This week I had to write a really long letter to my mission president because I have a lot on my mind, and my companion’s getting bored, so I’m going to have to keep this short, sorry! Next week!
Anyway, first, we’ve got cambios again! I don’t know what’ll happen around here (I wish they’d tell us before 9:30pm on Monday night!), but I’m pretty sure Elder Marino is going to another area and I’m staying. I don’t know if I’ll stay District Leader or even if I’ll stay — we’ve been thinking that Presidente Godfrey might close our area because we’re not having much success (Of the 72 people we’ve contacted, 28 have said they’d like to hear our message, and of them, 8 live in another area!), but either way it’ll be interesting! (I’ll find out tonight, but you’ll find out next week! Ha ha!)
As for the other things that have happened this week, I’m just going to include what I sent to my mission president. You’ll have to translate it with Google Translate because I’m too lazy to write it all over again in English!
“Lastly, I want to share some miracles that we’ve seen this week:
“Esta semana solo tuvimos un INCA en la capilla, pero cómo él llegó a ir es el milagro: Le enseñamos el lunes y le preguntamos si estaría dispuesto a asistir a la capilla, leer el Libro de Mormón, y orar todos los días. Él nos dijo que le parece un poco difícil y no quiso, pero el Espíritu nos guió a decir, “¿Y qué haría para estar con su familia para siempre?” Se quedó en silencio por un segundo y dijo, “Cuando lo pone así, ¡sí, voy a asistir y leer!” (Milagro parte 1)
Bueno, llegó el domingo sin que le encontremos más y él no contestó su celular. Después de la Santa Cena, salimos a llamarle y le encontramos afuera de la capilla con su moto taxi. Nos dijo que vino una vez más temprano, pero vio a todas las personas en corbata y pantalón y él sólo tenía jeans y un polo, y se avergonzó y se fue a trabajar en su moto. Mientras, una familia de miembros (¡Vestidos en jeans y polos!) chaparon su moto ¡y pidieron que los llevara a la capilla! Él pensó, “Si ellos pueden entrar así, yo también puedo!” y ellos llegaron y nos encontraron afuera. Él investigador nos dijo que Dios le está llamando aquí, porque Dios le guió hacia la capilla dos veces para que asistiera! (Milagro parte 2)
“El otro milagro que vimos es que ¡una de nuestras investigadoras recibió su respuesta! Elle ha estado orando para saber si José Smith fue un profeta y ha tenido sueños en que Dios le ha dicho que sí, pero ello no lo ha aceptado todavía (Sabemos que Dios le ha dicho que sí por medio de estos sueños porque podemos sentir el Espíritu cuando nos los cuenta). Ella tiene tanta fe que Dios le va a responder por medio de sus sueños (aunque le hemos explicado que normalmente vienen por medio del Espíritu), y el otro día tuvo un sueño en que ¡vio a Jesucristo (bueno, sólo sus pies) y Él la habló y le dijo, “Ya te he dado una respuesta; sólo sigue mi palabra”! ¡Sabíamos que realmente era una respuesta de Dios porque ella describió la voz que escuchó como la voz que se describe en 3 Nefi 11:3, y nosotros también nos sentimos el Espíritu cuando nos lo contó! (El único problema es que todavía no quiere aceptar una fecha bautismal porque le falta la fe de creer…)”
Translation:
This week we only had an INCA in the chapel, but how he came is the miracle: We taught him Monday and asked him if he would be willing to attend the chapel, read the Book of Mormon, and pray every day. He told us that it seems a bit difficult and he did not want to, but the Spirit led us to say, “And what would you do to be with your family forever?” He was silent for a second and said, “When you put it that way, Yes, I will attend and read!” (Miracle part 1)
Well, he arrived Sunday although we hadn’t seen him since and he didn’t answer his cell phone. After the sacrament, we went out to call him and found him outside the chapel with his motorcycle taxi. He told us that he came earlier, but he saw all the people in ties and nice pants and he only had jeans and a polo, so he was ashamed and went to work with his motorcycle. Meanwhile, a family of members (dressed in jeans and polos!) rented his motorcycle taxi and asked to be taken to the chapel! He thought, “If they can come in like this, I can too!” And they came and found us. He told us that God is calling him here, because God led him to the chapel twice to attend! (Miracle part 2)
The other miracle we saw is that one of our investigators received her answer! She has been praying to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet and has had dreams that God has said yes, but she has not yet accepted it. (We know that God has said yes through these dreams because we can feel the Spirit when she tells us about them.) She has so much faith that God will respond through her dreams, although we have explained that they usually come through the Spirit. The other day she had a dream in which she saw Jesus Christ (well, only his feet) and He spoke to her and said, “I have already given you an answer; Just follow my word!” We knew it was truly God’s response because she described the voice she heard as the voice described in 3 Nephi 11:3, and we felt the Spirit when she told us! Problem is that she still does not want to accept a baptismal date because she lacks the faith to believe…
Cool, right?!
And then here’s some pictures, just ’cause:
Service as a district:
And, to show just how much I’ve assimilated myself in the Peruvian culture, I present my solution to cooking noodles:
1. In an electric pitcher because we don’t have a stove or a pot
2. With a spoon attached to a hanger because the steam is, obviously, very hot and the spoon isn’t long enough to scrape the bottom of the pitcher
3. In an electric frying pan because the boiling water leaves the pitcher as bubbles and I’m too lazy to clean it up
See you next week!
— Elder Schroeder