June 16, 2014- Week 23 in Tehuacan

Buenas tardes!

This week was amazing! I feel so much gratitude to my Heavenly Father for putting me here in Tehuacan. The past 6 months have gone by SO fast...I'm not sure where I'll be a week from tomorrow, but I sure do love Tehuacan!

First thing first. Rosita! So...this is kind of a really long, sad, crazy. wonderful story. So...we have been teaching José and Ana - the parents of Jose that got baptized in March. They recently moved into a different apartment building, that has quite a few different residents. ...The crazy sad part is that both of them are now in prision. I'm not sure if I can give details so I'm not going to. But about 10 days ago, we had an appointment with them (we didn't know that they had been arrested). We got to the apartment building and a little women opened the door, and told us that José and Ana weren't living there anymore. We asked where they went, and she invited us in to tell us what happened. To be quite honest, we didn't talk to about the Gospel in these moments...we were feeling a bit devastated. But we told her we would return the next day, which we did. And every day since. 

Rosita is 75 years old. She lives alone, her husband passed away about 5 years ago, and she hasn't been the same since. About 3 years ago...two missionaries contacted her in her store, and she started listening to the lessons. She went to church, loved everything...then the missionaries had transfers and she never heard from them again. For 3 years, she has seen countless missionaries pass by her store, including us, and every time, she got her hopes up, thinking that finally they were going to talk to her again. But they never did.  And then...10 days ago, we came looking for José and Ana, and found her instead. She has a baptismal date for this Sunday :) At one point this week, she told us "I was like a little lost sheep. I'm so glad you two found me again." 

Yesterday, I was thinkin a lot about my time here in Tehuacan. I started reading my journal from since I've been here, and I remembered an experience that I had about 7 weeks ago. Hermana Gomez and I had a hard week, it was Sunday, and we did not feel ok. We were both upset, and taking it out on each other. During Sunday School, we took a moment to go talk it out in one of the rooms in the church. We realized that we weren't really upset with each other...but just with how hard everything had been. At that moment, the missionaries in our ward passed by and noticed that we were a bit upset. They didn't say anything, except offered to give us blessings. And Elder Pendleton said something in the blessing that I had forgotten until yesterday. He said, "There is someone here in Tehuacan still waiting to be found by you to be brought back into God's fold." ...and I think that person he was talking about is Rosita. 

I know, without any doubt, that God is aware of every single one of his children. I know that He loves us, and He knows what we need. I'm grateful for the Priesthood, and I'm grateful to have the Lord's guidance in my life. And more than anything...I'm grateful to have been an instrument in His hands.

This week was also great because...I made brownies!!! hahahahaha!!!

Thank you all for your love and support :) The mission is the best! I love all of you so much, and I hope y'all have a great week!!! :) I know I will! Haha! 

Love always, 

Hermana Smith