We have been dealing with incredible cold temperatures today and yesterday. I think it got down to a grim 55° F, which is a good thirty degrees colder than normal. We were biking in our short sleeved-shirts feeling sure that our ears would freeze and snap off. If anyone goes outside, they have coats and beanies on. I realized though, that that was probably the coldest it has ever been in my entire time of being a missionary here or in El Salvador. I don't think I'd even been below 70 before.
They other day we brought some cookies to a neighbor to try and do something nice, but somehow, despite our best attempts at refusal, we walked away from their door with a bunch of chicken patties and a frozen pizza. People are too nice.
You may have heard of people crossing the street to avoid missionaries, but we were biking along and another biker came going the other direction but on our side of the street and told us rather angrily that we needed to be on the other side of the street. So people making missionaries cross the street to avoid talking to them might be a new one.
A couple minutes ago I looked out our porch window and quickly did a frantic double take when what I thought was a leaf blowing in the wind was actually a three-inch cockroach lurching towards the door. We were luckily able to turn away that unwelcome guest.
Early this week we had a super busy day, where we didn't even have to go back to the apartment and make phone calls or anything because we were just out teaching all day! We started off with a super awesome couple we are teaching that actually have a son on a mission calling us to say they had a box of food they wanted to give us, which was super nice. Later we visited some member families. We then decided to call someone who's phone number we had obtained. We got his phone number from his wife, whose number we got from her sister. It was quite the chain. But we called this guy and he told us that he often enjoys listening to the Mormon Channel! Not every day that you meet someone like that. Right after that phone call, the member whose house we had been at just half an hour ago called us to say that they had a nonmember friend coming over and wanted us to come teach them, so we went over, where we got ice cream and shared a message. Then, that family came to church on Sunday for the first time in months! It is hard to explain, but there are very few things that have ever made me as happy as seeing someone come back to church or visit for the first time.
Later that night we had another lesson with a family that recently moved to our ward and hasn't been very active. There are two teenage daughters in the family that have grown so crazy much since we've been visiting them. Usually in our first couple videocalls they were sleeping or something and wouldn't come, but now they are always ready with their Books of Mormon in hand when we call and do an awesome job at participating and sharing their thoughts about the scriptures too. They haven't quite got daily scripture study down, but when we asked how they'd been doing, the older daughter said that since they couldn't go to church this Sunday, she thought it appropriate to read some in the scriptures, and opened them up! We were so happy. They've been coming to mutual activities and progressing a lot. It was super heart-warming in their closing prayer when they said, "Please bless our missionaries and thanks so much for the time our missionaries give us. We know they have lots of people to visit, but we hope we can have another appointment even sooner. Please bless this virus to end so we can all go back to church together." I think the greatest miracle of being a missionary is just seeing these little changes people make in their lives.
Our main man from Guatemala continues to progress so much. He is the coolest. Yesterday we had a lesson at the chapel, but we forgot it locks on Mondays. We had to just do it in the back of his car, which just has a constant beeeeeeep noise that it makes. It was a very memorable lesson. The other day we had a lesson where he brought us some traditional Guatemala bread and some sodas. We planned another lesson with a member family that has seven kids, so we had him, their family, the ward mission leader, and the sister missionaries and their family all together to eat tamales and get to know each other. Our ward's the best. He hadn't been able to hit his baptismal date because he needed to come to church for his third time first, so we asked him when he thought he would be ready for baptism, and he said November 27th, which seemed reasonable enough. The next day we got this super awesome text:
"Do you know how I chose my baptismal date........?"
Us: "No, how?"
"It's my birthday."
Us: "NO WAY HERMANO! That's so special! We are so excited for you."
"My baptism will be my best birthday gift."
He is so cool. We are planning a song to do together in the upcoming ward talent show. Nothing is more awesome to see than people changing their lives through the gospel.
So, yesterday we also found out about transfers! And.....I am becoming a grandfather! I just finished training my own greenie, and he is going to train another one! With how many missionaries are in the US now, things are just growing like crazy and over half of the companionships in the mission have someone that is in there training. There were 6 elders in my district, and all but one is going to train. So anyway, Elder Parker is going to North Las Vegas with his new missionary tomorrow, and I am staying here to make 6 months in good old Paraiso. One of my current zone leaders is Elder Gastelum, and he is super nice. Tomorrow, he will be moving in here with me and we will both be zone leaders, and to top it off we will take in a brand new missionary from the home MTC too! My first trio. It'll be a little crazy I'm sure, but I am very excited to have another trainee and keep working here. I just hope they give us another bed and desk soon...
Till we meet,
Elder Harris
Pictured is my jack-o-lantern before and after Las Vegas heat, a can with a good name, driver's test (first time driving in like 5 months!), some Elders in the district (now one trainer, one district leader, one district leader trainer, and one zone leader trainer!), and two good vehicles (which is faster, I wonder?)
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