This week I had my first Choco-banana. Just about every house in the world that isn't selling something else sells these chocolate covered bananas. One of these houses is now our most progressive family, but they didn't give me these. It was Angelica and Samuel, our first baptisms. They were good! (Absolutely irrelevant but for me it was a game-changer).
On that note, I also had my first
hamburger since arriving in Guatemala. It was a mushy mess (and raw) but boy
was it good.
This
week (week 9) we FINALLY looked into maps. I have wanted to map my area since
day 2. (Day one was like: hmmm mission. I'm actually here. Okay) The map is
going to be super chafa (bad quality) but man it's cheap for what we're going
to print. Now I probably just have to wait 9 more weeks before we actually get
around to making it! Woohoo! Indecisiveness is KEY!!!! Not. It's okay; we are
unbelievably busy and this is good. I took a parasite test and convinced my companion
Elder Marroquin to take one with me (I had to because Hermana Caffaro commanded
me to). While we were waiting for the results, I started getting attached to my
little parasite family. There's a mommy and a poppy and they have three little
kids. I ate more than usual just to give the lil'uns an extra bite or two before
sleep. I even sang to them. Results came back.... I don't have any!!! LIES!!!!!
Doctors ruin families. I do have a ton of bacteria though.
This
week we were hunting down the branches of the Lopez family tree. The
grandparents are our investigators, parents of nine who all have their own
families, and all but one live here in Nueva. All together, they are about 30
to 40 people. They are all super pilas too! This whole family is willing and
open-hearted to accept the truth. Now we are just helping them to ACT according
to their feelings. One of the grandkids who is 11 years old is just downright
amazing! He was just eating up the lesson with questions like, “How can I know?
Where is this church?! What do I do when I finish studying this? When I get my
answer, what do I do?” He is awesome! He will get his answer. That is why this
mission is SO much fun. I am not here to nor do I convince anyone. I am a messenger
of the TRUTH. I share the message and leave them to ask God for the answer.
Those who ask ALWAYS receive their answer (unfortunately there are some that
are too proud to say a prayer and ask their Father in Heaven).
We
also met the new missionaries. Elder Martinez left and was replaced by Elder
Mora. This kid is super awesome. He already speaks English pretty well and is
just happy always and loves jokes. The area Pueblo Nueva Viña opened this week
with Elder Edwards from Panama (super funny but crazy strict when it comes to
work) and Elder Bahm from Spanish Fork, Utah (your average looking Utah 18 year
old missionary, but with extraordinary faith and delightful perspective). To
sum up that matchup and their character, their area opened on Tuesday and
they had a baptism on Sunday. They are awesome. On Wednesday we
had a district meeting there in Pueblo (2.5 hour trip) and afterwards
celebrated Elder Magdaleno's birthday for 5 minutes and did an Attack the Area
there to add more investigators and start the work (we all contact and teach in
one area (Pueblo) to accumulate a ton of contacts and new investigators. Their
area is made up of aldeas, villages in the mountains. To give you an idea of
this, their church building could fit in the cultural hall of the ones in the
states and their baptism on Sunday was in a River! Lucky!!!!!!! On
Saturday, we had to go all the way back out there to hold the baptismal
interview and got on the wrong van/bus back.
There
is a lot of progression here. We are focusing on helping our investigators keep
commitments to read the Book of Mormon, to pray about it, and to attend church.
These are essential to have a change of heart and of happiness. Also, we are
helping them to understand that EVERYTHING depends on whether the Book of
Mormon is True. If it is true, Joseph Smith, who translated it and restored
Christ's church to the earth, was a real prophet of god. If it is true, the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is Christ's only true church here
on Earth in which He directs today through a living prophet. If it is true,
Jesus IS the Christ and our redeemer and savior.
If it is not true, nothing is true. The church is false, Jesus doesn't have a
church on the Earth, and I am wasting my life here lying to these people. I
know the Book of Mormon is true! I have read it and simply from it, and I have
prayed about it. I HAVE received an answer directly from God himself through
the Holy Ghost. I KNOW it is true and thus KNOW that
Jesus is the Savior, that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and that the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is HIS (Jesus') church here upon
the earth. The only Church that has HIS (Jesus') authority to act in His name.
I KNOW it. If you have not received a personal answer from God
about this, ask for it: Pray and plead with God asking if it is true. He WILL
tell you.
EVERYONE (member of
the church or not): READ Our Search for Happiness by M. Russell
Ballard. He is an apostle of Jesus Christ in this Church and has written this
short book for those who are not of our faith. The purpose is to explain
simply, to give Understanding of what it is that we believe
and why. It is amazing. It is around 150 pages but I only wish it were more. My
personal understanding has increased.
I love you all. Keep
being amazing and always remember your savior, your redeemer, your life-giving
brother (who LIVES) in all of your actions and thoughts.
-Elder Olson
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