This is probably my last week in Esquel. The transfer ends on Sunday, and it´s very rare that companions stay together for more than 2 transfers. I need to buy some souvenirs of this beautiful place!
The connection with the camera and the computer I´m using isn´t working, so once again, I don´t have pictures.... Gosh dang it, I have so much to SHOW you guys! The mission is an incredible experience, and I have many pictures of wonderful families, The ones at the top of the list are of course, Lidia and Nicol. I´ll tell you about them first...
We´ve been talking to Lidia a lot lately about life, what she wants as a mother, for her kids, for herself, for her life, things like that. On many occasions, she´s told us very incredible things that she wouldn´t otherwise say unless she trusted us. I know about most of her life and the difficulties and trials that she´s had. Patricio... We couldn't find the guy for about a week, but then two days ago, we found them again. We found out from Lidia that their relationship as bf/gf has been going downhill pretty fast. Whenever we try to teach him, he calls a taxi to come pick him up with the excuse that he has to go somewhere. He leaves, and we have time to talk to Lidia about what´s really going on. She does not want to be with him anymore. Her experiences with us, and her desire to change and fix her life for the Savior are such that she doesn´t want to be with someone who´s getting in the way of her doing that. Patricio isn´t willing to leave. She has tried to talk to him calmly several times about how she does not want him in her life anymore, but he refuses to listen to her, saying that she´s just angry and doesn´t know what she´s talking about. We had a conversation with her on Saturday, in the which she told us of her firm desire to return for good to church with her kids. She knows that that´s what´s going to give her kids the examples they need, and the blessings she so desperately wants in this life. We were so happy, and excited for Sunday to come, to watch her come through that door. In the morning, I received a text message from her saying that she couldn´t come. She said she would tell us when we came by after church. When we came by, she sat with us and told us how Patricio had not let her go to sleep that night. He kept yelling, and talking throughout the entire night, probably drunk, and she didn´t get a wink of sleep. She was so tired, that she couldn´t physically go to church. I was so angry with Patricio... Lidia needs help with her kids... Sometimes her 6 yr. old daughter, Emily, goes to school hungry in the morning, because there isn´t any food in the house. It´s heartbreaking. I love that family to death.
Inés, our convert... IS A ROCK!! She is now coming to lessons with us, and she´s helping us put commitments for baptism! She shares her testimony, and helps people understand that it is possible! She´s incredible. She´s also giving us information with almost every person that lives in her neighborhood! Haha, She truly was a blessing. In one lesson with her accompanying us, we went to the cousin of Lidia. Her name is Lorena... Argentine customs are very different down here. Halfway through our lesson on how the Gospel will bless her life, and why the BoM is important, she just LIFTED up her shirt and began breastfeeding her baby. Not a care in the world, still listening to us teach, but breastfeeding her baby. It wouldn´t have been so bad if she had had a blanked or something covering herself, but no, she had her baby on one, and the other was clear out in the open. I´ve never concentrated so hard on someones forehead.... Wow. Argentina...
Mornings are getting so difficult to get up! I work so hard during the day, and never take a break. I do very hard work outs in the morning, and at night, I´m usually reading the BoM or studying something until about 11pm... Mornings really are a battle. If I get up, and start working out, I´m good. But in between getting up and beginning working out... It´s a test between body and spirit, every morning. And it won´t last for another year and a half! Hahaha!
There´s a less active family named Familia Carmona. They´re a very kind, nice family. If you remember, there´s a picture that I sent you guys a while back of a family that we had a family home evening with... Laura, the mom is short with red, short hair. They´ve got two boys. They´re an incredible family. Laura was baptized about a year ago. She had returned to smoking about 2 months ago, and we´ve been working with them ever since. Yesterday we had an incredibly strong lesson with them as to what our life here is for, HOW we can use the Savior and his Atonement, and the blessings that await every one of us who are strong and pull through to the end. Laura began crying, and they committed to flipping their lives around and becoming strong in the church once more. I love so many families here in Esquel, it will be hard to leave if I do leave on Monday.
Now, the last thing I´m going to talk about is Diego. This kid... We had a two hour lesson with him a couple days ago on why were were there. I asked him if he knew why were taught people. We spoke about the BoM, baptism, and his desires. He didn´t think the Book of Mormon was true, and so at the end of the conversation, I committed him to begin reading the Book of Mormon. I went home that night, just deep in thought as to what I can do to get this kid into the waters of baptism. He has said it several times... : I know I need to be baptized, I just don´t know!!! The next morning, I prayed harder than I´ve ever prayed in my life to know exactly what it is that he needed to read to believe in the BoM, and believe that he needs to be baptized in our church. To gain a testimony... At the end of my prayer, DIRECTLY after... Alma 7 shot into my head. I immediately found it in the scriptures, and read the chapter 3 times. I knew that was what I needed to share with him. Last night, we went to his house, with the goal to read the chapter with him, feel the spirit, and put a baptismal date for the 3rd of September with him, the Saturday before I leave. We got there and began talking. Then, we began reading. Whenever he didn´t understand a verse, or sentence, we stopped and helped him understand exactly what it was that Amulek was saying. At the end of the chapter, I directed his attention to vs. 17. The question: Do you believe these things? I asked him the same question. He said: Yes. I said, Do you believe this chapter is true? He said, yes. I said, knowing this chapter is true, do you believe that the BoM to be the word of God? He said... Yes. I then directed him to vs. 14 and 15. We read them, then I asked him to be baptized. He asked when? I said, the 3rd. Then, he began laying down all his doubts, why he thinks he can´t do it. It´s been such a battle with him. I told him that if he does this, it will bless him more than anything. I testified with everything I´ve got. I layed down every scripture that I had, I have faith that he can be baptized. E. Rojas on the other hand... He doesn´t believe he has what it takes. Diego has a hard time committing. E. rojas saw that, and didn´t believe in him, and it began to show... Diego asked him why he was acting the way he was, or why he had the face that he had on... I was losing it all... The Spirit fell... The date was falling out of my grasp. He asked for a day to think it over. To pray more. OH, that´s another thing. After we read Alma 7, I directed him to Moroni 10, and we did EXACTLY what it says there. After the prayer, he told me: I felt something. Nothing big, or extraordinary, but I felt something. I am SO close with Diego. He KNOWS he needs to do it. With Faith, ALL is possible! Hebrews 11, and Ether 12... Incredible chapters on faith. I don´t know if Diego is denying everything, and will never be baptized, or if it´s because of the lack of faith of E. Rojas. I do know that until I leave Esquel, I will fight for his baptism, because I know he knows it.... Pray for Diego, each and every one of you. My prayer was answered through Alma 7, and he knows the BoM is true. I now ask all of you to pray that he can have the courage to recognize what he´s felt as the answer he needs, and that he may act on it. I pray that my faith, along with the faith of each and every one of you will bring about a miracle to Esquel. If we can do this... You will see a 22 yr. old named Diego dressed in white, this Saturday. I have faith in my Heavenly Father, that He answers prayers. I know that Diego CAN be baptized, he just needs to have the confidence to do it. I will not give up.
Thank you for all you guys do for me, I love each and every one of you. Keep the letters coming. I haven´t gotten an actual, physical, letter in all my time in Argentina. Pick it up, people!!! Haha! I try to write each and every one of you letters, but they´re very expensive to send down here, and I´ve been out of money for awhile... I apologize!
Love you all. Mom, has that package been sent? Watch my account, if it gets low, fill it... I never know when I´m going to have an emergency.
Amor,
E. Cuthbert
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