Word of the Week: "tengo frío" ("I am cold")

The weather took a turn for the worst this week, with hail and lots of rain, but thankfully things have turned around a bit this week and we found some heaters in Mendoza so we aren’t so cold now. When it rains here, there is an unspoken tradition to make “tortas fritas”, or in my house, scones. So, I asked my companion, seeing that she’s Argentine, to teach me to make tortas fritas. Thursday night when it was particularly stormy, we made tortas fritas, put a blanket on the floor and had a mini picnic together. We had some good laughs and just enjoyed eating something warm!

Friday was a major rain day and Argentines don’t like the rain. They all hide and it’s hard to get into homes because when they come to the door, they tell us often that they can’t let us in because it’s raining…as if we weren’t aware. Ha ha! Needless to say, we had a very amazing experience Friday night as we were knocking doors, shivering and not having much success. We stopped and my companion offered a simple prayer that the Lord would open doors for us. It was late, dark, and getting rapidly colder. We turned down a different street and were going to knock doors until the bus stop or so. We kept walking and came to a door. There was light in the window, so we knocked. A young mom opened the door and before we could even introduce ourselves, she told us to come in. My companion and I just looked at each other, walked in, apologized for being all wet, and then introduced ourselves. Gisela invited us to sit down and we started talking. It was an AMAZING lesson. The spirit was so strong and I was so humbled as the Lord answered our pray in a matter of 5 minutes. We taught Gisela about the Restoration, about restored Priesthood authority and the blessing of baptism. She accepted a baptismal date easily and then told us how elders had knocked on her door many times before and she never let them in. She wasn’t sure what drove her to let us in, she said she just opened the door and there we were and before she knew it she was inviting us in. She loved the lesson, having been Catholic as a young girl but having long since stopped all religious practices. She was eager to become more religious and find something different and right for her and her son. We were able to testify to her of the power of prayer and invited her to pray to receive answers to her questions and to know if she should be baptized, even testifying to her that she was an answer to our prayers. She eagerly accepted the Book of Mormon and we left her home a little less worried about the rain and our discomfort and with a firmer testimony that the Lord answers our prayers.

We also had another amazing experience with Graciela. She is the woman we found last week who saw a picture of me in her parent’s home in Ammpya. As we went to visit her, I asked her if she was reading in the Book of Mormon and if she’d prayed to know if the Book of Mormon was true. She said she’d been reading and that she liked it a lot and that she’s been practicing praying like we taught her and is equally having a wonderful experience. We were so excited to hear that she is having a good experience. When I asked her if she feels that the Lord has responded to her prayers, she told us that she asked him for a sign. I asked her what kind of sign she is looking for, to which she replied that she didn’t know, but assumed God would make it known to her somehow. I reminded her about how she felt when we first taught her, or how she feels when she reads in the Book of Mormon or prays. We then were able to testify to her of the spirit and how what she’d been feeling was the sign from God she’d been praying for. Her eyes seemed to open and it was almost as if I heard the light bulb switch on in her mind. She just looked at me and said, “well, good thing you told me!” It was so wonderful to testify to her of the converting power of the spirit and the blessing of his companionship after we are baptized. She told us how she has never felt so drawn to something like she has been drawn to what we are teaching her. She shared with us how she made a promise to the Lord that if her son got accepted into Medical school, that she would find a church to join, but He had to tell her which one. Her son got into medical school two years ago and she recently started thinking about the promise again. She feels now that the Lord is showing her the way and that she needs to keep her end of the promise since He kept His. We are still working to get her to come to church…the never ending battle of all missionaries…but we are eager as she is recognizing the Lord’s answer to her questions and prayers. IT’S MIRACULOUS!

Zone meeting was wonderful as always and I came away full of the spirit having been richly fed. President Lindahl made another plea that we get an emergency pack going, stocked and ready…our office missionaries have been inspired to put together lots of emergency plans, etc. for the mission. I guess we have things to watch out for.

Love to you all. Thanks for your support and love.

Hna. Pelton