This week has been quite the crazy week... Pretty normal in terms of the lessons we had, but crazy due to a particular situation. But first: backstory!
The Portillo family was baptized back in March with Elder Morales and I after we got them married. Soon after their baptism we learned that Natali, their 15-year-old cousin who had attended church a number of times with them was, in fact, not a member, and she visited them every weekend. We began teaching her, and she was rather receptive. Incredibly quiet, but receptive. We put a baptismal date, she came to church, but then she didn't, and then she did, and nothing was really super clear as to how she was with the gospel. We kept teaching her, and she was keeping the commandments and reading the Book of Mormon, so we thought, "all right, we just need to put a firm date on her, and we're good to go." Last Sunday, thinking it would be my last, she came to church, and while there, she handed a folded piece of paper to Elder Morales. He started to open it before she interrupted him and said, "actually, it's for Elder Groesbeck..." After church, slightly nervous as to what said paper might say, I opened it read it out loud with Elder Morales. To make a long story short and not give too many details, she basically confessed her love for me. Keep in mind we're talking about a 15-year-old girl here. I wasn't really too worried about it due to the fact that we were almost certain I would be changed, and I assume she wrote it under the same impression. Then changes happened; better said: for me, the lack of changed happened. When Elder Espinoza got here, I told him about the situation, and we began making plans to basically tell her no... but to continue listening to us. I imagine you can see our dilemma considering Natali is 15 years old, but a really good investigator. We certainly didn't want to have to drop her, but we also didn't want her to convert to the gospel for any feelings she may have had towards me. Natali visits the Portillos on the weekends, so on Saturday we put an appointment. In the appointment, we started with a prayer, and simply mentioned the fact that I read her letter. She was filled with so much... how do you say "pena" in english? Shame? I think that's how it is. Shame. She was so ashamed of it that she hid her face in her Book of Mormon and absolutely refused to talk to us. That's when Elder Espinoza became my hero. I'm still not sure how he did it, but he was able to get her to talk to him, and he explained the fact that I'm a missionary, that she's only fifteen years old, and that we wanted to continue teaching her. At the end of it all, she refused our invitation to continue teaching her, saying that I "had broken her heart". She wouldn't even shake my hand goodbye. We left that lesson a little sad at what had happened, but at the same time, we really didn't feel like there was anything else we could do. We certainly couldn't continue teaching her, let alone baptize her, without addressing said feelings, but we had to respect her decision to not continue. We'll continue visiting the Portillo family, so we'll still see her. Maybe at some point she'll come around. Perhaps after I get changed... And that's my funny/sad story of the week. Good to know I have a back-up to my back-up back-up... back-up plan. Elder Espinoza says that I'll only have to wait 6 months and 2 years. Triste payaso. Life and the work still go on, and we'll see what this next week holds for us. Iré y haré, Elder Groesbeck P.S. I also learned that I have another great-grandson in the mission! :D
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