Wednesday, July 31, 2014 - Week 49

Hey everyone! Thanks for all your emails this week! Things are good. We had transfers today, but I´m staying in Villa Gonzalez with my companion another transfer. We found out on Friday that she wouldn`t be training, but I was so sure I would be leaving still since she only has 2 transfers left. I thought President would send someone new to start learning the area, but I guess there`s still more for me to do here... It`s pretty funny though. I told everyone I was leaving and took pictures and everything. It`s gonna be kinda awkward now going back to visit them all. Haha. Oh well. So I`ve recovered really well from the chikungunya. I still have a little pain in one of my feet (just like if I step on a rock wrong) but other than that I feel completely back to normal. It`s lucky really. There are a lot of people here that have had effects for a month or more now. Especially the older people. Their feet have gotten super swollen and no matter what they try, it won`t go down. So they have trouble walking. It`s so sad. But that`s crazy the percentage of people that will receive it here! The president of the country promised some big prize or something for whoever doesn`t get it. Haha. How will he know though? So when I was sick, all the missionaries in my zone still came and did the consecha in our area so this week we`ve been trying to contact a lot of them. One lady works for the branch president in Tamboril so that was cool to find out! So I couldn`t give my talk last week since I was sick so the branch president called me Thursday night to speak this past Sunday. I`m glad I still got the chance. I spoke on covenants. It went really well. This lady that`s inactive that we`ve been teaching my whole time here finally came to church for the first time! We went and visited her that afternoon and she said she loved it and wants to go to church every week. We always knew she had a lot of potential, that`s why we`ve stuck with her. She was just scared to go back after so long. But she remembered almost everyone and everyone was so welcoming. Now we just have to help her husband come back too. Also a few weeks ago I said there was a couple that came with their kids for the first time. Well the parents had to go to the hospital on Sunday, but the kids came on their own. We visited her yesterday and I don`t know what happened but she has changed completely. She left the church because she wanted to go to another church, but yesterday she was saying that she wants to come back to this church and wants to serve the Lord in any way she can, etc. I think it`s because on Sunday when she went to the hospital, she was there with her mom who has problems in her feet. They are totally black and the doctors keep cutting more and more back of her skin or something. It`s been going on for a long time. Well, on Sunday she felt something that her mom would be healed and since Sunday the blackness has disappeared and her feet are healing. She was crying telling us the story. I think it was a testimony builder for her to have that feeling before it happened. I hope she really does come back. Also, our investigator that married the guy from Spain told us this week that she finally wants to give up selling lottery numbers and come to church. I seriously forget she isn`t a member sometimes. She talks like she is. She was telling us yesterday that she wants to be sealed in the Temple and have a Mormon family, etc. It was really cool. I think she just needs time though. We`ve been reading the Book of Mormon with her and we`re finishing 1 Nephi. So we didn`t have our missionary activity last Saturday because there was a stake activity for the men for Father`s Day (which was Sunday). But we`re going to try to find another day to do it. Maybe next week. Not many will receive diplomas, but there are a few that worked really hard to get it and did everything they needed to. But that`s about everything for this week. Mom sounds like you have a ton of great kids in your seminary class! That`s great that you`re visiting each of them. And it`s so exciting about Chelsea and Bryce having a boy! Him and the little boy Squire will be best friends! Can`t wait to hear about my new nephew! Just 3 more weeks! Good luck with everything Melissa! (in case he comes early). And Happy Birthday Ryan! Have a great week everyone! I love you!

Hermana Woolf