P-day night was a little crazy. We had a lesson with Familia Cotero that didn't go so well, unfortunately. However, the Gospel is still true and Javier still wants to get baptized and his mom is supportive of his decision (since she is a member and ever since he was a little boy she pictured him as a missionary). Funny story, there was a 17 year old member named Jenny at the lesson in addition to the other 2 members (the bishop and his son) and Javier likes her and I guess she likes him, because Javier had his arm around her through like the entire lesson. Anyway, the bishop gave her a ride home with the rest of us and in the car the conversation somehow came around to the fact that the whole family really loves Jenny, so I said "But one loves you a little more than the others" in my classic LaPray sarcasm. Perfect timing and SUPER funny!
On Sunday Elder Williams came out with Elder Spilker and I and we had one awesome lesson I want to talk about. It was with a new family named familia Mesaya that we had contacted a few weeks ago. The mom is super nice and was willing to let us come back and let us in. She is a catholic and used to be very closed to listening to anyone of any religion, but has recently come to find friendships and a greater knowledge in listening to other religions. Anyways, we started talking to her about all of lesson 1 from Preach My Gospel, how the gospel blesses families, how God works through prophets, Jesus Christ's earthly ministry, the apostasy, and the Restoration. She had a hard time accepting the apostasy and Joseph Smith, but Elder Williams explained how Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon and how it gives a witness of the restoration and Joseph Smith as it's prophet. She admitted that in order to know if these things were true she would have to read the Book of Mormon, and that if the Book of Mormon is true, then Jospeh Smith was a prophet. Bingo!
While we were contacting on Monday, Elder Spilker and I met this guy who came up to us out of no where and starting talking to us about Guatemalans in the US and Barack Obama and how "Guatemalans were the hardest working immigrants in the US" and then he said "Tell Obama to be good to those Guatemalans"! and then he left with a high 5 saying "chóquenla" or "hit it". SO funny!!!!!! And then he just walked away like nothing happened. Gotta love Guatemala. We also had a lesson with Fito again, after about 3 or 4 weeks. We were able to finish teaching him about the Restoration. Like most catholics, he belivies in the tradition that Peter was the first pope and that the line just keeps going down. I shared with him my testimony of the first vision and the restoration of the gospel. He then went off about how to be able to testify of something you have to have been there and I didn't know what to say. Elder Spilker, very powerfully, told him that we COULD TESTIFY of the Restoration because of the Book of Mormon, which gives witness that Jospeh Smith was a prophet by the power of the Holy Ghost. It was a great experience.
Sorry, I hate doing day-to-day play by plays. I'm sure they are kind of boring. Last night Elder Spilker and I didn't teach a single lesson. It was rough. We spent the entire time walking around looking for citas or contacting. In one of the contacts we did, we were speaking through the intercom. The lady essentially said "Nope, go away"., Right as she finished this dog came up to the fence out of NO WHERE and barked REALLY angrily at us. It scared the CRAP out of me because it came out of nowhere. So not funny.l Or at least, not at the time.
This morning in my personally studied I read Alma 17:1-8. I love the story of Alma and the sons of Mosiah. What I learned from Alma 17 1-8 today is how to Spiritually Prepare ourselves. 1. we must study the scriptures. 2. we must dedicate ourselves to prayer. 3. we must fast. Why? So that we may 1. have the spirit of prophecy. 2. have the spirit of revelation. and 3. teach with power and authority which will bring many unto repentance, which leads to baptism. Super cool! Elder Gallo and I also had a great companionship study about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love the scripture Moroni 7:33. Our faith in Jesus Christ gives us the power to do ALL thing which are convenient in Christ. Or rather, Faith in Jesus Christ gives us the power to ACT and bring about WORKS of faith. Faith without works is dead. However, Faith in Jesus Christ inherently should move us to ACTION. Faith is an Action word.
Love,
Elder Andrew LaPray
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