Sunday, April 24, 2016

Writing in "spanglish"

Dear All,
Para aclarar, yes I'm still in the same area. Also, no me dan ganas de translate, so if I can't think of how to say things in english I'm just gonna throw em out in spanish. Have fun.
So this week was pretty good. We had a baptism, for the second week in a row, and also for the second week in a row they didn't get confirmed. This time was cause it was a 15 year old kid, and he failed 4 classes, and so his parents were like tomala you can't go to church on sunday. So that sucked. But other than that we went super hard. It was the first time in my mission que logre 40 lessons, which was super dope. We took an atheist ex-bartender and her husband to church, and we had lots of fun. It was pretty chill. 
But yeah. I can't really think of anything that really stands out from this week. It was just a good week of work. 
Just one thing that I do remember. We contacted this lady on monday in the grocery store. We thought she was like 25, young mom, maybe a kid or two, and she gave us her address and we set an appointment. When we went, we found out she was freaking 15. That was weird to start off with. But then we are sitting outside her apartment, because obviously we coulnd't go in, and this xolo comes home and sees us and runs away and then starts yelling "quien me echó la policía?!" I thought I was done. But yeah people confuse us for the cops all all the time. We knocked another door and this little girl came out and then screamed and yelled "Dad the cops are here que hicicte??" That was hilarious cause then the dad comes out and sees us and yells at the little girl, "those aren't cops those are testigos de jehová no los abras!" hahahahahaha almost fell over laughing. 
But yeah this is weird the whole my mission is almost over thing. I don't like that. It's not a fun feeling. But yeah I'm pretty sure I'll finish my mission in this area. I hope they don't change me my last traslado. That would just not be fun, but at the same time Pres likes doing that. The only thing that would be cool would be Mexicali so that I can come home tan and say bye to a lot of converts. That would be chill.
Well yeah that's my thoughs this week. Hope you are all doing great. 
Los quiero mucho,

Elder Rawlings

Sunday, April 17, 2016

New Companion

Getting his hair cut at a salon owned by a member in Tijuana
Dear All,
New transfer, new companion. My new comp is named Elder Ortiz. He's from Oaxaca as well, and it's his last trasfer. Which is kinda cool, and the cooler part is that the first day I came  to the mission, he was also going to train someone from my generation, and when he saw me he told me "I want to train you, how cool would that be?" But anyways it didn't end up that way, but then every time we saw each other he reminded of the "Training that never was" until now haha we are gonna do so much work here I'm pumped.
So this week was pretty chill.  We had lots of meetings, and we spent one day in the house with monster diharrea (I have no idea how its spelled in English I think its like that but who knows really) so that wasn't fun. But the day turned out all right. We had an appointment that night to go with the sisters in the area next to ours to visit an investigator that wasn't wanting to get baptized even though she had a strong testimony. So we took some (lots) pills and pepto and went over there. And it was an insane lession. We got there and the first thing we did was give a blessing there to her sick daughter. Then she told us that she was feeling the spirit and that the only thing she could think about was getting baptized on saturday. So that was way cool. We went to her baptism and sang "Nearer, My God to Thee" and even though it probably didn't sound too great, the Spirit was there and it was awesome. 
But yeah cause of everything that happened this week that was about the only thing I can think of. I've been thinking a lot and maybe you guys think I don't share enough spiritual experiences, but I try to do a mix of both, and honestly most things that happen are either too spiritual to share or are just better expressed in person with the guidance of the spirit. But I can promise you that not a single day passes by without me knowing a little bit more that God lives and loves us and that this is His true church. I have no doubt in my mind or my heart of that.
Pues, creo que eso es todo. Los quiero mucho,

Elder Rawlings

Sunday, April 10, 2016

April fools day in the mission


Dear All,
Guess what I have no time today but I love you and for that I am going to tell you the funniest thing that has happened to me in my life.
So Friday was April Fool's day. I love April Fools. I was thinking all day about how to pull a solid April Fool's joke. I wasn't getting anywhere, when all of the sudden a man in a wheelchair with just one leg calls us over. He says, hey guys can you do me a favor? I need to you pull my knee because I just can't. We didn't really understand what he meant, but after a few misplaced hands and pulls in the wrong direction, I grabbed his leg a little bit above the knee and pulled his leg toward me, thereby allowing him to recline a little bit in his wheelchair. It didn't hit me until we were walking away what had just happened. I literally pulled a grown man's leg on April Fool's day.
Conference was awesome, cried a few times, and had some dope experiences. 
You guys keep on being good.
Los quiero mucho,

Elder Rawlings

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Remember this in My work

wearing his "Easter tie"
Dear All,
This was a pretty decent week. I feel like lots of stuff has happened, and at the same time it's true and at the same time it's not. But it was a good week. 
First off, we went on exchanges twice again this week, which is draining, but pretty fun at the same time. I went with one of the new missionaries in our zone and we had a legendary day. So that was pretty chill. We got home and I was like "hey so how do you feel like today went?" and he was like "When I was imagining being a missionary, I imagined days like today." So that was chill.
Also on Thursday we had a crazy day. It started on Tuesday, when my comp went to go do a baptismal interview for some elders in our zone, and he told me that in the interview he had a really strong feeling that he knew the guy. Like just one of those feelings like "there's no way, but i totally know this guy from somewhere." and so the guy asked my comp to baptize him. So we were going to go to his baptism on Thursday night and take some of our investigators. But then a guy in our ward called us and asked us for a blessing. So we decided to do some sweet surprise splits so that we could be in both places at once. I went to go give the blessing, and it was for the Young Men's president. He had hurt his hip or his tailbone or something in that area, the point is he couldn't walk. When we got there, he started telling us about an activity that they had planned for the next day with all the youth: they were going to go to the temple, then they were going to the church and gonna play games and watch a movie and then more games and all in all it was gonna be off the chain. And so this guy was like "I just hope I can make it." 
So then he asked me to give him the blessing, and I felt the strong impression to tell him that he would be able to do everything he needed to that weekend, that the next day he would wake up fine, and that he would be able to magnify his calling. It was a pretty special blessing, definitely one I won't forget for a while, even if I don't remember all that I said. But then the best part: we finished the blessing and we were sitting there talking, and the guy's wife was in the kitchen, cooking something that smelled really good. All of the sudden she was like "hey guys come here I made carne asada" (one of my favorites) and not just that but also she was melting cheese and putting refried beans on the tortillas to put the meat on and there was homemade salsa and guacamole and omgoodness it was off the charts. And so I ate a bunch of tacos, and then my companion called and was like "hey dude I'm still in the chapel are you guys about done over there?" hehe whoops totally lost track of time. So then the sister threw a bunch of meat and quesadillas and guac and salsa and all the good stuff in little baggies and wrapped it in tin foil and then gave us a ride to the chapel and then to our house and it was way awesome cause I got super full of carne asada. It was really nice.
And then on Sunday the Lord kind of reprended me. We had an investigator that we were going to find a ride for to get to church, but no one could help us and so my comp stayed in the chapel and me and the ward mission leader grabbed a taxi and went to his house. And then the dude came out in shorts and with his shirt all unbuttoned and like he had just barely woken up. I talked to him and he was like, "no I'm not gonna be able to go I just wanted you guys to come here so you could see the papers from my x rays." (we had called him 15 minutes before and he said he was waiting for us to come get him) and so I got back in the taxi super ticked off. I think it kind of showed a little bit but whatever. We got to church just in time for the opening prayer. I was still furious. But then when the prayer ended and the doors opened, standing there was a couple that we had knocked their door a couple weeks ago and had like 2 lessons with them, but honestly I did not think they were going to progress. But boom there they were, without us even inviting them pretty much. And the Lord was just like "Hey kid, slow down there, I know you're killing yourself trying to get my work done, but remember it's not yours, its Mine. You just do everything you possibly can, and I'll take over the rest. I'm a lot better than you are anyway."
So yeah that was my week. I'm pumped for the General Conference this week, especially since its the last one I'll get to see with a missionary tag on. Weird thought.
Hope you guys are all great. Happy easter, and even though I couldn't wear the tie you sent me, it is gorgeous and I wore another one that I have that is a little less pink. I'll attatch the pic.
Los quiero mucho,

Elder Rawlings
View of Jenson's area