... I NEVER THROW UP!

Alright...Here goes nothing. So last week was my birthday. Exactly one week from this very day in fact. Nothing too crazy went down during the day but the most amazing family offered to make me a real HOME MADE TRES LECHE PASTEL POR MI CUMPLIANO!!!! I felt so stupid but i started to tear up as i went into their two room house that hardly has windows and a colony of killer wasps has inhabited the house across the street from them and saw this gian two layer cake sitting on the plastic picnic sized table (set for only the 4 missionaries). This is the Guzman family. Both mom and dad are converts to the church and mom is from Uruguay and dad is from California. He is the ward missionary coordinator and has recently decided to become active again! Ooohhh i love this family. They have two kids. Danny is 18 and has already graduated high school and doesn't turn 19 for another year. Their daughter weighs about 20 lbs and pets the dog and doesn't say anything. She is about 13. They made us all dinner and we ate delicious tres leches cake. I felt so humbled and blessed. I received so much love from so many people that day. I got the most amazing packages from my family and from susu and Gus and Larry. Thank you so much. It truly was a magical day.

 After that day............wow. Satan is real. He really really really doesn't like us down here in Del Rio. We planned and had planned several lesson to teach. NONE OF THEM SHOWED.  Not one. We knocked and we had more doors slammed and shut in our face. My favorite story happened a couple days ago when we were given a list of people to find whose records just appeared in our church and no one knew who they were. One was a lady named Ana Laura Navijar Garza. We knocked on her door and the dog started barking (that is expected now because everyone and their dogs, have a dog) A women inside yells "come in" and we shout back......uuummm we are missionaries. And she starts screaming...kid you not, screaming at us and at the dog. We could not tell what was going on so we stood there. All of a sudden we see a shadow at the door and it opens about the width of a ten pieces of paper. I can see no one but a black slit in the door and my companion goes " hello!!! Well its so nice to meet you" haha so nice to meet you?! oOOHH it made my day. I supported her and said "yes it really is! My name is Sister Sorensen and this is Sister Deleon" and she says through the slit in the door " i still go bad" and the door shut. What this means, i will never know but it did leave us baffled for a good while and provided a nice laugh in the midst of this up-hill climb. 

 Towards the end of this week things got still harder. My companion is super sick and yesterday, I felt dizzy from the second i woke up. I felt sooo bad and gross and when we got to the church I threw up. I NEVER THROW UP! So we went to church (both Spanish and English) and made it back home and took a nap. We needed it so bad. I told the elders in my district that i felt like i was going to have a baby. Being great elders they asked what they can do to help and both of us, being sick said, joking around ask for a big mack and some ice cream and some fries and just went on and on....they smiled and laughed.

 This morning i feel a lot better but still a little upset stomach. I will only improve from here though. I am realizing how important it is to be a member missionary. To never ever be afraid to share the  gospel. Allow people to use their agency. If they reject it, then they reject it but at least they have heard some particle of truth that may ring true one day. This morning, the absolutely awesome elders in our district (the elders we have a car share with and do laundry with and eat with and see every day) (elder Lindsey and Elder Nyguaard) They knocked on our door to pick us up to do laundry and everything else we need to do and in their hands they had a car and a quart of ice cream!!! inside the card it said "congratulations on your new baby!" oooohhh it was the best way to start out the day. God sends tender mercies every day! Sister Deleon's card read " congratulations on being a new grandma!" hahahaahahah this may not be funny to you, but it was so funny to me. I loved it. It has been sooooo hot here. On average 90-100+ degrees. The air gets thick and humid and it feels like an oven. Everyone says its nothing. Yikes.

 The power of faith is so strong. No wonder it is the very foundation of everything. It is the first law of heaven. It allows us to ask God. It allows us to act, It allows us to receive and to know and apply the things we learn every day. God is aware of us individually. It can seem hard to see because Satan works so hard on trying to have us forget that. If we forget than we loose faith and when we lose our faith, so much is lost. Never hesitate to share an eternal truth with someone. We all have the light of Christ and when we share truth, it strikes and can ignite a soul. God is real. We need to never forget and never hesitate to stand and be the examples of Christ that the world so desperately needs right now. Life is truly simple. We complicate  our lives. Allow Jesus to take the wheel. I sing that about 3 times a day here. Hard work and working hard are what matters in life. We can never truly come to know Christ if we do not follow something of what he went through. I am so blessed in my life. I don't deserve my blessings. I don't deserve my family. Please family, wherever you are, look to lift someone else. We are an amazing family with HUGE spiritual strength. We know love. Please share some love with people. They will recognize it. I love y'all so much. Please never forget that. I love to hear all about your every day lives. I love to hear about the good and the bad times because that makes life real. Life is real and EVERYONE has real problems they deal with. I am so happy i have a REAL life and i can grow and become better for it.

Libbi- you are about to go on the greatest adventure of your life. I am going to send you a letter to kind of prep you for anything but seriously, most of it, you just have to learn on your lonesome and learn what works best for you. Never ever ever EVER forget ME! i love you so much and know that you are amazing and change people's lives every day. man i love you. Go out with the missionaries! See if you can! It would be sooooooooo good.

 Mom- i love you. YOu would be the best member present in a lesson. Go out with the missionaries. You love like no one i have ever known. oohh i love you.

 Dad- You are ridiculous. Go and be a member present. You are a spiritual giant. Your spirit is sooo strong. I love you and look up to you so much. DADDY I LOVE YOU.

 Meg- Don't go out with the missionaries. NEVER EVER be scared to tell ANYONE that you are member of the church. Keep inviting your friends to church. Your impact could change their lives forever. I love you so stinkin much.

 Ben- you know what its like to be a missionary. Share the gospel any chance you get. Its never over. 

 Pete- you know what its like to be a missionary. Share the gospel any chance you get. Its never over.

 I miss you all. Be missionaries yourselves! yous ARE AMAZING. GOD LOVES YOU. I love you. Never forget it. Rae and Sarah, even though i didn't send you a personal one liner I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH. You are amazing influences in my life. I love you.

Hermana Sorensen