Buenas tardes familia,
¿Como están? Perdon pero al principio les voy a escribir en español para que todos no me entiendan jaja. Esta semana me fue mas o menos la verdad. Lo que hicimos era visitar a muchos miembros del barrio y también a los investigadores con el mas potencial. El barrio aquí está bien suave!! Me habían contado que este barrio (el barrio tres) era uno de los barrios mas ricos de toda la misión y la verdad me lo creo jaja. Casi todos viven en casas bien grandes y bonitas y la comida con los miembros ha sido MUCHA y riquísima. Acaban de cerrar un área aquí en el barrio, así que antes habían seis misioneros pero ahora solo somos cuatro. Y pues por eso nuestro área está gigante. Casi todo el área está llena de cerradas y colonias muy separadas y lejanas y a veces tenemos que tomar autobus para llegar a las citas (casi dos por día). Según muchos misioneros el área nuestra es la mas difícil de toda la misión también por lo mismo, hay mucho dinero y la mayoría de la gente no nos hace caso. Mi compañero y yo tocamos a muchas puertas en está semana pero solo tuvimos cuatro nuevos investigadores haciendo eso en toda la semana. Es muy difícil contactar personas aquí. Pero aun así pudimos tener algunas lecciones y encontrar algunas personas muy buenas. No había caminado yo por mas de ocho meses en la misión así que al caminar tanto, me dio ampollas a los pies. Tuve que comprar cinta especial de la farmacia para envolverlos. Seguía trabajando pero la verdad sí me dolió bien feo. Ahoríta sí me siento mucho mejor pero espero que se me pase otra vez.
In case you didn't understand that, everything is going GREAT!!! Haha. We spent a ton of time knocking on doors in our new area. It was somewhat miserable because it got super hot this week, especially Friday and Saturday. On Saturday we went knocking on doors from 3 to 6 and apparently it had been reaching 120 degrees during that time of the day. I'm pretty sure we were both out there suffering and just hoping that ANYONE would let us into their house. It's definitely moments like that when your faith is tested and built. I've got quite the tan-line on my neck and arms so that will look pretty cool by the time I go home. It'll be like my version of battle scars basically haha.
Hermosillo is really cool, it's my second time being here and also my second time being here during the summer haha. It's a nice area and we have a ton of places to visit and stuff to do, but the heat is such a drag. The ward is super nice. There are like three super strong American families in the ward as well that all work in the consolate down here. Church was as 3 o'clock (super late) because our normal chapel is being remodeled right now and we have to go to another church. The area is giant so we have to take A TON of buses and also we've being having to buy electrolyte-water and water like two or three times a day to prevent dehydration . If we didn't take buses we would be walking over an hour to get to each appointment, it's crazy. I've been drinking as much water and electrolyte water as possible and it helps me feel so much better. I still feel tired all the time from all of the work and am looking forward to a nice long rest when I get back home.
It still feels weird to me that the mission is ending in only five weeks. I miss you guys like crazy and I have no idea what the transition is going to be like. I feel like a completely different person from who I was back at home and I know that mission has helped me so much. Now it's just time for me to finish these last five weeks out strong and come home feeling great.
Scripture of the week:
40 And again, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you concerning hope. How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope?
41 And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.
42 Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.
43 And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.
44 If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.
45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
I love verses 41 and 45 and have thought about them a lot over these past few weeks. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that only people chosen by our Heavenly Father could have written it. Whenever we have doubts or lack faith, the Book of Mormon is always a great reminder and anchor of our past conversion to the gospel.
I love all you guys and can't wait to see you all so soon! Que tengan buen día!!!
Con amor, Elder Thayne