Culture Shock and Teaching New Families in Xela

I hope you are all doing well. I can tell school has started for you all...e mails are sparse today.

This week has been nice. I am learning to love my new area and the ward members here. There Spanish is a lot different then the Spanish in San Francisco (mountain village land.) Fortunately it's easier to understand. I am learning to see past all the money...it really has been a bit of a culture shock. The ward is about three times the size of the ward in San Francisco. Sometimes I miss the ward members, investigators, and recent converts of San Francisco, but we keep busy enough here that I don't have time to miss them too much.

Update on Clemente (from the sister missionaries serving there now): He is doing great! He is helping the sisters get to know the area. He is starting to introduce is friends to the gospel, still attending seminary, helping in the church and hopefully went to the temple for the first time on Saturday. Oh I hope so!

Yesica and Migdalia aren't doing as well.

And the work here...is going great!

We are teaching three families right now and a few other individuals. We had a baptism planned for this Friday, but it's been dropped. It's hard when a baptism drops, but not as hard as I'd imagined. There's a feeling of gratitude from the Lord for teaching the gospel to one of His children and helping them have the opportunity to be baptized. It's sad to watch them turn it down, but it's not discouraging. Devastating, but not demotivating.

One of the families (actually all of them) we are teaching we only met a week ago. This family is progressing SO fast. We teach them daily. They have testimonies about the Restoration, Plan of Salvation, Word of Wisdom (no more coffee!), Sabbath Day, Law of Chastity, and family prayer. We are hoping they'll get baptized two weeks from Wednesday. We have yet to meet the Dad because he works a lot...but he knows we are coming and he is in support of it all. His daughter Lloyda (12, but looks 14) talks to him about what we've taught. Lloyda LOVES the church. She remembers nearly everything we teach. She believes everything we teach. At the end of the appointment when we ask when we can come back, she always says, ''TOMORROW!'' She has definitely been prepared by the Spirit to receive this message. I wish I could send you a picture, this computer's not letting me, but you'll fall in love with her as soon as you see her. She's so great!

My companion and I have a goal to say hello to everyone we pass on the streets. I love it. It makes the day so joy filled! This Sunday there was a gentlemen at the church that we didn't think we'd seen before. When we went to introduce ourselves he thanked me for always saying hi to him on the street. Apparently, we pass him nearly daily and I always say good afternoon to him. For that, he came to church. He's a member who's gone a long time without attending. Before leaving he made sure to say goodbye to us and thanked me again for always saying hello to him. Wow. We never know how our little actions really can influence others. It's so true, from small things are great things brought to pass.

The mission home is in our area. Today we get to go eat lunch with President Lorenzana and his wife. What a blessing! I love talking with them. He is the perfect mission president for me. It is such a treat to have their home in our area.

My companion and I are learning to get along well. It was hard at first, because she's used to training, and I only had a trainer for two weeks. But we are learning to get along. There haven't been cold feelings, we just have to work a tinsy little bit to be friends. I know we will be great friends by the end of the transfer. I am so grateful for prayer. I never feel alone on my mission. I know that I can talk to my Heavenly Father whenever I want. Today I helped her learn English a bit. She is afraid to learn, I'm not sure why, but it was a really good experience. By the end we were laughing and enjoying each other's company more and more. It's an interesting experience to meet someone for the first time spending 24-7 together. I feel blessed to have her for a companion. I imagine sometimes it can be really hard.

I am so grateful to be here. I know this church is true. I feel it with every fiber in my being. I know that the Lord hears and answers out prayers. I know that he is at the helm of this work. It is such a blessing to be here on the mission. I love this opportunity to learn and grow in ways I could under these circumstances. It feels so wonderful to go to bed each night knowing I've done everything I could that day to help progress the kingdom of God on earth. I feel His presence so near. I know as I give my all in this work and sacrifice until I feel like I cannot do any more, that the Lord is right here, ready to bear me up and help me endure to the end.

Have a wonderful week!
- Hermana Rebekah Finch