Monday, February 4, 2013

Be Positive :)

So I forgot to mention that I included those statistics about references and baptisms because we have a perfect example of it. Diego, a friend of the Grau family (21 years old) has been coming to church for the past few weeks. We finally taught him, and he said he felt the Spirit. He really wants to find the truth, and we explained how to ask and receive an answer. The next time we taught him, he said he felt that this church was true! He doesn´t want to get baptized until he knows he can come to church every week, which is a struggle with his family opposition. But we are heading in the right direction. He is so smart, especially since he has already been reading and learning a lot. When teaching the plan of salvation, not many people (including members) can tell you what we need in order to have agency (law, opposition, knowledge, ability to choose). Mauricio was excited to have his interview for the Priesthood, but he had to work very late Saturday night and could not come to church. 

Besides them, we have a LOT more investigators, which is great! I haven´t had this many people to teach my whole time here in Amambay, so it is good to feel that again. One of those we found this week because during Elder Knudsen said he remembered findng an alley where he felt there was someone who needed us, and I decided we should go look for it again. It was in an area I had just been to a couple weeks ago during exchanges, but didn´t notice the entrance. There we found Julio, who recently lost his job because of breaking his arm and has lost contact with his family. He said he was in an awful situation and we arrived just in time to help. He already seems happier and has a couple job opportunities. The Lord works miracles! (2 Nephi 26:12-13). We also have Francisco, who seemed very opposed to us because he doesn´t agree with many of our "restrictions" and has a cousin who came home early from a mission. But after talking and explaining why we have those commandments (prophets/restoration) along with the personal blessings we have received, he opened up and says he has always wanted to make some changes, like quitting smoking, and hopes we can help him. Another testament to me of why we shouldn´t just teach the same robotic first lesson each time. We should listen and see what they need, then explain how the Restored Gospel can help them.

Things are improving with my companion. He has had a lot of success in his mission, and with some of the things he does, I often wonder how. Haha, but he does do a lot of things very well, and I am learning from him, the scriptures, and other experiences every day. Also, I just found out his grandmother is named Elisa Arguello! She is a member and has Spanish ancestry...would you be able to find out if we are related?

Another random question: I am always interested in learning about other religions, and there are a lot of 7th day Adventists here. I hear that they are either a branch of our church or have a restoration story similar to ours. But that makes me wonder why they have more members than us. I´d love to know what Wikipedia says about what they believe and where they came from.

The pedometer works a lot better. I now know that we walk about 6-8 miles a day. And Saturday...was the hottest day of my life. But that is okay, I am adjusting! Really, this has been one of my best weeks here. I got to do a baptismal interview for a 17-year-old who already wants to serve a mission. That was a fun experience. We also had our monthly meeting with the Stake President, which I always enjoy. He talked about how we can work more with the ward to help our investigators and recent converts to family history and temple work, something I have always wanted to incorporate more into our teaching. He also emphasized the importance of teaching tithing so that people learn to trust in the Lord and stay active, along with always being positive about our leaders and members here (sometimes a problem in certain wards). He really is an incredible leader. 

So, that is my advice for this week. Be positive! We all have troubles, but if we have faith in Christ, we really will make it through everything and receive more blessings than we can imagine. Sometimes I wish those would come sooner, but I know I am where I am because there are things I need to learn. Thanks for staying in touch. Love you lots!

-Elder Wesley Morgan

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