Oh man I can`t even tell you how awesome this week was! Like my comp from Honduras always says...it was "fresa"!!
Conference was a big spiritual feast for us, and I think we started the week with a power and a desire stronger than many other weeks.
On Thursday we were walking to a lesson and I saw at the end of the block a man in a blue car who was looking at us. As we got closer he said "hey can you guys help me push my car? the battery is dead." We got behind the car and ran as hard as we could pushing his car for about 2 blocks and it wouldnt start. We were dead and just couldnt push anymore haha. slowly the car stopped and he got out and shook our hand. It seemed like he didnt care too much about the car. He said "Im mormon too, we`re from Montevideo, we had just finished saying a prayer when you guys walked by" The young wife with a 18-month-old boy and a couple months away from number 4 in the family shook our hands. They were really grateful. There was some dudes playing soccer in the street, so we called them over and about 8 of us pushed it up a little hill, then ran the car back down the hill. Nothin. again. nothing. Then we went up a block and a half and it finally started. Juan bought a 2 liter coke for the gudises and we went on to our lesson. I didnt really think about it until after, but God really does listen to our prayers.
The work is so awesome! As a missionary, you visit a lot of people, you have a lot of hours of teaching, finding, walking, working, preaching, ect. I was reading in Preach My Gospel and It teaches that a testimony can be as much as "Jesus Christ is the Son of God" I realized that when you say those 7 words with the spirit, with power and authority, it can be stronger than any long, beautifully worded testimony. That is a mission-long quest, being able to have that kind of power and authority in simple testimony.
We have a friend named Eduardo. He`s about 65. He was baptized about 9 months ago. The first time he came to church he fell in the hallway drunk. The missionaries helped him a lot and he was baptized. A month ago he was preparing to recieve the Melkezidek Priesthood. I dont know if you remember the story from February?
Then this week we were at a recent converts house who is about 65 yrs old and he touched one of his knifes that look like a super awesome war knife from like midevil wars or something, and that didnt make him to happy at all. He came to church on sunday and talked to the bishop and told him he didnt want us coming for two weeks. Well these two weeks just happen to be the 2 weeks before stake priesthood meeting and so the bishop was really hoping to get him prepared to recieve the melkezidek priesthood so that the ward could stay qualified as a ward and not a branch and the bishop was just kinda upset with us, called us in his office and said that we needed to be more respectful and act a little older.
Its the same guy. Well, to make a long story short, he got back into some word of wisdom problems and the stake president interviewed him, passed him, told him to go to the secretary`s office to do some paperwork and then while he was doing that, he changed his mind, having smelt the tobaco on his breath. Well, Eduardo was embarassed when everyone thought he was gonna be an Elder and then he wasnt, and felt offended by the stake pres. He got depressed and got deeper into the adictions. Each time we went he would lie to us, and we could see beer on his table, smell the tobacco, ect. He hadnt gone to church since then and we fought for him twice a week visiting but it didnt ever work. He had another interview with both the Stake Pres. and the Bishop together and was drunk, they basically told him he was drunk and unworthy and he wouldnt admit it. He is an educated and smart well off man, he just couldnt admit his adiction. Well, he wrote a letter asking for his name to be taken off the records. The bishop asked us not to waste too much of our time with him but I felt like we should go Saturday afternoon, right after the bishop had told me that. haha. wierd...I thought. Before leaving his house the three of us knelt down and he said a really humble prayer for his ward. We arrived. The lesson was rough and felt a lot like talks I`ve had with my parents when they knew I was doing something I shouldnt be, I denied it and they were just trying to help me. haha you know exactly which ones Im talking about MOM and DAD!!! haha Well, Elder Nuñez and I spiritually wrestled with him calling him to repentance haha. He even got a little frustrated. We told him it was because we loved him. He finally admitted it. The spirit was so strong at one moment and he called the bishop right there in front of us and asked permission to come to church and told him to throw his letter away. We could hear the Bishop really loud on the phone, he was so surprised and happy. When he hung up we were crying. That was the first time I saw Elder Nuñez cry! He came to all three hours on Sunday!
Thats not even the half of the awesome week but I dont have much time. I love you guys! It was hard to read all about the week. I think I would have rather been there this week than when you went on a cruise and to six flags and san diego without me! haha no but seriously. Those are some really special times. I wish I could have been there. The funeral especially. Thanks for giving Grandma a rose for me =)
Happy Easter and know that I love you guys!
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