Week 59 & 60

I apologize in advance for the length of this email, but these are some experiences that I've had this transfer that I'll never forget.

Ramón

Earlier in the transfer, we found a super awesome amigo, Ramón. He was super happy to talk with the missionaries, and one morning, he called us up and told us to come over to his house. We showed up, and Ramón was standing outside, looking a bit flustered. He told us that his family had locked him out of the house because he had apparently lost his temper. This led to a very emotional conversation about how he's trying his best as a husband and father and how he feels like no one loves or appreciates him. We shared about how even when we feel like we're alone and no one loves us, our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, love us more than we can ever imagine. I knew that was true because I felt like I was able to see him how God sees him, and I felt a great love for this man.

A half hour passes, and as Ramón was saying a closing prayer, his daughter came out of the house and made him give his car keys to her. She locked the car, which had his lunch in it, and locked the house door as she returned back inside. I felt two things at that very moment - sorrow for this poor father, and utter hopelessness since there was seemingly nothing that we could do. We tried giving some ounce of comfort, and Ramón was indeed grateful for our help. He told us that when he got locked out of his house and was wondering who to go to for help, we were the first people that came to mind!

A couple minutes after we had taken off, we received another call from Ramón. He told us again how grateful he was for us. He also informed us that his wife had threatened to call the police if he didn't leave their house. In an almost peaceful voice, he gave his last thanks, said his last goodbye, and hung up. About a week passed, and Ramon's phone number has since gone out of service. We have no idea where he's at or what happened to him. I miss Ramón.

Idolina

A few days after the Ramón incident, we received a message from his wife, Idolina. In her own words, she said, "Como ustedes saben este hogar es un desastre", which in English is "As you know, this home is a disaster". She also told us that her older children were falling into dark paths of addiction. But she knew that we teach a message of happiness and hope, and that was exactly what she was looking for.

We before had thought she was a crazy lady cause of the whole situation with Ramón, but through these trails she's been facing, her heart had been softened and is now willing to hear from us. She has since gone to church, read 8 chapters of the Book of Mormon, and she makes sure that her sons are present in the lessons and she wants them at the youth activities.

Justin Ruiz & Dante Ortega

There were two kids in the ward, Justin and Dante, that turned 8 and their parents asked us to give them the missionary lessons in preparation for their baptisms. Although I have yet to have a baptism in the mission, it was nice to help these two start on the covenant path by being baptized. They're both studs and have much ahead of them.

Exchange Miracle

While in another Elder's area, we had a lesson with an investigator, Alfredo. He invited us into his very small, cozy basement, and pulled out some chairs into the seemingly most spacious part of the basement, the hallway. We were expecting a lesson with just Alfredo, but after taking our seats, someone else walked into the room... then another person joined, and another, and another... until there were seven people in this tiny basement!

We ended up having a very spiritual lesson on the Restoration, with each one of these men participating and sharing powerful insights. We asked if they believed what we taught was true, and most of them said that they do! Although they're not in my area, I'll try to follow-up with you all on their progression!

Thanks for reading what you could! This transfer has been awesome! I have never been more tired at the end of each day!

(Weeks consisting of 3/9/21 - 3/15/21 and 3/16/21 - 3/22/21)

Elder Terry

Fotos:

1) The boys at the temple

2) Ya boy at the temple #profilepic

3-4) For the first time in many years, I went on... a run 😵 I made sure to take a high quality pic while running

5) The temple under construction

6) Cool sunrise

7) Did more service at the food bank

8) One of the office missionaries, Sister Given, hooked us up with a giant bag of movie popcorn

9) With the 20+ pounds of bacon that we got from the food bank, we decided to wrap everything with bacon -- bread, bananas, caramel, candy canes, gingerbread men, you name it! As you can see, joy has left my soul