first the bad, the family we had plans to baptize this last week ended up drinking coffee last week, so we werent able to baptize them, but we are going to baptize them this saturday if everything works out. we had a really really good noche de hogar last night with the samayoa family, and the father of this family shared an experience that was really good. he loves coffee to start off. loves it. when we found out last week he had been drinking it, we kind of had a sit down and really explained everything, and i told him that he could do it and that God would help him if he had the desire to quit. i told him if he ever has the temptation to drink it, he could call us or sing a hymn or read the scriptures and everything would be okay and he would be able to overcome it. he told us yesterday morning someone put a cup of coffee right in front of him. right in front of him. he told us he picked it up and put it back down atleast 3 times, before he finally decided to call hermano samayoa. turns out he didnt answer his phone. he then decided to read the scriptures. he said he was reading and everything just went away. all the temptation and everything was just gone. super cool story, and super cool experience for him that was definitely a testimony builder for him. i call them every night and every night i ask them, han tomado cafe hoy? or have you drank coffee today? and he always first laughs, then jokes and says yes or something funny, and then thanks me and continues to tell me that he hasnt drank it. we should have some baptism pictures next week if everything works out, which it will, and it will be the first family baptism in a while for the missionaries of la hermosa!
now for the good news, i got word today that it looks like i am going to be training a new missionary this next change! bueno, de hecho he wont be a newby newby, but i will be finishing the second half of his training. (you guys have no idea how bad my english is. i have to review these letters a few times to make sure i didnt start writing in spanish) not sure who it is, and not sure what area we are going to be in, but its going to be very interesting!
anyways, sorry i didnt write yesterday! up until sunday we had plans to go to panahachel on tuesday with the zone, but then on sunday they changed it and we ended up going to antigua again yesterday! still fun! antigua is like the tourist capital of guatemala. there are so many white people there, and they all look at us like we are some strange animal! a lot of europeans as well! super fun, and good to just get out of our area for a minute and explore some more!
just want to share a quick story about a convert we had. he was a kid, 18 years old with some sort of disorder (something along the lines of schizophrenia) who was baptized this last june. we had been visiting him and trying to get him to go to church, becuase his mom and brother attend a different church. not going to lie, he was super weird. super weird. but we always just tried to be nice and share the gospel and what not. the other night, we passed by to see if he was there, and his brother told us he had died. we didnt beleive him for one second, but it really hapenned. i guess what had hapenned is he went to the store and bought some rat poison and decided to eat it. not sure if it was intentional or not, but he got really really sick, to the point where they took him to the hospital. the doctors finally said that it got to the point where they couldnt do anything, and he finally just told his mom that he was tired and wanted to go to sleep, and ended up passing away not to much long after that. the point im trying to get at, is that you cant tell me that all of this was in the plan of our heavenly father. for those of you who know what schizophrenia is, its crazy. and these people dont really understand a whole lot, and they change drastically. for him to have been baptized this last june, and then to have died last week, you cant tell me that wasnt in the plan of God for him to be able to have the saving ordinance of a baptism before he passed away. just a spiritual thought that God lives. sometimes we dont always see right away the miracles in our lives, but they are there.
sorry this is kind of a long email today, but to end i just want to talk about one more thing. i was listening to a talk in church on sunday, and a guy was talking about how there are 2 types of members. those active in the church, and those active in the gospel of jesus christ. those active in the church, go to church. maybe magnify your calling and pretty much just call it good going to church. those active in the gospel live it. live the commandments of god. fulfil your calling. continue working and progressing in this life to prepare to meet god. those who have a true conversion to the gospel of jesus christ live it, they dont just attend church. i know that if you guys live the gospel, and do more than just attend church, you will start to see the blessings in your life immediately. hope you all have a wonderful week, enjoy the sunshine, and who knows where i will be the next time i write! love you all!
Elder Slaymaker
No comments:
Post a Comment