Chino week 15!!!!!!

So this week was AWESOMEEE!!!! As usual. But Aurora is progressing like CRAZY. On Thursday she told us that she wants to have the chance to read the whole Book of Mormon before she gets baptized (saying to us that she wants to wait a little longer to get baptized). But yea were just like... "yea?! That's awesome. So you are going to read the whole rest of the Book of Mormon in 26 days then since you are getting baptized on March 2! Wow Aurora that's going to be so cool! You better get reading!" She was a little taken aback because she was expecting us to push her baptismal date back haha. But we didn't. And that was Thursday. When we came back on Saturday she had read 30 pages between Thursday and Saturday. She's now on p. 100. It is funny because she is also a smoker, but she is not allowed to smoke in the house that she lives in. So when she wants to take a smoke she has to get up and out of the house. And she said that she is so into the Book of Mormon that now she is smoking less because she is always faced with the choice of putting down the book to go smoke, or reading more, and she never wants to put down the book so she just stays inside and keeps reading. It is funny. Because she's not quitting because we told her too, or even really because the spirit was making her feel guilty for smoking, but because she can't put down the Book of Mormon to leave the house to smoke haha.

 

Another cool thing, our borracho came to church! Haha! Yep! Juan came to church yesterday. Everyone loved him. Him and his colored Book of Mormon. It's crazy but he is actually starting to progress. He's still super borracho, but he is a little more mentally with us and I think it is because he has actually been reading/coloring a little bit of the Book of Mormon everyday. And his prayers have really progressed too. He always asks for help to stop in his prayers. He really wants to stop, and slowly all our effort with him is starting to take effect and he is getting that help from God.

 

Also I want to give a shout out to my home slice Sydnee Stevenson. She sent me a radical package to celebrate..... MY HALF BIRTHDAY. Totally made my week. It was full of all sorts of half birthday goodies. (Pretty much birthday stuff, only on every thing where it said "Happy Birthday" including the wrapping paper she had written in sharpie 1/2). I have some pretty knarly friends. The card also had a printed out picture of Jean Valjean to which she had glued a party hat and one of those noise maker things that you blow. She knows me well. The package also said on the outside that it was from Jean Valjean. The zone leaders were like.... "um... you got a package from Jean Valjean?" All the les mis fans present were super jealous. I knew, of course, right away who that was haha. Here's my les mis thought for the day (I know I am so sacreligious) "Take my hand, I'll lead you to salvation, take my love, for love is everlasting, but remember the truth which once was spokeeeen, to love another person is to see the face of God!!!! ........ dooo you hear the people sing, lost in the valley of the night, it is the music of a people who are climbing towards the light. For the wretched of the earth, there is a flame that never dies, even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise. We will live again in freedom in the garden of the Lord, we will walk behind the ploughshare we will put away the sword. The chain will be broken and all men will receive their reward." Pretty much, I'm thinking they should make an addendum to the Book of Mormon where they stick the les mis lyrics in there. But yea, it pretty much encompasses our entire purpose as missionaries right there in that chunk. "Taking peoples hands" and guiding them to the atonement so that their "chains can be broken"

 

But yea! Things are awesome here. The gospel is true. If it can change Juan it can change anyone. The atonement of Jesus Christ is the great equalizer. It doesn't matter where someone's at, it just matters where they want to go, and if they really put in the effort, because Christ payed for all of our sins and pains and sicknesses, whoever can become just as good and whole a person as someone who has been a member their whole life. The atonement puts us all on an equal playing field in this life, and THAT is pretty cool.

 

Love,

Hermana Bardsley