This week was really good for us in our area Cañoto 1. We had a best week yet as for finding people to teach and having our investigators progressing. The Lord truly is bringing His prepared children into our path and i feel better than ever having this amazing opportunity and honored privilege to be able to bring them the message their Heavenly Father has for them.
We are currently working with a family named Padilla Cruz and they are a couple who have a little baby named Roberto. The wife Leonor is very receptive and is a chatterbox but learns very well and really wants to know the truth about the church. Her husband on the other hand is an atheist and just kinda sits their and sorta listens but the amazing news is that the both came with us to church yesterday and stayed all through sacrament meeting. I could feel something about the way Leonor was acting that I just knew she felt something during fast and testimony meeting.
Blanca Chuquimia who is an investigator like my dad has been listening to the missionaries FOREVERRRRRR (almost 5 years now) but she has been coming to church way more consistently with us now and even accepted our reading the book of mormon every day challenge so I have tons of hope for her in the near future.
Today we had a zone activity and had a giant churasco in the park and played volleyball, capture the flag and soccer and threw a frisbee around too. Pedro cooked up the meats and we grubbed out and just had a relaxing day. I brought my hammock and took a very needed break just relaxing in a tree.
Then we went down to the Piraí river and took some fotos and what not and I also went to the Ramada to get a suit today because the one i came to the mission in is looking pretty feo now.
Anyways i have some pictures this week (you´re welcome dad)
Here's some good video to laugh at. I got Bean Boozled (the game) from Kolleen in the mail and of course we all played it. (Sadly, things did not go so well for Elder Berges 😄):
If you are reading this on email, click here to see the videos
I just wanted to end this weeks email off with a small spiritual thought from some of my studies recently.
I was reading the book "Teach Ye Diligently" by Boyd K packer again yesterday (highly recommend it to anyone) and I read a little poem in their related to the apostasy and the creation of the thousands of churches we see in our day.
" It was six men of Indostan,
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.
The First approach'd the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"
The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, -"Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear,
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"
The Third approach'd the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," -quoth he- "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"
The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee:
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," -quoth he,-
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said- "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Then, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," -quoth he,- "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"
Moral:
So, oft in theologic wars
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean;
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!
The need of a living Prophet with the all of the Priesthood Keys is so essential to lead us, being "spiritually blind" as we are separated from the presence of God. Although everyone of the blind men in this poem were partially right with their predictions, not one of them had the whole picture or the fullness of what was being analyzed. Many times this happens with people in our era. Good people want to follow God´s teachings, they want to explain God´s teachings, but sadly without the guidance of God´s hand and the proper priesthood authority, these people with potentially good intentions, are just as the blind men and the elephant: only partially correect. Thanks to our Heavenly Father, He doesn´t want us to stay blind forever. He has given us prophets just like in times of old to lead and guide us as we live in this temporary separated state while here on earth. If we heed to the prophets and their counsels, the Lord will manifest unto us by the power of the Holy Ghost the truth of all things and we too can walk through this life not as blind men observing the elephant, but rather as true disciples and followers of Jesus Christ and His church. Amen.
Elder Connor Ryan deCocq
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