Cement Box On Fire?

Don't worry, cement can't catch on fire, lol. But if it could, our house would be burnt down. Jajaja! So we were just sitting in the kitchen, cooking up some fire tostones, and my companion pulled the "too hot aceite" (oil) hack. The house was an oil fire (kinda like it was smoking a lot, like a lot, but there weren't flames). Luckily for me, I had already learned my lesson on adding water to hot oil in my first week on the mission when I burnt my hand and exploded our kitchen. So we didn't do that again. But we did save the cement box (that physically can't burn). Houses in Puerto Rico don't burn down; they're literally cement boxes. And the plants here are so green, there are never fires, lol. Anyways, we had a hotboxed house now with a hot oil stench, and it smelled like burnt plantains, jajaja. Then later in the week, I was pulling something out from the oven, and the rag hit the little heater part and started a rag fire. I put it out really quick, lol. So basically, I'm fine. Fires are cool. We saw a huge bonfire while driving on the beach last Monday too. Fire is fuego. See what I did there? Fires lit, not literally, but also, I'm glad our houses are cement, especially for a kid like me. It's impossible to burn down.

This week has been a lot of work. We're trying to get more lessons in person. Lots of letdowns, lots of hard work.

So Friday, we had nothing planned. Horrible because all our lessons were on other days. So we went walking in the morning, nobody. Horrible. Then we called so many people, nothing. Horrible. Then we ate lunch, Mexican rice, awesome. Then we called more people for three hours, nothing, absolutely horrible. I prayed and repented (don't ask me what I did, I don't know, I did everything. I felt that God was mad). Then we went to walk again, some random lady we called answered, and in the worst Spanish I've ever had, got a new investigator for us and taught her prayer. So we got a new friend, Milagro. I'm like, alright, God literally just assisted so hard in that one. Then the dude goes and plays a prank on us. I think this is when I realized God has a sense of humor, jaja. So we're walking, nothing. Keep walking, nothing, absolutely nobody outside. Then all of a sudden, a jeep comes out from the bottom of the hill, stops, and goes, "Hi Elders!" And it's just the gringo in our ward. We burst out laughing because he had a feeling to take that path today, then saw us. So I'm like, God was trying to make us laugh that day. It was funny. I loved it. Best times. You'd have to be there to understand. The dude lives nowhere near there, and he's just all of a sudden there and says hi, then leaves. It was literally, "Hi Elders," and he was gone. Literally the funniest day ever. I loved it because I learned a valuable lesson. It's about your attitude on life. I wasn't mad at all that day, and looking back on that day, it was so fun when I could've just gone and been super frustrated or annoyed. It was awesome. I love being a missionary. It's so rewarding.

Today, I went to get a haircut, and at Supercuts, you're supposed to have your vaccine card. So I went, and it wasn't there. Basically, I lost my license to be inside the building. The ability to be there was gone. I didn't have the authority (like the gospel, I needed the keys). Anyways, I was tripping because it's always in my white bible, and it wasn't there. So I said a prayer for the lady to not ask for it. Bam! She didn't. Then I had a feeling it was in my handbook. So I looked, and there it was. Revelation, baby. Prayer is real. God loves you. Y si alguno de vosotros tiene falta de sabiduria, pidala a Dios. Amen. James 1:5.

Also, I hate haircuts from people other than Aimee. It's so scary. I have no trust in them. I had to ask the lady in broken Spanish to use the jagged scissors so my hair would lay better. It's too thick to not jagged scissor it.

So we got tripletas again on Thursday. Hands down, my favorite sandwich of all time. So fire!

We were walking in the streets and met some lady with a million plants in her garage. She had a greenhouse in her garage, and she said the infamous line, "Hay bendito." Anyways, she really liked to talk. We were there for 35 minutes, and then I wanted to teach, but the spirit kept saying just let her talk. So I did. Mind you, this was after walking the streets and finding no one for one hour, so I was like, okay, I will in my head. And we let her talk, and we have a return appointment and taught her about the Book of Mormon. No idea where that will go, but it's cool to see that the spirit was basically telling me my heart was only for the new, not to actually help her needs. Then when I started to listen, it went so well. Listen to the spirit, all of you.

We had a lesson with Remberto's mom in person again! It was so freaking cool to get to have that with her. We know she'll get baptized eventually, she just needs time. Pray for her, please. Also, I didn't think we'd get an in-person lesson when it was me and Elder Christensen, and we got one with her. Now I have 2 MILAGRO.

Got hot chocolate from our neighbor (Mr. Cabrera) last night. It's always weird drinking hot chocolate in the 85-degree nights here on an isla. It's crazy.

My friend Josh Keller submitted his papers. Let's goooooo! Amen, amen. Pray he gets called here, and I get to train him!

We played kickball Monday as a zone, then got snow cones last week. That was cool. Shout out to those homies.

Lots of calls and lots of work we did. It's so tiring but also so amazing. The mission is the best thing I've ever done in my life, and I am so glad I have 19 months left to just get better. TBH, I don't remember what life was like before the mission. How did I live?

We had struggles Friday like I said. Then we wrote our number on a tennis ball and hit it into the ocean, hoping someone calls. We had two random numbers call Saturday, but I don't know if it was from that. They hung up fast and said wrong number when we said we're the missionaries. Probably was, they just hate us.

Our tire was flat again, so we went to Pep Boys. I don't know what Elder Sermeno and Ogden did, and I don't know if Pep Boys actually know how to fix a tire.

I saw a cow farm in the jungle. That was cool, lol. I love Hatillo. It's literally a farm and a jungle and a beach and Spanish culture and English fast food places. I don't know, Puerto Rico is so sick. I'm on a Caribbean island serving the Lord with Spanish culture and English stores and chains. It's like the best.

Those atardeceres (sunsets) this week were incredible.

Sunday was good. I bore my testimony. I have every month since I got set apart, and I'm going to do it until I'm released.

Our Spanish fast ended Saturday, and it feels weird to talk in English. Feels like a sin. I don't know, help.

D&C 30:11 "And your whole labor shall be in Zion, with all your soul, from henceforth; yea, you shall ever open your mouth in my cause, not fearing what man can do, for I am with you. Amen." Dang, that's such a sick line. It's for all of us, especially as missionaries. Isn't that such a cool promise that He's with us if we don't fear man? He's with us if we're talking in His cause. That's amazing. I love that. All of us should love that. Let us spread the good news of the gospel to todos.

Also, Teancum is a legend. He literally slays four kings (my Book of Mormon reading is in the war chapters right now). The kid sneaks out of camp alone, kills the king in a tent, then comes back and he's like, "Alright, y'all, I killed the king while all of you were asleep." It's so sick. The dude's a beast. And Captain Moroni is nutty. That guy is a spiritual giant. Alma 48:17 "Yea, verily, verily, I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever. Yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men." Dang, that guy really had that strong of a testimony in Christ (Helaman 5:11). The dude is a beast. I want to be like Moroni. I want the devil to fear me and my testimony in Christ.

Love you all, lots. Email me next time, please. I'm begging. It's lonely out here.

One more story. Sunday night was daylight savings, so our phone went back. Someone had it on Eastern Standard Time instead of Atlantic Standard Time. I'm blaming Elder Christensen and Elder Ogden. So it switched when Puerto Rico doesn't do daylight savings. We wake up at 5:30 because our bodies do that, and we look and it's 5:30. So my companion's like, "Bruh, it's 5:30." I was like, "AMEN, MORE SLEEP." And then he went to pee, looked at his clock, and saw it was 6:30. Then we looked it up on Google. Basically, we got pranked, but our internal clocks saved us from being late to everything. That was hype.