Beliefs on a Pedestal

Hola,                                                                                                                 

Another week flew by here in Salto. Like my Pops has always said, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” And, having fun as a missionary is simply just talking to people!

The start of the week went by soooo slow though; no one was home because they were working in the fields. Also, we were without bikes for the first couple days and so we had a couple of long, hot mornings (it got up to 98 last week).  So, let´s just say time wasn’t flying during those couple of days.

Elder Roderick poses in a typical Salto backyard (Yes, that's a pig.)

On Wednesday morning, we knocked some doors for a bit and eventually came across the house of an Evangelical Pastor. We don’t know for sure if he was actually a Pastor but it sure seemed like it. The first thing he did was tell us he wasn’t going to listen to us because we are only kids and therefore, we don’t know anything. Then, he asked us how our beliefs are different from his, and he was having none of our answers. He started quoting the Bible too; trying to prove that our beliefs are wrong. It was obvious that this guy just wanted to bash with us for a bit and make us feel bad about ourselves. The Church says to avoid these situations, of course, but this guy wouldn’t leave us alone. I only tell you this because I think this was the first time I have had to really defend what I believe in. Even though the conversation went absolutely nowhere, a really different feeling came upon me. It was like the Holy Ghost was on my right shoulder helping me first understand what this man was saying and then directing me about how I should respond. I also felt a strong presence of the Adversary trying to give me doubts and let this man’s words damage my testimony. As I reflect on it, this was a unique experience for me and I’m sure there will be plenty of other people who will try to tear me down.  I will never forget the feelings I had. It was like my beliefs were on a pedestal and someone was trying to break them down.

Pancakes with Santiago & Francisco

This week we also went back out to Tropezon, which is about 45-minutes away by bicycle, to talk with our investigator, Delia.  Delia is a really sweet lady who is probably in her 50s and claims to be an “active” Catholic. We taught a lot about prophets in our last lesson with her so we finished with that topic and then taught her about Priesthood authority and the Book of Mormon. All of these topics were very different things for her. I felt like part of our lesson was a little rocky, but Delia loves the thought of a living prophet. I eventually gave her the baptismal invitation and since she’s already baptized as a Catholic, we emphasized the Priesthood authority that we have and why that is important. Eventually she accepted! Yay!!

Uncle Alberto, Daniel & Elder Roderick 

We also had a great lesson with Daniel and his wife. Daniel is a total goofball and he loves to chat about whatever comes to his mind. Fortunately, his wife always keeps him in check. She has been reading in the Book of Mormon and she really likes it! They are such a humble family and they don’t have much, but they are always so happy with their two little kids. Teaching them has made me realize what is actually important in this life and what we should be focused on. We taught them the Gospel of Jesus Christ and really emphasized repentance and baptism so they can keep preparing for their baptism day. They are really accepting to everything we teach and there truly is a special Spirit present when we teach them. Also, their Uncle joined us during their lesson and he loved all that we were teaching and he wants to be baptized too! In fact, HE asked us if he could be baptized; we didn’t ask him. What a blessing!

This weekend we had the opportunity to have President and Hermana Goates with us for a special capacitation to introduce the new Christmas theme.  Yes, Christmas! It was so weird to be talking about it but the holidays are coming and missionaries have to work even harder during that time!

Also, this weekend we had our Stake Conference and we had the wonderful opportunity to hear from the President Goates and his wife, as well as the President of the Cordoba Temple. It was a great meeting and it felt so nice to be in the big chapel with a great number of people. However, the only bad thing about Stake Conference was that not many people from Salto could attend because it was so far away L. Even so, the meeting was way fun and it’s always great to spend time with President and Hermana Goates.

This week in my studies I came across a quote from Spencer W. Kimball that I have learned to love.

“It´s not as much what we know that is important, as what we do and what we are.”

This quote can apply to everyone because at some point in our lives we have felt inadequate or out of place (like me every day in Argentina) but we can show people so much with just our actions and how we carry ourselves. I know that as I’ve tried to learn the Spanish language I will probably never speak perfectly, but how I conduct myself will show people how much I care for them.

I’m so grateful for the opportunity I have every day to be a missionary and just help people. I feel the hand of the Lord help me every day and it’s such a wonderful feeling. 

¡Hasta Luego!

Elder Roderick