Sunday, July 1, 2018

April 23, 2018 ~ Transfer 15, Week 3

So this may be fairly short. But I know I never usually write that little haha.

Last Monday some members took us in their car to Masca and to Los Gigantes. Look them up on Google. In Tenerife. Super super cool. The pictures will do more justice than my words.

So things this week have been interesting. We did an intercambio with La Palma. And besides that we've just been searching like crazy to find new people to teach. We have probably one investigator that is actually progressing so we will see how that goes.

On the intercambio, I got to do some baptismal interviews for two of La Palma's investagators. It was very interesting. We headed to the hotel where they meet for church (they still don't have a space to meet yet and it's a group led by one of the missionaries, it's not a branch). And it was a totally new experience. Let me explain the details of the situation. We are in a "local", like an event area of a hotel which is kind of run down, with make shift walls that you can move around as you like. We had a tablet and we skyped in with the Madagascar office elders. I interviewed the mom and we did the interview in a Malgasy. How crazy. I tried to look up some words to say to them just to show them that I cared but it's a really hard language hahaha. I couldn't understand anything. It's like a mix of Spanish, French and some sort of island language haha. It sounds way complicated. So we started the interview and I would say something and then the elders over there would translate. The interview took quite a while but in the end everything was understood and good. The baptismal record was also really hard to fill out with the language barrier hahaha. But all good in the end. And then I interviewed the daughter and she got me good haha. She's a funny one. I asked her to say the first prayer and she told me to say it. So I did. And then the interview went great and then while ending she asked me to say the closing prayer and then after starting the prayer I thought to myself... "wait a second..." hahaha. She got me good. She won haha. But they are super cool. And we are super excited for their baptism.

On Saturday, we did the preach my gospel class with two of the youth after playing soccer. We talked about presenting the scriptures in lessons and practiced it again (we talked about it last week too). Then we got ready quickly and tried to make it to a family's home to eat...well the bus schedule was wrong on the application and we told them that we would be there late and they weren't happy. Or at least it seemed like it. But we took the bus to where we thought they lived and the address that we had is their old address (the previous missionaries hadn't changed the pin...for almost 6 months!). It's about 3-5 mins away from their new address in car. And so we get to the wrong address and tell them we are there and they weren't happy haha. So they came to get us in their car. And as elder Hydrick talked to them on the phone to figure out where the address was and they were getting upset with us, Elder Hydrick slipped on a slanted driveway and while getting back up he hits his head hard on some metal bars that surrounded a window on the ground floor. Ouch. And he already had a headache and we were hangry already haha. It was hilarious.

Also we may have eating bread that ants had been on...I didn't know that but my companion told me after haha. Apparently the person realized that ants were on the bread and they just banged it on the table and then cut it to eat it. So that's fun haha :)

A little thought, (If you are just going to read one verse read 27). 
Here's a little story from my reading this week. Ammon is told by his brother Aaron that he's boasting too much. And this is Ammon's response:

Alma 26:10-12, 16, 27, 37
10 And it came to pass that when Ammon had said these words, his brother Aaron rebuked him, saying: Ammon, I fear that thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting.

11 But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.

12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

16 Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.

27 Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.

37 Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth.

I love verse 27. Missionary work is hard. Especially when you don't see the fruits of your labors. And when they were about to turn back the Lord comforted them and told them to go back and be patient. The Lord doesn't just give everything to us. We have to work for it. And even if we are continually rejected or things don't work out or people fail on us, etc. we just need to keep putting in our effort so that we can say we did our part. And maybe somewhere down the road something will come of it. We never know. But the success that we have is with consistent, diligent effort to do what has been asked of us. Even when it's hard. Even when you don't see anything changing. Even when you are doing everything you possibly can. We put in the work and the Lord chooses to pace that the work moves.

Have a great week!
Elder Openshaw

1,2,3) at La Masca and Los Gigantes




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