January 25, 2010 from Hermana McGaughy...

ok, so let me fill you in on this week. im still in the same area, living with 4. this change is so much more peaceful. both hna rodriguez and i are training new companions and we all get along so well. her companion is hna Castaneda from the capital and mine is hna Godoy from El Salvador. let me tell you a little bit about her. if there were two words to describe her it would be sweet and humble. she brings a gentle, peaceful spirit into the lessons and our home. if you dont remember, my trainer, hna mejia, was also from El Salvador but a different stake. my companion remembers seeing her once years ago at a single adult activity. many of her habits and mannerisms are similar...which is a good thing!! she loves veggies and we usually eat veggie soup for breakfast. she also loves chile...i've become quite famous in our area for the ¨gringo that likes chile... lol.
when i say she is humble i mean in every sense of the word. this morning i am teaching her how to use a computer...she lives with her one sister, mom, grandmother, aunt and uncle and another aunt and cousin. she is a convert of just 3 years and has a powerful testimony of the gospel. she lives in the campo...farming and harvesting. for many years she worked in a factory sowing clothes. she says that about 3000 people worked there and they were paid 5 dollars a day. crazy huh? although im sure money goes a lot further there.
she was born during the war which lasted about a year in El Salvador. many men died, including hna Mejias dad...whos body they never found. hna godoys dad abandoned the family when she was just 2 years old but she has a desire to know him someday. he is actually from Guatemala and a sister in the ward is going to help her track him down. her real love is being in the outdoors and farming etc. she knows how to grow like every kind of plant. her and bethany would get along.
her house in small and humble, for many days during the summer there is not enough water so they store it up in large barrels. the bathroom is also outside of the house and there is no shower. i think the CCM was her first time using a real shower. in her home they would heat up water but she always showered with clothes on. imagine her life.
besides all of that, she has such a great attitude. the church is helping her sister get an education in nursing and she wants to study as well when she gets home. she also loves English so im teaching her a little bit.
it is truly a privilege to be her companion.
but i was realizing the other day....out of the 5 companions that i've had. only one had a family happily together with both a mom and a dad. crazy.
well ill write a little more later. love you