WEEK 45 "Gotta love those cow guts and chicharrones"
Buenas, que tal Familia!
It does not feel like it is Christmas at all over here. However, we are having fun with caroling and decorating as much as we can in our apartment. My favorite part about Miami Christmas so far is that everyone loves the blow-up Papa Noels. They literally line the street with these things haha
This week we found more than we ever have. But we had a realllllyyyy hard time getting anyone to come to church. The pattern over here is that we find 20+ new friends and half of them are committed to church by the first contact and then Sunday comes around we call all of them and even knock on their doors and no one answers. haha so if you have any ideas how we can get people excited about church let us know. Everyone here works harder than I have ever seen anyone work. And it is so sad because nearly everyone is living paycheck to paycheck.
The highlight of this week was definitely hearing Yohendris give his testimony in fast and testimony meeting. He got up there and gave the most heartfelt testimony I have ever heard. He mentioned how everyone at his work has seen him completely changed. Some of his friends have even asked him if they can come to church with us. I am so excited to see what the future holds for my favorite Cuban Yohendris.
Another awesome miracle that we saw this week was with our next door neighbor. We saw him working on his car and we went over to see if we could help him. He wouldn't let us help him and told us that we would probably do more harm than good on his car.. he wasn't wrong.. but the good news is that he did let us go in and share the light the world video with his family. We learned that they were taught by missionaries a couple years ago. They loved the message and told us that they would come to church! wahooo The best part is that he let us hold his bird and he promised us he would read and pray! Best lesson ever goes to our friends Ramon and Rigoberto!
However, the most intense lesson that I have ever had on my mission happened this week as well! We took one of our coolest members to a family who is Pentecostal. I think they liked to argue with us more than listen but our coolest member Hermano Garcia was there to combat every doubt with the coolest experiences, testimonies, and scriptures. This family is an online Book of Mormon referral and I really have never been in such an intense lesson in my entire life. It was fun to share all of our Bible scriptures that back up the truthfulness of the Restoration and Book of Mormon. However, they are having a really hard time believing in modern-day prophets. We told them that the only way that they can overcome their doubts is by reading the book of Mormon and praying. The more people argue against our beliefs the more my testimony is strengthened. I have never had a stronger testimony builder than that night. I know that after Jesus Christ and his apostles died the power to maintain the church was lost. However, God did not want us to stay in darkness because He loves us. He is also a God of order and not confusion. Thus, He called a modern-day prophet to lead and guide us in these last days, to prepare us for the second coming of the Savior. I love this gospel and I know that through opposition we grow.
I love you all a lot more than the disgusting cow guts and chicharrones that people randomly feed us on the streets haha Have the best week.
Un enorme brazo a todos,
Hermana Richards