Well I just
cant believe that it's already been another week. Seriously it's going by way
too fast! Anyway, things are doing really well here though. This week I did
some more exchanges with missionaries in various sectors and things are going
really well. This week i was in Boca Sur, the most ghetto and dangerous sector
of the mission (the other day a missionary got put at gunpoint, pretty cool
huh? turns out it was just an airsoft gun because they actually shot and
the missionary said he almost fainted, but still scary. But for real there are
always gunshots there and its super fun) and it was really good. I also went to
Lota and then to Lebu as well, so just all right here along the coast of
Concepción. Very fun week though! It wasn't a week of too many dramatic things,
but there are a couple of stories i would like to share with you all!
Virginia -
this was on my intercambio in Lebu, a sector like 2 hours from Concepcion. Just
one of the nicest moms i have ever met on my mission. Like 28 years old, has a
7 year old boy and a 2 year old boy, her husband works a nice construction job.
Great little family. Anyway she lets us in, and the missionaries just start to
go through the motions of how to begin teaching and asking her basic questions
about her life, and suddenly i just felt impressed to ask her "Is there
anything that you have always asked yourself but never really understood about
god or religion?" and she was like "Well yes, actually there is. Why
does God let kids suffer?" and as i asked a couple more follow up
questions, she told us that when she was about 5 her mom and dad both passed
away within months of each other, that she then went on to live with a foster
mom and dad, and that her foster mom passed away as well when she was about 12
or 13. Like just went through so much difficulty as a young child. Anyway, it
was so sad to hear that, but so beautiful to see how the gospel would help her.
We were only able to teach for about 15 minutes in total so we couldn't
actually give her all the answers yet, but we told her they were on
their way and showed her how. I just realized how much God wants to
give us answers. So often the worst part about life is unsurity. Is that a
word? Like when things aren't sure? Lets assume it is. insurity? Insecurity? i
have literally no clue. inseguridad, allí estamos, más fácil. ANYWAY what i
mean is that so many things in life aren't sure. People cry because they don't
know why things happen to them, if they are being enough, if they have a
future, if they screwed up too bad. Like there are just ENDLESS things that are
unsure that make us suffer. And the gospel is always referred to as being the
happiest thing that has ever happened to us. And obviously every church
is good and every religion has parts of that truth, or else they wouldn't
exist. But if I'm in a dark room, i don't want a little match to light up the
room for heaven sakes, i want a halogen or a spotlight or a chandelier or
SOMETHING that can give me the most light possible. The restored gospel is that
- its the most light possible. As we search the bible, we see many
answers and many things that can cure our wounded hearts and confused minds,
but in the end of the day, we get caught up on wondering if we are even sure if
we have the right translation of the hundreds of Bibles out there. And frankly,
it doesn't calm all of our doubts. Only through the restored truth found in the
book of mormon and through modern-day prophets does the picture become complete
- does the darkness turn to light. Virginia helped me to see why our
message was what she needed - what I needed. At the end of the day,
there is nothing more calming than understanding our divine potential and
having the confidence that, as we obey the commandments, whatever happens is
God´s will for us and will serve for our good. Unsurity (still know thats
wrong) is replaced by confidence, doubt is replaced by hope, darkness with
light. Lets not be satisfied with the little light that comes easily - look for
the truth, look for the answers, let God lighten up your mind and your path! Im
so grateful for that lesson that helped me understand why the gospel makes me
so happy and why it makes me so hopeful for the future.
Missions are
the best. For real. And on another note, i realize that even though I've grown
a ton spiritually (at least i think i have, no one burst my mission bubble) i
am still 5 years old. Elder White and i this morning took the truck out in the
rainstorm and found every single giant puddle we could find, and went as fast
as we could through them and splashed everything. So. dang. fun.
Love you all!
Thanks for all your messages and your support and love. You're the best family
and friends i could ever ask for.
Elder T.
Dominos is
delicious. Might be because the chilean comparative is quite bad, but dominos
is so good. And a good old fashioned chilean sunset! Nothing prettier.
