East Texas

Hey everyone

Sorry again for not sending out anything last week. Here are a couple of the big updates:

-I don't know if you all remember when I talked about Maria Socorro, but she was baptized! I taught her almost daily for about 3 months, and when I left that area I wasn't too sure how things would turn out. But she made it! And to make it even better, the companion I found her with baptized her (Elder Trujillo), and my next companion confirmed her (Elder Nebeker)! She's not very good at writing, has bad eyesight, and doesn't have email, so I haven't had any contact with her, I've heard it was a great baptismal service and she should be doing well.

-We saw a "milagrito" (little miracle) the other night. We were coming back from a city about 30 minutes away from Longview, and we found ourselves almost home with 10 minutes to spare before 9:00 (when we need to return to our apartment). We turned off into a mostly American-populated neighborhood near our house wondering where in the world we were going to find a Hispanic to talk to. Incredibly, we quickly spotted the house of a Mexican family that had been busy the first time we came by, so we walked around to the front of the house to find a woman with three of her children on the front porch. We started to talk, and she told us she had had a pretty bad day due to marital problems, so we talked to her about how God can help, said a prayer, and set up another day to come by. 

-We're teaching a man named Juan that has grown a whole lot closer to God since we met him. To make a long story short, for the first time in his life he started recognizing the influence of the Holy Ghost and receiving revelation. The last time we came by he told us that things were clicking, he felt different, and he was spending more time with his kids. He prayed about Joseph Smith and the restoration of Christ's Church, and he said he felt good about it. In the end of the visit we set a baptismal goal with him for September 20th!

-We found ourselves riding bikes a good portion of the week due to a lack of allotted miles on our mission car, which always makes things a little more interesting!

-Last week I spent a day with an English missionary serving here in Longview, and it was an interesting experience. Seeing as Elder Ballstaedt and I only speak in Spanish to each other, it felt a little weird speaking English all day. At one point without thinking a started talking to him in Spanish, and didn't catch myself for about twenty or thirty seconds. haha we both got a good laugh out of that one.

-Sequedas. They are everywhere. Also, the have wild, 400 lbs hogs here. That's East Texas for ya.

So things are good! We definitely have a lot to improve, but it's amazing to see how God guides and helps us and others as we seek out His will.

Love you!

Elder Gaughan