Thanks for the pictures, it's nice to have them. I love how those trees are looking! It just barely became Fall this week here, the temperature dropped from the 80s to the 60s very suddenly, and I've gotten the sweaters out. The colors haven't changed yet, but it's going to be fun! I'm glad Rosie's baby is doing well.
Have fun in China! I'm glad you're young and healthy still; it means you can be better senior missionaries! Haha, I know that's still a few years out, but you could do some really good stuff out there. Don't worry, I still don't think of you two as old. Not all of your kids are married/engaged yet.
I don't have too much time again; I've been worse at managing it on Mondays haha. But let's talk about some of the awesome things happening!
Monday we had an awesome miracle! We talked to a young man on Saturday, who said his mom was looking for our church. We went on Monday, and it turns out that she's a member, she's been looking for the church, she's only been in the States 5 months, and she's only been in that apartment for 2 weeks! We were definitely guided there by the Spirit; there's no other way that could have happened. She's really cool, her name is Ybelisse and she is now coming to our English class (which we have a new program for and I'm learning how to teach) and church as well! She's really close to the church building, so she walks there, and she's just awesome.
Tuesday we also had some good experiences! We went around biking, talked to lots of people, and had an awesome meeting with a less-active member. He's just a little younger than we are, and we watched a conference talk with him. He seemed to really like it, and we may have a good plan to help him learn what he needs to in order to make a good decision. He would be an amazing missionary, so we hope that he can get to that point. His dad is really awesome and is working on receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood. We then had English class, which was really fun with Ybelisse.
Wednesday we did a ton of contacting, and we found a really cool family! The dad is super receptive, and he wants to be a better example for his kids and family, and he's made a lot of changes so far to do it. He's already stopped drinking and smoking because of an experience he had with his daughter, where he looked at her and thought "no more, I'm going to change." It was super cool to talk with him and his friend; they're golden! After, we went to visit a Dominican family that we know, and the wife taught us how to make fried plantains and mangú, which is basically just mashed plantains. It was really good! We just bought some today to make for dinner.
Thursday I had a doctor's appointment and between that, weekly planning, and some service, it was a pretty uneventful day. As far as missionary work, though I suppose that planning is absolutely essential to missionary work, we contacted several people that night and visited a part member family. It went pretty well, but the member in that family isn't super interested. His sister is though, so we will see what we can do.
Friday we had lots of things fall through, so we spent a lot of time trying to find people to teach. It went well, and we met with our recent converts (Jocelyn y Valeria) after all the contacting. They're doing really well, and we taught them about missionary work and they're really excited! They want to share with so many people! We also had a good meeting with some members where they fed us and we got a good referral!
Saturday was really fun. I was on an exchange with Elder Martinez, and we were able to visit several people he knew from the area and I got a lot of good information! This area has had a lot of big changes, so some people have slipped through the cracks, but it's starting to straighten out now. It's also a much smaller area than the rest of my areas, but it's really densely populated with Hispanic people. One part of it is referred to by missionaries as "Little Mexico." So we were able to have some awesome experiences that day, including the return appointment with M_____, the man we found on Wednesday. His friend, L_____ was paying more attention to us than I've ever seen before on my mission, and M_____ is a very sincere man who is really promising! His wife also seemed to like us a lot.
Sunday was awesome. Church is a delight here, though it's much smaller than what I'm used to haha. They're doing a self-reliance class during Sunday School too (most people can't/won't come to the church building more than once a week) and it took some of our Gospel Principles students, but it was cool to see everyone very happy that day. I play the piano during sacrament meeting too, which I really enjoy. I'm not perfect, but I have a pretty decent list of hymns that I can play. Sunday is a great day.
One sacred experience that I wanted to share with just you two, not the blog, was that this morning I was reflecting on my mission so far, trying to think of people who I've helped. I was having a hard time doing so at first, but I did so during preparation day time, so I was just lying in my bed as I did so. I drifted off to sleep and had a dream where I asked my mission president why I wasn't successful, and he told me "We've already been over this" and I don't remember exactly what he said after, but I was comforted, and I woke up feeling very peaceful. It was a strong testimony to me that 1) pondering is important, and 2) God is aware of me and does not think my time has been wasted here. I'm doing ok, and I can keep improving, and my mission will impact the people that the Lord wants it to.
Also sometime this week I decided I wanted fried rice and tried to make some. It turned out delicious, though I'm sure it's not very healthy haha. I make it though, and I calculated the price, which comes out to a little less than a quarter! Any tips for cooking rice in the microwave or how to make rice differently? It's turned out good so far, but I would love to try some new things! Cooking has gone very well here. Elder Santistevan doesn't know how to make a ton of things, but we've been trying new things and learning together, like with the fried plantains. It's a ton of fun! We get along well, have fun all the time, and we are fairly adventurous when occasion permits. I'm really enjoying it!
Well, I'm running out of time, but I love you both a lot! I'll try to see if I can get some pictures uploaded. Thanks for all you do, and know that I love you and pray for you!
Love,
Elder Liddle
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