said how old are you? And I started to get worried. Then he said, are you married? And I started to get really worried. I told him best I could in Spanish that missionaries are single but I think he thought I meant we couldn’t ever get married so then he went off about what a blessing it is to be married and asked if someday I would change my mind and give myself the opportunity to marry a “brother in Christ.” Haha. I was trying so hard to follow the conversation after that but you know when you’re in a situation where you really shouldn’t laugh but you start laughing anyways and then you can’t stop? I had one of those moments, while on the phone with him! I had to hold the phone away from my face and I had tears running down my face and was trying desperately to gain composure. I finally pulled it together enough to tell him that I’d think about it. I don’t know if he was proposing or what, but mom, how would you feel about a Baby Los in the family? He was pretty cute. . . haha jk Lots of adventures here, that’s for sure.

Dad asked about the economy and actually that has been a HUGE topic of conversation. I’d say the biggest. Everyone is out of work. There are a lot of abandoned buildings in Pasadena too. Our investigator Reuben might have to move back to Mexico because he lost his job here and he hasn’t worked more than three days in the last three months. It’s so frustrating because he was progressing so well but then this just takes his mind off of spiritual stuff and he doesn’t want to make any commitments when he doenst know how long he’ll be here and all that. It’s hard to get people to come to church on Sunday because they want to sell stuff at the pulga (flea market thing) and how do you tell them not to? Without a testimony yet, they don’t realize that it’s more important to be in the chapel! And that it would do them more good. Anyways, the next biggest topic of convo right now is Haiti. Everyone asks us to pray for the people in Haiti. I heard there was another quake this morning. So scary. I hope you guys are getting your food storage together! Haha. No but seriously. Tim. Seriously. The members here LOVE food storage because it saved them during hurricane ike. There is still a lot of un-repaired damage from that hurricane, and the missionaries that were here during it talk about how long the lines were to get into the grocery store or to get gas. Food storage is just a good idea. Period.

Anways, sorry nothing too crazy this week but I hope every one is doing well. Thanks for your letters! And sarah thanks for the pics! Steph. . . I wish I could have been there. Love you all!

Becca