Hello everyone!
This week has been exceptional! I am finally feeling comfortable with my spanish! I wish you guys could see it, I'll be sitting there and TALKING with someone in SPANISH!!! It's the coolest thing, sometimes it feels like a superpower. That said, sometimes I don't feel comfortable in my spanish... Usually it's when people are talking about something really specific, like how to treat a broken wrist or how to fix the back axle of an old motorcycle. When those conversations are going on, I mostly just sit there and smile! But it's a good time, I'm getting to know the people in my ward a lot better, and I am finally contributing a lot in the lessons!
This week we found a really interesting guy, I'll call him Jorge. Jorge was given a Book of Mormon by some missionaries in 2007, and being very interested in religion and stuff like that, he read it all the way through. Dang! So then, back in 2017, some missionaries found him and taught him one lesson, and they decided to never come back because some of his ideas are... interesting. And then we found him. When we knocked on his door, he immediately invited us in to have some water, which was very much appreciated and very quickly gone. So we began to talk. He told us about all of his religious ideas including aliens living in the sun, mind control, and a lot of other things. For a while, we just sat there listening to his theories, answering his questions, and just trying to explain the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It didn't go so well. We were talking in circles! There was literally no point to the lesson! Finally, I asked him to grab his Book of Mormon, which he did. I asked him if he believed it was true. He said yes! From there, I began to explain the importance of the Book of Mormon as the keystone of our religion. He took it well,and even started reciting some of his favorite verses from the Book of Mormon! We taught him about the history of the Book of Mormon, and the importance of the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in conjunction with it. We invited him to pray to know if the church is true, and he promised that he would.
The interesting part of this story is that some of his ideas about religion are actually correct! But without a base and a strong foundation on understanding the doctrine and principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he was just lost. As we left, he said this:
"Before you guys came to visit me, I felt confused. I want so bad to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and the commandments of God, but I have no idea what the truth is. I believe that these other churches have a part of the truth, but shouldn't there be one church like in the Bible? One with Twelve Apostles? What about Prophets? And how can there be the Authority of God on the Earth when John was the last prophet? But your message makes me feel full. I still have lots of questions, but I really feel like there is something in me, and the first time the missionaries came to visit me, I didn't feel that, I guess now I'm finally ready."
WOW. Needless to say, there was much rejoicing! My companion and I know that what we are bringing to these people is the truth, and when we follow the guidance of the spirit, we see miracles. It happens every day. But with Jorge, I really learned the importance of the Spirit in learning, especially when learning about religion and Jesus Christ! He has studied religious books and sermons and attended services for years, but that just made him feel more lost. With the simple basic truths of the Gospel, Jorge has felt the guidance of the Spirit! What an amazing experience.
Besides that, this week was HOT. And I mean HOT. I literally constantly look like I just got out of the pool, the sweat is so bad. Some days it pours. POURS! I was soaked to the bone after like 5 minutes of rain, and my shoes are still drying 3 days later. And, like I said, the sun evaporates all of the water, turning the city of Guayaquil into a sauna. You should see the looks we get as people see us walking around in the street all day in pants, white shirts, and ties! Believe me, we know how crazy we look! But hey, we're on the Lord's errand! What's a little heat? Or even a lot of heat?!
Oh, in Ecuador they have these little ice cream sticks called "Choco Bananos," which are heavenly. Basically, it's a frozen banana filled with chocolate, and then dipped in chocolate. Between those and the amazing ice cream sandwiches of Ecuador, my companion and I are surviving the "winter."
One last thing! At the end of the month, my zone of 10 Elders is going to sing in front of a (large) part of the mission for a devotional to celebrate the 200th year since Joseph Smith's first vision. Of course, I got called on to play piano. I got together with another Elder in the zone, Elder Layton, and we created a super cool mashup of "Praise to the Man," and "Battle-Hymn of the Republic." It's pretty cool, if I do say so myself! What a powerful group, a bunch of Elders singing about the Restoration of Christ's Church! I get shivers as we sing, "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah! His truth is marching on."
I love you all, and I hope you are enjoying the winter wherever you may be! For those of you that are in the cold, please send some my way. I'm DYING.
I miss you guys! Don't forget to write me :)
With Love,
Elder Jones
Pictures: The Hammock strikes again!, Eating bolones with Elder Johnson
