So the main event of this week was that last Monday I was forced to get acrylic nails. I hope that everyone who is reading this knows me well enough to find that funny. I have been complaining about them literally all week. I really didn't want them, but we were at some less active member's house and I couldn't explain in Spanish my loathing for such things. And she was really insistent, and sometimes sacrifices have to be made I guess. I reached a new level of shame when I couldn't figure out how to unbutton my shirt that night. I have wasted so much time this week relearning how to do everything. But whatever. Life goes on. My companion may respect me a little less than before, but it is all good.
Sometimes I want Chinese food so much. There is one fully American family in our branch (I mean lots of the members are American citizens, but our world is divided into Americano and Hispano).We had dinner with them....and it was Chinese food! I was so excited. Whenever we receive some unexpected blessing like that, we usually summarize it as "Dios me ama". God loves me. That's all that matters.
I haven't yet described our apartment very much. I have never before needed to use the word "crunchy" to describe carpet. Besides that, it is significantly nicer than a lot of the apartments that we visit. On all of the walls we have paintings done by the branch president's wife (another random American in our branch). They are pretty good. And we have lots of motivational/ spiritual quotes and stuff.
We have a set number of miles that we are allowed to use per month. Since this week was the end of the month, our car didn't have miles. We walked quite a lot more than usual. At least it isn't hot any more.
For some reason Texas doesn't believe that there is any temperature between 80 degrees and 50 degrees. One day it is summer (or the slightly less hot version of summer that is known in other places as autumn) and the next day you are looking for your jacket.
Halloween! We celebrated by playing basketball and soccer for a few hours that night with the other Plano missionaries. We weren't allowed to be out on the street getting into trouble. Hermana Enriquez thought it was a waste of time, but I had fun.
Transfers are next week. Please don't write a letter within the next week because who knows what will happen.
I was thinking about a soundtrack for my mission. One thing that would definitely have to be on it is the little chirp sound that smoke alarms make every minute or so when then need new batteries or something. That is how you know a house is Hispana, if you can stand on the porch and hear the smoke alarm chirp. It annoyed me at first, but now it makes me smile. And Sun/Moon decorations by the front door. Always means Hispanos.
Well, finally for something spiritual. We were talking about usual life and missionary life and which is harder. Hermana Enriquez says everyone around us is going through so many things harder than what we are going through, so we shouldn't ever have reason to complain about our occasional (or almost constant) rejections. I don't know. I think it's all the same. We are all given the trials that stretch us almost farther than we can go.
I was reading the talk The Fourth Missionary this week. I don't remember who wrote it, but it is amazing. Basically, we make the mission or life in general harder when we try be obedient in our actions but not in our heart. We can trudge through every step of the way, grit our teeth and bear it, and do a lot of good for those around us. But doing that does us little good because we are not changed at all. When we give our whole will to God, we become infinitely more powerful. We are transformed. "He can make of your life a masterpiece, you can only make a smudge. You can create an ordinary man. He will create a God."
That is what I have been working on this week. There are still things that we do and I don't want to do them. Like knocking on doors once it gets dark. But I have faith that one day I will be able to not hate it. Because miracles are real, and more than that, the happen all the time. The Atonement of Christ transforms us, if we are willing.
I think that's about it for this week. Most of our attention is focused on those we are trying to help, and I still feel weird talking about them since you don't know them. But they are great. Have a good week.
Love,
Hermana Pace