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...

July 23, 2018 ~ Transfer 17, Week 4

Hi all!

This week in a nut shell: one really good lesson with Xiomara and her family and then a lot of finding opportunities (this week was door knocking...because no one was in the streets). Lots of crazy, funny, terrible, and great moments haha. Here are some of the funny things:

While setting up lessons there was this guy on his motorcycle who passed by us 3 times! And he kept shouting "Amigos Jehovah!" there were 5min gaps between the times he circled around the block hahaha it was super funny.

We found an Ecuadorian family who own a bar right behind the bus station. They asked if we were American the first time we passed by and I asked "se nota?" (Can you tell?) And he said "claro". (Obviously) Hahaha and we passed by their restaurant again and they stopped us and asked if we were on vacation here and we told them that we are missionaries. And they asked if we were from the CIA or the FBI hahahaha. And we had some good laughs with them. One day I hope to pass by their restaurant so that we can talk to them some more.

We got a yes while knocking doors! The lady said yes, put your message in my mailbox hahahaha. So we put a restoration phamplet in the mailbox haha. 

Then there was pigeon man - there was a tower that had a ton of pigeon in it and all the pigeons fly out and then all of a sudden there is this man resting there, leaning out the window hahaha.

And an old lady answered. I spoke very clearly and loud. And she told me she doesn't speak english and didn't understand me. So I said okay let me do this in spanish and I said the same thing word for word and she then said she wasn't interested. What a funny excuse at first hahahaha. Because we both knew she understood us the first time. People are funny :)

We played sports Saturday morning. Someone came with nestea and was wearing a weed shirt. We took a group picture and the person who took the group picture made the one wearing the weed shirt cover it up with someone's bag haha. It was super funny.

A scripture I really liked that came to mind this week:

Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

It is truely through Christ that we can do all things. No matter how small or big the task may be, with his help with can be strengthened so that we can accomplish it.

Alma 37:6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

7 And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.

It's also by small means that big things happen. Even if all we can do to improve seems insignificant or not enough, consistent, small progresses add up to be huge. The direction we are going is more important than where we are or currently stand.

Have a great week!

Con cariño,

Elder Openshaw

1-3)some pictures for mom haha. And a chapa picture

4) street name...both his parents were feo (ugly) so he must be really feo hahaha