Letter #52

April 12th

Oh man, So Ben...
He for 4 weeks was doing so well! Not drinking, they were going to get married we had him on date for baptism for April 30th... but then the day after we set that he started drinking.... Wednesday it was just getting worse! He was drinking so much that he could barely talk!  Thursday we didn't go see him because he left to go drink! ugh! I hate Satan so much, its like when people take 5 steps forward he knocks them back 3 steps! 

Well, then Nelline told us that Thursday morning they (Nelline and her daughter and her little baby boy ) went to walk outside, and Ben was out side on the door step of the apt, passed out... he couldn't remember anything that happened to him, he had nothing on him, no shoes, shirt, phone nothing, just shorts.... UGH!!!! 

So Friday we go over to see him, and as we pull up to the apt we see him across the way in a field... just walking around, so what do we do, Sister Kelso  is trying to whistle at him and I....yup waving my arms around like a chicken yelling after him....never would I have thought, one year,...when I was in the MTC, that one year later I would be standing on the streets of Albuquerque yelling at my drunk investigator....oh boy... he came over and we asked him what he was doing, he was looking for a friend that would know what would have happened to him.. we talked with Nelline...and  it is so hard on her, she wants nothing more than a temple marriage and to go to the temple! sakhfahgsgh Well, after we left seeing Nelline, we saw Ben on the side of the road covered in dirt, and the police were talking to him, we called Nelline and they ended up taking him to the hospital, he had alcohol poisoning...UGH! He should have died the Dr. said!!!! well Saturday he just slept a lot not feeling well after coming home!

Then Sunday he wasn't there at church. Nelline said he was still having a hard time and that hes sleeping up and that he should start doing better. Well that night she called us and we went over and....he had left, packed all his stuff and left! salfhaslfhsd AHHH! But, then the next day we get a call, he came back and....I guess that night he had prayed and just wanted to talk to his kids, and then they called, he prayed that he could get a good job that would help him,,, and he did! He learned a lot about prayer. That night Bishop went over and gave him a blessing! YES!!!

and...... Ben and Nelline are getting married this Friday and we will be their witnesses! Wow..! Don't know whats happening but prayer CAN change lives! He is doing better! PLEASE keep him in your prayers, he sooo  badly wants to make the 30th! And we will see, if we have to move it a week or so later no worries, but HE wants it to be the 30th! oh man!:)

My boys....

Still haven't seen them! UGH SATAN IS SOOO DUMB!!! But poor Brother Varela, he hasn't seen or TALKED with the boys in 3 weeks... its killing him, you can hear it in his voice when he talks with us..... please keep him and my boys in your prayers too!  

The hardest part about a mission is to see the ones you come to love so much, suffer. You wish you could do anything ANYTHING to take it away... but I am a firm believer we all have to have some sorta of a Alma the Younger experience . That is how we grow, we can not just live life and go on. We MUST have experiences, personal experiences that God is real, that He knows us and is there to pick us up!

This last week was hard, BUT...

We got a new investigator last week! :) She is the best and I can feel it!  You know, on Monday when I woke up, I could just FEEL,, this is a week of miracles and blessings!!

I LOVE this work, and that is an understatement, there is NO greater blessing than serving the Lord!

Remember too back home, to be a missionary!

Love Sister Markus :)