The highlight of the week was probably the good ole B-Day! It´s fun once a year to eat cake and have people sing to you. I wasn´t expecting anything this year since I haven´t really told anyone, but people are so good. The day started out normal, I opened the package from home after the studies (candy and peanut butter baby!) and then all was normal. The zone leaders called me from MLC and all the zone leaders and assistants and President and Sister Rios sang to me, which was pretty unique! We had a few good visits in the afternoon, just like normal, and then the festivities started. We had agreed to go to a member´s house for a "little piece of cake" before dinner. Well, it was a little more than that. Tons of sweets and cake and Inca Kola and a few people from the ward all came and sang and it was sweet. We got full. And then we had dinner! My pensionista had asked me what I wanted, I was feeling like I wanted to be different, so I told her cuy. Not everyone can say they ate guinea pig for their birthday dinner right?? She had also made a cake, so we filled our full bellies with dinner and Coca Cola and more cake haha. AND THEN! An investigator just found out and bought us a whole other cake! I´m amazed at how good and loving people are, and am eternally grateful to Heavenly Father for letting me be around such good people.
We´ve had a few interesting discussions this week as well. Lots of people who, it feels like, want to kind of get contentious. It´s just misunderstanding really, but people get frustrated when there´s misunderstanding haha. It´s been a great experience to try to help people understand the doctrine of the priesthood and the idea of one true church and gospel, as well as the ordinances of baptism and the sacrament. Really trying to focus on their needs, try to give Christlike answers and be a Christlike person. The Holy Ghost is such a necessary part of this work. Sometimes, it´s easy as a missionary to feel that guide and know what he´s telling us. Other times, we just have to trust Elder Bednar´s statement that we don´t have to know we´re receiving revelation to receive revelation, and that if we just be good and do our best in planning and discerning, we´ll say the right things! It´s been an interesting thing to be apart of, and I´m continually learning more.
I´m well aware of the start of college football fall camp, and respectfully ask that anyone and everyone with any college football news, especially BYU related, to send that news to me. The schedule especially haha. It´s better to get the same report 5 times than to not get it at all. That is all. :)
To close, we´ve had a crazy week with our couple of recent converts. Isela, the mom, called me Saturday night and let me know that Carlos, the dad, was drinking with his brothers and dad. She was just devestated and upset with him for that decision and on the brink of tears! We got that news and really started praying and pondering to know what to do. I also called an audible on my fasting purpose haha (can you do that??). Well, the next day, Isela showed up at church with her three kids. Fast and testimony meeting. She gets up, near the end, and bears this testimony that had everyone in the Branch Council talking. "Did you hear Isela´s testimony?? That was so good! Wow, she´s so strong!" It was so good to hear that testimony and see the Holy Ghost guiding her along the path of conversion. We´re gonna keep on working with Carlos and see if he can use this humbling moment to draw even closer to Heavenly Father and really feel the power of Christ´s atonement.
Thank you all for the letters and prayers and everything! Hope you have great weeks!
Elder Hart
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| Showing off a few of the presents and remembering fall camp and the approaching start of college football at the same time. |
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