hey good lookin people! i have to start off by congradulating one of the missionaries who taught me, Lucas Brook, because he is now married to the beautiful Melanie Jones! congrats, you two!

to sum up a few precious moments of my week:

we are teaching 2 sisters and their children. one of the sisters has a son who is 15 years old, and has the personality of a ladies man. after one of our lessons, we were saying goodbye to the sisters, and its traditional here to kiss women on the cheek. well, the son, not being shy at all, grabbed my companion's hand, and pulled her in for a kiss on the cheek. i supposed because she's used to that sort of greeting, she wasn't too put off. i, however, was dumbfounded. when he tried to pull the same card on me, i jumped back and said "no!!", in which everyone began to laugh. his mom is pretty set on me coming back to Puerto to marry him. the same sweet family gave me new shoes because mine are dead. i am so grateful for that!

we were contacting in a little town called Fabrica de Cajas, and we found a woman named Adrian. she is here with the Jehova's Witnesses, and she is from Georgia. we shared a short message and she gave us skittles and water. she is such a kind woman, and gave me plenty of opportunities to bear my testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

last night when we were walking home, we heard someone cry out "hermanas! ven! rapido!" It was one of our neighbors who has a mother who is extremely ill. she shuffled us into the room where her mother sleeps, and when we put the light over her, it looked as if she was about to die. immediately i said "regresamos", and took hermana vargas by the hand as we began to run towards the Elder's house. i called the Elders and said "aceite" which means oil, and they met us on the corner by their house. the four of us ran back to the bedside of the woman, and the Elders gave a blessing. the Spirit was there. I could feel it like never before. it was so powerful to be standing in the presence of the Priesthood, hearing the words of the blessings, and seeing the frail woman begin to calm down. afterwards we taught the family about the Plan of Salvation, and how we know that death is just a part of God's plan. they were relieved and grateful as we shook their hands and returned home. i am so grateful that the people here know who we are, and trust us enough to ask for our help.

i love the gospel, and the priesthood, and the many opportunities the Lord has given me to understand His love for His children.

happy memorial day, up there! eat something fried and covered in barbeque sauce for me!