Monday, May 7, 2012

Brian random cool

Every week seems to be weird! As I go through and try to review what
happened so I can know what to say in emails I am really just left
with the realization that my life is weird. Actually, let me refine
that. Life is just weird. And because my life currently subsists of
being involved in tons of other people's lives, my life is SUPER
weird.

The most exciting theme of the week was the Spanish branch of our
ward!! I am SO EXCITED! It's a huge deal out here- the Buffalo ward
has a small group of Spanish speakers, so we've been working with the
leadership to try and have a separate sacrament meeting service in
Spanish. Yesterday it happened! It was so powerful. I was just
reminded of how much I've really come to love the Spanish language.
It's a huge part of who I am, and it's become an even greater part
since I entered the MTC. I'm so grateful for the training I've had and
my opportunity to live in Mexico for a while! It's helped more than I
ever imagined it would. Many times this week I found myself really
missing Mexico. I would really love to just pick up and move there or
some other Spanish speaking country (but since I have the opportunity
to talk to so many people from different origins I'm finding that I
feel most at home with Mexico) and just live. I could teach English or
history, I could do social work or any number of things, but I just
know that this needs to be a part of my life for as long as I live.
Along the same lines, the ward had a Cinco de Mayo party this weekend!
Sister Brown was a piano teacher, and she played the Pirates of the
Caribbean theme? while the rest of us ran around like fools. A few
people filmed it and it would sound dumb if I tried to explain what we
did so you will all just have to wait until I post the video in about
a year :) Hahaa

Yesterday was also a big day because Becky Graham was baptized! The
Elders have been teaching her and she is just so sweet. She has been
attending AA for a few weeks and was so excited about finding the
gospel that she's been telling everyone who comes to her AA meetings!
It's beautiful to see the truths of the gospel touch and heal people's
lives. We spend most of our time frustrated with people who prefer to
wallow in their misery aka not make good decisions that sometimes I
forget that there are people who actually want to better themselves.
Every single week we meet more people who are sick half to death
because of smoking (we set a goal for one lady to have less than 15
cigs a day and she is really having trouble with meeting that goal)
and although they know that it's bad for them, they say they just
don't care to let it go. It's hard to see people you care about want
to be unhealthy and troubled.

In other news, Sister Thomas and I, along with the Elders, helped a
lady move everything from the upstairs apartment to a downstairs
apartment. Including her refrigerator, heater, washer, and dryer. The
best part was we were still in proselyting clothes, so we must have
looked ridiculous. The Elders are going to have to get rid of those
shirts...because it was not a clean job. Oh, mission memories. I just
love my district. I don't know why it was so fun but moving all that
stuff was one of the fondest memories from the past week! Service is a
good thing. Such a good thing.

Two other things from this week:
-We participated in fish fry Friday! It's HUGE in Buffalo. We went to
the restaurant Leila works at and got it there and then she surprised
us with homemade rice pudding at the end and it was WAY good. Much
impressed.
-We got to meet Pauline's son, David, yesterday! We've been teaching
Pauline for just over a month now and we've never been able to meet
her son. He has cerebral palsy and lives in an assisted living center.
He was SO sweet and so happy! Yesterday was just an A+ day. It was the
perfect temperature and sunny, and we just kept rolling from one
beautiful event to another. I am grateful for Sundays that renew me
and give me strength to make it through another week.

Happy Mother's Day this weekend! Que tengan una buena semana,
Hermana Raines

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