Week 17: Trials of Faith

Hola! This week has been a little bit of a rough one. First of all, we thought that we were going to be able to baptize Christian and Miladys, but that didn’t end up working out. We will baptize them on the 21st, or at least that is the plan. Just a couple of frustrating things happened that weren’t necessarily their fault. A lot of things have happened this week that were very sad, but also some that were very encouraging. First of all, we had 18 lessons this week, we are getting better, and we will keep climbing. The mission wants us to focus more on lessons with members rather than investigators right now. So were working with that. It’s slow going. I have been saying that tough things have happened this week and its true. We have certainly seen the power of the Devil in Bucarica. I had an experience that I would have liked not to have had; I really hated this experience. We had a recent convert of probably about 10 months apostatize. When we stop living the commandments we forget things, and it gives the Devil room to work. This was the case. but… I don’t know. I really saw the importance of keeping the commandments and reading our scriptures all the time to guard against the attacks. She had just given up. She let her faith weaken to the point where the lightest wind blew her over. We went in her home and started teaching a lesson about Sabbath Day observance, something common that we teach less actives, this is a referral from the ward counsel. We went in and started to teach her this and she stopped us and tells us basically that she wasn’t convinced anymore that she had felt something. Then she started to throw some insults at us. Some pretty hard things and low blows with no foundation. I am not going to get specific, but as things went on, basically she said that she would return to the church but right now she felt that she couldn’t. My companion, filled with the spirit, told her that if she doesn’t return now, if she doesn’t read her scriptures and return to the church now, that she never will. I know this to be true. And a couple minutes later, she told us that she doesn’t believe that Christ is the head of this church. In that moment, the spirit left. It was offended and we were instructed to bear our testimonies, call to repentance, and leave. I’ve never seen such pride. She didn’t care. This is salvation for heavens sakes! It made me so sad and so sick. I really had a hard time. When we left I felt like sitting on the curb and crying. She said the thing that pushed her over was that the members weren’t “doing things well”, that the members didn’t live what they preach. That is NEVER an excuse. That is a lack of testimony because people with a testimony know that this is not the church of the Bishop, they find excuses and this is the most common one. So they leave, some never to come back. This was super hard. I hesitate to share this with you, because I don’t want you to think that everything is bad, because its not. There are good things every day. Lots of good lessons, and lots of good people. This is just one of those experiences that I would like not to have had.

After that, feeling as down as we did, we went to another less actives home and same situation. “I have been offended by the members”. Me and Elder Zuniga and Hermano Cuadros, he saw it in our faces. “No. Not again. Not another one.” But this time, she was open. She was open to the spirit, she was open to our teaching, but more importantly open to the Spirit. A NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE. I felt the spirit filter back into my heart from the previous experience. Like a sunrise. It filled me. It made me really appreciate it, because without the spirit I couldn’t do anything but despair. Those are strong words, but I am only describing what I felt. So that night ended pretty well. It was an experience unlike anything Elder Zuniga had had, and it was certainly something that I had never experienced. It was tough because it piled up. We were supposed to have a baptism that day and then at the time we were supposed to have the baptism that lesson with that inactive went down… It was certainly not the way that we had expected to feel that day. BUT we are looking forward to a good week with goals and making Elder Zuniga’s last week in the field a good one.

SO I have been doing the Book of Mormon challenge with you guys in Spanish. I am just a little bit behind because there are other things that I have to study, but I’m not too far, one or two chapters. I just want to share my feelings about how important this is. That we not let this opportunity, this family book of Mormon reading pass us by. It’s so important. We have set our hand at the plow. If we look back, the Devil will have the power to stop us. Don’t let it happen. Don’t give him an inch. Please. I’m just tired of watching it happen to people. I know it wont happen to you. I know you are all stronger than that. I know that this is something that you are in it to do, and you will do it. And I know for a fact, that as I live and as God lives, that you will be blessed through this. (Explanation: The Davis branch of Elder Lewis' family has begun a 90 day Book of Mormon Challenge, where we read the Book of Mormon in 90 days start to finish. We read scheduled chapters together throughout the week and discuss once a week as a larger family. It has been a great experience, and we challenge all of you reading this blog to gather your families and do the same. It will bless your lives and bring your families together through the truths of the Gospel.)  

My message is guard always from the attacks of Satan. He is constantly on each one of us. Especially those that are trying. Be strong you guys.

On a bit of a lighter note, we had a lunch today with Hermano Cuadros, He is just a wonderful member (If and when I come back to Colombia someday after my mission, he’s one of the people I want to visit.) He gave us Almuerzo, (Here that is bigger than dinner.) We were eating goat. It tasted like lamb. It was SUPER GOOD. The thing about Colombians is that when they say “do you want a little more?” be careful what you answer because I said yes and she gave me a full plate again if not more. I walked out of there barely able to walk. We called a taxi to take us home because I was dubious about whether or not I was going to be able to do it!

The Spanish is coming along well, there’s a scale that the mission uses to describe where we are at, it’s a scale of 1 to 6, 1 being able to say a couple of words, 6 being able to communicate confidently. I am at a 4 right now, I am able to communicate, I am able to have a conversation about myself, basic business, make telephone calls fairly easily, etc. There’s an Elder, Elder Robinson, that’s in La Cumbre, the area over from us, he is one transfer behind me and he is closing the gap. Right now he is understanding 50% of what he hears, right now I am able to understand almost everything I hear. There is still a lot of slang and stuff I am still picking up, but everything I read is in Spanish, and its kinda funny because me and Elder Zuniga and I will switch into Spanish and its kinda weird because I don’t even realize I am speaking Spanish. I am by no means fluent, but I am getting that way more and more everyday.

Looking forward to this next week, I hope you all are doing well. I got some great letters from you all, keep sending them! I really enjoy them. They lift my spirits. I love you all, and I hope you have a great week WITH ALL THAT SNOW! It’s nothing but green here J I’ll have to take pictures. Super pretty. Anyway, love you all and talk to you all next week. Ciao!