Send food...I'm sick of Ramen noodles...haha :)
I'm being humbled and learning A LOT. I've never been more excited about anything in my entire life...it's actually kind of weird...but a good weird! :)
I have a wonderful companion and there couldn't be a better culture to teach. It's impossible to get discouraged when every single Hispanic door you knock on let's you in. Even if they're busy, they'll still come out and apologize and set up a return appointment. :) The only bad part is that it's MUCH easier to recognize Americans who are ready to receive the Gospel. They either slam the door and swear at you or let you in and commit to be baptized.... Hispanics always let you in and they always commit to go to church and read stuff, and then they just don't...but, when they do show up to church they get baptized! We have a baptism scheduled next week and another 27 March (it's part of a family, so the rest should follow :)). This area was hard getting started since we started from absolute scratch, but now the ball's rolling and there are A LOT of hills here for it to roll down...:)
(Alec has several friends serving in Chile and several cousins and friends in the MTC scheduled to head down to that general area soon. This is his response to an email we sent him letting him know his friends are all safe)
... We usually here about EVERYTHING that goes on in South America pretty quickly. We heard there were supposed to be Tsunamis all the way up and down the coast of the Americas and Hawai'i as well. Thanks for the update on everyone's status down there. Hopefully Dave, Mike, and Josh won't be delayed. Right now is a wonderful opportunity to offer service and teach a humbled people...even though natural disasters stink...a lot...especially floods....
Oh! By the way, the Gospel absolutely is true!
Love,
Elder Raymond
P.S. Sleep is overrated... ;)
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Lessons from Chile
What will it take to make us more humble and teachable? Here is an excerpt from a letter President and Sis Laycock (Chile Santiago East Mission) as they wrote home after the earthquake:
"Today, we attended a strong ward where Larry was invited to speak. The entire chapel and beyond was filled. People were so humble and so teachable. Larry taught the importance of doing the small things. He taught about Jesus Christ and the opportunity we have to love one another and to share what we have with others. It was a great blessing for us to be with these beautiful Chilean people. Some have lost their homes...or at least parts of their homes. But they are strong and they want to serve the Lord. He taught of the scripture in Luke 21:11,13 which says, "and great earthquakes shall be in divers places...and it shall turn to you for a testimony." He also welcomed the sweet young woman who was in the congregation with the missionaries...her first time attending church...and then he invited her to be baptized from the pulpit. He asked her to please invite us to her baptism, and she said, "I will." The Lord always knows what His people need. Landon was reading in Alma 15:17 today. He said, Mom listen to this. This is what is happening here in Chile just like in happened in Ammonihah. The people were humbled and "checked as to the pride of their hearts and began to humble themselves before God, watching and praying continually that they might be delivered from Satan, and from death, and from destruction."
Our hearts are filled to the brim with gratitude for all of the blessings we have received in the Chile Santiago East Mission. We see miracles every day. In the midst of great pain and suffering, we can always find our Savior. He stands with His arms open, pleading for all of us to humble ourselves and come unto Him. He loves us. He invites us to accept His gift...the atonement. He invites us to repent. He wants us to love one another and to serve one another. He wants us to bring our families and those we love to Him. We can do it. We can do all that He asks, no matter how difficult it may seem. "With God all things are possible".
"Today, we attended a strong ward where Larry was invited to speak. The entire chapel and beyond was filled. People were so humble and so teachable. Larry taught the importance of doing the small things. He taught about Jesus Christ and the opportunity we have to love one another and to share what we have with others. It was a great blessing for us to be with these beautiful Chilean people. Some have lost their homes...or at least parts of their homes. But they are strong and they want to serve the Lord. He taught of the scripture in Luke 21:11,13 which says, "and great earthquakes shall be in divers places...and it shall turn to you for a testimony." He also welcomed the sweet young woman who was in the congregation with the missionaries...her first time attending church...and then he invited her to be baptized from the pulpit. He asked her to please invite us to her baptism, and she said, "I will." The Lord always knows what His people need. Landon was reading in Alma 15:17 today. He said, Mom listen to this. This is what is happening here in Chile just like in happened in Ammonihah. The people were humbled and "checked as to the pride of their hearts and began to humble themselves before God, watching and praying continually that they might be delivered from Satan, and from death, and from destruction."
Our hearts are filled to the brim with gratitude for all of the blessings we have received in the Chile Santiago East Mission. We see miracles every day. In the midst of great pain and suffering, we can always find our Savior. He stands with His arms open, pleading for all of us to humble ourselves and come unto Him. He loves us. He invites us to accept His gift...the atonement. He invites us to repent. He wants us to love one another and to serve one another. He wants us to bring our families and those we love to Him. We can do it. We can do all that He asks, no matter how difficult it may seem. "With God all things are possible".
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