¡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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