I enjoyed seeing you and talking with you yesterday. I have to
say it was a needed boost of excitement and energy to lose myself
even more in the work! So, I can't wait to tell you about last
night. This was a moment that changed my life as a missionary and
a person in general. So, we got Elder Carlson hooked up with Skype
and his family and he started chatting away enjoying every minute
with his family. He has expressed to me many times how much he
misses his family. Meanwhile, I was making some tortas fritas,
some Argentine desert thing, but he was having a fun time with his
family. When it came time to end his call, I told him that I
wanted to talk to his family too. So, I sat down next to him and I
expressed my gratitude for him as a companion and to his parents
for having raised him the way they did. I explained to him that he
has such a desire to work and that he is a great example to me and
a wonderful friend. His family, and himself, were left in tears.
I then left the room to let him finish his talk and I began to
cook in the kitchen. He came in a little later and was pretty
quiet for a while. He then said to me, "You know, what you did
there at the end of the call . . . well, thanks." He cried. The
tears streamed down his face and then I stopped cooking and gave
him a big hug. He then expressed to me how his trainer had been
very critical of him and his whole life he had often felt lonely
and that he didn't fit in. He said that it was the single most
nicest thing anyone has ever done for him. I told him that he
should never let anyone tell him he's worthless or that he doesn't
matter. I told him he's a son of God and he is important and
special. I said that no matter where he is or what anyone says,
you will always have a Father in Heaven who loves you, and that
that crazy Elder Cowan will always be your friend. It was a
tearful, special growing moment. Last night I talked with all the
elders in our pench and we have decided to stop pulling as many
pranks on him and to find ways to help him. I asked Carlson about
the 5 love languages and he told me that his is definitely through
verbal expression. We are all going to try to compliment him on
something everyday. I am going to make it a goal to do it every
single hour and every lesson. I just want to help this wonderful
kid out!
So, with the work, we are having a lot of success, we will be
baptizing two next week and then each succeeding week, we will
have one or two more. We are making it a goal to baptize every
single week of June!! That would be the best birthday present
ever! With my birthday, I really don't know what I want. I love
getting pictures and showing people about my life and about the
lives of the ones I love.
So, I've got more snakes in Guernica. Melani told me she wants
to marry me someday when I finish the mission and she was really
sad when she figured out that the mission is only two years long
and that I don't actually live here. She's a cool girl though! She
has such a testimony of the Church! She has asisted [attended--the
Spanish word for attend is "asistir" so you can see he gets
confused with this word] seminary for about three weeks and
has been asisting church every week too! She will be another easy
baptism. She just is always so excited for it! I can't believe we
have only taught her once too! She has been taught and prepared by
the youth of our ward more than anything! The youth are the key to
the missionary work success here. They bring their friends to
everything! We have five investigators in seminary now asisting
regularly!
Another family that is progressing well is the Quiroga family.
They are a part member family and the two boys are getting
baptized this coming week. Rodrigo is a little unsure, he's
eleven, but he just doesn't like sacrament meeting because it's
boring for him. He likes learning about the church when we come
over though. I am praying for him to get more excited about
baptism and to asist [attend] church afterwards too.
So, this other part member family is Pedro and Sandra. He is
currently getting divorced from another lady and then will be
marrying Sandra. She is so excited for it! He told us that no
matter what it takes, he will do anything to get his children and
soon-to-be wife baptized. They have no problem either with it! So
let's pray that all the documents and things pass through quickly
and easily so they can be married and baptized.
Also, this man, Juan came to church last week and we had a chat
with him that was very spiritual! We explained baptism and how
that we can literally start over and have no more guilt and sin.
He wants that very much! He decided to pray and ask God if that is
the thing he needs to do. He is only afraid of letting God down.
He doesn't want to fall and sin again. He wants to live his life
right under the sight of our Heavenly Father. He couldn't come to
church yesterday because he was going to take a friend to the
hospital. But, he will probably be baptized on the 3rd of June!
And the last most exciting thing this week is that we found
this amazingly prepared lady during a contact the other day. Her
name is Martina and she has studied every other religion and has
found they don't have the truth. She is very interested in the
message of the Restoration and wants to read the Book of Mormon.
She told us to pass by in one week and she said she'll have either
read the whole book or a good portion if she doesn't have much
time. I am praying that we go over there and she just has the
strongest testimony of the book and the Restoration when we go
back. I would love to find someone like that! She's best friends
with a slightly less active member too and we are going to work
with them both, baptizing one and reactivating the other.
So those were all of our really spiritual and exciting lessons
this past week. I was going to send a video or some pictures home,
but we need to leave the cyber a little early to meet up with some
other elders at our pench to eat lunch and I'm REALLY hungry! Ha
ha! Oh, and don't worry, I got my hair cut this morning. It's
still not as good as when mom cuts my hair! Never is the same. . .
But I love you all so much! I'm so glad that I got to talk with
you and I hope Trevor and Justin are doing good! I'd like to hear
from Justin this next week. I was hoping to be able to skype him
yesterday, but he wasn't on. Please write me!! And someone get RJ
to write me. I want a big update on his life and all his
questions. I know he always wants advice too. And tease Carly
cause she missed her first week of writing me this week! Kevin, I
am not responding till you do it. You know what I'm talking about.
Well, I love you all and am so grateful for my mission and all the
wonderful people who support me! Have a wonderful week!
Love,
No comments:
Post a Comment