Saturday, April 8, 2017

A Rewarding Week

Hola Familia,                                                                                                             
This week was a pretty rewarding week in the mission field!
On Tuesday night, we held a Family Home Evening with Pedro and his family. This was actually the first time I've been to their house because they live a bit outside of Villa Mercedes and it’s a little too far for our tired legs. Of course, we watched a little bit of soccer because they are fanatics! I consider my family to be sports and Utah football junkies but they put “junkie” to a whole new level! They have trophies and sports pictures everywhere in the house. It is truly a sight to see. We ended up teaching them the Plan of Salvation and then playing a little game with the lesson. To be honest, it was one of the coolest lessons I have taught in my short time as a missionary. We had the whole family involved and Pedro was helping his family. We spent the night laughing and having a good time.  In addition, it was probably one of the most spiritual lessons I have had and the presence of the Spirit was definitely there with us.
On Sunday, they were able to attend General Conference and it was a cool site see them all together!
Another good part of the week occurred when we arrived at our lesson with Jorge and he asked me for a favor. As missionaries, we always ask people if we can do some service for them or basically anything else they need. So, when I asked him what I could do for him he told me that he wanted me to cut his hair. Jorge is a barber so I was feeling the pressure a little bit. I grabbed his clippers and scissors and cut him up real good! So, if medical school doesn't work out, Jorge promised I could find a job as a barber. LOL!
Obviously, the highlight of the week was General Conference. General Conference is basically a holiday for the missionaries because we can just relax in the chapel, watch our beloved leaders of the Church give us some awesome talks and then of course feast on all of the member’s food. During the first session on Saturday I decided to test out my Spanish skills and watch the session in Spanish. It was actually a really cool experience and I understood the majority of what the speakers were saying. The only problem was, I kept trying to read the lips of the speaker instead of listening to the Spanish translator and it screwed me up. I don't think I got as much as I could've from the talks, but it was still a great experience.
Between the afternoon session and the Priesthood session we baptized Victor (Nano) and it was an incredible experience. Especially during the last two weeks he has made a ton of progress with his knowledge of and commitment to the Church. We have also watched the ward family welcome him with open arms and this is so great because now he has more friends at church, not just his girlfriend.
I was able to perform the ordinance again and like at Pedro's baptism, the feeling I had in the font was incredible. The smile on Victor’s face when he left the water was a sight I will never forget. We shared a big hug in the font and it truly was a special moment. Before the ordinance, I suggested to him that when he was baptized, the big tattoo on his neck might wash away with the rest of his sins, but it didn't. LOL! I'm really excited to see how Victor can progress in the Church, especially with his personal testimony. The support of all the ward members will certainly help.
This week was full of rewards, great feelings and spiritual moments. Victor's baptism and General Conference were especially rewarding. I loved General Conference and at times I felt like the speaker was talking directly to me.  I especially thought the talks by Uchtdorf and Eyring were something special. We had a couple of investigators in attendance at Conference and I don't think there's a better way to help their progress than to hear from a couple of apostles. I know every week won't be filled with baptisms and awesome Conference talks but it made the week very enjoyable!
The fall weather is finally here and it is such a refreshing feeling after living through almost a full year of summer and spring!

I love you so much!
Elder Roderick 




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