Gaan!

Dearest family,

Updates: Bro. Buen is not yet baptized. Very sad. Too busy to mourn over it too much, and hopefully, this week. He's still really sick, we figured out that likos likos is called shingles in America, so we have some idea. He's always compared himself to Job, and I know this is just the last bit before he finally gets the remission of sins that he's been looking for. But it's really hard to watch. He can't stay awake long enough to read/understand, and teaching him is a struggle. But he'll be restored to his God!

Bro. Jun: is no longer smoke free :( We're working on it. Progress happens daily. I've seen that so clearly in him. He's progressing and then goes back and it hurts to watch him hurt, and I get a little bit of what Heavenly Father must feel watching me when I mess up yet again. But this week, I've gotten out of a little bit of a rut- a watching from the side, loving missionary work, loving the people, but not engaging 110%, that only lasts 2 days kind of rut. And then the scriptures and the spirit and prayer just kicked me out of there and it was all wonderful.

This week was starting to sound really sad as I wrote it, but it was so happy! That's one of those weird paradoxes of my mission- trials just make me happier to be in the service of the Lord. Praying for other people is such a sublime experience. We found great new investigators, the promptings of the Spirit continue in everything, new people came to church. 

Sis. Nanet Edwards: She's probably one of the best characters I've met here- she's a 50 year old school teacher with a voice the size of a house. She stopped coming to church for 5 weeks inexplicably, and wouldn't let us visit her and then finally our branch president texted her and said- we miss her. That's it, and then that same afternoon we visited her and she's back and she loves us. Fulfill our callings!

Ronico got the priesthood, Mark Christopher came to church, more people committed for baptism, our branch president trusts us. Life is good.

I don't think I've ever told you about Shaolin. He's one of our recent converts, 17, best friends with Jayvee, practically part of the Caballero family. He's so funny, and hes progressing so well.When we got here, they wouldn't even sit down and listen or read scriptures and now he wants to go on a mission. We went by the other day and Shaolin wasn't okay at all (the poor boy is in charge of his family and his aging grandma and his mute brother and his drunk father, but he's usually smiling always). We started teaching and I felt super prompted to share a story about "where can I turn for peace?" at a BYUH basketball game. Somehow, every word was related to one of his problems at the moment. He just started crying and talked about it,and then prayed. Afterwards, he looked at us and said, "I feel light."

I've felt that this week. We had some strange lessons and I didn't quite know what was going on, or then things were hard, and then I just prayed. And I felt gaan. Light, not heavy and full of light from God.

I love being a missionary, and following Him!

Read the Book of Mormon, that's our guide here on Earth!

Love you all,
Sister Tueller