Wow! I feel like I just wrote yesterday...the weeks go by really fast here. Things are going great! Todays letter isn't going to be very long though, because I don't have much time. To start off with, we are having much success finding and teaching people...literally running from lesson to lesson often times, in order to be punctual...even though is not really a huge part of the culture here. We had a special baptism of a little 10 year old boy this past week, and his parents are gaining more and more respect for the church.
I just want to share a few experiences. The other day, I was on exchanges in another part of San Cristobal (I didn't end up going to the crazy Tzotzil area, just my companion did), with two Elders...one American and the other native. We were standing at the corner of the street waiting for a combe (a little white van that can take you around), when suddenly a car that was driving towards us kind of swerves a little bit and parks right next to us. This lady, looking rather frantic and honestly a little insane, started walking over to us. Almost as if she was crying she first asked us if we spoke English, and two of us said yes, and then she said, "How can I find God? How can I FEEL him???!" With a lot of emotion. She kept on asking different questions like this, and then we began to simply testify and basically teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Come to find out, she is a Mexican who teaches english, prefers to speak it two, and had tried to commit suicide multiple times, one of those being last week. We walked down to her house and talked and taught her. At one point she says, "Okay! What do I need to do to fill this emptiness I have and know what you know?" We taught about prayer, and she told us she wanted to do it right there. We knelt in simple prayer, and she poured her heart out to a God she didn't know exists. I felt, and can feel as i contemplate this experience, how much God loves her and all of us. She felt it too. They will continue to teach her, and I am confident that her broken heart and contrite spirit will embrace the Gospel fulheartedly.
In Oxchuc, one of our investigators is finally getting married this tuesday, and will be baptized this saturday after! It is wonderful to see individuals make progress through their respective challenges. Oxchuc is like a different world really. All of the people look at me and my companion as if they have never seen a white person before, pointing and whispering a lot. It feels kind of weird to be the minority in that respect. Sometimes, I will be walking around and see some chickens or cows or horses in the road and think, "I am in a little town in Mexico. What is going on!" Haha. But really, I am growing to love the culture here. A few other little side facts: There is graffiti all over. Like all over, it is crazy. In San Cristobal, there are a number of europeans who are all about peace, love, and like energy or something. We haven't taught any of them, but we have contacted a number. Also, for some reason, a number of people have asked us if we are archaeologists, which brings for a little different segway into talking about the Gospel, but hey whatever works.
I won't give much detail, but yes I have been pretty sick a bit this past week. I think most has to do with accustoming to the food and all the spices and things they use to cook with. So, that has been a little bit distracting from the work, but it is all part of the game.
We have many investigators who are wonderful, but I can't talk about all of them. A quick profile of Fili. Fili is very intelligent, 24, studying law, and so sensitive to the spirit. He is preparing for baptism in about 2 weeks, and he just eats up everything we teach him. We come to his house, ask him if he did the reading and he whips out notes and everything! What a blessing to meet him and teach him.
There are people everywhere, and it is often so hard to know how to get in contact with as many as we can, but just trying is such a blessing.
Time and time again, I feel how much Heavenly Father loves each one of us. I know that is true!
Love,
Elder Palmer
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