Sept. 23, 2011

I hit 7 months yesterday! That's a really long time!! But, it was a really good week.

 

 OH!! So, Dynamite by Taio Cruz is playing right now and it's making me super baggy. Anyways, on Monday there was an EARTHQUAKE in Guatemala! But not even CLOSE to where I am. It's like living in Las Vegas and saying "There was an Earthquake in Salt Lake!" so not close at all. BUT, we were in the office and I felt the after shocks! It was the first time I had ever felt ANYTHING of an earthquake and it was pretty cool, but I did NOT like it at all.. the building kind of swayed back and forth and made me feel kind of sick. I wasn't worried about the building falling at all, but it definitely made my body feel weird. (Now "Papa Americano" is playing and it is a REALLY annoying song! Nvm, it just ended. Score!) Elder Spilker and I have done a TON of contacting this week too. In my change before this one we did like, 15 contacts in the entire 6 weeks! This change, we have over 300 I think! It's crazy! But, if you don't talk to people, then no one can ever learn about the gospel.

 

  I don't think there is really anything cool to say about Tuesday... the Church's money that we use is divided into a whole bunch of different sub-accounts like transportation, food, utitilities, rent, and also whether it is transportation by the president or by the missionaries and so and and so forth. So, on Tuesday and yesterday Elder Spilker and I spent like, 6 hours going into the computer and checking a TON of receipts to reclassify things into the right account to try to balance the mission budget. Talk about exciting.

 

   Wednesday has some GREAT stories though. Well, a great story. I got to drive the mission truck again, all the way to the office this time, which was pretty legit. So, here comes the part where everyone can make fun of Elder LaPray for becoming the class awkward missionary that everyone becomes... we went to see some inactives and the children (17 female, 15 male, 13 male) aren't members because after the husband left the wife she stopped going to church (more than 10 years ago, probably closer to 13). So they children have no idea what it's like to have missionaries over, what our purpose is, nothing at all! So we talked to them, shared our testimonies and set up an appointment to go back the next week. (We were with 2 members, Willy and Hna. Rosario, that's how we got to this family). So, in Guatemala it is very customary to give a hug and a kiss on the cheek when you say goodbye to someone of the opposite sex, regardless of age or marital status. So as we were saying goodbye I saw the daughter, 17, give Willy a hug and a kiss (one of the members who is like, 30) and then give Hermana Rosario a hug and a kiss (Sister Rosario, another member who is about 50+). I thought to myself "oh crap, she is totally gonna try to hug me and give me a kiss". So as she was coming over I tried to stick out my hand and she came right in for the hug and kiss! I started to back away as I said "As missionaries we don't hug!!". LUCKILY, she didn't kiss me and she only kind of sort of hugged me. It was SUPER awkward and I felt really weird afterward. There you go... go ahead and laugh everyone.

 

  I'd like to share my journal entry from Thursday with you all. I didn't write ANYTHING about what we did, but I think it's very helpful in life... "Today Elder Spilker asked me what I think my purpose is here in Martí(my area). I strongly believe, or rather, I know that we receive our area and companion assignments by revelation, and thus, from God. As Doctrine and Covenants section 100 says (paraphrased) that I have "been allowed to come to this place; thus... it was convenient for the slavation of souls". It's no accident that I am serving a mission, that I'm in Guatemala, that I'm in the norht mission, that I was companions with Elder Nelson and Elder Chavarría in La Leyenda 3, and it's no accident that I'm here in Martí now with Elder Spilker. I just don't know my purpose here in this area yet. I don't know when, or if, I'll know. It's been 8 years since I moved to the Caribbean and I STILL don't understand the purpose! But, I know it's where the Lord wanted us to be because like all big decisions in life, I meditated it out in my mind and went to God seeking His guidance and I felt the Spirit witness to me that we needed to go. I wasn't exactly thrilled or excited. I had to leave behind everything I knew, but we all followed the promptings of the Holy Ghost. When we follow the Lord, there is a purpose behind where we are and what we're doing. We may not know it right away, and it may be difficult, incomprehensible, but know that Heavenly Father is aware of us".

 

   I forgot to write about Elder Williams's birthday party! Elder Williams (one of the APs) turns 21 today, but the APs left the capital this week so we celebrated on Monday night. His mom sent him a package with some birthday stuff.. BATMAN birthday stuff. It was sweet! Elder Francks and I went on divisions last night and we had a good time, and a really intense lesson that ended in us not going back there anymore. Not that they don't like us or anything, but like most people, they just couldn't accept another book of scripture. It's really frustrating when people judge a book by it's cover. The Book of Mormon in and of itself testifies of Christ, His divine nature, and how we can be saved through him. It doesn't discount or discredit the Bible. Quite the contrary, it supports and uplifts the Bible and even QUOTES the Bible. Why? Because the Bible has important scriptures that we need to understand, but the Book of Mormon expounds upon certain doctrine that may be left unclear in the Bible. For example, Matthew 3:14-17. What does it mean "to fulfill all righteousness"? 2 Nephi 31:5-7 answers that question and gives FURTHER TESTIMONY of Christ's baptism. It was really hard to see them reject the Book of Mormon without even touching it, but that's life, and all we can do is invite. But, I promise you with all of my being, that the Bible is the word of God. The Book of Mormon is also the word of God, and the only reason I know that is because the Spirit testified to me of it's truth and power (Alma 5:45-47, Moroni 10:3-5), and you can know too.

 

Love,

Elder Andrew A. LaPray