Week 29 (The Best Surprise Ever!)

Dear family and friends,

Well, I'm not even sure what has happened this week. Life is seriously like a blur. Everyday is practically the same but entirely different all at the same time!! So strange, but I am trying to enjoy my mission and the time that I have here :)

Monday: We had Cambios de Emergencia. So Hermana Santiesteban furiously packed up her things and went to the Ward Aeropuerto. I have never seen a change happen so fast!! The rest of the day was normal. We went to District Meeting and it was a blast! We had a fun practice where we taught our "investigator" but used words that only members know like "agency" and tried to totally confuse them! It was hilarious! We couldn't help but laugh the whole time! It really helped us realize that we need to clearly explain the gospel to others.

Tuesday: Not much happened today. We did have some amazing lessons though. I hope that one day I can be a powerful teacher who teaches by the spirit. That is my goal.

Wednesday: Today we had the best surprise ever! Tuesday, Hermana Pasillas accompanied us on our visits and we talked with one of our investigators who works in Monchys (a cake store) about how much it would cost to buy a cake that is purely chocolate-the cake and the frosting. (These cakes are hard to come by here in Mexico.) Then today, Wednesday, we went to La Comida with Hermana Pasillas and she totally surprised us when she brought out a chocolate cake from Monchys and ice cream (Neapolitano of course)!!!! It was the best surprise ever!! I seriously almost cried I was so touched and happy!!! We ate as much as possible!! So delicious! Today, we also encountered two lovely old ladies who want to be baptized! Woohoo! I'm not sure if they actually have a real desire or if they just said "yes" to everything, but that's OK, we'll take it :). Mexican Grandmas are the best ;) My Mexican abuelita would know!

Thursday:  We had the best conversation I have ever had with a Testigo de Jehovah. We actually talked and she didn't contend!! It was a miracle! Our biggest disagreement was with blood donation. But we can work with that! ;) I hope that we can explain things and help her understand and see the truth. She has potential. We also went to see a young couple who also has potential to be baptized. What we lack is for them to get married. But tonight, I was able to help them with some small medical problems and this really increased the confidence of the Mamá in us. This made me realize that we all have talents and need to use them to help others and in turn help them accept the restored gospel.

Friday: A normal day-not much happened today.

Saturday: Another normal day. 

Sunday: We had a great time with  Hermana Lupe. She is an investigator and fears that her family will abandon her when she joins the church. She has a "testimonio" of the gospel because she has seen the change in her neighbor. She has seen the gospel change and save lives. It amazes me the courage these investigators must possess to make these huge changes in their lives to truly follow Jesus Christ. Really we need to be more like them in our lives. We should not ask what the church can do for us, but rather what we can do for the church-what we can do for our Savior Jesus Christ and then we will become truly converted.

I also ate my first "Nopal" today. "Nopal" is a thin circular cacti. It was actually very good! The cacti was kind of like a cucumber and then it was cooked in egg. It was DELICIOUS! The food here is seriously amazing!

I have been pondering about reaching our full potential this week. I don't have the full answer yet, but I do have bits and pieces. First of all, I think it begins with our relationship with our Heavenly Father. We need to be close to Him. We need an open relationship so that we can receive revelation as to what we can do better. how we can change and be the best we can be. In order to have this open relationship, we have to pray, read the scriptures and be obedient (show our love for Him). Secondly, we must be willing and ready to accept His counsel and change. If we really don't have the desire to change anything, we will not receive anything. We have to be willing to accept whatever it is and then get to work. We must make goals, start acting and change. There is no day like today. Really it is a constant effort. Every day we have to do uplifting things. We have to choose between what is good, better and best. If we want to be the best we have to do the best. Now I'm not saying this is easy, but I do know that we can find so much joy in doing what is best. But it takes lots of discipline and love for Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. He loves us unconditionally and knows we can be the best. With his help and love we can  strive to always do the best and work on reaching our full potential. I'm pretty sure we won't reach our FULL potential here on earth, but I do know that we can strive to be the best we can be here-that we can become marvelous people that have the power to do anything! I hope that we can all strive to reach our full potential!

Hope you are all growing and glowing in happiness!!

Love you all!

Hermana Lutze