That's what we're looking for right now. So it's been an interesting couple of weeks. It looks like Bro. I. isn't going to be able to be baptized any time soon although he wants to. Too many problems he's got to get fixed, but he continues to come to church and activities a little on and off and we really have seen a change in him which has been a major miracle.
We had activity number 2 this week in which we put all the families in groups and they had to prepare a dish from a certain state of Mexico, and the best part was that I got to make tamales! We went to our ward mission leader's house way out in the hills and his sister-in-law taught us how to wrap tamales (here they're in banana leaves). Throughout my first 10 or so attempts, I would battle with my banana leave and maza until I got it into some sort of enclosed form and finally hand it over to her, and she would sigh pityingly and rewrap it. Tamales are like little animals. You try to wrap them and they just move everywhere and want to bite you and it's terrifying.
But after about 10 or 15 I actually got pretty good and she told me I could start my business of Tamales in the United States now. Woo! Too bad we don't have banana leaves.
We also made a HUGE tamale that's made in Veracruz, where one of the elders is from. Super complicated, we (they) had to dig a hole in the ground, start a fire, mix a ton of chiles, and who knows what else into a huge soppy mix and then pour it on banana leaves-on giant plastic bags-on aluminum foil-on a wheelbarrow, then wrap all THAT together with wire and stick it in the fire-in the hole-in the ground. It took about 4 hours all together, we weren't there the whole time. And it didn't even cook all the way! So lesson is that Zacahuil sounds awesome, looks awesome, tastes fine, and is way too much work.
I also ate a bunch of chapolin, which is a salty bug. It was good.
So. The work. :) We're looking for new people to teach right now because these ones are just frustratingly not home. Sunday we passed for empty houses where people had promised to be up and ready once again. It's amazing how many things you can feel on a mission. Never before have I felt so discouraged and hopeful, frustrated and happy, worn out and full of energy, ALL AT THE SAME TIME. As our friend Ron Weasley remarked "one person couldn't feel all that, they'd explode!" And right he was, I nearly did. But I read Neil L. Anderson's talk on "The Trial of Your Faith" from October 2012 and it just filled me up like a tank of gas (?) and we had a wonderful day.
So I'm feeling that this is my last week in Tapachula as transfers are a coming next week and my companion is more than ready to take on the area. This week I was praying so hard for V., that if at ALL possible she could feel the desire to be baptized once again and her mother could change her mind. Last night we ran into V. in the street and started walking with her and she said, "You know what, I just want to be baptized this Saturday. How I would love that." And we started putting our heads together in how to soften her mother. But one way or another, miracle number 1 came about and I took that as an answer to my prayers, that this just may be possible. And by that I mean, it definitely is. All yesterday and today I have felt that He is aware of us, and with all his power He knows just what to do and with our faith we WILL move this mountain. So put your prayers together and we'll see what great things happen this week.
And to finish, the winning analogy from the exciting flood from last week by my dear Aunt Sharon:
Sometimes the world feels like it is surrounding us with evil - just as the rains outside the investigator's house. So we try to make our homes a sanctuary against it, but Satan tries hard to get inside, even finding tricky, sneaky ways to get in - like through media, TV, internet, phones, distractions, and even arguing (or drainpipes). But if we let him know, we won't stand for it, and use plastic bags and rocks and the spirit to push him out, sweeping him out with dustpans and prayers, we can keep our home free from his influence.
May the Lord bless you all this week!
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