Hello Family & Friends,
I’m not sure what is more alarming, our investigator’s girlfriend wanting to fight or the scorpion in the kitchen rag that almost killed my companion at the crack of dawn. As for the catfight, we were just sitting there in the house of Luis Carlos, teaching the gospel, when I decided to ask him what is stopping him from completing the invitations that we give each time (reading scriptures, etc.). His brother sitting next to him said under his breath, “the girl”. So I asked innocently, “is it your namorada (girlfriend)?” Wow, I don’t think there has been a question asked in my mission that was so UNINSPRIRED.
All I heard then was, “get my name out of your mouth Dona Maria!” I said, “uh oh” under my breath to my companion, then came face-to-face with Harley Quinn’s twin, purple hair and everything. She just started going crazy, cussing us out (I only knew about half the words she was saying). I was just trying so hard not to laugh. She was just waving her arms all over the place, going nuts, and when I looked over at Luis Carlos he was just sitting there all relaxed, like this happens all the time. She went back inside, and then the sassy brother (who like us a lot) started yelling things back in her face, taunting her. Then she came out again, and I just thought she was going to try to pull out my hair or something. I don’t even know what I would do (turn the other cheek?). Haha, the whole thing was hilarious and after we left and turned the street corner I was laughing on the ground for ten minutes.
We tried 9 different ways to kill the scorpion, but he kept resurrecting himself, so we decided to soak him in bug spray and light a match (when I say “we”, I mean “me” … haha). I just get a little too excited about these things. Now he is laminated and will be one of my many souvenirs I take home with me. We thought about calling President Melo, but earlier last week during zone conference he said, “we are here to suffer on this earth; even more and especially on the mission”. He said, “your mission will be all sunshine and rainbows … after it’s over!” Haha, wow, I love my mission president (#StraightOuttatheAmazon)! The last time I talked to him about scorpions he told me he would buy us a rooster to eat them (thanks, but no).
This past week we got a new ward mission leader, and he is so excited and will work so well with us. I have come to appreciate the importance of really magnifying church callings and church service. I love seeing great and powerful leadership, especially men who really understand the responsibility they have as priesthood holders.
Last week I was reading in the Book of Mormon, and when I came to Jacob 5 I just had no desire to read it. It looked completely boring. It talks about the gathering of Israel and I just wasn’t up for reading 77 verses about that. But I gave myself a quick pep talk and just went for it. Honestly, I have never felt the Spirit so strong while reading a chapter in the Book of Mormon. I applied the olive trees to my life and the lord of the vineyard to my Heavenly Father. The lord of the vineyard refuses to give up on the one thing that is “most precious to him”. He tries everything to save the good olive tree, and at times tries to imagine (and cries out in despair), “what could I have done more for my vineyard?” But he continues every possible way to help and save it, until finally he has success … “and the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning.”
I can’t express the thoughts and feelings that the Spirit put into me, but I know that each one of us are like the olive tree. Heavenly Father will do all things that are possible for us to THRIVE. This is His joy, and for that I am eternally grateful.
Love you all!
Sister Vance
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