This week has been a bit of a learning week. First, I learned to stay away from menudo. Menudo is a soup common in Hispanic culture. It presented itself to us while at a member's home. The bowl harnessed the wrath of something so vile and hideous that some of you with weak stomachs or small children may want to avoid reading this. I looked down to behold a honeycomb covered sheet of flesh that was littered with pink and gray spots of acidic burns. The rubbery mix also contained a couple of vegetables but the encompassing substance that laid in the bowl was the lining of cow stomach. Now it may not sound all that grotesque upon first glance but once you try to chew it you realize its true devilish nature. I have never gagged so much in my life. But luckily the heavens smiled down upon me as a watermelon was brought to the table; so with much agitated gagging I would take a bite, or attempted bite of the living stretch cords of acidic fury, and then I would immediately take a bite of watermelon. The nearly instantaneous relief of the watermelon was overwhelming, nearly bringing me to tears in some places, but I survived. This same member thought we would enjoy some habaneros. I ate one of those as well in an attempt to prove my manliness and ended up sticking my head in the faucet and wept as my tongue, nasal cavity and very soul was engulfed in the flames of yet another Hispanic favorite. The missionaries teach quite a few in our area. We just got up to 22 this past week. Our area is rather large it covers the whole stake but because we have limited miles we cant reach some places.
This week I went on an exchange with Elder Holyoak. He is the red headed man from Sandy. He took me around town and we talked with many peoples in my native tongue which was almost as relieving as the watermelon. But we stopped by a house across the street from one of our Spanish investigators and went inside. The house is huge in comparison to the surrounding homes and so I assumed it must house a large wealthy family, but it was just the opposite. It was the home to many people who cannot afford normal housing or those that were homeless. Elder Holyoak and Elder Powers had talked to a teenage girl and she had shown interest, so they had come by this location many times. But when we went in only her parents were home. We walked into the apartment like building and knocked on a old door. When they opened the door I saw a couch, piles of boxes, a man with no shirt rolling a cigarette and a thin old woman wearing rags. She said her daughter wasn't home but she could talk. We spoke to her about her life and beliefs. She told us her story of how her sister had taken all of her mom's money and left them both homeless. They wandered around until she was hit by a car and couldn't remember anything. She lost 25 years of her memory and told us she traveled around the United States to find out who she was, talking to family friends and old neighbors. She said, "It wasn't my time... The Lord still has something for me to do here." She was very energetic and happy considering her conditions. She was a panhandler as was her husband. These were the people who stand out on street corners and ask for money. She said, "Most people just don't listen to the circumstances you are in," she went on to talk about how people just drive past her with their noses up in the air. I felt bad, remembering all the people I had drove past back at home, making false accusations in my mind, and I never took the time to her their incredible stories. Later on when we were walking around, a youth minister told us that all people are saved under the blanket of Jesus, all those that believe and serve will be saved. He was doing service when we met him and told us he had to leave to go do some more. He was following Christ, I think he would go talk to the panhandlers, I think he is better example of Christ than most others.
This week I have seen a lot of different people in different situations much worse than mine. Some didn't have food, homes or cars. And even though they didn't have all these things, they still were happy. It is inspiring. I hope that you all had a good week and I look forward to writing to y'all next week.
Elder Thomas
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