80. Hermanas De Las Chamoyadas
- L Rshaw
- Jan 6, 2020
- 10 min read
Updated: May 2, 2022
"Of two sisters, one is always the watcher, one the dancer"
--- Louise Glück (American Poet, Essayist, Nobel Prize in Literature Recipient; 1943 - Present)
This is the story of two of my most favorite people in the world. Where once upon a time we were strangers, we became as close as family. Were it not for the events of a single day, our relationship may have died before it was given the chance to grow. Of all the hundreds and thousands of people I met in Mexico as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, if they were the only two people I had the pleasure of baptizing, it would have been a mission well-spent. And nothing of myself, these were two individuals who were amazing by nature. I'll forever be grateful for their kindness and example.
Click to Navigate (Table of Contents):
PARTY CRASHING
There was a two-story building that served as a laundromat, house, small clothing venue on the weekend and chamoyada stand during the hot weekdays. Two middle-aged women sat in the shade of its "patio" first floor virtually every day. I say "patio" because even though it was enclosed, the black metal gate was like a see-through removable wall so I don't know if it counts as a room either or more like a garage (which is probably what it was designed for originally). I suppose we figured they’d be so preoccupied with paying customers that they wouldn't be willing to spend time with us which is why we hesitated to introduce ourselves. “Wrong” doesn't begin to describe what we were.
It was July 15, 2015. As fortune would have it, the same evening Elder Romano and I were walking by (See "Take Up Thy Bed"), these two women were having a family get together of some sort. There must have been at least a dozen people crammed into that "patio". It was loud and crowded but Elder Romano was bold and walked right into the middle of it. I think there was music playing and everything. He politely asked who lived there and the two women whom we'd seen time and time again from a distance stepped forward from the group. The message Elder Romano shared was about thirty seconds long, for obvious reasons, but he managed to summarize of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, give each of the sisters a copy, and schedule an appointment to return. They seemed very accepting considering we'd just crashed their party. They didn’t complain at all and accepted our invitations without hesitation.
REFRESHING GOODNESS
When Elder Scott and I came back a few days later, we were welcomed in. We asked them if they had started reading the Book of Mormon and they had! As a matter of fact, they’d read a lot! I think they read the first thirty to forty pages if I recall in only about a day or two. They summarized what they’d read and posed a few excellent questions. Elder Scott and I were just blown away by their interest to learn. We taught them the gospel lessons and they soaked them in, posing many more wonderful inquiries about things we said or other things that naturally popped into their heads. It was so refreshing on all accounts since most people either didn't listen to a word we said or give us a chance.
Speaking of refreshing, after our appointments, they’d offer to make us a Chamoyada for only ten pesos each (about fifty American cents). Keep in mind that we met them in the middle of the summer. Like the actual middle of the calendar year. It was hot! (See "Canícula"). Some days they wouldn’t even charge us because we’d become such good friends. I’d tasted my first Chamoyada back in Matamoros on Friday, May 1, 2015 with the Mariscal Family, but I didn’t care too much for it up until that point.
Chamoyadas were fairly common on the frontier of Mexico but virtually nonexistent anywhere else (according to other Mexican missionaries). Chamoyadas are similar to snow cones but instead of sugary fruit flavored syrup we are used to, the crushed ice is flavored with chamoy. Chamoy by itself is a blood red chili and vinegar-based syrup so it has to be combined with sugar and lime juice to taste good. It sounds strange but it tastes really good poured over refreshing ice and topped with some sort of fruit, usually mango or strawberries on a hot day. The result made for a spicy bitter sweet citrus flavored snow cone. There was no limit to what could be put in a Chamoyada from gummy candies to the common addition of a tamarind pulp candy that was wrapped around a straw which I didn’t care much for. Chamoyadas were more common than ice cream. If not Chamoyadas, then there were also different frozen fruit juice concoctions such as Mangonadas, and Bollas.
I shall refer to these sisters as J and T. They were great people and I felt like a Chamoyada for ten pesos and a lesson was more than fair. I was supporting their business in part to thank them but at the same time, I looked forward to the refreshing treat after a hot day’s work so it was no sacrifice on my part. I admittedly didn’t like Chamoyadas the first time I bought one out of sympathy and in gratitude for them but every time we went back, their recipe grew on me and it became a tradition. My dislike grew into one of my greatest vices. I must have become their best customer. I loved their Chamoyadas! For whatever reason, Chamoyadas anywhere else weren’t as sweet as theirs. Any other place's Chamoyadas were too bitter for my taste. It was the equivalent of having refreshments after an event. As often as I loved their recipe and felt good for contributing in a small way to their income, from time to time, they'd insist that I'd get one at not cost. That's just the kind of people they were. I wasn't a customer to them. I was a friend.
A BOLD PROMISE WITH BLESSINGS
For the first few weeks, despite their promising progress with the lessons, scripture study, and prayer, J and T weren't coming to church. We understood that most of their business came during the weekend and that they had to make a living from it but they had to come to church to progress any further otherwise our visits wouldn't make much sense. They’d accepted baptismal dates but we had to keep adjusting them (obvious that they couldn’t be baptized into the church without coming to church and they had to come to church at least 2 to 3 times before being baptized). They loved what we were teaching and they were quickly repenting of past habits but we didn’t know why they weren’t coming with us to church on Sunday.
We made a brief visit one day for their “charla franca” (See "Si, Dios Quiere"). I grew to love them like family so it pained me to think we might have to stop visiting them in order to better use our time elsewhere. We tried to be very direct and I told them that they had to come to church for us to keep teaching them. Then I said something that surprised even me, paraphrasing:
“Come to church once and you'll want to keep coming back because you'll know that it’s true. I know it’s a sacrifice to close business on Sundays but I promise you'll have more business for the other six days of the week if you keep the commandments and come to church. If that promise isn't fulfilled and you don't like church we won't come back.”
I trusted in the Lord. Says he, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall proper in the land.” When we left, I was stunned at what I'd said. I'd been bold but the spirit had prompted me to say things like it was (2 Nephi 1:26-27). Being bold doesn't necessarily mean you're crass. And even though people who keep the commandments don't always prosper financially, I knew that the Lord wanted them, needed them, on His team and would look after their needs if they were true and faithful to the gospel. The gospel isn't there to be a burden. It's there to give and bless which is exactly what I wanted for them.
After some meditation and prayer, Elder Scott and I realized that we had invited them to church but that we had failed to teach them why we go or what to expect. For those of us who grew up going to church every week, it didn’t always dawn on us how daunting the new experience could be to some people. Like going to the first day of class at a new school. It can be scary. In a dangerous place like Reynosa, it was extra normal to fear the unknown.
Elder Scott and I then and there determined to set aside a detailed lesson exclusively on the Sabbath Day (See "Sabbath Day Observance"). When we went back next, we taught them about the purpose of the sacrament, assured them that we’d be with them the whole time, that they weren’t required to dress up or know anything before going, and that they weren’t expected to pay anything (some religious denominations pass around a donation tray) or do anything they didn’t want to. Basically, we explained that as our guest, they could just observe in a way that was comfortable to them without any obligations. After we explained that, their whole attitude changed! It became apparent that everything we clarified was a concern that they secretly had and as soon as everything was clarified they assured us that they’d come to church. We offered to have a ride arranged but they assured us that they’d take the pecera which ran a regular route directly in front of their house (and which often interrupted our lessons as it noisily bounced through the patchy pothole road on the corner).
They came to church that Sunday! And the next Sunday. And every Sunday since. Their testimonies were strengthened and I could see a good change in them. They bettered their lives not because we taught them to but because their desire to do what was right increased as result of reading the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ and feeling the spirit. They took the initiative in many things; as it were, they were agents unto themselves and not to be acted upon (2 Nephi 2:26). One day, they announced that they'd decided to close their business on Sundays! I wanted to cry I was so happy! They grasped the importance of the Lord’s Day of rest. They stopped drinking coffee even though it was hard at first (See "Word of Wisdom"). They told me of the increased energy and freedom they gained in giving it up. They discarded their "images" (of Saints) that they prayed to because they understood that we should have “No graven images or anything like it that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath…” (Exo. 20:4-5) and that we only pray to Heavenly Father. They gradually participated more in church. They made many new friends at church and the Riveras ward was greatly blessed because of them. They were converted unto the Lord (Alma 23:6; See also "Si, Dios Quiere").
GETTING TO BAPTISM
Their baptismal date got closer. It was September now and J was excited to be baptized. She already had a glow about her. T, however, was a bit quieter and a bit hesitant for some reason. She reminded me a lot of G.M. ("See Others As They May Become"). She told us she was afraid of the water so we tried the same things we did with G.M., like having them attend another baptismal service and so forth, but it didn’t help much (See "Fear Not"). We tried a subtle approach on faith with the story of Joshua leading Israel and the ark of the covenant through the Jordan river; it was especially humorous to see Teresa’s reaction to reading, “And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water…” (Josh. 3:15) and realizing what we were hinting at. Then the spirit inspired either myself or Elder Brogan who was our District Leader at the time. (See "Mission Administration")
Before baptism, a baptismal record is filled out with the person’s information (See "Baptism by Immersion"). When the person is baptized and confirmed, the record is added to the church system and directory (like how I mentioned with O. in "Ministering to the One"). As I said before, after the record is filled out, the baptismal candidate has an interview to openly talk about testimony, feelings, and concerns (See "The Baptismal Interview"). The spirit gave me the idea that we should fill out both J and T’s baptismal records with them before the interview and invite T to also have an interview so that she would be ready to go should she desire to be baptized the same day as her sister. We assured her that it was her decision and that she was spiritually ready should she chose to be baptized. So that’s what happened. They both had their interviews with Elder Brogan. T told me afterwards that she felt the spirit as soon as that interview started and she knew baptism was the thing to do. Elder Brogan hadn’t even started the interview when she started crying (a positive cry). Turns out she wasn’t afraid of the water but was afraid of not being ready to commit (or endure to the end) but when the spirit told her that she was not alone and that He would help her, she was determined to be baptized. After she’d been baptized, she said that she was actually worried about being baptized because she wasn’t sure I was strong enough to baptize her! I don’t know if she was joking or not but I don’t blame her. I was a stick of a guy. I was always skinny but I’d lost weight in the canícula. I liked to make them laugh by making my muscles look bigger than they were. But the fact of the matter is that I baptized them both successfully. The Lord gave me strength (1 Nephi 7:17) and people weigh next to nothing in the water.
I got to baptize both J and T on the same day on September 4, 2015. They received the Gift of the Holy Ghost when I confirmed both of them the next Sunday in church. (See "Confirmation" and "A Still, Small Voice"). They were already beaming before baptism but they were new people from thereon out (Mos. 27:26). There was a greater light in them that only true conversion brings—an everlasting peace and a cleanse from past sin.
My companions wouldn’t usually buy a Chamoyada for fear of staining their white shirt; I never stained my shirt but if I did it would have been a minor risk. Of all things to fear, a stain on a shirt is child's play. Isaiah says in the Old Testament, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isa. 1:18). I prefer to think in terms of food, Though your sins be as scarlet Chamoyadas, they shall be as white as snow cones.
Comments