Tranqueras Uruguay - February 27th 2012

Hey All,

I'm doing well. I'm still living and breathing and nothing is broken so that's great. Right? :) I'm certainly happy and it's certainly an adventure.

Let's see.... Monday was pretty tranquilo (peaceful). We went to go visit an investigator that we'd not been in contact with for almost a month because we could never find them. We got there at 830 am and it's a 20 minute walk home and so we just wanted to set up another day that we could come back and talk to them. Well Justo, her nephew died that morning and I think she was a little surprised to see us, but was okay with us coming back another day so we set up our next appointment. Tuesday, we got up and were very happy to be heading into Rivera. Well turns out Monday and Tuesday are holidays because of carnaval. so the buses don't run. So we got to stay in our area and didn't get any mail this week. Joyful experience really...

That said we've now had 3 lessons with silvana and her family which are the family we found last week. 4 of their 6 children are of baptismal age and the mother and father both listen to us with their family and the last time we went, Hno Suarez's grandson came. Then the next time, the grandson and his brother came and a neighbor came. We taught 11 people the last time we were there and on top of that, the mother, Silvana, has been fighting migranes as of late. We talked to her of the spirit and the priesthood and under the direction of the holy ghost offered a blessing of health. She tells us that every time we come over, her head stops hurting, which I know is not a coincidence. They are such a wonderful family and we are already very attached to them. I hope only the best comes for them in this life and that they can know that what we are teaching them isn't just a good story told by some funny north americans.

The rest of the week was pretty average. We just struggle to find members that are willing to come out and work with us. The Zone Leaders really push that and our branch is shriveling up and dying little by little. Our branch president isn't willing to come out with us to visit menos activos (less actives) and it's really quite frustrating. The stake president told us a couple weeks back that we just have to be patient with the people in our area because the gospel is relatively new. Not only that, but they have their own lives so they're never going to be as focused on the work of salvation as we are. Needless to say, the christ like attribute we selected for this week was charity ;) As such, for the first time in three weeks, we've got them set to do a ward council and come out on divisions with us.

We pray every day that the Lord give us the strength to do his will in this area. I hope I can do what the Lord would have me do and that I'm never so prideful as to impose my will upon this work. Who are we to be so careless as to impede this work through our own short sightedness. We are nothing and we cannot stop this work. We can impede it, slow it and hinder it, but we will never stop it. I pray daily that I can only augment and support this joyful labor. I hope I never lose sight of this.

 We met with guarasilva again this week. She enjoys our lessons but she said that she doesn't really want to commit to any one church because there is only one God and a bajillion churches. Not quite a direct translation but you get the gyst of it. We committed her once more to read and she said she will. She said she'd take it with her to compaña where she works for the next 15 days straight. We'll meet with her when she gets back and see how it goes. We recently met with an old investigator named Cynthia. We like to take members to these lessons. She had her birthday this last week with her daughter and sister in law. She's 18. She really likes to read at night because her husband is only at home on Saturdays and Sundays and so she reads or cleans when her baby girl is sleeping and so she's been reading the Book of Mormon and the folletos (Pamplets). She wasn't able to make it to church this last sunday because her baby is sick and Silvana and her family couldn't make it either because they were sleeping.

Every night this week there were dances that started at about 9 or 10 and ended at about 4 or 5 in the morning. Carnaval kills this place. The streets were so dead everyday until about 7 which is when people are getting up from their extra long siestas because they're extra tired because they've been partying extra. :D

On Sunday's in the branch we usually pass the Sacrament and 2 members of the branch presidency bless it or we mix it up a little with the same people. Elder Velazquez and I were the speakers this last week and the branch presidency speaks as well and sometimes one or two of the members do as well. If we have enough people for the gospel principles class elder V teaches it and I run support. If we don't, we go look for people. There is indeed a primary class and i'm not really sure what they do....i think mostly just color pictures and listen to music. There really aren't enough youth for a program. Walter is 18 but he's the 2nd counselor in the presidency and then there are like 3 young woment so I think they just go to relief society. Elder V says they don't have a YW program.
The work.....is slow. It's hard. It's frustrating. Its sad. But I love every minute of it. We see so much potential in this area but we really don't get the support that we need from the members for it to be effective. Elder V describes it as this. Baptism is the gate, the members are the key. All we can do is bring the investigators to the door. If we don't have the key.... all we're doing is knock knock knockin on heavens door. XD We have progressing investigators but they drop off because it's only the missionaries talking to them, we don't have members that come out with us, and they ususally don't make it to church. That said, we're finding out a lot of good ways not to get this all to work. Each day is a learning experience and Elder V and I learn from each expercience what works and what doesn't.

Acts 7:55-56. Will we testify to the point of sealing our demise? Will we shout the triumphant message until our dark and bitter end? Will we raise our voice with that of all the witnesses of Jesus Christ and testify of his divinity? I pray that we all do. Never question your testimony, never doubt your power as a witness of his work.

Chau,

Elder Andy