2014-04-08 Luckily I already know that the gospel fixes family.

view from back of truck from conference

Hey Everyone-

I had another great week here.  I really like Potosì besides how strong the sun is.  Sorry it's going to be short and that I didn't write yesterday.  A big electrical storm came and the internets all closed because of it.  The loudest thunder I've ever heard in my life is definitely here in Potosì.

Things are still going well with Savino.  We stopped by his house on Tuesday and found him and he let us in for a lesson.  Then as we were leaving he asked us if we could come back on Thursday to talk again.  That's good because before he always told us that he only had time on weekends.  I think it's kind of because his dad came in to our lesson and they got into a little bit of an argument.  It turns out they have a really bad relationship. When his dad left we kept talking and he started crying because it turns out their bad relationship is the cause of a lot of stress and sadness for him.  Luckily I already know that the gospel fixes family.  He's very willing to try fixing things between them and talking about how the gospel helps families seems to be what's motivated him to be more interested in what we are teaching.

I also got to go help the Stake President´s wife in her English class on Wednesday.  We were there for 2 of her classes. They were seniors (everything from 16 to 20 year olds) and a class of 12 to 14 year olds.  I stand out pretty bad in a Bolivian high school.  Pretty much everyone who saw me would try and say something in English.  It was a lot of fun though.  

We got a new dinner pension.  It's a lot better than where we were before for dinner.  Our old dinner pensionista is pregnant and doesn't want to feed us anymore.  Its Hermana Rosalin.  She has 3 little kids. Her youngest, Neill is autistic and he's my buddy.  She made us pizza on Sunday which was actually quite good.

Jhamil is still going out with us to visit several times a week and he brought his entire family to General Conference. He and his younger brother, Josè, came to all of the sessions.  That last time I went on divisions with him we were talking about missions and he said he'd prayed about it and is sure he's going to serve a mission now.  That made me pretty happy.

I watched conference in Spanish.  I understand it as long as I'm paying close attention.  My favorite session was Sunday morning and my favorite talks were Bishop Gary E Stevenson's and Richard G. Scott´s.  As we were walking out of the stake center after one session of conference, a big dump truck that a member was driving passed by and he let us get in.  It was a pretty fun ride in the back of the truck all the way from downtown Potosì to our area.

I made ham and cheese omelets for 23 in about 45 minutes in seminary on Friday morning.  It went pretty well.  

At a lesson we were having with an investigator and her member mother-in-law, the mother-in-law noticed my wart and said that she could take care of it.  She didn't really give me an option.  She dug into it with a needle until it was bleeding and then went outside and broke of the stem of some plant and came and put the milky white stuff that came out of the stem on it.  Anyway, my wart's drying up so it might have worked.

 

the 89 year old woman who made us soup while we visited with her son.  She can't talk or hear but when he pulled out my camera to show her I wanted to take a picture with her she took of her hat and fixed her hair for the photo.

We didn't have our weekly zone meeting because our zone leaders had traveled to Cochabamba and while they were gone, a week long blockade of all roads leading in and out of Potosì was started by the miners. They did get back on Saturday though.  

I really like the temple, you should all probably go this week, you'll feel the Spirit.

Love,

Elder Howlett

P.S. D&C 64:9