Busy, Busy, Busy

Painting gone wrong

Painting Hermana Maritza's house

Kitia and Wilfredo's family

February 2, 2010
This week has been a huge struggle and adjustment to covering 4 pueblos instead of 2.  And trying to teach some of the single woman investigators in the stake boundaries.  We are really trying to balance traveling, finding, teaching, and accomplish all of our companionship and district goals.  It is hard, but as always I would rather be too busy than too bored.    We are teaching a woman, Norma, who lives in Caguas, which is about 20-25 minutes away. I feel that she is prepared to receive the gospel. She really keeps her commitments and has a desire to change her life.  The main difficulty with her is that she works a lot and it is hard to teach her.  She also works every other Sunday.  That obstacle is so common and so difficult.  Working on Sunday really impedes investigators and members progress.  It is hard for them to give that up, but really if they want to stay firm in the church it is necessary.
 She is really great, but it also very difficult to teach someone who is not in your ward.  I am not sure how to use members.  I won't be there to help her in church, since I will most likely be in Juncos ward.  I am not sure how to balance it all, but it will settle.
Our mission is really decreasing in size.  We are losing a ton of missionaries and not receiving many at all.  With these next two transfers  I think 10 sisters are going home and the mission won't be getting any new sisters until June.  I think it must be hard for President.  He is trying to surge the work, but his resources are diminishing gradually. He is really sad that he is losing so many sisters.
I have been sick the past two days.  I have "La Monga" or "Catarro" (sore throat and cough).  It is awful being sick as a missionary.  I just want to keep working because we have worked so hard for the appointments we have set, but I feel gross.  At least today is Pday and I can just go back to the apartment and sleep.  It is only the second time I have ever been sick on the mission, so I guess it is a pretty good record.
Now that I am working in San Lorenzo again, I was able go back to my convert, Nadia's house and resume teaching her the after baptism lessons.  Since I left, no one has been teaching her, but she is doing great!  She is the 2nd counselor in the relief society presidency and she has been really strong.  It was so much fun to go back to her house and share with her about temples.  Since she was baptized in May she has almost completed a year and the bishop has already talked to her about preparing to go to the temple.  I was so happy to go back and see how far she has come in the past 9 months.  It no longer feels strange for me to be back in San Lorenzo.
Last week was ward conference and there were a lot of changes in the ward. The relief society, primary, and young women presidencies all changed.  It was a total shocker, but I think it will be great to have a change.   I love working with Bishop Maldonado.  He is really excited to see the ward progress and he is really picking up the pace.  He sacrifices a lot of time and energy for this ward, but I can really see that Juncos, as a ward, has progressed incredibly!
Amerfis' family is doing really well.  The two older daughters are preparing for baptism and the ward has really accepted and fellow-shipped the entire family.  Airet, the oldest is really showing greater interest and progress and the younger sister, Ariehsli, as always has a great energy and love for learning.  Some of her questions and comments really blow me away.  She really has a special spirit and testimony.

Love
Hermana Palmer