Week 3

started the week off with dinner at the Lunas, it was the greatest meal ive had. we also sat near the ocean and watched people kite board as my comp and I wrote letters. we've been trying to meet with this lady name Anita but i swear everytime we make plans to meet...something happens and it drives us crazy!! haha It was about 49 degrees this morning. super cold and very windy.. its a little unreal for south texas but it is what it is. we have been trying to meet up with part member familys or less actives to try and brind everyone back to church and also find new investigators. we've also been trying to meet with a less active part member family.. and as we walked up to the door i told my comp," today shes going to open the door" anddddd she did. we met August for the first time. talked to her for a little bit and found out.... that her husband walked out on her a few days before.. it seriously breaks my heart cause they have a little 2 year old. so we are going to try and visit her more often and try and get her back to church. thats something ive really noticed as the days go on here in Portland, is just how happy and blessed we are to have the gospel in our lives. I've seen too many familys that are just torn apart because they dont have the gospel, family members hating each other and just the family being unhappy with everything... and its hard cause we talk to them and try and help them and tell them there is a way to be truly happy and as a family... but they dont want the gospel..!!!! oooo it grinds my gears.. but we have to be loving with them and in time have faith that they'll understand that they need this and that it will help them. on tuesday it was about 8 at night and we didnt have any appointment or someone to visit and didnt know what to do... and i was like hey lets say a prayer.. so i said a prayer seeking guidance on where to go and i could feel a burning in my chest... so then we pulled forward and my comp was like... woah we are infront of an old investigators house. i was like rad lets go talk to him.. so we get out and just as we get out someone walks out of the house and just walks off... i was like nooooo wayyyy this is it man we have to go talk to him. my comp " the investigator wen to jail so i dont even know if thats him."
i was like sooooo what lets go talk to him we have to!! and my comp said no.... and for the rest of the hour we could not find anything at all.. it made me pretty sad and i seriously couldnt stop thinking about that guy.... the sheep that got away.. we have been trying to go back but no one is ever there. the next day we went to this assisted living center to visit this sister that lives there and we've never met her before... well we went inside and ask where she was. they pointed toward this very very very veryyyyy elderly lading that was sleeping in this chair.. we were kind of hesitant to wake her up.. cause i mean who likes being woken up from a nap. the lady sitting next to her said that she sleeps all the time.. so we woke her up.... and ive never seen such joy and happiness in someones eyes before... she was sooo happy to see us, no one ever visits her and she just almost started crying.. it made me sad but happy.. sad that no one visits her but happy that we could bring happiness to her, from now on i told my comp that once a week we have to visit her and sing her hymns cause thats seriously the best. a few miricales happened this week. we have been trying to visit gilber and stephanie this week and everytime we go there, there is never anyone home. well this one day we went to their house and no on e was there.. but there was this girl from across the street looking at us.. i waved and she started walking over asking us what we were doing. i look at my comp and in my head im like YES!!! her name is myra and we start talking to her about the gospel, she is super curious and has been looking for the true church and im just like no way this is perfect hahah. we walk to the park and keep teaching her there. everything is going good..... then.... one of her friends walks up and sits down, we start to teach both of them... but her friend... is a very.. strong catholic... and just start bashing us with random stuff that didnt even make sense and was really testing our knowledge and faith.. it was a little rocky... i bore my testimony and she just stopped talking.. she just kept laughing and then walked off with myra.. ahhh it was so crazy and a little frustrating... but we are hoping she calls us.. later that night we are walking around our plans kept failing. and while my comp was trying to call someone... i said a prayer.. cause i seriously just wanted to find someone and talk to them... as we start walking down the street. someone starts talking to us about our bikes... but he got weirded out when we asked for referrals hahah. we had a zone meeting on saturday and it was super good.. idk theres so much to say and my fingers hurt too bad.. when i get home in like 2 years ask me about it cause it was good hahahah.
that night we were going to contact some referrals and before we went and knocked on the door, i said a prayer again.. like i just really hoped these people would open their doors. the first door we walked to. they opened their door and it was seriously a miracle that we had just gotten there. they were having a super rough day cause their son was just arrested.. and so we shared some scritpures and everything seemed good but then bam! they didnt want anything else and so we left a card. they also gave us some spanish olives and they were amazing! we then wen to their neighbor and hey instantly let us in. we were just getting to know them, he is an oil rig lawyer, his house was massive but he was super humble and loved the bible. we have them the book of mormon but wanted nothing else. it was super great!! and then last night, people have been telling us about this guy who just moved into these apartments that wants to go to church with a member that lives near by. well his name is tod and we tried to visit him before church but he didnt answer. we then went to church where i gave a talk and cried because it was just so great haha and Tod came to church it was super awesome. last night we were like okay we neeeeeed to visit him. he is interested and we need to visit him. so we go to his apartment and pray outside his door and then we knocked on his door. he let us in and just told us his life story and that he just got out of jail and is really trying to change his life for the better.. right now is just a dark time and he is really trying to change.. he told us that he really didnt want to open the door for us.. but something told him too... like he has never really been into church for like 20 years.. but something has been telling him to listen to us.... my chest was burning so bad.... i talked to him about his challenges hes been having and how ive gone through the same things as well... he almost cried... i could see it in his eyes.. that he could feel the spirit as well... we are going to meet with him again soon. he is super interested and really wants to learn everything.... this week was just been a week of thanks. im just so thankful for everything i have and im seriously wroking hard to bring the same things into the lives of everyone else. the gospel is a wonderful blessing!! enjoy it, love it, learn from it. please dont forget that our heavenly father is there and that he does listen to us..and remember that a prayer can go a long way..just have faith theres so many lost sheep out here in portland..im doing my best to bring them back.

birthday shout out to my papi!! yeah today is his birthday!! I love you big guy!