How to Insult Investigators in 10 syllables or Less

First of all....name that movie and we`ll be best friends forever.  But this week was a good week and can best be described in two occurances.  The best:  We got to have a meeting with Elder Bednar!  It was a lot different than what I had expected.  It was almost all Q&A, with him asking questions or us.  It was incredible and such an exquisite joy to be able to feel the Spirit testify that he truly is an apostle of God, just like the original apostles of Jesus Christ.  Like it says in the 6th aricle of faith, "We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists and so forth."  I also got to see many friends that are serving in other missions.

  The worst of the week: Yesterday, we went out with an older couple in the ward who are always gung-ho to share the gospel with the whole world, which is good, but there are times they need to be more prudent in the way they do it.  We went to visit a family, and it was the first time we were going to visit them, so we are asking a few questions and they say that the father and daughter are studying Judaism.  And this member asks, "but you believe is Christ right?"  And they respond, no.  So this member tries to tell them why that is wrong, and is so outspoken that he doesn`t ever let them finish talking before interrupting them and saying why that belief is misguided.  The whole time he was saying things that were quite on the line of being offensive and making fun.  Luckily, the family wasn`t contentious and took it all, but I felt so awful at the end.  I left feeling so ashamed and wanted to go back and apologize for that.  Just a reminder to all, criticizing or poking fun at another`s beliefs is NEVER ok.  Just because it is different, or may seem ridiculous to one, it is genuine and important to another.  Using another article of faith, "We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God, according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship, how, where, or what they may" 

 Well that`s all for this week!  Have a splendid 7 days!

 

(from her private email to me about Elder Bednar's visit:

...it was awesome.  I felt like laughing, crying, I felt such an immense joy of being in his presence and I got to see him very close up as he was leaving.)

On the Family

So this week, the Garcia Family was finally baptized, after 2 long months of teaching, helping, explaining, almost begging, they were finally baptized this Saturday, it was so happy to see them entering in the waters of baptism as a family, but let me give you a little insight to the journey.

 

 

   When we first found the Garcia Fam. they fought baptism on the basis that they had already been baptized.  We explained and invited and they said they would read and ask God is the Book of Mormon was true.  After 2 weeks, the father`s sister made a negative comment about the church which didn`t affect him, but had a big impact on the mom.  From that moment until this past week, it has been a fight to stay in contact and teach to help them gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon.  Then the mom`s sister came who is really Catholic and didn`t want her sister to be associated with any other religion.  For two weeks we fought with that, trying to stay in contact, teach, while she wasn`t to open to talk to us.  During all this time, the dad and son, were on board and wanted to get baptized. 

  Finally after almost a month, we were able to find them all together and the mom said that she hadn`t read, that she`s catholic and has been going to the catholic church.  We taught and at the end invited her to read and pray to know.  The next visit, we invited them again to be baptized.  A few days later, we brought the Zone Leaders and they interviewed them (for more than an hour).  When they finally got done, they told us that they decided they would be baptized that Saturday.  So this Saturday, they entered as a family into the church.

 

Now, many times during this journey, we had to consider the possibility that the mom wouldn`t decide to get baptized and what we would do. We really didn`t want to baptize only part of the family.  The family is the important element of the gospel, we are doing the work of salvation which ends in the temple.  We always start with the father, we never purposely divide a family.  We want eternal families, our goal is to bless families, not create division or baptize children that will eventually drift away.  We believe in blessing families and helping them becoming eternal families.  We do NOT baptize kids or teens by themselves, never.  Unless they are part-member families.  We can`t even teach a family unless the father participates and much less baptize without the dad.  I am so grateful for the perspective we have on the temple and I know that the gospel blesses families and that the families can be eternal "through Heavenly Father`s plan"  I love you all!  Have a great week! 

contemplating life?

Yummy sub sandwich

Baptism for Garcia Family

District Hermanas

Zone Activity

Worn out shoes

The Amazing Spider-Man

  So highlights of the week.  I got my very first spider bite, that I remember.  I didn`t even know what it was, it looked kinda like zit, but it was on my leg and was really red and it hurt.  But a member told me that it was spider bite, so obviously I was super excited thinking that I was going to start seeing better and shooting webs from my wrists....but she healed it (it was infected) and so far I haven`t experienced any heightened senses :(

  Other than that, we had a Mult-Zone Conference, I got to see Elder Halverson and we actually got to talk for a bit for the first time in a year of being in the same mission, it was awesome.

   We are also teaching a guy from the US so he speaks English, so I have to try and speak English, and I say try, because it`s really hard, all though who are serving/have served in other countries are going to understand....I can`t speak English anymore.

   Lastly, we played Monopoly today as a district.....I lost :( like always, but it was a good time, we were laughing the whole time, a lot of jokes that white people aren`t going to understand, but one that you all can appreciate, one of the hermanas rolled the dice and knocked over a bunch of houses that were on a property, so we all laughed and one of the zone leaders said "Geez hermana, calm down, acting all like `I CAME IN LIKE A WRECKING BALL`"  It was a good moment.  But that`s about it for this week.  I actually have pictures to send this week, but unfortunately, this computer doesn`t have anywhere to put a USB......maybe next week.  Love you all!

You Better Run, You Better Take Cova

The title has little to do with my week, that song was just playing outside and I`ve grow to like it quite a bit because they play it quite frequently here.  

   Nothing of consequence happened this week.  Other than me learning a bit of Portugese....I`m on my way to being Brazilian.  

   Also, I never take pictures anymore......I`ll try to get better at that.

 

Have a Great Week!  

I Want to Get Away, I Wanna Flyyy Awayyy

  No just kidding, I don`t want to get away, but I went to the airport this week for the first time in almost a year since I got here to Peru, it was crazy remembering how I saw it all when I first arrived, how new everything was, how different it all was, and how normal it is to me now.  It`s a happy-strange thing.    But being in the airport is obviously going to bring some emotions to travel, well at least if you`re me.  Not wanting to go home, just traveling in general....also, I`ve decided that the best place to find a husband is in the airport, just a tip for all you single ladies ;)  

   Other than that, transfers were this week, basically it worked out like this "I am here, you are here, you are me and we are all together"  If you know what I mean, if you don`t know what I mean.....educate yourself.  But I stayed here, my companion too, only our district leader got transferred from our district.   Our new district leader plays the violin.....you have no idea how lovely it is to have someone musical, that can sing bass/tenor and can follow me on the piano.....  :`) so nice.  

   In other news......the hermanas in the zone all went shopping today at an outlet mall.  I`ve decided Outlet Mall is a synonym for "bargain shopping for millionaires"  It`s all expense and nobody bought anything.  

  Other than that,  I can`t think of much else that happened, just working, searching, growing and learning everyday!  Love you all!