Sometimes Things Happen!

Frankly I don't even know what to say in this e-mail! Our district leader came to our house this morning to tell us we had transfers. We weren't at all expecting that - transfers aren't technically for another 3 weeks. Sometimes this happens - they suddenly have a spot open in one companionship or they need to shuffle some people around and so there are intermediate changes. My companion and I were both super sad, but...I've heard good things about my new companion, so I'm not worried. We'll just keep working normally! He's coming from Quito and my companion left for Quito in the morning - the zone leaders have had to drag me around all day.

...Yeah I seriously have no idea what to say. Sorry, people.

More than anything I've been learning the importance of following our leaders this week! Sometimes I feel bad for the Zone Leaders and District Leaders - they put a lot of work into the meetings they have with us Thursdays and afterwards it seems like the rest of us just leave and forget all about what they said. But more than anything we have to accept that our leaders in the church have been called by God. It's the basic mechanism of the church - revelation. What a blessing it is to have that, too!

It's explained simply in Articles of Faith 5 and 6:

1. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
2. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

And so that's how it gets done! Sometimes it seems like the leaders are off their rockers or just talking in circles, but if we accept that God has called them there has to be a reason and we have to learn something from them.

So I've been trying to apply a bit better the things our leaders tell us to do. I'll tell you all how it goes but I guess the answer will be obvious - everything will turn out better.

I know this is the truth! I know the Book of Mormon was true and as a result I know that Joseph Smith truly was a prophet of God. I know there are prophets on the Earth once again. And I know this is the best work we can be involved in! Get out there and do something good instead of dreaming of your mansions above. I'll try to do the same. As we apply the gospel in our lives God will make of us something far greater than what we could have made of ourselves.

Some awesome artifacts that one of our less-actives dug up north of Esmeraldas. Sorry for the poor quality.

Me trying to pretend I'm Asian while eating chifa (Chinese food).

                      Us in the terminal this morning.

The Irony!

Spelling update: the sickness is spelled "Chikungunya." How do I know that?

Welllll my companion got it.

It was a bit rough because we had to stay in the house a couple days. He had a pretty high fever, pains in the joints and back, and a pretty bad headache. As a missionary it stinks being inside because we just want to go out and work. We can get so much done in one day - visit so many people, change so many lives...buuut yeah it didn't happen those two days. Luckily they were two days where we normally have meetings so we didn't lose quite as much time as we could have.

And for me it was a great opportunity to serve. I gave my companion a priesthood blessing after the first day, and in that moment his fever broke and started to go back down. Some people have contracted this stuff and two weeks later the joint pains are too much for them to do much of anything. We were only in the house for two days, which was a great blessing.

The remedy? Pretty much just tylenol. That and everybody here told us to drink Guitig with lime and a bit of salt. Guitig is carbonated water. And they recommend it for everything. Well, it's pretty tasty with lime and salt so hey it worked out.

Much better than what other people have been trying to do - kill it with alcohol. Um, I'm pretty sure that doesn't work. And I'm pretty sure the only cases that have died because of chikungunya are the ones that tried drinking it to death. They drank something to death, I guess.

But We Did Have Some Success!

-First, we have a thing as a mission that we need to try hard to contact families we see in the street. I was on divisions with my district leader and because he wanted to focus in that I finally worked up the courage to do it. I saw a family down the road on the other side of the street and finally said, let's cross over and contact them. And we did! It turns out they were a family of Colombians that had recently moved here (they come here to Esmeraldas a lot - they know better how to run a business so generally do better than the lackadaisies here) and we got to share with them The Family, a Proclamation for the World. Unfortunately they didn't live in our sector, and my companion finished the contact before we could try to get their address to pass along the reference, but I felt the Spirit! I think they'll find the church some day. And I need to contact families more.

-Also I got to read a ton in my Book of Mormon while in the house - my second time through in the mission. I got through Helaman and about half of 3rd Nephi - now I'm almost done with Mormon. Whoo! Read it every day, people!

-And one of our less-actives did well. He's a guy who's been a convert for a good while but always had a few struggles, mostly with his family. Now he's pretty down all the time. He sees all his faults and it just gets him even more down. He doesn't like saying "Yeah, I'll come to church," and not fulfill his promise, which often happens. He can't stand it. But we really committed him to coming to church and he came! It's the first time in my my two months here that I've seen him in a regular sacrament meeting. And he was just so proud saying, "I did it!" that day. We can all do it! What kills is when we say "That's just the way I am. I'll never change." Because then we really do kill that last chance we have to do so.

The Tongue Can Be a Sharp Sword, by Marvin J. Ashton

I listen to this talk a couple times a week because my playlist is kinda short but I've really come to love it. He talks a lot about the damage we can cause with just what we say, and charity. Here's a snippet:

During an informal fireside address held with a group of adult Latter-day Saints, the leader directing the discussion invited participation by asking the question:“How can you tell if someone is converted to Jesus Christ?” For forty-five minutes those in attendance made numerous suggestions in response to this question, and the leader carefully wrote down each answer on a large blackboard. All of the comments were thoughtful and appropriate. But after a time, this great teacher erased everything he had written. Then, acknowledging that all of the comments had been worthwhile and appreciated, he taught a vital principle:“The best and most clear indicator that we are progressing spiritually and coming unto Christ is the way we treat other people.”

Really, I just don't get it sometimes. Why is it so hard to give someone else the benefit of the doubt and believe that they're really trying? Why is it so hard to accept that many people struggle and help them instead of critizing them? Is it because they sometimes hold leadership positions? Why do we hold everyone else to a much higher standard of righteousness than our own? And why don't we just display charity and help them?

I've always loved a talk by President Monson, "See Others as They May Become." Another snippet for you.

Back in the year 1961, a worldwide conference was held for mission presidents, and every mission president in the Church was brought to Salt Lake City for those meetings. I came to Salt Lake City from my mission inToronto, Canada.

In one particular meeting, N. Eldon Tanner, who was then an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve, had just returned from his initial experience of presiding over the missions in Great Britain and western Europe. He told of a missionary who had been the most successful missionary whom he had met in all of the interviews he had conducted. He said that as he interviewed that missionary, he said to him, “I suppose that all of the people whom you baptized came into the Church by way of referrals.”

The young man answered, “No, we found them all by tracting.”

Brother Tanner asked him what was different about his approach—why he had such phenomenal success when others didn’t. The young man said that he attempted to baptize every person whom he met. He said that if he knocked on the door and saw a man smoking a cigar and dressed in old clothes and seemingly uninterested in anything—particularly religion—the missionary would picture in his own mind what that man would look like under a different set of circumstances. In his mind he would look at him as clean-shaven and wearing a white shirt and white trousers. And the missionary could see himself leading that man into the waters of baptism. He said, “When I look at someone that way, I have the capacity to bear my testimony to him in a way that can touch his heart.”

We have the responsibility to look at our friends, our associates, our neighbors this way. Again, we have the responsibility to see individuals not as they are but rather as they can become. I would plead with you to think of them in this way.

I've found this mindset actually kind of...liberating. And it helps me to love the people more. Instead of getting annoyed with the less active that doesn't come to church I can instead see that they're really trying to do what's right in their family. I don't know, it's just...better to think this way. I don't mean to say it lowers our expectations but...well, I love this recent talk in General Conference. And I love the way the audience reacted to it. It's by Elder Renlund, and at the end of his talk his said:

"If we don't try, we're just latter-day sinners-"

The audience chuckled. Cute little phrase!

"If we don't persevere, we're just latter-day quitters-"

Laughing again. He made it rhyme! But then to make it clear that he wasn't joking, Renlund delivered:

"and if we don't allow others to try, we're just latter-day hypocrites."

Silence. I felt the heat from that machete swing here in Ecuador.

But how true it is! Love you all, hope you have a good week! 

A banana cart. My favorite thing in the world. As you can tell by the angle I'm stalking him. Waiting...

 A critter I found in the shop below our apartment.

A poorly-lit picture of people watching a football (soccer) game. They had all these drums lined up and where making QUITE the racket.

Elder Scanlan and the Case of the Sillily Surnamed Sickness‏

Have a new word: Baina. I have no idea if it's spelt that way, but it's more or less Spanish for "silly stuff."

Have another new word: Chee-con-goo-yah. I also have no idea what it's spelled like, so that's the phonetic version. Chee-con-goo-yah is this baina that's been running around here in Ecuador and more specifically Esmeraldas. It's some kind of virus transmitted by mosquitos that apparently first came from Africa and made its way here and everyone's freaking out about it. The symptoms are bone aches, fever, chills...doesn't sound like any kind of fun. The name is so absurd I can't help but laugh. I think they made it up just to make it sound scarier.

But I guess it's really no laughing matter because I swear every time we visit someone we hear about another person who got infected. Thankfully I haven't heard once of anyone dying from it - it just seems like it really, really stinks to have it.

In fact, two women from the Ministry of Health came to church yesterday and talked to us about it after sacrament. It's that important. They explained the mosquitos usually stick around in dark places and only bite in the mornings and evenings - in other words, they get you if you're at home. So we basically don't have much of a chance of getting it because we're always running around outside in the sun, working.

There is a missionary who got it about a week ago in the other zone here and so the next time we see him we're going to bug him about it so much.

It reminds me of something I once heard. Tragedy is when you break your leg. Comedy is when that other guy breaks his leg.

But I have had the opportunity to give more health blessings than in all my mission I think!

My Week, Arvanitas-Style

I've gotta say I love the format of Nick Arvanitas's e-mails (another guy I know serving in Mexico!). Somehow it's a perfect description of what happens in missionary work. Everything and nothing happen so often and at the same time. Here is a brief description of the things of this week:

-Finally discovered that when people call their oatmeal drinks "Quahker" it's because they're saying "Quaker" (as in the oats brand) with a Spanish accent.

-Fell asleep in a couple lessons.

-Got rejected hard by an old investigator.

-Woke up 6 in the morning to bring less-actives to church.

-Found a new family. Maybe they'll progress if they want to get married.

-Got contacted by three girls. We gave them pass-along cards and sent them on their way.

-Got a little sick from apples bought off the street.

-Taught hilariously semi-frustrating lessons to our kid with a baptismal date. He's got just too much going on in his head.

-We do have people progressing. Mostly less-actives. They just don't want to come to church. Why's it so hard?

-Need to find new people.

Well, really, we've been doing well. We were going to have baptisms this week but the kid we're teaching didn't come to church yesterday and we have no idea why. He's actually just here on vacation but his mom wants him baptized here because where they live a little bit more to the south they live faaar from the chapel and it's hard for them to attend regularly. So we're working against the clock, but it should turn out fine. He's just easily-distracted, that's all.

Oh, I always forget to mention that one of my favorite less-actives here raises chickens. For cockfighting. He's a great guy, he just hasn't come to church yet! We're not exactly sure why - well this past week it was probably because his nephew had the chee-con-goo-yah. Stinking virus.

The Power of Faith

Our Zone Leaders shared this message with us and I'd like to share it, simply, with you. It has to do with the cycle that starts with faith.

If you have faith, you're going to realize you can do it. You can really understand your true potential. You'll have animo (uh in English something like encouragement or enthusiasm) because of that belief you can have the focus to know what you want to get done and the vision to do it. With that you can get to work, with diligence. Diligence brings blessings, and you'll be more obedient. They end result? Humility and happiness, the kind of happiness the Gospel brings!

But what happens if you don't have faith? When you have doubt? You're going to get discouraged, feel like you can't do it. You getdistracted and start doing other things - any thing other than live the Gospel - because why do it in the first place? It won't bring blessings - who knows that? You start to lose focus and stop working. You get tired of it and stop living the commandments, become disobedient. And without those blessings, without the vision of what the Gospel does for you, why bother with any of it? You just give up and stop believing.

Pretty crazy huh? It's amazing what faith can do!

I realized I've never left my testimony here in Spanish, so here's a short one.

Yo sé que el Señor vive! Yo sé que el evangelio es el único camino que trae la felicidad que queremos en esta vida y que por medio de él podemos vivir con nuestras familias para siempre! Es la bendición más grande que podemos recibir. Yo sé que el Libro de Mormón es verdadero y que necesitamos leerlo cada día! En el nombre de Jesucristo, amen!

For those of us who speak English here is a translation (thank you Emily Wahlstrom!):
I know that the Lord lives!! I know that the gospel is the only way that brings us the happiness that we want in this life and through Him we can live with our families forever!! This is the greatest blessing that we  can receive. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and we need to read it every day! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen!

Huh. For the first time spellcheck isn't going nuts.

 Just one pic - us and an awesome recent convert family!

Conference Snidery Answer Key (See "The Jowls Strike Back"):

1. "The Music of the Gospel." Awesome talk.

2. "Stay By the Tree," by Elder Pearson. Just watch the talk.

3. Elder Zeballos. Chileans have the hardest accent to understand ever.

4. Elder Andersen explained that temples are chosen because the Lord knows the people there will use it well. I guess that Pittsburgh just isn't saintly enough yet for a temple.

5. The Young Single Adults choir.

6. Elder Packer's talk.

April Conference 2015: The Jowls Strike Back‏

For those who may not know...General Conference is a semi-annual meeting over the course of two days, where members of our church get to hear counsel from the Prophet and other leaders of our church. For more information you can go here: https://www.lds.org/general-conference?lang=eng

Conference was great, of course. Most people congregate in the stake centers here to watch it by satellite - it's fun to do it that way, see everyone there. We gringos had a room to ourselves where we watched it in English, which was great. Of course, for the Spanish speakers we flipped over to the Spanish channel. And everybody had all the packages that had arrived for Easter so we had a nice little American-food party as well.

I don't have a ton of time. Here are some of the more profound thoughts that crossed my mind as I watched conference:

-"Of course. The string section is always out of tune."

-"Just a bit closer. Come on, a bit closer. Your tie knot is almost on that mic.  Just give a little tap for me."

-"It's just the worst when they speak Chilean."

-"Confirmed: Pittsburgh is just not righteous enough to get it."

-"The combined hormonal power in that choir could destroy a small nation."

-"I think that was the most explicit conference talk I've ever heard."

Didn't understand?

Sounds like you fell asleep during conference!

Seriously though, it was great. I honestly don't have as much to share with y'all as you might expect - this time I just wrote down what applied to me in my journal. Maybe I wrote less than I usually do, but I treasure these notes more than anything. I was praying and even fasting to know when the speakers were talking directly to me, and I think I got what I was supposed to. I can't wait for the Liahona to continue studying and understanding.

It's something I've found interesting that I'm learning to do - listen to the Spirit. It comes in a great many ways and if we're not listening we won't hear what we need to. I've been very interested to see that it often comes very quietly. That it might just be confused for a "lightbulb" moment, or a weird thought. It'll take practice to figure it out and listen hard. My prayer journal has converted into also being a record of those promptings. As I write them down I think I'll understand better how the Spirit works in my life and how to listen better later on. Who knows what it could be telling us?

And I just liked sharing conference with others. I always think of some of the lines from "High on a Mountaintop."

-And people will be heard in distant lands to say:

We'll now go up and serve the Lord,

obey his truth, and learn his word.

Pretty awesome seeing the work of the Lord filling the whole earth! And it'll keep going. I know it's true and the best work we can do! Get involved! Or figure out what the heck these Mormon people are seeing and why the believe this things! It might just change someone's life.

That's all for this week. But have some pics:

The conference set-up.

The sketchy bridge that leads to "The Island."

 The greatest Zone pic ever. It was completely improvised. This is what happens when there aren't sister missionaries in the zone.

 

Life in Barrio Caliente

"Barrio Caliente" translates to something like "The Party Neighborhood." We learned the other day that that's what they officially call the blocks where are apartment is, and it wasn't just what we liked to snidely call it. It's pretty frustrating at times here. The weekends are the aboslute worst - people drinking and smoking all night. And because they don't have any kind of laws against music volume, they bring out their biggest speakers and turn them up as high as possible. Right beneath our apartment. I have no idea how these people still have eardrums at times...Thankfully, as missionaries, we're so physically exhausted most of the time that we have not trouble sleeping. It just makes studying frustating sometimes. (Don't worry, I'm perfectly safe. The house has an alarm and we live on the third floor.) I've heard it was even worse during Carnival. I'm glad I was safe and secure in Quito.

But yeah, that's the life where I live. Just a little glimpse into it. On to more spiritual things.

Nephi's Psalm

The other day I had one of the most spiritual experiences I had in my mission. We went to visit a less-active family that moved from Spain about a year ago and went inactive - change is tough. They're good people, they've even been to the temple, but the transition has been hard. We found the wife and her daughter and we started to teach them outside their house. The wife started to share with us this, and we could really see how hard their situation was. We had a plan to share a missionary lesson, but it was obvious we needed to share something different. But what?

Our first instinct is to go to the Book of Mormon, but I was having a hard time coming up with something to share. Then my companion pulled out 2 Nephi 4.

A while back my Grandpa had sent our family a great big dictionary of gospel topics for reference. I really love that book - I wish I had it with me here some times. I loved to use it as I studied in the mornings at home. Once I had come across a detailed explanation of the last part of 2 Nephi 4 - what some people call "Nephi's Psalm." I really came to love that passage of the Book of Mormon and had annotated the brief analysis in the margins of my English copy, and when I came here in my Spanish copy as well.

I have always wanted to share it with someone.

So I made signs to my companion and he turned it over to me to lead the lesson a bit. Nephi begins with his feelins of inadequacy, things we fill many a time. We see what we've done and begin to feel regret and remorse:

17 Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.

 18 I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.

 It's pretty sad, huh? But here's the turning point:

 19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.

And what he does next is extremely important - he begins to list his blessings:

 20 My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.

 21 He hath filled me with his love, even unto theconsuming of my flesh.

 22 He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.

 23 Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night-time.

 24 And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me.

 25 And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body beencarried away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them.

What a great example! That's what we need to do. I try to follow this model when I feel overcome. I list the things I've seen to remind myself that God is still there. Then I love what his conclusion is:

26 O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?

 27 And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?

 28 Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.

 29 Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.

 30 Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

When our less-active reached verse 28 she began to cry. So did I. Not just because I love how these scriptures apply to myself, but how I had the chance to help somebody else apply them, too. We all felt the Spirit incredibly strong.

I honestly feel like I was sent there to give that message in that moment. Interesting how I'd had all the preparation to do so and how that was what my companion felt he needed to read. The Lord knows what he's doing!

The Parable of the Owl Express

I know this e-mail's already been pretty long, but I'd love to share something I read recently. It's a parable James E. Talmage wrote:

During my college days, I was one of a class of students appointed to fieldwork as a part of our prescribed courses in geology—the science that deals with the earth in all of its varied aspects and phases, but more particularly with its component rocks, the structural features they present, the changes they have undergone and are undergoing—the science of worlds.

A certain assignment had kept us in the field many days. We had traversed, examined, and charted miles of lowlands and uplands, valleys and hills, mountain heights and canyon defiles. As the time allotted to the investigation drew near its close, we were overtaken by a violent windstorm, followed by a heavy snow—unseasonable and unexpected, but which, nevertheless, increased in intensity so that we were in danger of being snowbound in the hills. The storm reached its height while we were descending a long and steep mountainside several miles from the little railway station at which we had hoped to take [a] train that night for home. With great effort we reached the station late at night while the storm was yet raging. We were suffering from the intense cold incident to biting wind and driving snow; and, to add to our discomfiture, we learned that the expected train had been stopped by snowdrifts a few miles from the little station at which we waited.

… The train for which we so expectantly and hopefully waited was the Owl Express—a fast night train connecting large cities. Its time schedule permitted stops at but few and these the most important stations; but, as we knew, it had to stop at this out-of-the-way post to replenish the water supply of the locomotive.

Long after midnight the train arrived in a terrific whirl of wind and snow. I lingered behind my companions as they hurriedly clambered aboard, for I was attracted by the engineer, who during the brief stop, while his assistant was attending to the water replenishment, bustled about the engine, oiling some parts, adjusting others, and generally overhauling the panting locomotive. I ventured to speak to him, busy though he was. I asked how he felt on such a night—wild, weird, and furious, when the powers of destruction seemed to be let loose, abroad and uncontrolled, when the storm was howling and when danger threatened from every side. I thought of the possibility—the probability even—of snowdrifts or slides on the track, of bridges and high trestles which may have been loosened by the storm, of rock masses dislodged from the mountainside—of these and other possible obstacles. I realized that in the event of accident through obstruction on or disruption of the track, the engineer and the fireman would be the ones most exposed to danger; a violent collision would most likely cost them their lives. All of these thoughts and others I expressed in hasty questioning of the bustling, impatient engineer.

His answer was a lesson not yet forgotten. In effect he said, though in jerky and disjointed sentences: “Look at the engine headlight. Doesn’t that light up the track for a hundred yards [90 m] or more? Well, all I try to do is to cover that hundred yards of lighted track. That I can see, and for that distance I know the roadbed is open and safe. And,” he added, with what, through the swirl and the dim lamplighted darkness of the roaring night, I saw was a humorous smile on his lips and a merry twinkle of his eye, “believe me, I have never been able to drive this old engine of mine—God bless her!—so fast as to outstrip that hundred yards of lighted track. The light of the engine is always ahead of me!”

I love that imagery! My companion and I have been talking about faith a lot and how we can apply it better. We can have faith, but more specifically faith in Christ. We can have faith in Him because He was perfect. He's the only one that never failed or faltered. And that faith can lead us to marvelous things, but most importantly it gives us that guidance Talmage describes. We can have that security that there is something secure, something true in this life. If we build our lives and homes upon his teachings we can keep moving forward, despite everything. If we don't have that faith it can be developed through prayer and scripture study, and more specifically by reading the Book of Mormon. Nephi had that faith!

I know that Christ lives. I know that he died for us and that through him we can become more perfect. I know he cares about us and is always there to lift us out of our despair.

Here's the conclusion of the parable:

As he climbed to his place in the cab, I hastened to board the first passenger coach; and as I sank into the cushioned seat, in blissful enjoyment of the warmth and general comfort, offering strong contrast to the wildness of the night without, I thought deeply of the words of the grimy, oil-stained engineer. They were full of faith—the faith that accomplishes great things, the faith that gives courage and determination, the faith that leads to works. What if the engineer had failed, had yielded to fright and fear, had refused to go on because of the threatening dangers? Who knows what work may have been hindered, what great plans may have been nullified, what God-appointed commissions of mercy and relief may have been thwarted had the engineer weakened and quailed?

For a little distance the storm-swept track was lighted up; for that short space the engineer drove on!

We may not know what lies ahead of us in the future years, nor even in the days or hours immediately beyond. But for a few yards, or possibly only a few feet, the track is clear, our duty is plain, our course is illumined. For that short distance, for the next step, lighted by the inspiration of God, go on!

Love you all! Hope you're excited for Conference, because I am!

         Finally something flat! This is out in the island.

A pretty critter.

That's the ocean out there!