These are the Bouso family, Triana, Jacinto sleeping on the floor, and Liz with Triana and Diana looking on.

DECEMBER 3, 2009 THURSDAY

When we got in last night, Diana had a difficult time getting up the stairs because her knee was giving her problems. In fact all day yesterday her knee was giving her problems and this morning it didn’t feel any better. So today we felt she should give it a rest and try and let it recuperate. Of course we did our usual personal, companion and language study. We had plenty of things to keep us busy here in our apartment so we got after it. Before we did, we tried to call the Neidhards to invited them over for dinner tomorrow night to celebrate Martin’s birthday, but they didn’t answer their phone. We also called Beatrice Jacobs, our contact from yesterday, to set up an appointment. She was busy until next week, so we scheduled it for next Thursday at 11:00.

I had been putting off writing some emails and catching up the log we keep on all the interactions with members, but mostly focusing on the less active members. While I was working on those, Diana waded through four months of purchase receipts to organize them for our taxes. She sorted them into months and then into categories and then totaled them. About 5:00 we took a break and looked up a website on prophecies of the last days from an LDS perspective and was in the middle of reading an article when our door buzzer went off. Who could be coming to visit us? Missionaries usually call before they come. I went down to the door and Liz Bouso and her two kids were standing there. What a surprise! We hadn’t been able to catch her on the phone or meet with her for so long until last night when Diana talked to her on the phone. Last Tuesday at district meeting everyone gave a name of an investigator to the Elder saying the closing prayer to pray for them. Our name was Liz Bouso, that we would be able to get back into contact with her. We testify that the Lord hears our prayers and answers them as well. So, when we couldn’t get out, Liz was prompted to come to us in our apartment. She arrived at about 6:00 and left at 9:45. In between we had a nice visit with her. While I played with the kids, Diana taught her most of the first lesson, finishing with the Joseph Smith story and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. We already had given her a BM the fist time we met with her, but she hasn’t been able to read any of it yet. This time we gave her the DVD, “The Restoration” and asked her to watch it with her children. Tito, her six year old, is a bright boy, and he was excited to get the DVD so he may be the one to prompt his mom to watch it. Just as they were leaving the subject got onto food and she reminded us that she was going to show us how to make the potato omelet she brought last time she came here for dinner. We made arrangements for her to come back tomorrow at 12:30 to show us how it is made. Before she left we had a prayer with them and she was grateful for it.

After they left we called Elder Nilsson & Irick to see if they could come over for lunch so they can get better acquainted with Liz. They had to do some juggling with their schedule, but they said two of them would be here; however, we don’t know which two.

The tender mercy of the Lord was that He sent Liz to us. Diana was feeling so bad about not being able to get out today that it was a blessing for her to be able to accomplish some missionary work.