Week 24: "I CAN SEE THE LINE!"

Que onda pues??

Another crazy week!! Sorry for not writing yesterday, but we had transfers, and they moved me! Monday morning, I had to leave my beloved area of Guaymas, the area in which i was "born." Saying goody bye to everyone literally sucked so much. I will get to that in a bit. But anyway, they sent me out of Guaymas and separated me from Elder Bake :( I am now in a city called Agua Prieta with a new companion named Elder Alvarenga! He is from Paraguay and he seems like a super cool guy and I am stoked to be his compa. It seems that the Lord had Mercy on me because of all the zones in the Hermosillo mission, Agua Prieta is the coldest, if you can call it cold... But seriously, I woke up this morning and it was cloudy and when I walked outside it felt heavenly. Pumped for the change. Agua Prieta is literally right on the border. Like literally, I walk outside, look to the left, and I can see the line. The fence is just two blocks away from my house.... tempting...... :)

 We had a really cool experience on Tuesday. In the morning, we were reading the scriptures, and Elder Bake read the scripture in Alma where it talks about how God exists. "Yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator" (Alma 30:44). Elder Bake said to me, "I would really like to meet an Atheist today, so we can share this scripture." In my mission, I have met only one atheist, someone who said they do not believe that god exists, and it is very rare. This day, we stopped by a bus station to go to the bathroom, and while my companion was in there, I saw some people who looked like Americans. I said to them "buenos tardes" and they got awkward and didn't say anything, so i knew they weren't Mexicans. I started talking English with them and immediately recognized that their accent indicated that they were Australians. My first thought was omg I miss Matthew Shields and his beautiful voice. We got talking and Elder Bake came back and we started talking about the church and what we do as missionaries. Their responses made us ask them if they believed in God, to which they both replied, quickly, "No, we are Atheists." NO WAY. Literally of all the days this could happen, it happened that day. So we pulled out that scripture, read it to them, and bore our testimonies that Christ lives, there is a God, and there is more to this world that coincidence and Evolution. They were really nice people and I think they got a bit out of our conversation. It was awesome. I left that chat talking in my Australian accent, and missing my man Matty shields.

Leaving Guaymas was a really weird feeling. I was sad, but also very excited. I feel like this change is a new phase in the mission. I feel like I am starting all over again, only at a new starting point. I am really excited to see where things go from here!

PS, next week I will have an new address that you all can use while I am here in Agua Prieta. Its awesome because everything you may send will get here in like  days or less!! One of the members here goes to the states, picks up the mail, and brings it here, so its super safe and nothing to worry about.

Love you all, talk to you next week!

Elder Bernal