Rachael's Mission

Mexico Torreon Mission October 2015 - April 2017

Rachael's Picture

Rachael's Picture

Monday, September 12, 2016

Week 48 (Are You a Pharisee?)

Dear family and friends,

Hola nuevamente! Ya paso una otra semana!  I can't believe it! Well, what is the news. Every day my Spanish is better, but every day my English is worse......and everyone wants me to teach them English. Ya no me recuerdo! Torreon is an OVEN just like everyone said. I have never sweat so much in one week in all my life!! Not even at soccer camp! We literally walk around town with our umbrellas, so we aren't fried to death everyday because the sun is so hot here! I have never dreamed so much of the ocean, pools, lakes and Seven Peaks. But it's all good. At least the people here accept to listen to us. They are actually a little more open than the people I encountered in Durango which is surprising.

Well, Monday I arrived in blazing hot Torreon. I arrived alone. The workers took out my luggage and quickly recognized that I am a missionary. They now know all the missionaries ;) So they helped me with my luggage. I found some elders in the centro camionera, however, my companion was not there. I waited another hour in the station for them to arrive. Then we went to our house and I slept for about 20 minutes and then we left the house to go work. That was my day. I was exhausted! I'm starting to feel like a grandma in the mission.:) The missionary age is like dog years for every human year there are about 100 mission years. I am about to complete 1100 years. You are all invited to my fiesta. There will be tacos and a piñata ;).

Tuesday we had our Zone Conference. It was fun to meet my Zone. Many of them I already know which is good.The rest of the day was normal. That night I went to the funniest Consejo de Barrio (Ward Council) that I have ever been to! They all tell such great jokes! My favorite was this one....'How do you make Jesus laugh?.........You tell him your life plans!! I was dieing. I hope you understand and find it funny too because it is so true in life.

Wednesday also good. Slowly adjusting to the heat here. Let's just say that I LOVE COLD SHOWERS now. I didn't before, but now I love them especially at night! Today we found a woman who I think has a lot of potential! She was walking home from work and we contacted her. As we talked, she started to cry and express her sorrow. The mission is hard, but it is in these moments that I feel like I really know why I am here. I feel like I am doing my part and that the Lord is guiding me.

Thursday a member took us to a home of a family. We talked with the family and they seemed excited to learn of the gospel and to be baptized! I hope all goes well with them. We also talked with a member abuelita. It was so funny because we asked who she would like to say the prayer. She then pointed at me and said, "Ella la bonita" or "her because she is pretty!!" My companions busted up laughing!The truth is that I am not prettier than my companions. They are actually very pretty but it's because they like that I am guerra. ;) And the kids still love me ;).

Friday Well the most exciting part was that a woman forgot her card in the store, so we ran to return it to her and then she and her husband bought us ice cream  to reward us. Que rico :)

Saturday we did splits so we had un chorro de numeros! I love those days when we can cover more ground and find more people!

Domingo, well I gave another talk on my first Sunday and the sad part is that the family of Benjamin told us he is going to go with los cristianos but we will see what we can do to help him see the truth.

This week I learned to love people at a new level. I learned that we can't judge and that we really need to put ourselves in their place and say what we feel like the Savior or our Heavenly Father would say to them. Sometimes we put people down when in reality we should build them up. It says in the scriptures that if we deny Christ, He will deny us. He tells us that we have to take up our cross and follow Him. We have to lose our life in order to find it, but too many of us are only searching for our life. If we want Christ to testify for us, to be our advocate, then we have to be witnesses of Him. We have to represent Him. We have to watch and examine everything we do and ask like we did in Primary, 'What would Jesus do?'. Too many of us are Pharisees. We live the law more than we love the people. I have seen too many Pharisees in the mission. I have come to realize how cruel we can be to one another. We have to support and uplift. We have to love in order to have retention in our wards. We must have sincere preoccupation for one another. It is only then that we can truly be spiritual sons and daughters of Christ! We all have something to change.  We can all have more love in our lives for the people around us. I invite you to have a more pure love for the people in your lives, so that Christ can be at your side to testify and protect you in the last days. So that you can be his sons and daughters.

Have a great week!!

I love you all!!

Hermana Lutze

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