The people who live next door

Sister Cowley went home last month, she lives in Idaho. I got a letter from her this week that said she had missed her connecting flight home, and had to switch flights. Her family got confused about the time change and she said there was NOBODY to pick her up when she got off the plane. The funny thing is that she had a dream that that happened while we were companions and we always talked about how awful it would be. The missionary nightmare came true! :( In other words..I'll see you at the airport on the 27th. right? haha ;)

Things are going good here, we are going crazy with plans for the baptism, and interviews are this week and our car broke down...Hectic! But awesome. We are doing great and enjoying our last 2 weeks as companions. Sad :( We keep trying to figure out how we could possibly stay together, but so far it hasn't added up. If it happens we will both be stoked! We are having a good time, Sister England is hilarious. We taught the law of chastity to this couple the other day.. you would think that would be easy when they are a married couple. Which it was, they are great and totally in agreeance with everything. But they went off for like a half an hour about different ways that people break that commandment. By far THE most awkward conversation I have had on my mission. Sister England kept looking to me to translate what was going on, because I'm pretty sure it was clear how horrified I was. In the end I think we all laughed so hard we were crying. I have never been more grateful to have been raised in the bubble! Yikes.

We've been wanting to talk to the people who live nextdoor to us for ever, and this week they invited us over for dinner and a lesson. They are a Son and his mother here from Germany and she was raised there during WWII. She has some crazy stories. The lesson went really well, and they seem to sincerely want to learn more and to be closer to God. It's really neat that they live right nextdoor to us and that we see eachother every day. It's different when it's somebody you feel like you already know rather than just someone you knock into on the street. We are going to have a lot of fun teaching them and getting to know them.

A Service Opportunity

We had a neat experience this week with a man named Israel. We knocked into him a few weeks ago, and he told us that he had just arrived here from Guatemala. He said he wanted to find a church here in the United States, but that he needed some time to think about it before he invited us back. We left him with a pamphlet, and told him we would stop by again. We passed by this week to find that he had moved to another apartment complex already. The man living there told us that they were still in contact so we left our phone number.

The next day Israel called us and asked us if we would pray for him. He's struggling a lot to find work here, and he misses his family at home; he has felt alone ever since he arrived. He said that he knew we were people close to God and he needed all the help he could get. We asked him where his new apartment was, and he said, "Oxford Street" which is exactly where we were when he called. We told him we were visiting someone on that street and asked if we could stop by. We were able to talk with him outside for a while and give him a Book of Mormon and testify of how it had helped us each through the hard times in our lives. Afterward we said a prayer with him right there in the dark in the street, it seemed like the best thing, and the only thing we could do for him at that time to give him some peace of mind.

We were touched by his story, and shared it with a member family (the Ortiz) that night and told them how good it felt to be able to offer some sort of service to Israel when he needed it. We invited them to pray for an opportunity to serve someone this week who was ready to hear the gospel. The Ortiz are also from Guatemala, and took an interest in Israel's story, and chose him as their person to serve. Hermano Ortiz spent all evening and morning asking his friends if they new of any work, and at church yesterday he found us and asked for Israel's phone number to let him know that he had found a job for him.

It is amazing to me how many people are willing to help eachother out. People who they don't even know. What a blessing it is to have members who are working their own miracles to help us in this work. We couldn't do it without their help. We ALL play a part in helping one another feel of and come to know the love of God. Israel now has a friend here from Guatemala, he isn't alone anymore, and he found the work that he needs so that in time his family will be able to share the freedom and blessings that we all enjoy in this country. All for one small act of service.

If I could be so "Missionary" :) as to invite you all to also pray for that service opportunity this week and then DO IT! There are people all around us who need help, and we each have so much to offer. We can make a difference in the lives of others everyday, if we take enough time to stop and notice, and then reach out in selfless service.

I felt so happy when I saw what Hermano Ortiz had done for Israel, It has been the highlight of my week. I hope and pray that you will all be able to feel it this week as well as you serve someone else :)