Hola Family!!

Yes it is true this place is a Little Havana.  People here are really poor. No two story houses, most of them smell like smoke. These people sacrificed everything they had to come to here. A lot of the men here are working like 3 little paying jobs to bring the rest of there family from cuba to here. Its sad but so humbling.  Being around rich areas makes me feel weird now. A lot of the older people have amazing stories some have been locked in jail in cuba for 20 years because of government stuff. It's crazy. They remind me of the pioneers because of how much they have sacrificed to come to this promise land. I am defiantly grateful for what I have and I just love the people here so much!

   So, last week we crashed into a pole, this week we got a flat tire. Yay. Changing the tire in the light of the Walgreen's sign wasn't my ideal ending to a day of hard work but it turned out to be a time of laughter as we hurried to get it done before it started raining. It defiantly was a memorable time as we tried to figure everything out. Thank goodness for young womens and the class years ago on cars! Because of that we were able to get it changed fast. Thank goodness.  This week to save miles we have been doing a lot of biking, so much fun! It's so relaxing and makes me feel like an actual missionary. As I was riding my bike the other day I was thinking about how when I was younger I would always get excited when I saw the missionaries riding their bikes and I would wave and smile. It's strange to think that now I am that missionary on the bike and people now honk and wave at me. Everytime me and my companion ride bikes we like to sing "I hope they call me on a mission" to enhance the missionary experience, haha!

 So, after being here for three weeks I have come figure out that everyone has a small dog. I mean everyone and their grandma has a small annoying dog. And they are vicious little things. Some days I want to kick them! But anyways, yeah, a small dog equals a annoyed missionary. K, so enough about my dog rant haha! 

Last week me and my companion decided that this week we were going to start fresh.  Last week we dropped all our non progressing investigators and decided to clean up our area. We were determined that this week was going to be a week of miracles.    And with lots of prayer and faith we ended up getting 8 new investigators this week! We saw so many miracles! One was on Tuesday after zone training. We got a text from the very first guy we blessed on my first day. He said that he saw us on Monday and said we could come by. So me and my companion left for his house immediately so excited. When we got there Lazador and his father opened the door and greeted us. His father was really interested in what we had to say so he participated in the lesson too. We shared a message about the restoration and the Book of Mormon. Afterward, we invited them to be baptized. Lazador wasn't sure and his father said that they wouldn't get baptized right this moment but they will for sure get baptized after they learn more because he knew we were sent there for a reason! We left that appointment grinning from ear to ear. 

Another miracle was meeting Yanedllies. We were walking to our car after an appointment and passed by her house. She was sitting outside with her baby and looked miserable. We both saw her and knew right way that we needed to say a prayer with her. So we did just that. She let us in and we said a prayer with her. After her eyes were filled with tears and she felt the spirit so strong as she told us how her and her family just moved here from Cuba and they were really poor. They lived in a 2 room house. She told us how hard life had been for her and her family and how she was searching for truth and light. We were there for about a half hour talking to her about our church and bearing our testimonies and what this gospel had to offer.  And we have been teaching her ever since, she and her 11 year old daughter Rachel are so elect. Rachel loves the book of Mormon and reads it all the time.  They are planning on going to church this Sunday. The only problem is her husband who is santeria which means he believes in witches and magic stuff like most Cubans do. He doesn't like us so we are praying that his heart will be softened and that he will let us keep teaching his wife and daughter. The people here are so amazing and so humble. They want the truth so bad! 

This week it rained so much! we have had some crazing storms. People here don't know how to drive in the rain. Ugh! Hahah! 

Anyways this week I realized I love love fried sweet potatoes and Plantain mash which is a huge long green banana. It's kinda like mashed potatoes only better haha! I also love Honduran food! So much better then Cuban. Hondurans know how to make the best homemade tortillas ever! Soo good! Also Cubans love flan! I have eaten flan like 10 times this week but its yummy :)  Also if I had a dollar for every time I was called a Gringo I would be rich. A gringo is what Cubans call blond hair and blue eye people. 

Oh, so another small detail I was proposed to this week..... yeah by one of the member's nephews who swears that after my mission we are going to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Yeah, creepy part he is 40... No thank you! blah blah so creepy!! I told him no and that I already had a boyfriend but thanks for the offer. So gross!! Another thing that is gross is bugs!! There are so many mosquitoes here and cockroaches at our house uggh! I have gotten good at killing them. 

This week I was reading in Mosiah 15 and in verse 9 it says "He is the light and life of the world, yeah, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened" I just love that scripture! It's so true the light of Christ is endless and we have that same light within us! We can never be darkened. No matter how many trials we go through or how times we are rejected or how many times Satan tries to stop us. We cannot be darkened if we have his power,if we have faith we can accomplish anything :) 

Tell Danyon good luck! And to chew gum! I love flying, it's fun. Take off is the best part! Hopefully there is no turbulence. Thanks so much for your story about your mission Dad, I loved it:)) And thanks for article too:)) I am printing it our right now. Hope you had a great fathers day too!! :)) Love you guys so much! Have a good week!! :))

Love Briaunna :))  

 

Us under a big umbrella during a rain storm walking to our car.

 

A newly converted family! They are awesome!! Love them and their kids!