Last One! July 30 ~ Transfer 17, Week 5

Hi everyone!

Well this is it. I'll be home in a week. I'm sure it will go by fast just as the whole 2 years has gone by so fast. This week we had intercambios with the elders on la Palma in la Palma so that was fun. Flying to get to intercambios and taking a series of buses to make it all happen isn't all that fun though. But we had some really great experiences with the elders in La Palma and we  even had District meeting in McDonald's. That was fun haha. We didn't have any where else we could have done it but it worked out just fine haha.

And the rest of the week flew by. I don't even know where it went. It was a mixture of a few teaching visits, a few unplanned opportunities of service and just trying to find new people to teach. We helped a guy who was carrying a mini fridge back to his piso but his transportation was his bike hahaha. And so he had the mini fridge (it was not so mini) propped up on his bike and he was struggling to move along. He wouldn't let us help out much (there was a big language barrier, no clue what language he was speaking) but we did help him situate it on his bike a bit better after it fell. So that was fun.

We visited a few less actives this week, these ones we met have some really good potential of coming back and so that's nice. One less active surprised us by coming to church and they told us they will keep coming back from now on! So that's cool. And we saw Felipe this week, he's a member but he wasn't feeling too good so we were going to give him a blessing but he wasn't answering us. So we just hoped he was home, we went to his pueblo/town and he was coming out of his door right as we got to his street haha. What a miracle. If we were any later we would have missed him! So those were the main highlights of the week.

Wow, two years goes by really quickly. It was filled with all sorts of experiences. Amazing, great, wonderful, happy, sad, frusturating, difficult, challenging, hard, embarrassing, awesome, growing, cheerful moments. The mission isn't something that can be explained with few words. It definitely hasn't been without its challenges either but it has been a wonderful experience. It's been really hard for me to share a message that is so important to me with people who don't care or who reject me. But, I feel like if we are willing to learn from the bad or sad experiences that we have and to grow from them, truly Heavenly Father does consecrate our afflictions for our gain. Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose".

I know that Heavenly Father exists. He really is our loving Heavenly Father and He has a plan for each and everyone of us, his children. I know that Jesus Christ is our savior and my savior and that it is truly only through him that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again. I know that families can be together forever and that we are led by a prophet of God in today's day just as was done in ancient times. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he was truly given the authority from Jesus Christ to restore his church with the same organization that existed before. And the way I know this isn't because I just grew up in church or because my parents' belief in God or because of anyone else. It's because I found out for myself. I had to ask God if this was true. And I asked and little by little my answer came. I did like it says in Alma 5:45-46, through praying and fasting to know.

Alma 5

45 And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?

46 Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.

Another scripture that I like is John 10:16 "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd". When Jesus said this He talked about the fact that those in Jerusalem weren't his only sheep. And the Book of Mormon is evidence of that, it is a record of Christ's ministry in the ancient Americas after his resurrection. And another scripture I like: Matthew 7:20 "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.". The Book of Mormon is a fruit of the prophet Joseph Smith because he translated it. And it is by reading the Book of Mormon and asking God if it's true that you can truly understand that Heavenly Father has restored His church on the earth day and that He still speaks through his servants- the prophet and the apostles. I invite you to also find out for yourself. It has changed my life and I know it will change yours too.

See you soon!

With lots of love,

Elder Openshaw 

1) district pic

2&3) sunset

4) bananas!

5) if you want to buy some "pain" in the airport...