Week 79: Bringing in the Fruit of the Season

This week has been a bit trying. We´ve had a few investigators fall by the wayside, which always breaks your heart, but others that are prepared to keep comitments come forth. We´ve also been working hard here with Elder Goncalves. I´ve really enjoyed being his companion. He is very energetic, and teaches really well for someone with so little time in the mission.

Today was a very strange pday. We had a ward activity, in which they had a little fair with lots of fun things that people could do by paying a certain amount of fake money. One of those things was that they could enter into a room that had a sign on the door "Heaven." It was the baptismal room, and my companion and I dressed in white, and Elder Gulla and Elder Prestwich explained baptism, and showed the video of the baptism of Jesus. Then they opened the doors and Elder Goncalves and I demonstrated how a baptism is done. We then bore our testimonies, there in the font, and invited them to be baptized. It really was a great experience, and I had a lot of fun! Although it wasn´t a regular pday activity, it was very fulfilling, and the investigators and members felt the spirit. I wish we could teach baptism that way every time!

We had an investigator named Veronica pray at the end of a lesson. She said "Thank you for sending the missionaries, for you know that I prayed that they would come this morning." It was a impromptu visit, but really it was something very special. They are going to get married soon, we´ve just got to help her and Renzo. They can´t read, so we´re arranging for some members to read with them a little every day.

Ilvanis has had some hard problems this week, as her husband is choosing some alcohol over her. It´s very sad to see, as I think that they will separate now, but it´s all she´s missing to be able to be baptized. We´re going to work with the president of the Relief Society to try to help and support her, as I think she also feels lonely. But her testimony is so strong.

I hit year and a half this week. Crazy how time is passing. Crazy how many changes I´ve seen in myself, my family, and in the mission.

- I don´t think I´ve changed much physically. Just a bit more hair on my face and maybe a couple pounds more. Not much jaja

- I really have come to realize how little I knew about the gospel before the mission. I had a cool experience reading Jacob 5 in the book of mormon. It´s always been a trying chapter to understand, but I prayed for the gift of profecy and revelation to understand. It was an awesome experience when I really dug in and tried to understand. The answers came clearly, one by one, teaching me new things. I got to know my Savior better that morning. Truly, His love is infinite, and His sacrifice as well. It´s really very simple, just that I needed to understand with the spirit. That is something I´ve learned how to do better in my mission. I´m just trying to adjust my life more and more to be able to understand.

-I don´t speak very much english now days. I haven´t forgotten vocabulary, I think, but grammar is a little mixed up at times...

-I´ve really found the beauty in the doctrine of the missionary lessons. If you think that you know how the Plan of Salvation works, and how it relates to the restoration and the doctrine of Christ, think again jaja! I´m convinced that I´ll never stop learning new concepts little by little as long as I live.

-In other news, we still haven´t found the crab.

-Remember the shoes that Conrad had that we all laughed because they were pointy? I have some now. I found them in the house and had them resoled. It´s the style here, I guess jaja!

- This week on two occasions we saw people walking around with "se compra cabello" hanging on a sign around their necks. Sometimes people have to do anything to be able to eat. Keep praying for Venezuela.

-There isn´t hot water in Cúcuta, but the water comes out warm thanks to the sun that has been burning us alive in the streets this week! It´s been about 97 degrees without a cloud in the sky, 70 percent humidity. Ouch...

Well, that´s my report for this week. Was it complete? jaja I think I like this a little better, because it gives me time to think about what i´m going to say.

Anyway, I love you all, hope to hear from you! I´m praying for you, and I feel your prayers for me. Please continue to pray, because the field is extra white here in Cúcuta, and we need the Lord´s help to bring in a lot of fruit for the season. 

71 And the Lord of the vineyard said unto them: Go to, and labor in the vineyard, with your might. For behold, this is the blast time that I shall nourish my vineyard; for the end is nigh at hand, and the season speedily cometh; and if ye labor with your might with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up unto myself against the time which will soon come.

72 And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them; and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things.

73 And there began to be the natural fruit again in the vineyard;

Élder Lewis