October 24, 2011

Dear family,

There is no Walmart here in La Rioja that I know of. Everything is just weird and different! I also have not heard anything about a Halloween... If anything happens on the 30th I will let you know.

This week has been so spectacular! So much has happened! I want every single week of my mission to be like this one or better!

First person- Mercedes! I think I said something about her last week. We found her on the day that we really had faith. This week she came to church! Beforehand she was even asking things like will they let her in if she is not wearing a dress and she said that if she could not remember the address she was going to talk to the members on her street! She really wanted to come. You can tell if people want to actually do something and are actually thinking about it if they ask questions like that. She loved church! She even took home a Gospel Principles book to take home and bring back the following week!

Next we have the Family Moreno! This is the other family that we found on our day of faith! The father is a genius and when we gave him a Book of Mormon he said give me two weeks to read it! LOL We have yet to see too much development there but we have faith!

Next is Ceaser and his family. He is a long inactive member with the priesthood and not married but has a wife and two kids. He used to go out with the missionaries all the time some years back but for some reason fell away. Well, we had a visit with him and talked about prayer and the blessings of the gospel. His family knew nothing about the church. BUT he bore his testimony! He still knows the church is true he just feels really guilty about where he is right now in life. As we left we asked if there was anything they needed of us and he told us that all they needed was the gospel! We are going to be looking after them.

The best for last- Romero Cabrera! This family has been investigating the church since before I got here. We knocked on their door a few times in the first couple weeks but never really were able to do anything. He always had bloodshot eyes and seemed a little grumpy. We ended up backing off a little bit. Well, yesterday we knocked on his door again. His daughter opened the door and we asked for her parents. We stood there for a couple minutes as she talked to someone just off to the side of the door. It was weird but eventually Romero popped into the door with a smile and told us to come in. He sat us down and just dumped it all out! Turns out his life, in the last couple weeks, has been a crashing train. He is also not married but his wife kicked him out of the house and they have been fighting a ton. He told us that’s why he always looked so bad and did not want to talk.

He went on to explain that he had been thinking about us a lot but we stopped showing up a ton. His daughter would even say that the Mormons are here but when he would go to look we had just passed by on the street without stopping. When we knocked yesterday he was in bed but woke up to the knock. When he heard my voice he knew it was us but he was shocked. He thought there must be a reason that they are back now.

He told us about why he wanted to find out about religion. People with religion just seem to have something that his family does not. He had been listening to Jehovah Witnesses and us and everyone. In the last couple days he got online to try and research it and found all the junk and crazy stuff about religion online. He looked at us and just completely worn out and beat, he said “I have no idea what to do!”

We talked to him and soon his wife joined in too. We talked about the confusion in the world and the Restoration. We talked about faith and how to really know for yourself without having to take anyone’s word for it. The family is now ready to do everything possible to get this answer! We told them to read and pray every day and go to church. He said that he knows the first step is hard so he really wants our help to get going! He basically asked for daily contact! He also said we should probably come and wake him up on Sunday!

This was such an awesome experience! Here is someone who is actually lost and suffering! Here is someone who understands what it takes and wants it. He told us flat out that it’s easier to live without God but he wants to have the blessings so he is willing to work hard! CAPO! I will keep you updated on his story.

Other sweet experience! We knock into a house and start talking to a lady that was half interested and not really religious. We asked if her spouse was there so that we could enter and talk to them. She said he was with his friends and really would not want to talk. Just then however he walked into the room to get something out of the fridge. He yelled at us. “Come in come in! Do you drink wine!?” We politely declined but he insisted and asked if we could have Coke. At first we thought he was kidding with us but no, so we went in. I was a little bit scared at what we saw next but a lot less than my companion! LOL

On the back patio there were four men-two shooting a 22 out into the back yard and one sitting at the table preoccupied with his wine. On the table there were plates and cups and mugs of wine and bits of bone and meat scattered around and in the middle of the table a huge gutted open and picked to the bone skull of a cow!

We talked to them for quite a while about who we were and what our message was and everything. I don´t know if it was because they were drunk or not but they were all pretty interested. In fact we sparked a big conversation between them! They started debating about all this stuff. We had one guy who all he knew is that he was a part of the Apostolic church. Literally all he knew and the owner of the house called him out on it! One man, with the wine, stood up and started talking about how important faith is. He is catholic but the owner also called him out-“ Do you know what God looks like!? Do you know his face!? How can you have faith in him!?”

This man who owns the house is absolutely desperate in his life right now. He knows his life stinks and he wants to do something better but he is working his butt off 24/7 just so that he can eat. He said that he can´t take off Sundays to go to church or anything like that and that’s why he is not religious. It actually was really awesome to talk to them all and we all got along well enough LOL we have an appointment with them this week and he said he wants to invite us over to eat cow head one time...

He was dead serious too! Maybe a week from Saturday. They all asked if people over there ate that- LOL- they also told me how they cook it and the brain cavity because apparently that’s the best part! LOL We will see how our lesson goes with them . If it goes good I might get to try it....Bla! LOL That would be awesome.

My pictures this week are of these dried peach things. LOL We boil them with sugar and then eat them and drink the juice... interesting. It does taste good. A member gave us the stuff to make it! Also I have included a picture of my dog fox.

Some interesting things this week- Dogs, big mean ones on roofs ready to jump on your head- LOL- a mailman on a sweet motorcycle delivering mail. LOL

OH I just found out this week about how to do mail here! I have to take it somewhere special. Sorry I have not sent anything yet! I will this week! Thanks for sending things! I am excited to get the pictures! I have to wait until someone comes from Córdoba to get anything though.

I heard this week that in Córdoba it rains and creates rivers up to your waist... looking forward to good times.

Oh, also this last week! I dedicated a home too! LOL We have a bunch of part member families and they all have non member fathers. He was there but they had me do it. Interesting. We are working on him. Just though it was funny that we were doing kinda the same thing around the same time.

All my love!
Elder Green