This week was a mix of emotions for me. Monday night we started intercambios, and I was with Hermana Cristobal again, so that was pretty fun! I have a lot of respect for her as a missionary, she is awesome. (but we didn´t take a pic to prove it, so sorry about that) Tuesday we were in intercambios all day, and I was in my area again. At the end of intercambios I was feeling bad because the capas (hermana leaders) had a lot of things to talk to us about, that I didn´t even realize that we were doing wrong. But we have been working super hard, and been a lot more obedient this week. That evening, we found out that the brother-in-law of my pensionista died (brother of Hno. Absalón), so we spent a lot of Wednesday morning helping them out and supporting them. We got permission and went with them to do paperwork (because the cemetery is in our area) (actually the cemetery is really cool because it has a lot of famous Bolivian royalty, from back when that was a thing, presidentes, and people like that) and I was glad that we were able to support them that morning, because they were hurting BAD. My spirit even felt heavy, and I didn´t really even know him, but I have such a great love for their family. I really felt like I was "mourn(ing) with those that mourn, and stand(ing) with those that stand in need of comfort."
In that same day we had an amazing lesson with Ana Carla, who was baptized this week! The spirit was super strong in that lesson, and we were so excited for her. That evening was the viewing for the hermano, and it was kind of really sad, but at the same time it was good because a bunch of members from our ward came and sang hymns. Our district leader and his companion came too, because last Saturday when we had the baptism of Blanca, Hno Absálon asked the elders if they´d give a blessing to his brother. They actually gave the blessing on Tuesday, and he died about an hour after that. Apparently that last hour he was a lot more peaceful (because he was super sick, he had been in a bed for a year and in a lot of pain). Our pensionista Rocio shared with us that she was outside during this, and actually saw a pillar of light and heard comforting voices, and felt real peace when he died. Super cool experience that she said really strengthened her testimony of the reality of God. Anyway, at the viewing they asked me to sing "Conmigo Quédate, Señor" (Abide with me tis eventide) and I felt the spirit SUPER strongly during that (and yes that is the same one that I sang in the CCM).
Thursday I was in Cochabamba for trámites (I think that means immigration or something like that... I´m not entirely sure) and the weather was BEAUTIFUL! A lot warmer than in Sucre (even though Sucre isn´t that cold haha). We ate empanadas with really good Bolivian cheese inside, with bags of chocolate milk. (I don´t know if I´ve mentioned this before, but most of the single portion drinks in Bolivia are in bags. Kinda weird, but it is what it is haha) That evening when I got back we had the baptismal interview for Ana Carla, and after that we were at the house of a part member family for a family night slash birthday celebration for Davíd Colque Alaca, who turned 11. It was a pretty good day.
Friday we ate RIDICULOUS amounts of food. We didn´t know if the pension would be open (understandably so) and made plans with a member to eat lunch. While we were walking to the member´s house, Hna Rocio called us and insisted that we eat lunch there. So we ate lunch with the members, then went to the pension and ate lunch AGAIN! I was SO SO full. (and in Bolivia if you refuse food it is super offensive, so we chose to go the less offensive route and gorge ourselves haha) We actually decided to fast a day early because the baptism of Ana Carla was Saturday night and we were planning to have a mini celebration with her afterwards (and maybe a little bit of the reason was because we had eaten a ridiculous amount of lunch haha). We also had an appointment with an investigator Friday that ended in a funny way. She (se llama Belen Serrudo) has a younger brother that is probably 2 or 3, and as we were saying the closing prayer, this younger brother was throwing spoons at my head! For the whole prayer! It was funny, and I was trying SO SO hard not to laugh during the prayer.
Saturday we had the classes of English and piano, and 2 people showed up, that hadn´t been before, so I just taught the same things that I´d taught in lessons before. In the evening was Ana Carla´s baptism! A little bit about her, her family (parents and older sisters) were baptized 8 years ago but went inactive. Recently they have been re-activating themselves, and we had a family night with them about 2 weeks ago and found out that she was never baptized! But she was so ready, and already knew basically everything that we taught her. We got lucky that we got to be the ones to teach her, because it was like every missionary´s dream! :) During the baptismal service I sang for the special musical number, Lord, I would follow thee. It was a great baptism, and their family is so happy. (And so are we!!)
Sunday was fast Sunday, and there were a lot of less active members and investigators that came! We were so happy that they were there, and that they were sharing their testimonies! Especially Hno Absalón, because our pension family (Calvimontez Mancilla) have been really inactive, but I think everything that has happened this week has really humbled them, and brought them so much closer to Heavenly Father. We are so happy for them. They even set a goal for themselves so that they can go to the temple in Cochabamba (45 mins in plane but 8 hours by bus) and be sealed as a family. (That´s actually really common here, that there are members but haven´t ever received there endowments or been sealed) We are so proud of them.
Today for P day we went and toured a really old house museum thing that I guess was the house of a bunch of the royalty and presidentes of Bolivia. I think the coolest part of that was that we got to go in a tunnel that they had dug however many years ago, I think 200 or 300 years ago, and it was so small! We were basically squat walking slash crawling through it. But the tunnel lead to a different one of the government buildings, I think in case the people needed to escape in the case of emergency. But yeah, super cool, and that was my day.
So there ya go! Lot´s of stuff happened this week, happy and sad, but I know that that´s just a part of life! I hope you all have a happy 4th of july and enjoy the fireworks for me!
Mucho Amor,
Hermana Rowe
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