¡Yo! What’s up, Fam?
Well, another week in the mission is in the books! In Mendoza, we’ve been enjoying the beautiful fall weather. The colorful, falling leaves remind me of the beauty we also enjoy in Utah during the changing seasons.
This week I went on two exchanges with two very different missionaries and during each, I learned a powerful lesson. On Tuesday, I was with one of my best friends in the mission, Elder Schelly. We were in the MTC together but haven’t crossed paths very much during our service. So, during our work together we were able to catch up and share with what has happened on our missions. Elder Schelly is currently the Assistant and we had a great day together. Legit! Tuesday was one of the most memorable days of my mission. We spent the entire day trying to find people to teach by knocking doors and we met a lot of awesome people. In the mission, we are focusing on being “master teachers” by teaching condensed 15-minute lessons that simplify the doctrine and we finish each lesson with a prayer on our knees. The purpose of our short and simple lessons is to bring and leave the Spirit in the homes we enter. At one point during the day we were walking along and we saw a picture of Jesus on a door so, of course, we knocked on it. An 80-year old woman answered. During my experiences in the mission, I haven’t had the best of luck with elderly people, but Norma changed my mind. We walked into her home and immediately began to teach her about the Restoration. We quickly realized that Norma was golden! We also taught her about the Apostasy and she clearly understood the concept that Christ’s church slipped away from the earth after His death. We left her with a Book of Mormon and before we left, she humbly prayed and asked God for an answer about the truthfulness of our message. Norma’s was one do the most powerful prayers I’ve heard while serving. With tears in her eyes, she gave each of us a huge hug and we left. All of this happened during a quick yet powerful 15-minute lesson. My experience with Norma taught me that the Lord truly prepares people for us to teach. Norma was able to attend church on Sunday and she is progressing quickly.
The other exchange I had was with Elder Vallincourt. He is from New Hampshire and arrived in Argentina two short months ago. During the lesson we had together, we taught about the Book of Mormon. Prior to it, he provided me with some background information about the investigators we were about to teach and his plan for the lesson. Then, very humbly, he said, “I don’t really know how to teach this lesson very well or invite them to read the Book of Mormon. My Spanish is limited but I do have a testimony of the Book of Mormon, so we should be fine.” We went to the lesson, taught in a very simple way and in very limited Spanish, Elder Vallincourt bore a powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon. Then, we left. While walking away, I was reminded of the scripture in Alma 37:6 which reads, “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.” During this lesson, I was taught that it doesn’t matter how much Spanish we know or how well we know the doctrine. A simple testimony can be the most powerful teaching tool.
These two exchanges couldn’t have been more different but each provided me with an opportunity to learn a powerful lesson. One was with one of the most experienced missionaries in the mission, the Assistant. Together we confidently used our experience in the mission to teach a powerful lesson but I learned an important lesson from young Elder Vallincourt as well. From him I learned the importance of simplifying things and just teaching through our sincere and simple testimonies.
On Sunday night, it was stormy and dark outside but we were searching for people to teach and we met David. Upon our encounter, we quickly learned that due to some false accusations against him, he is on house-arrest. So, while locked in his home, David started to read the Bible. Prepared with knowledge from his reading, David was able to have a great conversation with us about the prophets of God and their role. We also talked about the love Jesus has for all of his brothers and sisters, which is something we know assuredly because He visited the Americas. When we talked about this principle, David’s mind was blown away because this was such new principle to him. I’m confident David was prepared to receive our message and he’ll progress as time allows. I swear that the best people are often found at 9:00 at night, on our return trip to our pench, when it’s dark outside and no one is outside!
Everything is going well in Mendoza! Have a great week!
Elder Roderick
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