An eventful week :)

Our kitchen and mini fridge. Sound cue: aww. Can you spot the missionary?

Hello, family and friends!

I have a good story from this week. It made me laugh. I hope it makes you laugh, too.

Hermana Dumay (my sister leader) and I were on the bus Saturday morning on the way to meet up with Hermana Winters (my `twin sister` and now my other sister leader!) and Hermana Infanzon after having intercambios. I took a seat next to an older woman and started a friendly conversation. We hit it off pretty quickly as she recognized me as a Mormon missionary and told me she had received visits from other missionaries years past. The conversation got more involved as I pulled out a pamphlet explaining the Restoration.

As we talked, a preacher sitting in the seat in front got to his feet with Bible in hand and started to shout at the people on the bus. This happens quite often in El Salvador (usually it`s not a preacher, but there are almost always vendors who go up and down the aisle calling out their wares) and I didn`t pay any attention. His words and actions became white noise as I strove to hear the woman I was talking with.

After Hna Dumay and I got off the bus, she asked me if I heard anything the preacher said. I said no, and she started to laugh. `He was warning people to beware of false prophets,` she told me, `and he was standing right over you and that woman reading the pamphlet yelling `FALSA PROFETA.` You really didn`t notice?`

I started to laugh too. I hadn`t noticed a thing. I was completely oblivious. I think the woman was too. :)

Yesterday was eventful too. Trying to teach a lesson during the soccer game Barcelona v. Madrid was fun. More than half the pasaje had their TVs on, volume up, doors open, and it was like walking/sitting in the middle of surround sound. Plus when their team started winning, the hard-core fans started setting off fireworks that went BOOM! and made me jump every time. haha we had some good lessons anyway.

Hna Infanzon and I sang a song in la reuniòn sacramental ayer. We sang `Joseph Smith`s First Prayer,` the first two strofas en inglès and the last two en español. I felt the Spirit very strongly, and several people told us after church that they did, too. It was a real privilege to be able to do that musical number. Hna I has a beautiful voice. I was nervous at first because when we started to sing, I saw a wave of confusion fall over the faces in the congregation, but as we continued, I got to watch the confusion turn to wonderment, then peace, and finally (as we went into Spanish) understanding. :) Music has power. (Now, if we could just get some investigators to church... We`re doing everything we can think of to help them, but it is our number one challenge right now.)

I have learned a lot about repentance this week. We`ve been studying this topic as a mission, and I`m realizing more than ever that the only thing God asks of us is to trust Him enough to follow His way. If we just take His hand and let Him lead us (we do this as we follow the commandments with exactness), we will achieve much more than we ever could on our own.

I know this Church is led by Jesus Christ, through His prophet Thomas S. Monson. We`re already getting people excited about General Conference here. I encourage you all to watch/listen to as many sessions as you can. It`s going to be great!

Much love,
Hermana Henrie

The outside of our house in Apopa :)

We have the best pasaje (passage) in the world. 

Todos nuestros vecinos son amigos. (All our neighbors are friends)