¡HOLA!
Well this week was fun and fabulous and full of Spanish milagros!! I think I'll start with the funny stuff first and then get to the more serious stuff at the end.
(PS remember how I bragged about knowing how to unsideways things? Well I guess that was actually false...)
Second funny story:
So earlier this week we were visiting this family like missionaries often do. They live way out in the country and have about a million dogs (Actually it's only 5 or 6, but sometimes it feels like a million). Some of the smaller, yappier dogs were locked up in their crate during our visit but started to get annoying (because of the yappiness) so the sister we were visiting decided to let them outside. There's one particular dog, though, that I knew would not listen. He's basically a very excited beanie baby (slash Yorkie) that is not really house trained, and he loves visitors. So instead of making a beeline for the door like the other, much more civilized dogs, he makes a beeline for us, specifically me. I think you can guess what happened next. In his excitement he lost all control of his bladder... and then after that we had to go home so I could change. Needless to say, a Yorkie will not furnish my future house.
Ok now do you wanna hear some Spanish milagros?! If not then just close the tab or something.
Ready?
Milagro #1: (AKA the taco truck miracle) Hna. Loveland and I were driving to Clinton on Thursday and we were starting to get really hungry, but we didn't have dinner for another few hours. It got even worse right as we got off the freeway and saw all of the delicious restaurant choices that were available. Finally we saw the taco truck and just had to stop. At that moment, tacos were mandatory for our survival. (Sidenote, anyone who hasn't eaten at a taco truck should first, repent and eat at a taco truck, and second, stop thinking that Taco Bell actually know how to make tacos. I'm talking about carne asada on corn tortillas with cilantro and onions and chile with a pickled carrot for the "pica". Like how real Mexicans make their tacos. Or at least the ones who live in America. I've never been to Mexico.) (and now I'm hungry...) So we get our tacos and start talking to the guy in the truck and we find out that he had actually been visited by missionaries before and had had a Book of Mormon but he had loaned it to someone and never gotten it back. We asked him if he wanted another one, which we gave him and asked if we could come back and talk more about the evangelio. Of course he said yes so we're just going to eat at the taco truck all the time now. What a sacrifice ;). Hopefully we'll become besties and then he'll just give us tacos for free!
Milagro #2: Yesterday a random Spanish guy showed up to church! What?!? I was translating, so Hna. Loveland went over and gave him headphones so he could understand and tried to explain about the service but he stopped her and said that he was already a member. What?! He had just moved to Elk City and wanted to bring his huge family of Spanish speaking superhero members that have gone on missions and gone to the temple and make a Spanish branch in Clinton!! It's a Spanish missionary's dream come true!!! There is so much Spanish in Clinton that I really think that it could happen.
But anyways. I LOVE BEING A SPANISH MISSIONARY!!
This week Hna. Loveland got a nasty bug so we had to stay in for most of Saturday. While we were stuck inside we listened to a really great talk by Sheri Dew that I recommend everyone read/listen to, especially if you are a woman. It's not on LDS.org so I can't post the link, but the name starts with something like "4 Things that will wreck your life and the 4 things that will..." I don't remember the rest. Maybe my wonderful blogger mommy could find it for me on the Google machine. Anyways, it was very empowering for me. One point that she emphasizes is that as women we shouldn't backbite, gossip, judge, or try to hurt one another. She makes the statement that maybe the final judgment will be nothing compared to what we put ourselves and each other through in this life. It really made me think. One of the best attributes of the Savior was compassion. What would happen if we focused on compassion? If we tried to look for the good in others rather than the bad? I can guarantee you, you will find what you are looking for. So what are you looking for? What did the Savior look for? Notice the language that He uses in this part of D&C 78:17-18:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along."
Is there anything condemning or judgmental in that tone? I am trying to recommit everyday to be compassionate and look for the good in others. Sometimes it's really difficult, especially when I look only at their actions and completely ignore the motives. But as I have prayed for charity, the Lord blesses me with it when I am being faithful and worthy of the Spirit.
This week Hna. Loveland got a nasty bug so we had to stay in for most of Saturday. While we were stuck inside we listened to a really great talk by Sheri Dew that I recommend everyone read/listen to, especially if you are a woman. It's not on LDS.org so I can't post the link, but the name starts with something like "4 Things that will wreck your life and the 4 things that will..." I don't remember the rest. Maybe my wonderful blogger mommy could find it for me on the Google machine. Anyways, it was very empowering for me. One point that she emphasizes is that as women we shouldn't backbite, gossip, judge, or try to hurt one another. She makes the statement that maybe the final judgment will be nothing compared to what we put ourselves and each other through in this life. It really made me think. One of the best attributes of the Savior was compassion. What would happen if we focused on compassion? If we tried to look for the good in others rather than the bad? I can guarantee you, you will find what you are looking for. So what are you looking for? What did the Savior look for? Notice the language that He uses in this part of D&C 78:17-18:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along."
Is there anything condemning or judgmental in that tone? I am trying to recommit everyday to be compassionate and look for the good in others. Sometimes it's really difficult, especially when I look only at their actions and completely ignore the motives. But as I have prayed for charity, the Lord blesses me with it when I am being faithful and worthy of the Spirit.
(Note from her mommy blogger assistant...I looked for the talk she referred to and it appears it is really a book/book on tape. It is available at Deseret Book and probably on Amazon. The full title is "4 Things That Will Wreck Your Life, and 4 Truths That Will Save It".)
Finally, I would like to share a quote by President Spencer W. Kimball about trials (it has nothing to do with anything that I've just said, but it's really good):
“If we looked at mortality as the whole of existence, then pain, sorrow, failure, and short life would be calamity. But if we look upon life as an eternal thing stretching far into the premortal past and on into the eternal post-death future, then all happenings may be put in proper perspective.
“… Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience, death that we might be immortalized and glorified?
“If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith.”
Love you all! The church is true! Life is good!
Con cariño,
Hermana Holloway
PS: this is Thomas, OK. AKA nothing. Except for that really big granary.
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