Week 35

Goodbye car.

That's ok. It was it's time. I'm glad to hear though that you are making the jeep even more chulo. haha speaking of chulo...I looooooved Adam's and Ashlynn's costumes!!! So awesome! She looks so cute in her pictures :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Natalie!!! I love you!!

Well our Noche de Hogar (fhe) that we had on halloween was a total success. We were so happy and everyone had a blast! I love this place.

So we had a super crazy experience this weekend. One of our investigators is Maricarmen...she is a friend of a member, spanish and catholic. Anyway, we have been trying to get her to church or do anything for that matter...and last week we agreed to go to mass with her saturday night and then she would come to church with us sunday morning (obviously this isn't something we do often...or ever really. I have been offered it before but it just seemed like a good idea with Maricarmen) The whole week leading up to it I kept feeling like we needed to bring a member with us. It just felt necessary. But, her member friend, Josefina was in Madrid. So we had to ask someone else....and it is a rather odd request to get from the sister missionaries, "hey so....would you be able to go to mass with us this saturday?" What? Anyway, we asked one of our most favorite members, Paula. Ok, so us, Paula and Maricarmen all meet up and start walking to the church which happens to be called Santa Maria Madre de la Iglesia...haha...awesome. And Maricarmen explains that her mass isn't the general mass, it is like a neighborhood other kind of mass? I had no clue what that meant. But we were there early so we sat in the back at the end of the regular mass and watched. I had been to a catholic funeral over the summer if you remember...and it felt the same. Empty. But I was watching all of the people there and thinking about how this is all they know...so for them, to come to church and just feel nothing (instead of stress, etc.) must be really nice. BUt, they have no idea that they can go to church every sunday and be FILLED! With joy and the spirit and love and all kinds of good things! Too bad it would have been totally inappropriate to go contacting :)

Alright, so it was time for the other mass...but it was in another room that was a LOT smaller and weirder. They had two rows of chairs all in a circle and this overwhelming mural thing of who knows what. It felt weird. There is no other word to describe it. Anyway, Maricarmen introduces us and it is obvious that we aren't super welcome (and the three of us were way past ready to leave) then one man asks us if our church is a roman catholic church. I thought that was a rather silly question. No. So then he said, oh but obviously you still believe in our head, the Pope. (obviously not) I couldn't lie of course...and I couldn't not answer. So...I looked at him and said, no. we don't believe in the Pope. But we do have a prophet. (I wish I would have said that Jesus Christ is the head of our church but...too late now) He got midly flustered. I wasn't trying to offend anyone. Anyway, some lady who was setting up flowers went off on some rant about the trinity and the virgen for a few seconds. They were some of the most uncomfortable minutes of my life sitting in there. Then that man came back and asked if we could come out and talk for a second. To make a really long story a lot shorter, they asked us to leave. They said that we needed preparation to enter into this type of mass....and said that there are some things that you just can't mix. He asked maricarmen to show us the way out. He was pretty rude. But, the three of us were relieved to not be in there anymore. We were soooo grateful to have Paula there. It was nice to have support. Not to mention she has a lot better spanish than we do :) Paula kept saying afterwards, Hermanas, God saved us! ha. and she is right :) Maricarmen didn't really know what to say...and felt bad. But it wasn't a big deal. In fact, Hna Woodward, Paula and I feel like it only strenthened our testimonies of the restored church of Jesus Christ. Especially after a fast and testimony meeting the next morning where I felt the spirit. I felt hope, peace and happiness :) It might seem kind of crazy, but I really feel like that moment was like a milestone for my testimony. I saw first hand the difference of a church led and established by men and the true church of God. I FELT the difference. I don't want this story to sound like me bagging on any other church...that isn't what I mean. I just KNOW that ours is the church of Jesus Christ! Literally!! It's so cool! We aren't trying to recreate His church. We have it!!! whoa! I love it.

Essentially, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church. I'm so happy to be a member of it. We have a living prophet and alllll of the truth! yay!!! :)

Well I love you family!!!

Oh, side note, in our english class this week I showed pictures of our family and one of the guys in our class, oscar, told me that mom looks like she could be my sister :) Everyone comments on how young and pretty mom is :)

Have a good week!

con amor,

hna ross