Saturday, December 16, 2017

“You Just Got to Have Faith, Brother”

¡Familia!                                                                                                              
Here in San Luis, we have what is called “Merendero” which translates to “afternoon snack.”  Merendero is provided by the government for the children on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. There is a designated house in every neighborhood which receives the food and hands it out to the children. So, since the missionaries are still technically “children,” we tried to get on the list for a free afternoon snack, but it didn’t work. So, we talked to the people who are in charge of the Merendero and they made us “exceptions” to the rule. Haha! So, now in almost every neighborhood we work in, we get a free afternoon snack on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The “two lost Gringos” are really making their way up in San Luis!
The BIG event that happened this week is that we traveled to San Juan for a capacitación (training) from Alan Packer, the son of Apostle Boyd K. Packer. Elder Packer is a 70 from the Area and it was a great experience to be with one of the Church leaders and just feel the spirit that he carries with him. We received capacitación from Elder Packer, his wife and President and Sister Panzacchi for the entire day.  We talked about the faith that is necessary in missionary work. We also talked about the importance of the Holy Ghost as our third companion in the companionship and what we can do to have this gift with us all the time.  Then, Elder Packer gave us some tips about how to teach so our investigators understand our message and the doctrine.  We received a lot of helpful instruction in a short amount of time, which made my head feel like it was exploding but it was a great experience to be with one the inspired leaders of our church. Due to our travels, I also got to sleep in my old pench in Krause and I was able to hook up with some homies in my last area.
Our travels also made our work week in San Luis shorter than usual. Even so, we are seeing some great progress with Matias and Dalma, who are the children of a less active member of our ward.  Our lessons with them are so great because they are very interested in our message. When Dalma was younger, she studied the Bible with the Jehova’s Witnesses so she has a lot of knowledge about their point of view. We met them because they asked us for a blessing because Matias quit his job because he is troubled by depression.  So, now they are trying to get everything back in order in their lives and gain a better relationship with God. Dalma also knows a little bit of English so it’s always fun to chat with her in English.  Our lessons are so spiritual and it just seems like they have been prepared for our message!
On Sunday, during our Gospel Principles class, two things happened. First, one of the investigators asked us what our life is like as missionaries and wanted to know how it is possible that we have the Spirit with us, a smile on our faces and such a powerful presence. For some reason, everyone looked at me to answer.  So, I answered by talking about all of the blessings we receive as missionaries.  I also talked about the power of prayer.  As missionaries, we pray a ton and I have no doubt that prayer helps us have such a powerful and special presence.  This experience has made me appreciate how cool it is that people can actually feel the Spirit when we are around.
Next, during the class, Juan, our recent convert, talked about all of the changes he’s made and he told us that his friends have noticed that he is truly different.  Early in our relationship with him, we had a cool experience that shows how he is an influence and example to his friends.  Once when we were having a lesson with him at his home, one of his friends came by.  The friend asked Juan if he had to pay for our lessons and Juan humbly responded, “No, you just gotta have faith, Brother.” Juan’s friends have noticed his change and they want to be more like him. I love Juan’s phrase and I am so excited to see the progress that Juan will make.
 
Have a great week! All my love,

Elder Roderick    

#ILUMINAELMUNDO





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