Hello family.
How's it going?
So lately my companion and I have been working a lot with the members and working super close with our ward mission leader because we want our converts to stay active in the church after they get baptized, and church leaders have received revelation that through members is the way to go. We could spend all day just working solo, and we could get a ton of baptisms, and have lessons all day long, but those that progressed to baptism most likely wouldn't stay active in the church. But when we go to the members, and they introduce their friends to the church (not us), and they invite them to church, beautiful things happen. People that normally wouldn't be open to the gospel are suddenly receptive, and they become stronger converts than they otherwise would be.
Through working in the organization of the church, I'm struck by how perfect it is. There is a solution to every problem we have in the organization of the church. The only problem is people don't always magnify their callings. Every calling in the church directly relates to missionary work, from bishop right down to the nursery. We have had investigators who wouldn't be able to go to church if there wasn't a nursery to watch their kids and if they couldn't go to church, they wouldn't be able to partake of those blessings.
Now I realize how much I missed out on all that time I had as teachers quorum president and first assistant in the priest quorum. I never went out to visit the less active quorum members, and now I realize how much of a difference I could have made in their lives if I would have magnified my calling. Now I am going to make it a lifelong goal to do the most I possibly can in whatever calling I have. And I invite you all to do the same, I know there is great potential in this church because it is lead by living prophets, we all just have to put our shoulders to the wheel, and prepare the world for the second coming of Christ. It is our responsibility and privilege, to prepare the world to receive its king.
Adios, love yáll!!!!
Monday, November 27, 2017
Monday, November 20, 2017
20 November 2017
(We asked Steven if he gets to watch the LDS broadcasts)
We did get to watch the face to face. President Goodman made it obligatory, but it was super awesome.
(We asked him if he walked or biked around.)
And we walk... all the time! I've almost killed my black shoes already, but the other day we found a guy that repairs shoes, so it's all good.
So part 2:
It turned out that the guy we were looking for happened to be the drunk guy that we found. He used to be super faithful, and strong in the gospel, and he still has a super strong testimony of the gospel. He loves the church with all of his heart, but Satan has been working really hard on him, and he fell into inactivity. I don't know how it started, or why he left the church, but he has so much sorrow because he knows that the church is true, but he knows he is fallen. Right now he has a problem with the word of wisdom that he is struggling to overcome.
love you byeeeeeeee!!!!!!!
We did get to watch the face to face. President Goodman made it obligatory, but it was super awesome.
(We asked him if he walked or biked around.)
And we walk... all the time! I've almost killed my black shoes already, but the other day we found a guy that repairs shoes, so it's all good.
So part 2:
It turned out that the guy we were looking for happened to be the drunk guy that we found. He used to be super faithful, and strong in the gospel, and he still has a super strong testimony of the gospel. He loves the church with all of his heart, but Satan has been working really hard on him, and he fell into inactivity. I don't know how it started, or why he left the church, but he has so much sorrow because he knows that the church is true, but he knows he is fallen. Right now he has a problem with the word of wisdom that he is struggling to overcome.
love you byeeeeeeee!!!!!!!
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
13 November 2017
So one day, about 4 weeks ago, we were having a pretty hard time finding a reference (because nobody has a mailing address). So we stopped by a members house to ask directions. Now this guy (I'll call him Juan), was an inactive member, he used to go out with the missionaries all the time, and apparently, he was really good at the missionary work too. He says he spent 3 years in missionary work, even though he never served full time. But since then he has fallen inactive. But he still knows everyone, and he is friends with everyone. Supposedly he was one of the first members in this area.
So we stopped by to ask this guy for directions, and when we got there he was out front by the well, drinking beer with a buddy. I thought he was just a random drunk guy, and my comp just kind of ignored him at first, (cause he was drunk). So we went in to talk to one of his two nieces that live with him, (the two girls are super active in the church by the way). She came out and said she didn´t know the person we were looking for. The whole time we were talking to her, Juan was making jokes about exaltation and other doctrinal points, and I was pretty confused cause I thought he was just a random drunk guy(and I could only understand half of what was said, cause it is all in Spanish). But then she started to cry, and my comp said something like"I can´t imagine how hard this is for you". By this time I was starting to think this drunk guy might not be so random.
So we started to leave, but then Juan called us over, and started making jokes again about the church. My comp asked him if he knew the address we were looking for, and he said that he didn´t. Then he said "I used to work with the missionaries all the time, I love the missionaries! When can you come visit me?" sS we put a time to have dinner with him, and then he said. "I have a problem." My comp said, "I know." Then he burst into tears. He began to roll up the end of his shorts, to reveal the edge of a temple garment. And he said "I need your help"...(it is a little uncommon for people here to go to the temple and make those covenants)
Just at that moment, the bishop pulled in to the driveway. We said hi to him, and made a hasty retreat because he had the situation in hand.
part 2 of Juan coming soon
So we stopped by to ask this guy for directions, and when we got there he was out front by the well, drinking beer with a buddy. I thought he was just a random drunk guy, and my comp just kind of ignored him at first, (cause he was drunk). So we went in to talk to one of his two nieces that live with him, (the two girls are super active in the church by the way). She came out and said she didn´t know the person we were looking for. The whole time we were talking to her, Juan was making jokes about exaltation and other doctrinal points, and I was pretty confused cause I thought he was just a random drunk guy(and I could only understand half of what was said, cause it is all in Spanish). But then she started to cry, and my comp said something like"I can´t imagine how hard this is for you". By this time I was starting to think this drunk guy might not be so random.
So we started to leave, but then Juan called us over, and started making jokes again about the church. My comp asked him if he knew the address we were looking for, and he said that he didn´t. Then he said "I used to work with the missionaries all the time, I love the missionaries! When can you come visit me?" sS we put a time to have dinner with him, and then he said. "I have a problem." My comp said, "I know." Then he burst into tears. He began to roll up the end of his shorts, to reveal the edge of a temple garment. And he said "I need your help"...(it is a little uncommon for people here to go to the temple and make those covenants)
Just at that moment, the bishop pulled in to the driveway. We said hi to him, and made a hasty retreat because he had the situation in hand.
part 2 of Juan coming soon
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
7 November 2017
P-Day was a day late this week.
(We asked if they had Halloween)
No, they don't have Halloween here, but they do have Día de Los Muertos, (day of the dead) on the 1st of November. they have this really weird dish that they eat called fiambre, I don't know what that is in English but it is like this salad with all kinds of processed meat and these really weird red vegetables, and then everyone goes to the cemetery and does..... something, I don't know what they do honestly. it's pretty cool.
(We asked if he wanted us to try to send him anything)
My companion's family got him a little voice recorder that he makes recordings on and sends them in his email. that would be pretty cool if you want more info than 2 paragraphs. I'm sorry okay?! I never learned to type fast!
We were pretty happy this week, cause a less active member we have been working with finally went to church!
I've got a pretty cool story for yall but I don't have time to write it all today, and I don't want to send only a part of it. so you'll have to wait, sorry.
(I blame Steven's cousin Denton for that. He was notorious for giving half a story, leaving us hanging because he ran out of time but promising to tell us more next week. However, by next week, there was another cool story, so we never finished the first. ;-) )
(We found this blog entry about how The Day of the Dead is celebrated in Guatemala. We also had to do a search on fiambre and an "images" search for the Kite Festival kites. WOW!! BEAUTIFUL!)
(We asked if they had Halloween)
No, they don't have Halloween here, but they do have Día de Los Muertos, (day of the dead) on the 1st of November. they have this really weird dish that they eat called fiambre, I don't know what that is in English but it is like this salad with all kinds of processed meat and these really weird red vegetables, and then everyone goes to the cemetery and does..... something, I don't know what they do honestly. it's pretty cool.
(We asked if he wanted us to try to send him anything)
My companion's family got him a little voice recorder that he makes recordings on and sends them in his email. that would be pretty cool if you want more info than 2 paragraphs. I'm sorry okay?! I never learned to type fast!
We were pretty happy this week, cause a less active member we have been working with finally went to church!
I've got a pretty cool story for yall but I don't have time to write it all today, and I don't want to send only a part of it. so you'll have to wait, sorry.
(I blame Steven's cousin Denton for that. He was notorious for giving half a story, leaving us hanging because he ran out of time but promising to tell us more next week. However, by next week, there was another cool story, so we never finished the first. ;-) )
(We found this blog entry about how The Day of the Dead is celebrated in Guatemala. We also had to do a search on fiambre and an "images" search for the Kite Festival kites. WOW!! BEAUTIFUL!)
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