"Drugs, Food, Fights, and Miracles"
So this week has been hard, but good. I don't know exactly how, but I am forced to grow up pretty fast here. We are trying to help 2 drug addicts quit for the 4th time, along with other alcoholics and smokers. Talk about learning on the job. I've had to study the entire addiction recovery program. I am a 19 year old kid trying to teach these people how to repair their utterly broken lives and rely on Christ, making them give me their drugs or pipes so I can throw them away. It is really humbling, but it is incredible to know God is behind me in this, because I couldn't do anything without him. And he is giving me wisdom I don't have, and words I have never heard. It is amazing to see the change the Atonemtent of Jesus Christ makes in their lives. I am learning to love these people so much, but I will tell you one thing, it hurts to see them fall again. I can just see a bit of what they can become, what God knows they can be, how 1 month, 1 year, 10 years down the line they can look back and know they are a different person. I just wish they could see it a bit more. But as they learn day by day to rely on the savior more, and know of his and Our Father's love, they can start to see it for themselves.
On a different note, The fight last Saturday was the talk of this entire town. All the Mexicans got their biggest tvs out and set them in their garage or packed their living room full of chairs and invited everyone they knew. We were going around that night checking up on investigators and knocking on doors, and every one, even random Mexicans, invited us in, shoved a drink and food in our hand, and invited us to sit down and join them. It was so hard to tell them no, and we were fasting to add on to things, so we couldn't even eat their food. You can't tell a Mexican no if he offers you food (just try it) so we just put it in our truck and had all this delicious food tempting us the whole night as we drove around with it next to us in the truck. But we withstood it and it payed off big time. We have invited two of our investigators (a young couple) to church every Sunday for weeks, but something always hinders them (mostly being hung over or drugged out from the night before).
They told us before that they knew they needed to go, so that this time they would leave the door unlocked and we could come wake them up. I was really hesitant to do it, didn't really want to bust in and see something I didn't want to, and I didn't want to deal with 2 tired, hungover people on a Sunday morning, but I agreed. We showed up, and the door was locked, but the keys were still in it. I figured it was just a weird way leave the door "unlocked", so I turned the key and went in. Far from the weirdest thing I have seen on my mission, haha. So we practically kicked down the door to their bedroom knocking to wake them up (we weren't gonna open it), and they were surprised but really happy that we were there. They told us they had completely forgotten about it, and had no idea how the keys got there. The Lord works in mysterious ways, but he works. They came to church, and said all they felt was complete happiness in that building, and with the people. We had testimony meeting, and it was one of the best in my life (as far as I can tell. Some people talk reeeaaaly fast in Spanish.) The woman investigator had to leave the bathroom because she was crying so much. It was amazing. The Lord is behind us in this work all the way, and as I see his hand in this work every week, I am constantly amazed how much he does and how little we actually do for these people, and change their hearts. We get a front row seat to miracles. I love you guys, I love this so much.
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