Teach & Be Taught

Friday I had Elsa, who I know from my ward, over to teach her how to make molded chocolates. If you’ve ever done it than you know how very easy it is, but she had never done it and I have all the supplies so she came to my house. Even though she came here so I could teach her about candy, I learned so much from her. I didn’t know her well and it was wonderful talking just the two of us. I did already know that their family is so awesome. You know how sometimes you don’t have to know a whole lot about someone to know that?

They have two children on a mission right now-a son and a daughter. I know the daughter just a little and she’s great. She bore her testimony one day in sacrament meeting. Since our children don’t speak Spanish, if they aren’t wearing the headsets to hear the translation (from super translators that have to translate the whole meeting), then they don’t understand. Unfortunately the headphones don’t fit my girls’ heads very well and they don’t work well (too much static), so they don’t like to use them. So usually they read scriptures or the Friend during sacrament, although Elisa usually just listens even though she can’t understand.

Well at her farewell, Elsa’s daughter bore her testimony and it was simple but so amazing. I think every single person in the room felt it. After the meeting, I told Elisa that I wish she could have understood her testimony because it was so powerful. Elisa said, “I could tell”, but I thought she was being kinda sarcastic since she couldn’t understand. But when I looked at her as if to say, “Not nice” she said, “No, I’m serious. I don’t know what she said but I could feel the Spirit and I knew she was bearing her testimony.” Wouldn’t it be cool to be able to express your testimony so people could say that? Anyway, she and Elsa’s son are both super missionaries and more than one person has called from both of their missions to tell their mother what a big difference they make in the lives of investigators and members.

But back to Elsa…She mentioned that in Mexico she used to do a craft called “migajon” which I had never heard of. She said that you use take sliced bread and cut off the crust. What is left of the bread is called the “miga”. I don’t think we have a word for that. You would never guess what they do with it…unless you already know. They mix the “miga” with glycerin and Elmer’s glue to make a clay dough that you can tint and shape into decorative pieces. I’ve seen these before but never knew what they were made of. Here are some examples I found online. And I included a little video (in Spanish) with directions, even though they just show how to mix it, not how to tint or shape it. And her frogs are pretty ugly. Who wants to try it?

When we were looking through my candy molds, Elsa saw one that had zoo animals. She asked if I had any with cows since she wanted to send some to her missionary children. I don’t, but asked her if there was a story behind sending them cows. She told me that her son had a girlfriend, but broke it off before he left on his mission and her daughter didn’t have a boyfriend so neither of them have someone else waiting for them. But she (their mother) IS waiting for them and they are worth more than 8 cows. She sends them a different kind of cow each month—a porcelain one, one made out of felt… I thought that was so cute! She said she heard someone did that for his girlfriend and she liked the idea. Now I gotta start thinking of some kind of fun tradition to start with Alex when he’s on his mission.
She also shared a few experiences and heartaches. There is nothing like hearing someone else’s trials that makes you feel so blessed! Also her unwavering faith even through her trials is such an example to me. I am so glad she came over for a visit and I hope it isn’t the last.