Dearest,
¡No hay mucho tiempo para escribir email, siempre!
Sorry for the lack of time, as usual.
Wow upon wow this week was amazing. I cannot even remember if I told you all that last Saturday, we had proselyting!!!! Proselitismo was simply amazing and wonderful. At first, I was scared to be sure, but not too badly. Then Hermana Ríos gave us an incredible lesson and told us that God sent us to Argentina for a reason. She exhorted us to make a covenant with God, and that if we do our best to talk to people, then He will guide us to those that He has prepared to meet with us. She told us that we have friends from the premortal world waiting for us in Argentina, and that they need the gospel desperately. I cannot recount everything she taught us, but the Spirit was very strong, and we all said individual kneeling prayers before heading out into the real world for the first time.
Elder Gebs and I were in a residential area. In my estimation, it was definitely on the poor side of the spectrum -- I have never personally been to such a humble place before. The language was definitely difficult, and some people were more understandable than others . . . but all was well. The first man we talked to was very nice, but it did not really go anywhere. The second man we talked to was a mad drunk . . . he mostly just lectured me for about 45 minutes or so . . . and I only understood a portion of what he said. Mostly, he was drunk. He started off praising our church because we show love rather than anger, so I was really excited! But then he started saying that every church is true, and that God appeared to him on the street and called him to be a prophet or something. Eventually, I just forcefully excused myself and he troubled us no more. It was interesting, to be sure!!
It was somewhat difficult to approach strangers in a strange land and talk to them in a language I barely know, but wow! I am grateful to have so many opportunities here to practice teaching and even proselyting so that I can learn more and improve. I keep feeling that I could have done better on Saturday, but I feel like it was good for the first time . . .
I had one particularly powerful spiritual experience out there that I must share. We saw two boys in front of their house doing some kind of chores and struck up a little conversation. They probably thought it was strange, because we started asking about their beliefs in God and were using the formal "usted" form the whole time, because we are missionaries. I asked if we could teach them a lesson in their house, and one of the boys went to get his mother. I spoke with her right on the street for a good half hour, teaching her what I could about God and His love for us, and prayer. She was receptive enough to stay there and listen. When I introduced the Book of Mormon to her, I felt the Spirit in a very strong way that I have not quite experienced before. When I asked her if she had heard of this book before, and she said no, my heart exploded. Of course I have always known that many people know nothing of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but something just changed in me at that moment. The Book of Mormon is SOOOO important to me!!! I have learned so much about life and received so many answers to my questions by means of that book -- it has helped me so much to draw closer to God and to develop greater faith, leading to greater actions. It has helped me to repent, and feel peace. To think that people everywhere are trying to get through life without the help of the Book of Mormon is saddening to me . . . . When I read to her some paragraphs from the introduction and testified of the truth and power of the book, I felt so strongly that she and her family NEEDED the Book of Mormon. She accepted the book when I gave it to her, so that was good. I could have done so much more, though. Every day I think about what I could have done better, how I could have gotten more to the point, how I could have invited her to do more, and how I could have helped her feel the Spirit more. I am a very imperfect servant of the Lord, but I am trying to get better. Every day I have prayed that she will read the book, because I know how much it will improve the quality of her life. You should pray for Griselda, too.
When proselyting, I occasionally had the terrible feeling of being just another salesman or evangelist of some kind . . . I hope to find ways to show people that the church is far more than that, and that I am far more than that. Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ, by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Our purpose is to love, to share God´s great love, and to help people feel peace in their lives. I pray that I may become a more humble, more teachable, more effective servant of God. It is hard for me! It is hard to learn to teach the gospel effectively, in Spanish! But I am loving it so much and I feel that I am learning a ton out here. I hope that I can sow some seeds in this field that will one day ripen into better lives . . . . . . . . .
I wish I could tell you everything that happened this week, but I only have 4 minutes left in this room . . . . Yesterday, our district had an English fast for the first time! After dinner, it died. Not me, though! I only spoke about 20 English words yesterday! The gift of tongues is so real, and I realized yesterday how much I really can communicate in Spanish already. We even planned our lessons in Spanish only. I am going to do it more often!
Aaaaauuggggghhh, there is so much more to tell you, my dear friends and family! I love you. Thank you so much for the messages and prayers. Know that I am having the time of my life out here, and that I am eager to become a better missionary.
No photos today, sorry -- we are not allowed to take pictures except on every other Sunday, when people leave the CCM.
Much love, always,
--Elder Olivier
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