Life is a Ball!

Dear Family, Friends, and Everyone,

 

How are you all? Life here in West Palm is a ball - one that gets thrown around a lot and is going in every possible direction, but hey. Lots of fun experiences this week, and I'll just get right into them! Hope you have lots of time to read about them all...

 

So the main focus this week has been on the Perez family, who I summarized two weeks ago. We've been meeting with them a lot this week, and they've really been progressing. We saw amazing answers to prayers in teaching them. We showed up with a member on Thursday, a pre-arranged appointment in the afternoon. The car wasn't there. We waited for a few minutes, knocked the door, rang the doorbell, and were about to leave. We said a prayer and ten seconds later they drove around the corner. That lesson went so well that they were solid for the next day (she goes to school, works, cooks at home to earn money, and takes care of her little kids, so it's hard to get appointments). The next day we had another member come out with us, but when we sat down to give the lesson one of the renters in the other room was playing loud rap music. He agreed to turn it down but wouldn't shut it off. I said a silent prayer in my heart, and my companion was doing the same, that the music wouldn't be a problem. The music turned off after our investigator's son said the opening prayer. It turned back on during the closing prayer. We're still not sure what happened, but it definitely wasn't anything we did.

 

On Sunday our Bishop wanted to talk with the family. While they were outside the office and we were talking to him, Araceli started talking with our recent convert Emma, and one of our ward missionaries. We got out to find them tag-team-testifying to Araceli about how baptism is more important than her esposo/boyfriend. It was amazing. (Also funny in that Emma and Araceli were both sitting there nursing...)

 

We are also continuing to teach the Vega family. We had a fantastic lesson on faith with them this week, but then Frank didn't show up for our Saturday night lesson and they didn't come to church :(. So we went by on Sundaynight and taught just the kids about the Sabbath day and the importance of coming to church. The 14-year-old boy said the closing prayer, and in it he asked: "Please, oh please let us go to church this Sunday, Dear Heavenly Father." The 11-year-old girl told us shortly thereafter: "I really really want to get baptized. I just don't know where the church is!" We are praying that their father's heart will be softened and he will really feel the Spirit testifying to him of the importance of this message.

 

We met an interesting guy this week on the street. I was a little unsure about how I felt after he told us that he was going to take the picture of Christ from the pass-along card and have it tattooed on him... Oh and we also got proposed to/propositioned 5 times this week. It's been really interesting. Life is crazy. Sometimes I just quote Sister Johnson: "Where am I? Am I dead?" It's just a roller coaster and learning to rely on the Lord 100%.

 

I have been able to see over and over again that the Gospel is true. I absolutely know that what I am teaching is true. I am still working on applying it, but I know that God lives, that Jesus Christ lives, that Christ's church is on the earth in these days. I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives.

 

I love you all!

 

<3

Hermana Houghton

 

P.S. Sorry I'm not referring you to as many talks - I've been mostly reading them in Spanish these days...

 

P.P.S. Pictures from our daily run trail (It's been raining a lot):