Week 18 - Drum-roll please...

A loaded package of treats from
Bea's grandma in Brazil.
(Bea is Sam's foreign-exchange-sister)

This week marks my 4 month mark in the mission, with almost 3 in the field. It also marks the end of my second transfer here in San Ignacio. The results of the transfers are in and I got to find out what the Lord has in store for me. To give a little background, Elder Thorpe arrived in San Ignacio one transfer before me, making this the end of his third. We were pretty sure he'd be transferred (he also has 5 transfers left in his mission). We also thought that if he didn't go, they'd probably transfer me, seeing as how I just finished my training. We didn't think it very likely that we'd both get transferred, as a Whitewash would be very difficult for this area. Well the results are in. Can I get a drum-roll please?

Quedamos! Both of us are staying in San Ignacio another transfer, which is good and bad. E. Thorpe and I get along really well and we work well together. On top of that, it's likely that we both get to see Zuni get baptized. However, I was looking forward to changing companions because it means a new viewpoint, and a new way of doing things. I was hoping for a Latino who could help me with my accent. However there is still plenty of time for me, so I'll take what the Lord gives me.




This week was average for lessons, but we had several really funny experiences. I'll start off with the Familia Servin. Samuel, age 15, has been taking the lessons for a couple of Sundays now, and has made a little progress, but nothing remarkable. Last night we had an amazing and spiritual lesson about the Plan of Salvation. He accepted the baptismal invitation and was really focused and attentive the whole lesson. So concentrated in fact that he completely missed our prank. E. Thorpe and I were talking one night about how funny it would be to be on a date with someone, and pull a cookie out of your shirt pocket, take one bite, and put it back. Since we can't date, we decided to try it with Samuel. His brother Moises caught on, but he never noticed. When he was looking at one of us, the other would take a bite of cookie, and he didn't see it. We told him at the end of the lesson and he was laughing so hard. It was a great way for him to build up a good relationship with us, as well as a spiritual experience with him.

Saturday we visited Gloria Coronel. I don't know if I've mentioned her before. She almost got baptized 2 years ago, but became to pregnant to walk to church and stopped investigating. We found her records while cleaning the apartment and decided to visit her again. She has progressed very well recently, and this Saturday we let her know she'd need to marry her boyfriend before she could be baptized. She told us it would be easier for her to move out, but more specifically said, "Yo podria cazar él, pero no 'casar casar'." Or in English, I could hunt him, but I couldn't marry him. :D When we caught on we were almost dying laughing.

Other miracles this week, an investigator found her motivation in the BoM after 3 months of sickness and other issues in her family. A different investigator told us she read 3 books from the BoM, and found that the message was always the same (She read Mormon, Moroni, and the Testimony of Joseph Smith). The spirit guided us well and 30 minutes after the lesson she was reading the BoM on her front porch! OH and here's a miracle for ya, two single missionaries managed to teach a Sunday School class on eternal marriage!

My testimony this week is on hope. I've been doing a lot of study this past week on hope. I was looking for the differences between hope and faith. Ether 12:4 says that if we have faith in Christ, that we can hope for a better world, which hope will be an anchor for our souls, making us abound always in good works. Hope is not a wavering, "I'm not sure" kind of thing, at least not in the scriptures. It makes a little more sense in Spanish. Hope = Esperanza, which is the same word for expectation. Hope in the scriptures is an assurance, or certainty of what will happen. Therefore, if we have faith that God exists, and that Christ did what he said he did, than we can hope for, or expect, our reward in the next life. If we have an understanding of our reward, or in other words, Christ-like Hope, than we would be firm in the faith, always abounding in good works, and never doubting our purpose. Brothers and sisters, I invite all of you to look for ways to obtain this Christ-like Hope in your lives. Look to understand the promises God has made to you, and to live worthy of your reward. I echo the promise in D&C 59:7 that you will have "peace in this life, and eternal life in the world to come." God will help you as you look to change yourself for the better. The peace of God is sufficient for any trial.

All the treats laid out.
"Packed like a boss" were Sam's exact words.

Let's end with a joke today! Everybody get your Google Translate ready! ¿What's the difference between a pear and the girlfriend of a missionary? La pera es pera, la novia no espera. jajajaja

I'll talk to you guys next week!
Ciao
E. Scott