Aug 25: Oposicion en todas las cosas (Opposition in All Things)

Hey Fam! Missin ya!

All the food that we ate this week reminded me of Jen and Mom. We ate fresh tortilla soup, with homemade tortilla chips, we ate salad with mangos and strawberries and chicken with dressing from the habanero chile. Super rico! I had to take pictures. 

This week has been really great! I absolutely LOVE my area. The people here are incredible. They are 100% my familia. I love them. My comp and i have been doing GREAT! we did not have one discussion this week. Not one. She has been my support through out the whole week, and i have been hers. It is so awesome. 

Ya know the little rhyme five little monkeys jumping on a bed? Well, i have made my own version. Five little gringas serving in Mexico. One hurt her foot and the doctor said, no more gringas who have to go home. Then another. and then another. (ok that was a terrible version of the five little monkeys haha) I got to see another sister from my generation on Saturday, she told me that she is going home this Wednesday. NO!! We came with four other sisters. The first five in Mexico and now we are down to two... Hermana Carlsen and me. I am super sad. :( 

Good new!!! Petronilo said that he got his answer! He wants to be baptized this Saturday! It was a super awesome experience! PLEASE PRAY HARD FOR HIM. I am so happy! 

I have a story. 

Background to the story: A few weeks ago we got invited to go to the ward council where we formed a mission plan for the ward. Well, the second counselor of the bishopric formed this plan. It was pretty good, but he told the missionaries that we need to leave our area to teach other members and weird things. I raised my hand and explained that we are so happy to be working with the members, we are here to help and support everyone, but just recently we had a meeting with the president of the area in Mexico who specifically told us again that we are NOT to leave our area. We receive revelation for our area and no where else. period. So i explained that we wouldn´t be able to leave, but everyone in our area we are happy to visit. He told us that we should be willing to make sacrifices anyway. OK, that went well... not. 

OK, the story.

Saturday we were invited to another meeting with the First Counselor of the Presidency over all of Mexico. Elder Valensuela. The stake presidents in Aguas, Pres Villarreal and his wife, all the bishops, counselors, leaders, everyone in Aguascalientes and all of the missionaries. It was great! We learned so much about how to work well with the members and visa versa. Then this Second Counselor of the Bishopric stood up randomly, totally out of the blue and explained that there are two missionaries who he had a meeting with, then pointed to us, oh here they are! Well, i tried to work with them and formed a plan but they refused to work with us. It is good to know that i was not too crazy to think that we could all work together. blah blah blah!!! Then he went off for a good few minutes just ripping on us. 

I could not believe it. I have never been so embarrassed. The thing is it wasn´t even true, but EVERYONE was there to listen to it all. 

How awful right? Then he came over to me after the meeting and said, i have good news you get to give a talk tomorrow about what we have learned. OK?

It is not a fun thing to be humiliated like that in front of everyone, but that is not going to stop me. I gave a kick butt talk the next day, and i have been praying really hard to forgive my brother. God loves him, i am sure he is struggling with something to feel so obligated to say what he said in front of everyone, but it still hurts. Good thing i have a great companion who really helped me. We prayed together and are doing better. 

I feel like there was something else that i wanted to say, but it has left me.

I read something that i LOVED today. Get on your knees and pray, then get on your feet and go to work. That is what the Lord wants. It reminded me of the quote Mom shared with me. Pray like it is all up to God, and work like it is all up to us. The power of prayer is so real. I am so grateful that we have the honor to talk to our God, our Father. It is such an incredible blessing. 

I am out of time! I love you!

Good luck in school Em! Haha sounds familiar, writing your... ah what is the school word for talk..? oh essay! haha at midnight the night before the first day of school. That made me laugh.

Well love you SO MUCH!

Love, Hermana Anderson

i only took food pics.. haha sorry.

Tani:  Ash sent three pictures 2 of delicious looking food and one of a Dove white chocolate bar and sweet little note from her companion.   I can't get them to upload right now.  I'll try again.

Got it!

My cute comp bought me chocolate and wrote me a card. love her :)