Hola a TODOS!
So let me tell you this, the weather here in Virginia is wild, the last week it has been in the high 60's and I am feeling so grateful everyday. Words cant even explain it, I have had so much fear for the snow and cold, but it seems as though someone is looking out for me.
This week we had a miracle....We found her on Thanksgiving day, we were knocking doors and she was the third door we knocked. Her name is Ana and she is from El Salvador. She let us in and told us she had been alone all day and was sad. As we sat down we noticed that she had a pass along card(we give them out to people) which had a picture of Jesus taped on her door. We were talking about it and she began to started to tell us her life story. This woman is incredible, she has had trials that I cant even comprehend. She almost lost both of her sons in a random shooting, and she herself was almost killed twice, once by her husband who shot at her 5 times but every bullet missed, then he killed himself, and another time by a bomb which blew up the building that she was in but she made it out alive. I couldn't help but think, as she was telling us all of this, how incredible it is, that she had this picture of Jesus hanging on her wall...this picture of him, with his arms extended out, reaching towards us, with the marks on his hand...how incredible it is the love and hope that I saw in that picture in that moment. It was not by chance that we knocked her door that night, it was not by chance that she was alone and let us in, none of it was by chance, none of it is by chance. We were meant to be there, to help bring her more hope, more love, and more peace which comes from the atonement of Jesus Christ. We went back to her house two days later, shared with her the Restauracion del evangelio de jesucristo...she told us she knew it was true and could be baptized in 15 days. Like I said it was not by chance.
Another crazy thing this week was we had the despidida de la Hermana Balsley (the farewell fireside for departing missionaries). I cant believe that the time has actually come for her to go home. We have been companions together for almost 5 months. She has become one of my closest friends. I am gonna miss her tons. Its just crazy. But I'm stoked for her and for after the mission when we can play out in Hawaii together...for days.
I love you all and miss you all.
Cubo,
RR
ps today for p-day we went to DC...so silly, I love that place. Pictures to come next week.
