Thank you Lord... for sending me into a beer ridden billiard parlor...
;P
I just have to say... You guys are totally missin' out!
So much happenes here, and I wish you could all experience it with me. Hna Carlsen and I are having a blast together and we get to experience all the ¨CRAZY¨ around here. There is always something to laugh, smile, or joke about. :P And our great memories are already innumerable. It's possible that I might leave Los Angeles at the end of this transfer (6 weeks) who knows... ? because I will complete my 4th already here, and 5 transfers in one area is rare, unless requested for a good reason... (puppy faced-hermanas usually...). But we'll just have to find out and be ready for anything. I'm already missing it... it will be really sad to leave all the sudden...
So last Saturday we had a baptism planned and the only time we could interview Katerine was that same afternoon... she didn't show up at the church on time and we waited for quite a while. There was no way to contact her except walk ALL the way to her house (but we didn't know if she was already on her way etc.). We were worried cuz...well, if she's not interviewed she can't get baptized!!! Panic! But we thought a brilliant Idea: Since we had waited long enough, we headed to her house to to the interview there! Thankfully she was there, just showed up late to her house (she lives somewhere else with her family, and here just for the weekends with her aunt and grandma.) we got her interviewed, she passed :) and the Elders went their way. We got Katerine equiped with a towel, undies, and we speed-walked to the church, giggling and cheering about the baptism that night. Oh, yeah. About an hour earlier, the President called me *gulp* ¨Hello President Bair! What a pleasent surprise! (oh no, what did I do wrong???)¨ hehe, well, he just wanted to know when our baptism started, so they could come! eep! The whole schedule was totally messed up that day because there was another baptism from the other ward (we use the same chapel) And another big activity was going on in the chapel as well. I took a guess and said ¨well, I'm not sure...¨ ¨No one ever comes on time so it might start sometime after... 6?¨ how emberassing. But really, these Dominicans (the majority) are incapable of being one time... There's always some...way time... between meetings and such...
Anywho, They ended up coming, and everything, yes, everything turned out perfectly! Not sure how that happened... Prayer works. I sang a primary song, and also in the activity next door after the baptism, lots of people came, AND in sacrament meeting Sunday morning with mi compa. I am always so delighted to sing at ANY occasion. It's especially exciting when it's a surprise... =D
...What was talking about?...
My Spanish is Awesome!! Thank the Lord ...but I have much to learn...
Ernesto recieved the Holy Aaronic Priesthood last Sunday, I was so thrilled! I'm so so proud of how far he's come... He's determined to convert his mom too heh, but in time. His example and testimony will help the most.
Oh, yeah,
Yesterday we were on our way home after an awesome zone meeting looking for some fellas that were missing at our cita the night before. We always check in the popular Billiard parlor near where they live, just peek in the window. But this time the owner motioned us to come in... ¨well, maybe they're in there¨ I thought. They weren't, but something made me want to shoot a couple billards...
Now don't get me wrong here. Just because I picked up the pole the guy actually got the balls ready on the table, I don't know why I didn't stop him. this whole time I was asking myself ¨what the devil am I doing here??...¨ ...Presidente beer advertisements everywhere and such, but no people really. ANYways, these three strange looking guys walked up to us talking all funny... oh, Americans! heh, yeah. It was wierd. They were each from a diferent state, and were here for medical school. oookay. Each an interesting character, I should have got a picture. They were all drinking. But I ignored that and focused on how I could help them. This was my oportunity (as randomly surprizing as it was) to share with them my testimony! We had a great chat we all of them, I got to know them, why they were here, names, etc... Talked about the church, they had heard a lot about the Mormons and one even owns the Book of mormon. Gavin. (Hans and Gerard the others went outside or something, I was left talking to Gavin). Anyway, after we were good friends, I told him about how quitting drinking would make his life a lot more awesome. That in order to fulfill his love for medicine and a career in the future (and everything else), in order to acheive happiness in his walks of life, one of the first things he should get rid of is the beer. I told him that as a friend that cared for him, not just a preaching missionary. I promised him blessings and huge changes in his life for the better, and that if he cared about his future career, family, and entire lifetime... he had better quit drinking. He was young... and doesn't deserve to ruin his life now. I got his e-mail so I could check on him in the future to see how he's doing. After that the boys headed out, we shook hands, (almost got kissed by Hans, prolly a bit wasted) I wished them the best of everything, and they drove off in their little rented car...
Great group of guys. Respectable, gentlemanly, and apparently pretty smart... in some ways... but not all. Weird it all worked out like that. but I hope I made some difference. And a little e-mail testimony here and there might change a life...
Thanks for tuning in on the Benson Specials, on DR2008. Pasen buenas noches.
Seeya! ...noproofread
Hna Benson !
