Mangum and Zindel Continued - September 8, 2014

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAX :)

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Primero, Hermana Zindel and I are together for another transfer!!!! WHOOOO HOOOO!!! I couldn't be happier! Sad news, Elder Burrup is leaving. Our district is tight because there is only 5 of us. They shouldn't split up the dream team! I feel like OKC when they traded James Harden to the Rockets. Not cool.

Monday:

It was a good day but there ain’t much to talk about... sorry!

Tuesday:

We had a good appointment with our investigators A. and R. They are the cutest family! R. was very quiet our first visit, but on Tuesday she really opened up. A. is SUPER smart and asks the best questions! The day did not go so well after that. We had dinner with a family who fed us left over pasta salads from a picnic. Our plates were overflowing with heaps of old noodles and a pile of lukewarm lentil bean mush. I did it, I was able to eat it all. #perseverarhastaelfin

Right after cena, Hermana Zindel and I had to hang up flyers for a food drive in WV. The wards were all so disorganized and didn’t remember where they had already hung them. We were hanging them up in one of those apartment complex thingys and when we were almost finished, we saw one of the flyers hanging on a door that we ourselves did hot hang. Someone else had already been there!! So frustrating! We stopped by the church, I threw up a little bit of my dinner, then we headed home for the night. 

Wednesday:

BEST DAY ERRRR!!!!! We had a fantastic visit with the B. family! They said they are gonna come to church soon- HUGE step! Then they gave us some clothes and old comforters! it was so sweet! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH! Their son smokes, so when we put our gifts in the car, had an appointment and came back out to the car, we were very surprised that the entire car smelled as if the Sister missionaries were breaking the Word of Wisdom! haha!

Then the most amazing milagro occurred. I cant even describe it because so many things were in play for it all to come together and happen. JC canceled so we were doing our back up plan and street contacting. We were walking down the street to find a referral we got for a lady who just got out of jail 3 months ago and wanted some $. As we were looking for her, Hermana Zindel saw some little girls that she had meet 3 months earlier who taught her and Hermana Tinti how to catch fireflies outside our house. They told us that their neighbors were Latino. Turns out that the vecinos are former investigators that Hermana Zindel has been trying to get in contact with for a LONG time! This is the VERY condensed and shortened version. But, I hope you guys get the gist of just how amazing and huge this miracle was! It really made me realize that God knows everything and is aware of what is happening. Although we may not see it til months down the road (like with Y., the lady we found via the little girls) we can know without a shadow of a doubt that He is aware and that his hand is in our lives! 

Hermana Zindel may have hit a bunny with the car. She is such a scary driver.

Thursday:

Another Amazing day! We had a great appointment with C. She had us translate/help her file a complaint for a hotel she stayed at! haha! We met 2 more new investigators and have return appointments with them! J. is the bomb! He is 18 years old, from New York, so dang nice! I cant wait to see how it goes! Y2 is from Mexico, and was so kind and willing to talk to us :) SO EXCITING! 

Friday:

We were out street contacting when it started to POUR! Holy cow it was absolutely insane! We were drenched but it was a ton of fun! 

We visited with a lady member named Cynthia from nuestra rama. She was in the Dominican Republic for a few months visiting her family and stuff. She also went thorough the temple and is going to be sealed to her husband soon :) Well, she gave me a crazy pair of pants that she bought there! I will send pics :)

We decided to stop by and visit A. because we haven’t been able to get in contact with her. She didn’t answer :( But, we knocked on her neighbors door. R. answered, he is from Puerto Rico, and he invited us back! 

Saturday:

We had an awesome visit with F! We read from the Book of Mormon and asked if she had been praying. She said yes and that she feels paz y gozo :) She knows it is true, but is scared to come to church. So, we set up an appointment for a church tour this week. Hopefully this makes her feel more comfortable :)

We had a fanflippintastic visit con JC! He just seemed different! He had questions and wanted to learn. His mom moved in, so she was there too! They said they would come to church... but they didn’t. We called 47 times on Sunday, I basically kicked their door in, but they never came out. Hard stuff :( 

We had tamales- Hermana Marroquin made them just for me because I had told her that I like them. They were HEAVENLY!!!! sweet baby baby :)

Sunday:

M. and N. came to sacrament meeting!!!! It was so awesome! The branch was amazing! Love was in the air!!! Later we were driving down the street and saw T. (the guy who sang for us last week) so we quickly pulled over to talk to him. Well he was WASTED! Then all his brothers and friends came out and they were WASTED too. They were swaying drunkenly back and forth. Not the best. But we did get some numbers and return appointments! Who knows if they will remember them, but, we will just show up anyway :)

I hope that all is well at home! I have been a little worried about you guys this week... hope everything is ok! I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! I do not know what I  would do without your support and love and examples! I really have the BEST family! I knew this before, but I know it even more know that we are apart..

The time is flying by!!! 

See ya guys in no time :)

Lou

Extra pics:

1. Mormon Helping Hands Service
2. LOTS AND LOTS OF BUG BITS ON MY LEGS!!!
3. Maryland Sunset