Sick Yet Happy

Buenas tardes todo! What a week. 

This week was a crazy ride for sure. We had to figure out some arrangements for Elder Miller's phone since it's old and our SIM card didn't work in it. We have to have the SIM card work in one of our phones at all times in order to do missionary work. We got it figured out on Thursday, but we had to get him a new "loaner" phone (it's a church-owned phone). This is important because it's good for him to have experience messaging and calling people in Spanish. Elder Miller only has two more weeks of training with me! Time flies.

Wednesday was amazing! We messaged a referred friend who said she'd like English class in her home. Initially, we thought it would just be her. When we got to her apartment, however, she was joined by a friend, son, and husband who also wanted our classes. They all had notebooks and pens! They were so interested and kind to us. We are excited to return and teach them some more. Their names are Yeimi, Luis, Mayelis, and Nelson. Later that evening, we had a great English class. Three new friends came to it, and they learned a lot. In total, we made seven new friends in one day!! This was simply incredible, thanks to the Lord.

The next morning, Thursday, I had a sore throat and I became congested. I am still sick since then, but I am getting better. It stinks because I have had to take it back a notch on a few missionary duties. However, that didn't stop us completely. In fact, we were still able to do a lot of messaging/calls and even had a lesson. 

On Saturday, we had an extraordinary lesson! That Portuguese couple I've been telling you about is doing great. We met with them, and we were privileged to have my dad on a call with us to help teach. My dad knows Portuguese, so this eased our language barrier. We taught the Plan of Salvation, and we made sure to testify of Jesus Christ as the center of it all. I am grateful for members (in this case, my dad) who do a great job to assist in our efforts to communicate the Holy Ghost and the importance of our message. My dad did a terrific job to help Luis and Elvani (we found out her name isn't Elevana, woops) understand God's plan in their native language. We were happy to hear how much they already knew about Adam and Eve! This helped them understand why Christ is necessary in the eternal realm of this plan. The Spirit was there, and we are grateful to Heavenly Father for the ability to have spoken in two languages other than our native ones and still communicate the joy of the gospel effectively. 

Later that day, we met with Juan Pablo and talked about how he's doing. Life is tough for him right now, but he trusts in God. He told us that we are his best friends, so that was a huge compliment. We are anxious to go to the temple with him; we just need some help of our Bishop first.

I chose my email title to be "Sick Yet Happy" because that has been what I've been feeling for the past five days. I can happily serve through my headaches and congestion and coughing. It's possible! That's what this work can do. I know that all of us can experience joy through the tough spots of life. 

One more thing--we had lunch with our mission president and his wife! It was such a privilege to get to do this. Both of them are still young, so it's neat to see the family side of my mission president, President Henderson, as opposed to his leadership mode with numerous missionaries. They have two kids on missions currently, and four at home. It's fun to get to know his children since they help a LOT with mission activities.

Anyway, that's all. Miracles are real. God loves you--that's why he sent Christ to the Earth.

Gracias, y adios!

Elder Talmage Jones

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