Howdy,
It's been a great week in Kentucky. Elder Moeller and I are starting to get a grip on this new area. It is definitely an adventure every day. My Spanish is still coming along, but most of the time at least one of us will hear and understand what is happening in the lesson, so we both usually aren't lost at the same time. Even if my Spanish is progressing slowly, my ability to pick up on racist stereotypes has skyrocketed. We are here to find everyone, but especially all the Latinos we can. When we are out tracting, we want to go straight to them so we can spend our time working with Spanish speakers. That means that we have to know where they live. So after 2 weeks in a Spanish area, I have compiled a list of things to look for to identify a Latino home.
1) Christmas lights or decorations (If there is a wreath on the door it is 100% guaranteed)
2) Shoes, paint, power tools, mops, or indoor furniture outside on the porch.
3) Doormats with the words facing the door, rather than away from the door.
4) The beeping sound from a smoke detector without batteries (We will oftentimes walk around very quietly in an attempt to try and hear a smoke detector, and as soon as we do we book it to the door from whence the sound came)
5) Corona tabs
6) Big antennas on their roofs so that they can pick up international fútbol games.
7) Trucks that have been lowered
8) Mariachi music
Yes, this list is very stereotypical but has proven very helpful and accurate in our attempts to find Spanish speakers. If you notice any of these around you, feel free to give the local Spanish-speaking missionaries a call. They are probably already on the case, but they will most definitely appreciate your efforts.
Another highlight from the week came while we were out knocking on doors. After knocking on a door a HUGE and mean dog came bolting out the door, followed by its flustered owner. She quickly grabbed the dog's collar in an attempt to prevent it from ripping us to shreds, but the dog, snarling, drooling saliva, and barking like crazy, ripped itself out of the collar and again ran straight towards us. At this point, I was scared out of my mind and was ready to surrender myself to certain death in the jaws of this monster. I raised my hands to the air in an attempt to keep the dog away as it jumped on me. Its attempts (thankfully) shifted to Elder Moeller, who was not so fortunate as I, and it bit his arm. While the dog was on him, the owner threw the dog back into the apartment and proceeded to yell at it while we waited patiently. She came back, without the dog this time, and we had a very nice chat. She didn't speak any Spanish, so we gave her information to the sisters, which means I won't have to see that dog again. Luckily Elder Moeller was wearing a poofy coat that was able to soften the blow, but he was left with a nice bruise on his arm. On another note, we have a goose couple that likes to hang out by one of the doors by our church building that scares everyone into using the other entrance.
This week I have been reading a lot of Saints before I go to bed. It is amazing to me to see how much the early Saints had to sacrifice and do in order to live their faith. It makes me want to boldly stand up for my faith as well. These quotes and scriptures were motivating to me this week.
"The Lord sets high standards because He loves us. Because we love the people we serve, all of us want to do better in lifting our Heavenly Father's children to the faithfulness and purity they need to have all the blessings of the Lord. You begin by holding up the Lord's standards clearly and without apology. And the more the world drifts from them and mocks them, the bolder we must be in doing that." - Henry B. Eyering
"Old values are upheld by the church not because they are old, but because they are right." - Spencer W. Kimball
"Thou art my servant; and I covenant with thee that thou shalt have eternal life, and thou shalt serve me and shalt gather together my sheep. - Mosiah 26:20
This is the work of the Almighty God and I am so grateful to be able to be a part of it!
¡Seguir Luchando!
- Elder Rogers
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| Corona bottles make great flowerbeds |
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| Us with the Corona bottle tree |
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| Us after a good day of work |
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