30 Oct 2018: Yo casi morí!

Hola todos!

It's been a crazy week, full of miracles, near death experiences, and more. Yes, if you can read Spanish, we almost died, more or less. We were walking to district council, and a lady was trying to maneuver an overloaded shopping cart on the corner. Naturally, we offered to help her. She starts backing away, we thought she forgot something, but she started grabbing at pebbles, and I thought: "Is she going to throw pebbles at us, that wouldn't be very nice..." Then she grabs a ROCK the size of a BRICK, and says "Get away from me!!" With some other un lady like words that I can't repeat as a missionary. So, we had to, as Abraham said, find a different place of residence (Abraham 1:1). Luckily right at that moment, the walk sign turned on so we bolted out. I was thinking "I would like to finish my mission on this side of the veil, thank you". So we almost became martyrs that day, but it's all good.

zone conference

One day this week we went to an appointment expecting to meet with a young lady, but instead we met her husband, and set him with a baptismal date. 

The Miracle of the Flat Tire: on Thursday, around noon, Elder Troya got a flat tire. We patched it up and went home. Then his tire went flat again, and we found a tear in the tube, which meant that he needed a new inner tube. The next day, after the near death incident, we walked to the store and got one. That one ended up popping right after we inflated it. So we were stranded out in our area. We said a prayer asking Heavenly Father what we should do. Not five minutes after the prayer, Ricardo and his whole family pulls up asking if we needed help. He ended up giving us a ride home. 

As miraculous as that was, that is only the first part of the Miracle of the Flat Tire. 

Saturday, because of Elder Troya' s tire trauma, we walked all day, literally walking a total of 19.31 miles, burning 2000+ calories, and walking 37000 steps. That night, we were walking to an appointment, and a guy and his dog calls from behind us "Hey are you from the Church of the Latter Day Saints". I think "Close enough", Yeah!  He introduced himself as Michael, and he wanted to come to the church, because he feels like it is the church for him. Already knowing that it is, we set him with a baptismal date right there on the street. It was amazing. Unbelievable. When we asked him to be baptized, he said "100%!". We told him We would get him a ride to church, and he was ecstatic. 

Here's the kicker: if we hadn't been walking, if Elder Troya hadn't had bike problems, we never would have met Michael. He said he has seen us around and has wanted to talk to us, but we are always riding to an appointment. So the Miracle of the Flat Tire, is a miracle made from the trials that Heavenly Father gave us. 

I will close from a verse in the Doctrine and Covenants (scripture given to us from Latter Day prophets) D&C 123:17

"Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

If we had complained, or not gone to work despite our transportation problems, we would not have been worthy to meet Michael. Since I have been out here, I have been slowly but surely learning to be patient with my situations, even when they go south. I know that Heavenly Father gave us the trials this week to try our faith and diligence, and then bless us for our efforts. And boy did he bless us. 

Just as a side note Michael didn't come to church because he went to a Baptist church the next day, because he didn't know we got him a ride. But we met with him that night and had a great lesson with a member that he actually knows!

And I'm going to the Temple tomorrow for Halloween! Yay!

Love you all! Keep the emails coming!

Elder Lovell

Pics

Sometimes you have to get creative with your meals. A couple times this week we cooked our lunch at the chapel, and made "gourmet ramen" in frying pans and plates.

Zone conference was awesome! Even though it was my second transfer, it was my first zone conference just because we had the mission tour this week. I'm in the back row towards the left.