First things first, it's been raining on and off for three days. This would be okay, but it's really humid and it's south american rain...that means there aren't a ton of drops but they're HUGE! Makes for some fun walking. At least it's warm so getting a little wet doesn't suck. It's far too warm for a trench coat so I just rock my umbrella and it's good enough. Yes, there are only about 12 active members. We eath with a recently inactive sister every sunday and sometimes on mondays if we can't think of an excuse fast enough. It's wonderful that she wants to feed us, but she serves really heavy pasta with thin meat sauces and bread and so we come out feeling like we just ate thanksgiving dinner. We usually have to get about two plates down before she's happy with how much we've eaten. Pretty much we eat with the same people every week. We've only had one different person give us food once since I've been here. It's pretty much always the same, guiso of some kind. Basically it's rice, some seasonings, a little meat and maybe some veggies. We got grilled chicken and mashed potatoes this last saturday which was a nice mix up. Today, we bought cereal and had that for lunch with some leftover pizza that we ordered out thursday night. The pizza place knows the missionaries number by heart and exactly where we live. Looks like the North Americans can't ever have too much pizza. Elder V (Velazquez) and I think it's kind of expensive so maybe we'll try some of their sandwhiches next time. Vamos a ver. (We shall see).
You don't think I could grow a mustache of that nature if i wanted to?!?! How insulting! Okay yea, elder V's girlfriend sent them in a package. They were also in the same package that had the yo-yos that we totally burned through because we used them that much. We had a lot of fun taking those pictures. He and i have sworn to each other to have as much fun and work as hard as we can while we're together. We're each so grateful to be able to walk the streets of Tranqueras and testify of Jesus Christ with out best friend. I feel like I've know him for years, not just a month. He and I get along really well and have such a good time. At the same time, we shore each other up when the other falters or feels discouragement. I can see the fire of the gospel burning in his eyes each day and I just love working with him and becoming absolutely immersed in the spirit.
Our house doesn't smelly like sweaty mold anymore. Granted that's the humidities fault. Now it smells like cinnamon sandal. Incense is the best. At least it's not sweaty cinnamon sandal. There's an alliteration for ya. Anyway. We decided to go work an hour before starting P-day today, because we get in some of our best work in the mornings. We went to go contact some of our really good contacts and first lessons because we haven't been able to find two of them which is frustrating. That being said, we couldn't find them again, imagine that, and so we contacted for our fall back plan. It was humid and everyone was shutting us down. Lo and behold, the Lord threw us a bone. We found a new investigator. Her name is Guarasilva and she's not home too much because she works in Compana but we came at the right time. She let us in and then proceeded to tell us about how her nephew had bought a motorcycle against adivsment and crashed it on New Years eve and now he's brain dead. Plan of Salvation anyone? It was a perfect set up and we had a great lesson. We got to know her a little bit, so hopefully she'll be comfortable with us calling and coming over to continue teaching her.
If the Spirit could be placed in a nuclear warhead, we blew it up yesterday. In the dismal deluge of the afternoon, we were illuminated by eternal fire. We left the ground steaming behind us and charbroiled a few malignant spirits. Actually, we went to visit a sister who had a baby this last week. We walked into the room and got lit up like a few sand ninjas in US marine territory. The spirit was so strong in that room, it was like the hand of God slapped us in the face. As called representatives of Jesus Christ, we will never be able to summon the spiritual power of a pure spirited new born child of our Eternal Father. That spirit was so recently in the heavens and the glory still radiates from the feeble and meager vessle that is a human body. I am truly grateful for childrens. After that, we went and had a lesson with a less active which was pretty normal. Hopefully we can get him to church and comfortable with the ward.
This is where it gets good. We went to a first lesson that a member had sugguested and she was there. We talked for a bit and then started teaching. She was pretty receptive but elder V and I were working so well together, which actually means we weren't doin a thing. The spirit was calling all of the shots. Then the investigator said all the other missionaries had hammered baptism. This is the part where I told her I was not there to dunk her. I had struggled with that same idea in the CCM (MTC). I only came to invite people to come to Jesus Christ and to feel and know of his love, but that in order for that to happen, we have to enter the waters of baptism. We cannot come closer to our Savior but through the waters of baptism. I told her that the primary purpose of our visit on that day was to invite her to talk to God, read of his word and see if it was true. I love teaching.
The spanish goes great when I'm with investigators. Outside of lessons, I'm still a gringo. After this, we had a South American rain storm as we went to go see a recently inactive couple. We talked with the husband for a bit and then he said he had a question about something he'd found in the book of revelations. Uh-oh. Bad sign. I can't tell you how many times i've had scriptures from revelations thrown at us saying we're false. Turns out he just thought it was cool and wanted to share it with us. Phew. Then we really got to the heart of it. Like so many others, he too has a problem with the branch president. I guess a lot of bad things went down a few months back and this area tanked. We have to fight against that, plus we have to try and bring others unto to the fold. Makes for interesting work. We constantly pray for this area and for what we can do. The answer: Keep following the Holy Ghost and working with our very best efforts. And so it is.
A couple days back I decided to conduct a study on meekness, the least defined attribute of this gospel. Walk with me in the pages of Moroni 7. Verses 43 and 44 if you wouldn't mind. Looks like we can't have faith or hope without meekness. But what is it? The topic guide sugguests we research contrite heart, humility, poor in spirit, and teachable. That's a good start. Let's dig deeper. Moroni 8:26. Meekness comes with the remission of sins. In the very moment of forgiveness, that feeling, that's the feeling of meekness. We have to be meek for the Holy Ghost to descend upon us and bring the healing power of the Atonement to our heart and soul. Deeper still. D&C 84:106 The strong in spirit must impart of their strength to the weak. By doing so, we will recieve a little something called charity. Oooooo, let's bounce back to Moroni 7. Verses 32-48 detail a reverse engineered recipe for faith and hope, attributes we as members of the church like to focus on. Yet, beneath faith and hope lies meekness. Further on the road, there lies the origin, charity. So, in my half formed opinion, meekness is that feeling between sorrow and joy in the repentance process. It's what allows us to recieve pardon. It is demonstrated by the humble and faithful servant. What was that? What about charity? Glad you asked. We can have NONE of that, without charity. Take a look at Moroni 7:35-37. Take that, rip your chest open, grab your scapel, cut your heart wide like a smile, and gently ever so gently, place those verses in there. Not the raw material though! You have to analyze it first. Observe it, absorbe it, poke it prod it question it. Ponder on it. Talk to God about it. Talk you yourself about it. Live it, learn it, be it. Then you can have it in your heart. When you do this, then maybe, just maybe, you can have meekness. And maybe, sometime during the eternities, you can become that faithful and hope filled servant. I know it will take me that long to get there.
Well, that's all i've got for now. Except for this awesome scripture about rock climbing that elder v showed me that he got from a talk that richard g scott gave in Nov 2006 (Conference issue ensign, but you already knew that.) entitled "The Atonement Can Secure Your Peace & Happiness." I strongly recommend the talk to anyone that loves to climb. The scripture is Moses 7:53. Climb on.
This is a war, the casualties are real. As medics and front line fighters, it may not be blood that spots our hands and faces, but the work is just as grisly. It may not be bullets that fly past our heads but the firey darts of the adversary are just as deadly. It may not be litteral screaming that fills the air, but I can hear it. I see the fear and the pain in their eyes. We try to make it to some before it's too late. We miss others, because we're human and we can't do this all on our own. But we know how the war will end. The word of the Lord will roll forth and cover the face of the land, and in robes of scarlet The Magnificent Creator will come once again. The world will burn with the rain of fire, but the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ has the power to save all of mankind. Never forget Him. He will never forget you. Time to grab my rifle, my medical bag and head back into the trenches. Pray always, that you may come off conqueror. I know I do. Pray for sunrise, because we are the harbringers of fate. The end is coming. Let's face it with God at our back.
Elder Simpson
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