Hi everyone!
Okay, so we watched a little bit of basketball in our home. I vaguely remember when UA won the championship in '97. Well basketball is the sport here in Kentucky, and University of Kentucky in Lexington is amazing so we hear. Everyone in this part of the state has UK stickers all over their cars, flags on their houses, door mats, etc., because UK basketball is doing really really well right now. They think they'll go all the way this year. And it just makes me laugh a little, because that's the only sport we ever even kind of followed besides NASCAR, and that is kinda popular out here too! We definitely have roots from the South. Haha. But everyone is all jazzed right now because UK is doing great, so that's been kind of fun to talk to members about lately.
Anyway, things here are going pretty well. Yesterday we had our Spanish testimony meeting. It's kind of hard, because we really only have two Hispanic families, and one of them is less active. But we have lots and lots of Spanish speaking members, so we fill the little Relief Society room pretty well, but the majority of faces are white, so it's just kinda funny. The future of those meetings is kind of uncertain because our recent convert retention hasn't been good (with work schedules and transportation issues). We try really hard and want these meetings to succeed. Fingers crossed we can keep them going. But our friend Gustavo came, and he said that he really really loved it. He told us that he felt something that he couldn't describe during just about every testimony! So cool! That is one of my favorite things -- when someone talks about how good they feel about all of this. You can have that all the time! Just live this stuff (easier said than done, I know), and you'll be so happy! So we're excited for him, and already have two appointments with him this week. He's still nervous to talk to his girlfriend about getting married, but we are so excited for him because he is really loving everything.
Our companionship is going okay. Everything is more awkward in a group of three... we don't fit on the sidewalk. Sometimes we don't fit on doorsteps. People that want to have us over for dinner have one more mouth to feed. It's just a little weird. But what has been good is that we have been working just as hard, and I feel like our teaching is pretty good considering there's always room for things to go a little wrong with just two, and even more potential for things to go wrong with three. It all really has gone okay though, so that's good. Keeping the apartment clean is harder... it kind of drives me nuts. But we don't spend tons of time there, so I don't have to worry about it too much. Haha.
Visiting with inactive members is really a super fascinating thing that we do. It's also super sad, because lots of people still won't act on our invitations, or even let us in, but we are working with one lady right now named Patricia who is so cool. The ward gave us her name, and we knocked her door. It was a few weeks ago when we first tried her. She opened and said, "Come on in out of the cold!" So in we went. And we talked for like, an hour, just about all of the stuff that has happened in her life in the 20 years that she has been less active in the church. She talked about when she read the Book of Mormon for the first time, and just had an amazing feeling and understanding that it was true and of God. We have an appointment with her tomorrow, and I feel like she loves us because of the kind people that we are, but I think that she's having us over (this will be our third time) because she feels the Spirit when we come. I heard a quote in the MTC that I loved. It was: "Help others feel about the gospel the way you feel about it." And that's what I'm going for. I hope we can help her remember that feeling after she read the Book of Mormon, and that she can feel it again. Because the church is so good! So good. And life is hard, but I'll tell you what, the gospel makes it easier. And that's what we tell to people all the time, but they don't often give it a try. But we're still out there trying to share it!
Things are going fine out here. Enrique is still working like crazy. Irma got a job (yay!) but has to work Sundays (boo!). Rufino is never ever home anymore because of work. These people just live hard lives because they have no rights. And that isn't a political statement. They chose this life when they came here undocumented. That much is clear. But I'm still sad that they can't progress, because they are just products of their culture, and will have a hard time breaking away from it. But we're doing what we can to bring them the gospel!
That's about all for now. I hope y'all have a good week!
Love,
Zac
p.s. Not many cool pictures this week. None worth sending forward, anyway.
Okay, so we watched a little bit of basketball in our home. I vaguely remember when UA won the championship in '97. Well basketball is the sport here in Kentucky, and University of Kentucky in Lexington is amazing so we hear. Everyone in this part of the state has UK stickers all over their cars, flags on their houses, door mats, etc., because UK basketball is doing really really well right now. They think they'll go all the way this year. And it just makes me laugh a little, because that's the only sport we ever even kind of followed besides NASCAR, and that is kinda popular out here too! We definitely have roots from the South. Haha. But everyone is all jazzed right now because UK is doing great, so that's been kind of fun to talk to members about lately.
Anyway, things here are going pretty well. Yesterday we had our Spanish testimony meeting. It's kind of hard, because we really only have two Hispanic families, and one of them is less active. But we have lots and lots of Spanish speaking members, so we fill the little Relief Society room pretty well, but the majority of faces are white, so it's just kinda funny. The future of those meetings is kind of uncertain because our recent convert retention hasn't been good (with work schedules and transportation issues). We try really hard and want these meetings to succeed. Fingers crossed we can keep them going. But our friend Gustavo came, and he said that he really really loved it. He told us that he felt something that he couldn't describe during just about every testimony! So cool! That is one of my favorite things -- when someone talks about how good they feel about all of this. You can have that all the time! Just live this stuff (easier said than done, I know), and you'll be so happy! So we're excited for him, and already have two appointments with him this week. He's still nervous to talk to his girlfriend about getting married, but we are so excited for him because he is really loving everything.
Our companionship is going okay. Everything is more awkward in a group of three... we don't fit on the sidewalk. Sometimes we don't fit on doorsteps. People that want to have us over for dinner have one more mouth to feed. It's just a little weird. But what has been good is that we have been working just as hard, and I feel like our teaching is pretty good considering there's always room for things to go a little wrong with just two, and even more potential for things to go wrong with three. It all really has gone okay though, so that's good. Keeping the apartment clean is harder... it kind of drives me nuts. But we don't spend tons of time there, so I don't have to worry about it too much. Haha.
Visiting with inactive members is really a super fascinating thing that we do. It's also super sad, because lots of people still won't act on our invitations, or even let us in, but we are working with one lady right now named Patricia who is so cool. The ward gave us her name, and we knocked her door. It was a few weeks ago when we first tried her. She opened and said, "Come on in out of the cold!" So in we went. And we talked for like, an hour, just about all of the stuff that has happened in her life in the 20 years that she has been less active in the church. She talked about when she read the Book of Mormon for the first time, and just had an amazing feeling and understanding that it was true and of God. We have an appointment with her tomorrow, and I feel like she loves us because of the kind people that we are, but I think that she's having us over (this will be our third time) because she feels the Spirit when we come. I heard a quote in the MTC that I loved. It was: "Help others feel about the gospel the way you feel about it." And that's what I'm going for. I hope we can help her remember that feeling after she read the Book of Mormon, and that she can feel it again. Because the church is so good! So good. And life is hard, but I'll tell you what, the gospel makes it easier. And that's what we tell to people all the time, but they don't often give it a try. But we're still out there trying to share it!
Things are going fine out here. Enrique is still working like crazy. Irma got a job (yay!) but has to work Sundays (boo!). Rufino is never ever home anymore because of work. These people just live hard lives because they have no rights. And that isn't a political statement. They chose this life when they came here undocumented. That much is clear. But I'm still sad that they can't progress, because they are just products of their culture, and will have a hard time breaking away from it. But we're doing what we can to bring them the gospel!
That's about all for now. I hope y'all have a good week!
Love,
Zac
p.s. Not many cool pictures this week. None worth sending forward, anyway.
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