The weather was great this week up until about Wednesday. Then it was really hot and humid and then it poured Thursday and was even more hot and humid and then it poured again Friday and and Saturday and Sunday were super nice and today is pretty decent too. This is by far much cooler than last year and I have zero complaints about that. It’s super funny because on Thursday people thought we hit 50 degrees Celsius but I’ve come to realize that not only are the ‘guayans prone to exaggerate, they don’t seem to recognize the difference between heat and humidity. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just hard not to chuckle when they go out and check a thermostat and it’s really not that hot outside. Just sticky.
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| Playing with a big water balloon |
We found a great investigator named Leonel this week. He’s a great guy. Direct Italian decedent and speaks Italian and Spanish. Super cool guy and he really reminds me a lot of Joel, if you guys remember him from Montevideo. He’s a very intelligent man and he loves to read and comprehends everything that we’ve shared with him. He didn’t even doubt when we told him that Joseph Smith was a prophet and each time we come by he tells us that he’s gotten a little bit more of an answer to his prayers about whether or not these things are true. We’re super stoked about him. We fasted for him because they’re in pretty dire circumstances financially but we know that the Lord will provide. I’ve seen it before and I know that the Lord will provide.
I’ve decided this week that I’m really not that concerned about always finding and baptizing. Yes. We’ve been over that before and I truly love both those parts of missionary work, but my main goal is to minister to all people possible. I really like feeling like I minister. It makes me happy knowing that I lifted someones day by being a conduit of the spirit.
Ignacio is…..Ignacio. He’s a little goof ball. He sometimes likes to pray and read and participate and sometimes he doesn’t. He’s a funny little kid. He knows a great deal of the ward and when his aunt doesn’t come, he just comes by himself. He really does like being there and continues to take steps towards stronger and greater faith. It’s impressive in someone so young.
So we recently just got out of a shoe store here. Elder Lamb didn’t buy the most durable shoes and has already almost destroyed a pair….shoe shopping in South America is rather interesting. They hang the shoes from great long wires about 10 feet in the air and you have to have amazing vertical jumping skills to get them down. You should see some of these people hop. The other alternative is try your broad sword skills against a machete wielding gaucho. Pretty fearsome….Ok in reality it’s pretty much the same as the states. But. I was really worried down here that all of them have 2 right feet because only the right shoe is out on the racks. Then I realized that’s why the latin+american cross breeds make such great dancers because in the states we have 2 left feet and here they have 2 right feet! Alright, I know that was a stretch but bear with me. Anyways, you have to take the right shoe up to the desk to get his mate. It’s to prevent pilfering. Bit sad really. Unless you have a one legged bandit hit your store….just as long as he didn’t lose his right foot in the freak accident.
I read Pres Eyring's Sunday Morning conference talk this morning. He truly is my favorite member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I relate to him on more than one level and his messages have always reached my heart. I cannot recall how many times in my mission I have asked the Lord the same questions in relation to the pavilion and that section from Doctrine & Covenants is one of my favorite selections of scripture. Right up there with Romans 8 and 2 Nephi 4. Really, sometimes, I have no clue why I’m in some of the areas that I’m in. I question if I’ve ever really made a difference and each time a voice speaks to my ear that yes, my efforts both matter and count. The Lord has plans. We just need to make sure that we don’t get caught up in the next 5 yards. He’s callin the shots and has the touchdown in mind. (Bummer that the 49ers lost the bowl….)
Well, I’ve been reading Joshua in the bible lately and he was a stud muffin on steroids. I was reading in chapter 7:10-13 and I totally thought of Matthew 7:3-5. It’s great. You should read some of the proceeding chapters in Joshua if you want the back story but I really like in 7:13 when the Lord tells us to rise and sanctify ourselves. We have to do that if we want to be a brutally conquering child of God.
The work continues and so do I. I love it here, but time already runs short. I can’t believe it. Oh well. I’ll do what I can with the time I have.
Elder Simpson
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