Chau 6 Months

I hit my 6 months mark this past week. The sweet Hermanas in my house set up some decorations and ice cream for a surprise. I had actually forgotten about it but it is super lame that those six months are already gone. But I have all of 2015 to enjoy The Gringa Life still :) 

 So I said I would talk about Johnathan so I gotta talk about him first. He is 24 and is super smart. He has the best questions that make us really study and really prepare to teach him. We contacted him my first or second day in Nonguen. He just walked by us in the street. My comp was looking for a house number and even though he had already passed by a good 7 steps I turned around and just said Hola! We got to talking and every question he answered with a porfavor. 

Could we pass by another day and share more?

Porfavor! 

Is it okay if we write down your address?

Porfavor! 

And your number?

Porfavor!

Could we actually set up an appointment right now?

Porfavor! 

It was pretty funny. We referred to him as please boy until we learned his name. And we were a little caught off guard with how anxious he was to talk with us and be so willing. We were not sure if his intentions were to really learn more or what. But in our first lesson he told us how he had always wanted to talk to the missionaries but was always nervous to go up to them and for that he was super super excited we finally stopped him to talk. He came to church 2 Sundays ago and left with even more great questions. He was out of town all last week and returned Sunday night. But we have been in contact with him over the phone and he is still studying and praying and wants to go back to church. Hay poder en hablar con TODOS! 

Nancy is just full of miracles. Her boss gave her 3 weeks off of work in between the changes in her work schedule. So we see her a lot. She went from hardly being able to talk to us without crying to not being able to talk to us without laughing. Even though she has listened to the missionaries before there is a huge difference now she says. Before she never did her part. She said she would participate in lessons but when they would leave she would never read or pray or think twice about anything. 

Now we can hardly teach her without her beating us to the scriptures that we wanted to use. We will turn to the scriptures and she will cut in and say, "Are you thinking of this scripture?" or "That scripture is such a great one isn't it.  I read it as I was preparing for you all to come." And I just laugh and smile at her every time she does it. 

Her relationships with her family has gotten so much better too. Her daughter and her are in contact again for the first time in a while. The blessings from living the gospel have no limits. She went from smoking 8 cigars one day to 0 the next and ever since. 10 cups of coffee per day to 2 and then 0. She basically threw her coffee mix to us when we asked for it. She was so ready to be done with it all. Keep praying for Nancy and the 31st! 

Guess what!! I learned how to sing Happy Birthday in Portuguese! And I taught my comp how to sing the happy birthday version of you look like a monkey and smell like one too! She loves that the ward calls me barbie because I am still Mckenzie and my burps tend to be grande....so every

time one slips out she just laughs and says, "Ha! My Barbie" :)