Hey Family,
I can't believe it has really been an entire week since the last time I read your letters and was able to write you about that crazy wedding and baptism. Good news, Eliceo got the priesthood this Sunday which is always awesome to witness as a missionary becuase that means more people will be building the kingdom of God on the earth. Just to let you all know, YES I finally got my birthday package after waiting a month and a half for it. Thanks for the beautiful letters and homemade birthday cards, I think my favorite was mom's coloring book page of how the Beatles got started, I laughed for more than a while! Anyways, I'm glad you had a good vacation over there in San Fran and Oakland even though you didn't find yourself in the best of circumstances. Now you know how I felt for about 2 months in the field when I was the only white person around and they all were speaking a language I couldn't even understand. Sometimes I feel like we are also in dangerous circumstances in the mission, mostly dog troubles and crying drunk guys who want to kiss me, but I know our Heavenly Father protects us, especially if we are doing the right things and trying to serve him with all our heart.
So this week wasn't one with a ton of news. Monday I got my package and we were able to play some ping pong, shoot some hoops with the only other gringo in the zone, and just hang out for awhile. Soccer (football) is now strictly prohibited thanks to my dear Elder Juan Uceda. When he came to visit the mission about two months ago he gave that new rule to our mission president and said that here in south america soccer is a contact sport that we shouldn't play as missionaries because... well the Lord says so, so just do it. It's kind of funny to hear the mission president talk to us about that rule becuase he absolutely loves soccer. He told us that he was talking to Elder Uceda on the phone and was like, "You know what, I don't understand at all your rule, but I'll be obedient." To which Elder Uceda responded, "You will be blessed for your obedience." Now our mission president is like "Well it's been two months and I'm still waiting for my blessings!!!!!" I think our lives are like that a lot of times. There are some commandments, rules, meetings and what not that we just don't understand but our Father in Heaven is just testing our obedience. If we're not humble we might just be obedient but with bad feelings and we won't see the blessings. But if were are humble, meek and mild we will definately see our blessings more than we can count.
The biggest story from this week has to be the support we've been getting from our branch. I think this was the first time a branch has actually done what the Area Presidency has asked them to do. I don't know if this plan exists in Utah but here the wards are supposed to give us 15 families where not everybody are members so that we can reactivate and baptize with the help of the ward. They actually gave us their 15 families this week and they are more than willing to help us out with some members that have fallen away and baptize their family members. I'm really excited to work with them becuase that is so much more effective than knocking doors and talking with the same people every week who really don't want to accept the gospel.
One of those families was a kid who got baptized when he was like 16 and was active for like three years. He went away to work and then went inactive. As time went by he knew he had to go back to church but felt uncomfortable with the members he hadn't seen for three years. What would they say? What would they think about me? Would I be accepted by them even though I've been inactive for so long? So he didn't ever go back. He met a girl and had a baby with her. He got into a really bad car accident about two months ago and had to have titanium bars placed in his leg to heal it. He still can't walk or work. We visited them the other night and we met the girl he's living with. The girl is really awesome and wants to listen to us really bad. The guy, Luis, was really grateful and I think one day they will get married and she'll get baptized.
That experience made me think of a few talks in the April general conference. How are we helping the less active come back to church? Do they know that we still love them and care about them? Or are we judgemental of those who have lost their way and gossip about the weaknesses of others? I hope we can all extend a warm hand of friendship and love to all those that live in our wards and help them come to the Savior. I love general conference talks. I'm reading them again this week and I feel like I understand them better. We'll have District conference this week and from what I heard from mom that regional conference with Elder Perry and Elder Clayton was filled with the spirit. I invite you all to prepare yourselves for this upcoming October general conference. Try to listen to all of it, every single session, live. I know it might be a sacrifice but I promise you that you'll recieve revelation.
That's about it. I can't wait to see you all in November. I was thinking about doing that tour of Peru with the Parents but have decided it would be better to go to my best friend's wedding and see the whole family at the airport.
Love,
Your Elder
Richie
I can't believe it has really been an entire week since the last time I read your letters and was able to write you about that crazy wedding and baptism. Good news, Eliceo got the priesthood this Sunday which is always awesome to witness as a missionary becuase that means more people will be building the kingdom of God on the earth. Just to let you all know, YES I finally got my birthday package after waiting a month and a half for it. Thanks for the beautiful letters and homemade birthday cards, I think my favorite was mom's coloring book page of how the Beatles got started, I laughed for more than a while! Anyways, I'm glad you had a good vacation over there in San Fran and Oakland even though you didn't find yourself in the best of circumstances. Now you know how I felt for about 2 months in the field when I was the only white person around and they all were speaking a language I couldn't even understand. Sometimes I feel like we are also in dangerous circumstances in the mission, mostly dog troubles and crying drunk guys who want to kiss me, but I know our Heavenly Father protects us, especially if we are doing the right things and trying to serve him with all our heart.
So this week wasn't one with a ton of news. Monday I got my package and we were able to play some ping pong, shoot some hoops with the only other gringo in the zone, and just hang out for awhile. Soccer (football) is now strictly prohibited thanks to my dear Elder Juan Uceda. When he came to visit the mission about two months ago he gave that new rule to our mission president and said that here in south america soccer is a contact sport that we shouldn't play as missionaries because... well the Lord says so, so just do it. It's kind of funny to hear the mission president talk to us about that rule becuase he absolutely loves soccer. He told us that he was talking to Elder Uceda on the phone and was like, "You know what, I don't understand at all your rule, but I'll be obedient." To which Elder Uceda responded, "You will be blessed for your obedience." Now our mission president is like "Well it's been two months and I'm still waiting for my blessings!!!!!" I think our lives are like that a lot of times. There are some commandments, rules, meetings and what not that we just don't understand but our Father in Heaven is just testing our obedience. If we're not humble we might just be obedient but with bad feelings and we won't see the blessings. But if were are humble, meek and mild we will definately see our blessings more than we can count.
The biggest story from this week has to be the support we've been getting from our branch. I think this was the first time a branch has actually done what the Area Presidency has asked them to do. I don't know if this plan exists in Utah but here the wards are supposed to give us 15 families where not everybody are members so that we can reactivate and baptize with the help of the ward. They actually gave us their 15 families this week and they are more than willing to help us out with some members that have fallen away and baptize their family members. I'm really excited to work with them becuase that is so much more effective than knocking doors and talking with the same people every week who really don't want to accept the gospel.
One of those families was a kid who got baptized when he was like 16 and was active for like three years. He went away to work and then went inactive. As time went by he knew he had to go back to church but felt uncomfortable with the members he hadn't seen for three years. What would they say? What would they think about me? Would I be accepted by them even though I've been inactive for so long? So he didn't ever go back. He met a girl and had a baby with her. He got into a really bad car accident about two months ago and had to have titanium bars placed in his leg to heal it. He still can't walk or work. We visited them the other night and we met the girl he's living with. The girl is really awesome and wants to listen to us really bad. The guy, Luis, was really grateful and I think one day they will get married and she'll get baptized.
That experience made me think of a few talks in the April general conference. How are we helping the less active come back to church? Do they know that we still love them and care about them? Or are we judgemental of those who have lost their way and gossip about the weaknesses of others? I hope we can all extend a warm hand of friendship and love to all those that live in our wards and help them come to the Savior. I love general conference talks. I'm reading them again this week and I feel like I understand them better. We'll have District conference this week and from what I heard from mom that regional conference with Elder Perry and Elder Clayton was filled with the spirit. I invite you all to prepare yourselves for this upcoming October general conference. Try to listen to all of it, every single session, live. I know it might be a sacrifice but I promise you that you'll recieve revelation.
That's about it. I can't wait to see you all in November. I was thinking about doing that tour of Peru with the Parents but have decided it would be better to go to my best friend's wedding and see the whole family at the airport.
Love,
Your Elder
Richie
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