called to serve

called to serve

Monday, March 21, 2016

Well...there are always new things here in El Salvador. Survived my first attack this week for being a gringa. We were in the bus on our way to Auachapan after we finished writing and there was a man standing at the front with his bible. We thought he was going to preach something..but he starting telling some story about how the Salvadorians had ruined his life and that it was for them that his father didn't love him. He was screaming at the top of his lungs calling all the people on the bus worshipers of the devil and a whole bunch of other awful things. Then he turned to me and was yelling at me to look at the people and see in their eyes the devil that controls them. Then started screaming at me and pointing his fingers at me and telling me that i needed to stop playing with the feelings of the people here and that i needed to see that they were a lost people. He told me he was going to take me to Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua so that I could see that the people of El Salvador are workings of the devil. Every one in the bus was even angrier at this point so he started shouting even louder things like "Salvadorians you are not children of God. You are children of the devil." and many other filthy things. It was awful...and of course super awkward because everyone was looking at me waiting to see how i was going to react. I was mostly just trying not to laugh at the situation...but also felt super uncomfortable and was super disgusted by what he was saying. Crazy people.

That was just the beginning to a very strange week in Turin. We are safe and I have trust in the Lord that we are going to continue to be safe. But we are going to be moving houses down to a place a little safer than the area where we live and closer to more miembros and we should be just fine.We just have got to get out of where we are at right now.I feel like I didn't hear anything about anyone dying here in Turin until about two weeks ago...and now we have hit 10 or more. Thursday, one of the menos activos that we were visiting that lives on the corner just down from our house got killed. He was 19 and finally decided when I talked to him on the phone this last Sunday that he was going to go to church this coming Sunday, but apparently he was in a gang and the other gang that lives below us killed him. And then Friday morning, they killed a girl aways up the road. And then Friday night, they killed another girl just a block up from our house. And these were all after the 2 kids that died last week and the lady that died last week on the other side of the divider between the gangs. SO we are going to move. Its just so sad to see the condition of the country here. We hardly ever have to worry about things like this in the US. But the people down here have to live in so much fear. I am just hoping that whats been happening here in Turin over the past couple of weeks will open up the hearts of the people to hear about the plan of salvacion and proteccion that we can receive through living by the principles of the restored gospel. They need it so badly down here. 

I also have seen alot more people lately that are struggling. I have always know that there are families here who are struggling to put food on the table, but I've seen the full picture of that this week. We were teaching a family this week that just broke my heart. They were telling us about how the husband lost his job, they lost their home and he is still yet to find another job (Its nearly impossible down here) They eat tortillas from the neighbor every day and she has a brother who bought her a few bags of beans that they have been living off of for the past couple of months. The mom has lost almost 70 pounds and the children are not very well nourished. They are living in a super tiny tiny house that is falling apart that her uncle is lending her and don't even have running water...she said they fill a couple of bottles of water every day at the neighbors house to drink. The husband is gone every day looking for a job and she is at home trying to do the best she can to care for her kids while she is super super sick herself. It was the saddest situation I have ever seen here. It makes me feel so blessed for growing up in the situation which I did and also so awful for ever complaining about anything in my whole life. It was the hardest thing to watch as she just cried and such a humbling thing to watch how big her smile got when she told us that last week, someone brought them a loaf of bread to eat. And even through everything that they go through...she still has so much faith in the Lord. I'm hoping that as she learns more about the church, although its going to a challenge for her, that she can recognize the difference that it can make in the lives of her family. She said she believes that God is calling her right now. She said that throughout the past couple of months more and more Mormons have popped into her life and that when we came up to talk to her in the street, she just knew it was for a reason. I know the Lord has been preparing her to hear our message. We just need all the prayers we can get for this family.  

Other than all the deaths and weird things that have been happening this week, its been a pretty good week! Nestor got baptized on Wednesday and is of course doing so good! He is going to be a great member of the church all his life and I know hes going to make an excellent  missionary! We gave him a preach my gospel today and he was so excited! I am just really hoping that attending his baptism will help his mom and his sister. I think his mom was able to feel the spirit during his baptism and Karen as well soooo....We are going to work hard with them to get them to continue to come to activities and to church! They are also going to come with us to the temple on Friday for a tour and activity that President Spjut is doing for our investigators! I think going to the temple will really help Karen make her decision to be baptized. Shes just got to get over her fear and I know she will be ready to do it.

We are also teaching a new family right now se llaman Vilda and Levi. They have a 9 year old little girl and are expecting another baby in 2 months. They were a reference from a member to go to the viahe al templo que tenemos en este Viernes. They are a super sweet family. The dad always asks super good questions and the wife is open to learning as well. They are a wonderful family and I really believe we can move along well with them, especially after we go to the temple this week. Apparently Presidente does this viahe every 6 months in the mission and we can invite our investigators to come to the temple to learn about the things that we do there. He is going to talk with them for a while in the chapel and despues we are going to have different stations set up around the temple to teach them more about the gospel. We got a call this morning that we have to speak! So I am going to have to do some more studying on my spanish specifically for this. We are going to teach about the different organizations and auxiliaries of the church so I've got my nerves because i haven't really taught that here in Spanish and there's going to be a whole bunch of people..and president...so we will see how that goes.

Other than the fiestas things are pretty tranquillo here in Turin. I feel pretty content to be here. Its going to take some getting used to being with my new companion, but other than that...just enjoying the people and trying to use every second I can to do my work here. I think this will be my biggest challenge in the mission...having a companion. I feel like I just cant do what i want to be able to do because I feel constrained by my companions...for different reasons. But I think it will be a good cambio...there's just going to be an adjusting period. Living around Latinos and living with a Latina are two  completely different things..just need some time to adjust to our cultural differences and we will be just fine :) I am happy because we have alot of new people, there is a lot of potential here in Turin and my Spanish has seemed to shoot through the roof this week. The Lord blessed with a good companion that's gonna teach me and thing or two about what I'm doing wrong(Latinas are open and honest), better Spanish, compassion and patience. Sometimes, I've learned, you just have to put it all in his hands and he knows what hes doing. I know that He is here with me. I have seen his hand here in Turin and I now he has lots of big things ahead of us. We had a zone conference with Elder Dunccan from the seventy and he talked with us about the miracles and ways that we have seen the work grow here in El Salvador over the last several years and he prophesied that if we continue to do the work and do it in the Lord´s way, the church is going to explode here in El Salvador, just like it is in other parts of the world. The work is moving forward quickly. Prophesies are being fulfilled. The Lords work is moving rapidly in preparation for his coming. Hes coming soon, and as members of the church...NOT JUST AS MISSIONARIES..but as members of the church of Jesus Christ, we have a responsibility to fulfill. We are here to prepare souls to meet their Father in Heaven. We have to give all of our heart, might, mind, strength and all that we have to building up the kingdom of God on the earth. ¡Hurrah for Israel!
 Love you all so much!

Hermana Stoor


​y Hurrah for Nestor! He bore his testimony after his baptism and confirmation in church. It was the greatest testimony I have ever heard. He said, "I know that Jesus Christ loves each of us. And I know that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church." Simple....but for me meant so so much. 


​Somos locas....got stuck in the Catholic procession....awkward. FIESTAS PATRONALES 2016


​Found a new little buddy this week....they agreed to let me bring him home. Think he will survive the change between 90 degrees and -20?

​Corn on the cob with ketchup, mustard and barbecue sauce....El Salvador knows how to eat. 


They go all out here in El Salvador...their were people outside our house all night setting up for the parties and processions of the Catolicos.


​Hermana Osorio and I woke up at 5 am to make cake at the church for Nestors baptism...once we got there we realized we forgot a spoon so we had to mix the cake the El Salvador way....we washed good...and it was delicious :)



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