This week has just been one huge learning process for me. Experience after experience is solidifying the teachings of the Lord in my heart and in my soul.
Weather wise, it rained for a day and then was overcast and humid beyond all get out for 4 days. It was the most humidity that I've ever been through. The worst day in the morning our floors were wet and the bathroom didn't dry the entire day. It was so so nasty. On the plus side, it kept things in the 60's and 70's so while everyone else was rushing around in coats and wind breakers, we usually just had a single sweater on. Aside from that, we both caught cold this last week. It was really just a nasty 2 day cold, but we're still a little stuffed up and coughy from all the drainage. It's okay though, we're tough. I don't know how many times we sang the national anthem during the week. It was most excellent. That reminds me....
This last Monday, after going to the cyber, we headed over to a store called Revoltijo. It's the closest thing to an American store that we've found down here and we even used a shopping cart! That said, when we came out multiple bags of groceries we looked around and literally felt bad that we had so much stuff. We talked about shopping in the states and how what we'd bought was like nothing back home and it struck both of us how truly blessed we are back home. Here what almost seemed like excess was meager in comparison to the standard of the United States. It was a lesson in humility that I don't know if we'll forget. At the very least, I feel much more gratitude for the States, for our rights, our liberties, our freedoms. We are so very very blessed.
I'm still trying new things down here! Like for example, I took up lock smithing on saturday! WELLLLLL.........This the kind of lock that we have. And I found that out by first hand experience.
Elder Barlow turned the key twice, which is fine. Then he gave it another quarter turn and the lock jammed. Fortunately, the door was already open by this point and I proceeded to take apart the entire door assembly. So then I had it on my desk, (I'll send pictures of it next week.) So I opened the panel and it....exploded. Because it's spring loaded. And then, for some reason I proceeded to shut my brain off and inserted the key and turned. Bad idea. Then, i did it again. Still don't know why. Worse idea. All the tumblers jumped out of the body and yea.....I then spent the next 30 minutes figuring out the mechanism and putting it all back together and trying to figure out the tumbler order. Elder Barlow, having left the scene to answer the call of nature, returned, placed the tumblers in a random order and lo and behold, it worked. I love my comp. We laughed for a good hour after that. It was a great adventure. I like locks by the way. Super interesting mechanisms. Good thing is, i fixed our lock and, it was free.
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| In front of our apartment |
On Wednesday, President and Hermana. Smith and their children, Jerry, 16, and Starla, 11, came to Salto. It was....stupendous. He's a spiritual powerhouse. I know that he's been called of God to lead us in our labors. He said that while he was in the MTC, President Monson and all of the members of the 12 said, to the same effect, that on this day, the year 2013, the Lord hastened His work. The import of this day is similar unto that of the First Vision and that the world will never be the same. Glad I'm on the right team.
He's very excited to be here and very excited to get to know us and share his testimony with us. At first, I was a little sad that President Heaton wouldn't send me home from my mission. Yet, now, I feel so very excited to be able to get to know President Smith just a little bit more. I look forward to seeing him again. He's from southern California, near Carlsbad. He helped me figure out who I want to be when I get home and how I can do it. Let's see if I can put it into practice.
Today, I studied in Matthew 28.6-10. I don't know if I can explain a lot of what I felt or learned. It's been a very tough couple of weeks as I've reflected primarily upon my consecration to the Lord and the manner of man that I will be upon my return. This morning I received my second witness. Mary and Mary left the tomb under angelic mandate. But they left with fear still in their hearts. They left, possibly doubting the charge that they'd been given, for they could not doubt the angelic manifestation that they'd witnessed. They'd seen far too many miracles by the hand of Christ as he walked amongst them. Thus, it must be that they doubted in their hearts. They feared ridicule for being the messengers of the seemingly impossible, that they had been commanded by angles to testify of Christ's resurrection from a sealed tomb. Knowing the doubt in His daughters hearts, Christ made His first mortal, resurrected visit to the eyes of men. After a salutation, the first thing that He said to them was thus, "Fear not". The same command that He had given to His tempest tossed Apostles as He crossed the water towards them. So very often do we receive the first call, the angelic call, and we fear. We "would that [we] might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink..." (D&C 19.18) And so the Lord provides a second call. An even stronger call. To Mary and Mary, He himself appeared. After the second call, we cannot go back. We must commit to a heightened degree of consecrated discipleship. For if we go back, we sin against the greater light and knowledge that the Lord has given us. Christ's invitation is standing "Be not afraid, only believe" (Mark 5.36) The second call has come. I accepted the angelic call when I put the badge on. Now, the stronger call has come. I would that I might not shrink and cross the Lord. I pray that I will only continue to dedicate my life to Him more and more completely, one step at a time. I love the Savior. I love His work. I know that He is the Way and the Life. There is no other way. We are what we want to be. (Alma 29.3-6) I want to be a disciple of Christ.
Elder Andy
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