Tuesday after transfer conference we make it back to my new home. The place where I was going to be able to unpack and settle in. We walk in the door and I scoot my back to our bedroom and my companion turns to me and says, "Oh yea, we have to move in a month.." I just couldn't help but laugh!!! I think I laughed so hard that tears came to my eyes.. but our lease ends at the end of the month. And also we are in a four-man apartment and they are trying to get rid of all of them. Luckily we found an apartment already and will be out by the first of next month. If I've done the math correctly that will have put me in 7 apartments within 12 weeks. I think it's fair to say I have developed the talent of quick and efficient moving!!
SO my new compa! I don't know where my words have gone for this one, but she is the best!!! Her name is Hermana Boudesocque (buddah-sock).. and YES, it is nearly impossible for Hispanics to even care to learn our names. What they usually do is look at my last name and realize that they don't want to even try and find my companions name and stick with that one... but this just leaves people careless. Other than the members here... because I found another Schwendiman. I believe the only other Schwendimans in the state of New Jersey.. and I met Brother Schwendiman yesterday. We figured out (well he figured out) that we are something like second cousins once removed.. but they are in the English ward here so ALL the Hispanics already call me by name!
Well more on my companion. She is the best! I don't understand why we were put together because we have both wanted this since we were both born into the mission, and it usually just doesn't work like that! We entered the MTC on the same day but she already knew Spanish. Little smarty pants. But we also go home the same day and for some reason have just clicked since the beginning, and now we are finally together.
We had a really awesome miracle last night. We had an appointment with a man who basically eavesdropped an entire discussion we had on the street. So we show up and he wasn't home. The next phone call he told us that he had left work too late and wouldn't be home for another half hour. Outside of his house though were two of our other investigators, they were smoking. But we talked to them and at the end we felt like we should ask them for a referral, and something not very common happened... they gave us one!! Pablo said that he had a friend that lived just down the street that we should visit and we took off down the street to track him down!! Well we got to the end of the street and were going to turn right but looked left and saw down the street a muchacho that we wanted to contact.. as we got closer we realized it was yet ANOTHER one of our investigators. (They all live in one house.. it's incredible). There are 6 or 7 apartments in this one house and well.. he sat down on his front steps and we ended up having an incredible lesson with him. To his side he had put his grocery bag full of work cloths and water and another... a 6 pack that he had just bought. One of the beautiful things is the change of weather. Beautiful early summer nights make it much easier for people to slow down and take some time to talk to us.
Well he started to tell us that one of his friends came into his apartment the other day and he was sitting at the kitchen table reading in first Nephi.. I don't know quite how to explain the joy that comes from a response like that but it's incredible!! Then he continued.. later on he said that he really wanted to come to church today and was planning on it but he had to go into work at 12.. that was when conference starts over here and thought he was going to be able to come to our 9:00 service.. he then said that he was going to plan on being there next week. Another one of those amazing things to hear.. and then... the best part was when we were wrapping up, we were talking to him about that beer that he just bought and how that's not going to help him and he said.. "You know what.. I'm going to go give it to my friends and I think i'm going to stick to water tonight!" I felt like I had just won a championship game, or gotten 100% on a final.
Life is good. Gerardo is a blessing. More like a miracle. Conference was incredible. This mission is my life. Onward and upward!
Hermana Schwendiman
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| Fishing last week |
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