Day 92 – Ministry with Elsa

We met for service this morning at 9am and I finally got to go in the ministry with Elsa – what a privilege. We are very proud of the progress she’s made and to see her as a little minister is really special. The territory here is split into 25 or so small territories of a few blocks. Just about everyone has a map and they work all of them every 2 weeks. They leave a post-it note for the friends that come late so as your walking to the territory and as the morning goes on, the size of the group doubles or triples. Everyone stays close because it’s not the safest area and as we finish one territory (20-30 min) we move on to the next.

I struggled a little in the beginning because it was very different than Ecuador (and Albion). You have to talk pretty fast, get to the point and overcome potential conversation stoppers (I’m busy, I have my religion) all in the first 30 seconds. There’s a lot of businesses and tons of street noise.  Oh-and there’s no calling out “Buenos dias”, everyone here has big iron gates and doors so you have to ring bells or knock. The people know who we are. Elsa did much better than me, it didn’t even seem like she was nervous. We did find a nice man who was out washing his car. He’s a police officer and has had conversations with the witnesses before. Elsa is gonna bring him back a family book.

At 11, I went with a young pioneer sister, Berenice, to do a study which, unfortunately, couldn’t study, so we did another of her calls. She brought me back home around noonish. Erik was already home, but not feeling so well (his stomach). Maybe I should have saved some of the probiotics for Mexico.  As the afternoon went on it got worse and he had a fever and some body aches-uh oh. (The family thought it was too much watermelon the day before but they’ve never seen how much watermelon Erik can eat in the summer).

Elsa's baby sister, Obdulia, her son Derrick and Elsa's oldest sister, Imelda

Ian with his cousins, Ashley, Saul, Robin (Obdulias 3 other kids)

Imelda's 3 daughters

We were supposed to go to a family in the congregation’s house for dinner but it was looking like it wasn’t gonna be possible. But he rested and took some pills and by 5 felt like he could try to go for a little bit (plus the brother wasn’t gonna take no for an answer-and said a shot of tequila would cure him) – Erik was up for the challenge.

Hermano Misael & his wife that invited us over

Their 5 year old twin girls

Elsa & Ian went with us and it was really nice. They made gorditas and sopes. But not Taco Bell gorditas, these were thick tortillas with little pieces of sausage mixed in the dough. After they’re cooked you slice them open and make like a pita pocket and then stuff it with beans, nopales, cheese, lettuce, cream and salsa. Oh man were they good. – Sorry forgot to take a pic before we ate them. They also made atole, which is a warm drink kind of like hot choc with cinnamon but thicker because they add masa (corn flour) – it was good.

The sisters making gorditas y sopes

Amy making her own tiny sopes

Erik with Surri (I thought her name was Zully
and that's why she liked him better than her twin)

There were a bunch of families there and we really enjoyed ourselves. They have twin girls who are five and then another family there had a set of fraternal twins, 13 years old.  But by 9, Erik was pretty tired so the brother’s son-in-law took us home. The friends have been overwhelmingly loving and hospitable. The sister gave Erik & I a gift before we left.

By the way-that's a "family" size Corona in Erik's hand (but the friends here
mix it with tomato juice)