Many Less Actives do Not want to be found! - Sept 5, 2016

That is my week. Tons of stuff fell through, so we did lots of contacting and looking for less actives this week, since we finally have a ward list. Most of the less actives did not look happy that we found them, but for courtesy agreed to be there when we'd go by. Of course, they'd purposefully disappear on us, causing EVEN MORE stuff to fall through. It's cool though--I feel good.

We did have a superb lesson with a couple of less actives who do want to work with us. They are a father and a daughter, Wilfredo and Wilda. While Wilda is a little further behind on the reactivation progress, Wilfredo really feels the hole in his life and is defeating temptation and lack of energy to come back. He came to church Sunday. :) Also, his daughter promised us HOMEMADE rice pudding when we go back Wednesday. :D

We are working with a girl named Mérolin (Marilyn) too, and she is doing quite well. Her mom told her about six months ago that she couldn't get baptized until she hit 18, and she just turned 17 in June; however, her mom's reason was that Mérolin didn't usually commit to stuff, so she was worried that her daughter would just in-and-out with church and said she needed to wait (at least, as far as I'm told). If such is the case, we figure we just need her to be super committed and we can get permission out of her mom. We are working super hard on getting her to church. getting her involved in Mutual, and having friends from church come with us to visits and go on their own time. As yet, she is the happiest I've ever seen her, because I think she also sees that if she is committed enough her mom will let her get baptized. And she is feeling the Spirit a lot more, too--that might have something to do with it. XD

Today we went and played basketball at the stake center. Elder R***** (my companion) has played basketball since he was 3, and we have a couple of other good players in the zone. However, they are almost all shorter. In other words, I was a rebounder. That was it. It was fun though--I pulled a couple of clutch shots out of nowhere. After that we went to Bravo, a supermarket that has lots of American products. Elder R*****, being Texan, bleeds hot sauce and Dr. Pepper, and was thus elated to discover Dr. Pepper there. Among other things, we found Smarties, Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce (multiple varieties), white grape juice, and REAL MILK. That's right, made and bottled by the supermarket the same day, kept in a gallon jug, and requiring constant refrigeration MILK. We still haven't opened it because we put it in the fridge as soon as we got home, since the trip was about a half hour and the milk was only slightly chilly when we got home. Update on that one next week. 

Have a great week! Moroni 7:15-19 has been something I've shared a lot this week, but it has also carried me a bit. Remember that instead of fumbling around in your mind wondering what to do, just make a decision and take it to the Lord. He WILL let you know. I have really developed a strong testimony of that here in the mission. Also of thought control, like Mom was saying. If you think it, you will become it; if you don't, then you won't.

Con mucho cariño,

Élder Rowe

PS did you know that in mexico, according to Elder R*****'s dictionary, a ladybug is called a "vaca de San Antón" (which translates to St. Anthon's cow)? Also that if you say "me importa un rábano" (it is as important to me as a radish) it means that you couldn't care less? XD

The pics:

Limoncillo, a fruit that you suck on and scrape with your teeth and spit out the pit (tastes like a cross between passion fruit and lemon)

Our shopping trip (total value approx. 2,000 pesos)