?Lo Aguanta?

!Hola!

So, I don't NOT like spicy foods but if you're looking at me it's pretty easy to tell if what I'm eating is hot. 'Aguantar' is Spanish for 'to handle , so when the members we eat with are serving somewhat spicy foods it is common for them to say something along the lines of '?aguanta?' . What they are basically saying is, 'Are you sure that you can handle this? You are pretty white.' I always do my best to eat everything no matter how spicy. It's all delicious, don't get me wrong! But in the end the Mexican and other hispanic-sauces on the food reemphasize the fact that, yes, I am white.

The next hottest thing to the food here is of course the sun. We've had some nice thunderstorms that have cooled things down but I've definitely felt the heat. It's quite enjoyable to sit down in a member's home after long hours of walking in the sun and drink down a nice glass of freshly made fruit juice. It's very common for the hispanics we eat with to just take one type of fruit and make a juice out of it. Pineapple is particularly good! :)

On the other side of things we are still doing our best to find people to teach. We haven't come in contact with anyone that has really 'stuck'. But we definitely have met a lot of great people. In the end it is not about the number of Baptisms we get. It is about fulfilling our purpose as missionaries! 

'Invitar a las personas a venir a Cristo al ayudarles a que reciban el Evangelio restaurado mediante la fe en Jesucristo y Su Expiacion, el arrepentimiento, el bautismo, la recepcion del don del Espiritu Santo, y el perseverar hasta el fin.' 

That was Spanish for 'invite people to come unto Christ by helping them received the restored gospel of..' So in the end if we as missioanries have helped anyone come just a little closer to Christ, we have done our purpose. The end goal would of course to be lead by the Lord to those who are ready to receive all the Gospel has to offer. But it doesn't hurt talking to everyone! :)

When we think of all the evil in the world, like the recent Boston bombing, we need to bring ourselves closer to Christ and really, truly understand what the Atonement can do for us. I'm still on my way to really understanding what the Atonement really means for me personally. As we do this, we will see the worries and fears we have held onto for so long sink away from view in the love of Christ. 

!Que Dios los bendigas!

-Elder Vance