Look For A Loving Man, Not A Dip-Head

Week 20, Transfer 3

Area: Corning (Olive Branch)

Comp: Hermana Tate

Hola hola a todos! Espero que todo está bien. We've been having some fun in Corning, so y'all better buckle up because it's a long one this week!

We've been having lessons with this 97-year-old man named Charles. He is a CHARACTER! We're besties now. He's almost come to church the last two weeks but couldn't make it yesterday because he had to go "rizz up" this 86-year-old lady at another church. But! He wants to come next week, so hopefully, he brings the lady with him. He's friends with our other friend, Armando, so we get to hear all the sides of their stories. We're working on getting Charles hooked on the Book of Mormon right now. But he's very interested in "the guy who brought the Mormons across the desert" (Brigham Young) and "the Mormon temple on the east side of Salt Lake" (Salt Lake Temple), so one step at a time.

We also met this incredible inactive family in our branch, Kemberly and José! They are some of my favorite people ever, holy cow. They live out in the boonies of Corning on this dirt road that we almost wrecked the car on because the potholes are out to get us. They're really going through it right now, but the Elders were visiting them the other day, and they asked if the missionaries could come over and share a spiritual message every night. So of course, we jumped right on it! I'd heard so much about them before, but they stopped going to church right before I came to Corning, so it was an honor to finally meet them.

They even let us feed their baby goats the other night. Well, they basically just brought four goats into the living room, handed us bottles, and said, "Go for it," so we didn't exactly have a choice, but hey, I felt right at home.

José has such insane faith, though. Every time we're there, he is so, so eager to pray to invite the Spirit, and his prayers are so genuine. He just sits there and listens to our messages like a little kid on Christmas morning. It's the most tender thing. He's acknowledged that he's seriously going through it, but he wants more than anything to come back to church. He and Kemberly both testify that every time we're there, they feel the Spirit so strongly with us, and they want that back. They basically said that they still love God no matter what. They're such humble, good people. Please, please pray for Kemberly and José!

We also had our second lesson with Pablo and Grace! They're the sweetest couple that Hermana Tate and Sister Reisinger found at the Fourth of July parade. At our first lesson, we sat down, and Pablo said, "OK. Here's how this is going to go. You get 20 minutes to preach, I get 20 minutes to preach, then we're out of here." We talked for a solid three, and the next 45 minutes were all him. We may or may not be possessed now because of that lesson, but that's TBD.

As we were leaving last time, Pablo told us to "carve out two hours next time so we can eat dinner and talk about the Word together." At least they like us, right? I wouldn't exactly call our lessons "bash sessions," but they do love the Bible. Pablo also went ham on the guitar for us with his Christian jams. Guys, missions are a wild ride.

Grace, Pablo, and their two sons are a family that's going to take a lot of patience and a lot of time, but the door has been opened now, and it's all in God's hands. All I can say is that heaven is going to rejoice big time the day that they finally realize the truth of this message.

Moral of the story: Get out there and get to know your friends. Everyone has a story that will either blow you away, make you laugh until you cry, or leave you sitting there saying (in true Hermana Tate fashion), "What the bleep?" (Those are my favorite ones.) God has given us time on this earth to go experience it! So when someone tells you a story, sit down and listen with the intent to learn from their experiences and love them more. And don't be afraid to share and connect your testimony in there too! You never know—it might just be the conversation that changes their life (or yours).

So go and have the best week ever this week! Make some memories and listen to someone else's.

Love,

Hermana Ellis

P.S. I also almost fell asleep on Consuelo's couch this week. It was just so comfy... My guardian angel must've been working overtime in that lesson.

Fotos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/UtFZf4erpztBvg7x5

Notable quotes:

"Who walks up to the Río Grande and says, 'Oh my GOSH, that's a big river. I'm gonna call it "Big River"?' "

"When you meet someone, you have to say, 'Hola, ¿podría destruir su baño?' It's the polite thing to say." (For those who don't speak Spanish, that means "Could I destroy your bathroom?"... it's not very polite.)

"There's this place called Walmart, and they have root beer."

"Pues... that's not very good."

"What is your biggest weakness?" "Oh, probably that I'm TOO helpful."

Hna Tate: "If I had to look for one quality in a man, what do I look for?"

Charles, our 97-year-old friend: "You look for a loving man, not a dip-head."

"The Lord knew something had to slow her down, so He gave her diabetes." (Said about a sister in our mission who is this incredible missionary who would literally work 24/7, 365 if it weren't for her diabetes.)

"We were in the same book, but NOT the same page."