Last week was tough.. Obviously. By what I wrote in my last email, it must have sounded like the end of the world. Well... It was very difficult. There are some times when it´s just so tough, not having those people you love around you... But, I pulled through, and I´m a happy camper, here in the Patagonia!
That Monday was tough, obviously. We went and taught that night, and my mood started to increase. That´s one thing that I have come to realize over the past months, is that I´m happier when I´m testifying about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and the healing power that He can bring into our lives. It is incredible, that power that a testimony has to life someone´s spirits... It´s truly life saving. We had been preparing for the baptism of Nicol Gomez, the son of Lidia. So Tuesday, we took some pizzas to his house and watched the Restoration with him and his friends, he loved it! We´ve been preparing him for about two weeks straight, passing by almost every day teaching little things that he can understand. He´s 11 yrs. old, LOVES fútbol, and wants to be an ´´Elder´´ someday! ;) Haha! Later that night, we went to the hospital, because Lidia had her leg operated on. From what I have understood, from fútbol, she either has a torn ACL, or something like that. So she was operated on, and E. Rojas and I went and visited her and Patricio in the hopspital later that night. They´re a family that is VERY close to my heart. Also, on Tuesday, E. Rojas was hurting... his foot´s been killing him for awhile, so I finally gave in and we went to the hospital. What they think he has is a stress fracture.... THAT rang a bell in my past... Oooooh NOOOO!!! I hate those two words... Stress fracture. What they told him is that obviously, he needs to get some x rays to know for sure, and that he would need to schedule an appt. to do it. In the meantime, they told him to stop walking on it. I spent the rest of the day in the apt..... :/
Wednesday... Also. Oh, how bored I was. He wouldn´t leave, taking the excuse of the broken foot to stay in the apt. I was in the middle of both views. I was DYING to work, but I also knew that if he continues to walk on it, he might break the whole foot... Difficult situation... Anyway, Wednesday morning was spent reading scriptures. I read the whole of Mosiah, I LOVE that book!!! And began Alma. I wrote a bunch of letters... Look out Hmo. Maxwell, Aub. Smith, Kimbo!!! And I thought a TON of thoughts. I have thought SO MUCH this week!!! Holy cow. Anyway, at 5pm that night, I finally got him out of bed to come with me to teach Nicol before his baptismal interview. We taught him everything else that he was having worries about, and then we took a taxi to the church for the interview. He passed with flying colors!!! WOOOOH!!
Thursday was spent inviting members and investigators to the baptism. After spending the whole morning handing out invitations, we went to Nicol´s house one more time before leaving for Bariloche... Paradise. :) In Bariloche, we had our Zone Conference. I love going to Bariloche, because we get to see other Elders from the Zone... And guess who I saw there??? E. ALLSOP!!!!! I saw him coming up the stairs, and we just started screaming, ran towards each other and crashed into each other, hugging and laughing!! It was SOOOO good to see someone else from home!!! That was something I really needed from the week before... Oh man, you guys have NO IDEA how good it felt to talk to him... He´s doing so good, we were pretty much inseparable that whole day during the conference, taking every spare minute to talk about how we´re doing, things about home, and just enjoy some time as ´´Mapletonites´´.... Haha, something like that!! At the Zone Conference, we learned so much, on how we need to testify about the Atonement more, and use it more in our lessons, and tie EVERYTHING into the power and mercy of the atonement. I have learned so much in my studies this week about the Atonement... I have found a bunch of scriptures that are incredible also. If I could make a recomondation... study the atonement... It will amaze you. MOM: I NEED A TALK ENTITLED: THE ATONEMENT BY CLEOU SKOUSEN (I think that´s how you spell it) If you can email it to me so I can print it off, it´s an incredible talk. I don´t think you can find it on the church website... It´s too doctriney for that, haha! Anyways, I had an incredible time in Bariloche with E. Allsop, and E. Wible, my MTC comp. Friday was all in Bariloche also.
Saturday, we spent the morniing inviting people to the BAPTISM we had that night. We went to lunch, and after that began preparing for the baptism. We went and picked up Nicol and his family for the baptism... Lidia in a BUNCH of pain with her cast... But she came anyway, I was so happy and proud of her for coming to support her son! At the baptism, Nicol got some last minute nerves, and didn´t want to do it!!! He almost started crying for the fear of being in front of everybody. I pulled him aside, took a knee, and began relating to him the story of MY baptism with my Dad. And how happy and proud I was that day to have my Dad baptize me, and how even though I was shy and nervous, everything turned out to be ok!! In the end, he came... Thank the heavens!!! Hahaha! I had to give a surprise talk on the Holy Ghost for the service, and then E. Rojas baptized him. It was such a good service. I love helping people in their lives... It´s incredible.
The next morning, we went to pick up Nicol... He was waiting for us, all ready and everything!! We took him to his Primary class and he found Ruben, the kid we baptized two weeks before, and they have become quick friends... :) I confirmed him a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and gave him the Holy Ghost during Sacrament meeting, it was so great!!! Wow... After church, we decided to go to Diego, who we hadn´t been able to find for about a week. We found him in his house, and we began to talk... Finding out that he had been drinking and smoking almost non stop for about a week. The good thing was... He regretted it so much and was so disappointed in himself. I felt like Alma, who when seeing the poor people who couldn´t worship in their synagogues be humbled to the dust in Alma 31, was SO happy, because it was in that moment that they were ready and willing to hear the wonderful messasge of the Gospel and of Repentance. We had a 2 hour conversation with him, talking to him about the miracle and power of forgiveness, and how a baptism is the only thing that is really going to fix his problems... I offered him a blessing, and he accepted. I blessed him that he would be able to stop smoking and drinking, and that he would be able to remember and be healthy in the head, so as to remember his baptismal date and do everything in his power to make it to the 27th of August. This one WILL happen!!! I will be fasting on the Sunday before, so if anyone wants to fast with me the Sunday before the 27th so as to make sure that he can make his baptism, I would greatly appreciate it!!! After the lesson with him, E. Rojas began talking to me from the heart... He was tired of the mission. Because really, the mission is DIFFICULT. We talked for the first time like real companions... It was a turning point, I think. We walked around the beautiful city of Esquel, talking and helping each other be strengthened. After, we went to another Inv. who´s named Transito who will be baptized as soon as he gets married. We have so many blessings... Really. I felt the Spirit so strongly with Diego, and I will NOT let his baptismal date fall... No. Not this time.
Today... Was VERY Fun! We got up early in the morning and took a bus out into the middle of nowhere as a District. We got off and began the 3 mile trek to some waterfalls in the mountains for Pday. It was a very fun experience. I don´t have my cable to transfer pictures to the computer, so you´re going to have to wait until next week to see the awesome pictures of the baptism and waterfalls, but that´s ok! Haha! I want you all to know that I´m alright, and I look forward to reading all the letters of comfort and love... I can´t tell you how much I appreciate all of you and what you do. Kolt, THANK YOU!!! Hma. Riding... THANK YOU!!! Everyone else... Thank you so much. You mean everything to me. I love you all, and can´t wait to tell you about all the miracles and blessings next week. Pray for me, I love you all.
E. Cuthbert
No comments:
Post a Comment