October 15, 2010

October 15, 2010
Hola familia!
Ijole its Friday already! (No mom I didn't just type some random jibberish in the beginning of the sentence. It means on my goodness). Anyhow, it’s crazy that it’s Friday already. Not to mention that I only have 16 days left! Who said time could go by so fast? I didn't... any how. In answer to some of the questions, my companion as I said is Elder Calvert. He's from Salt Lake in a place called Holiday? I don't know where that is but whatever. Anyhow, he's a way cool Elder. He had some missionary prep classes too so we teach really well. That has really been a blessing is that from the beginning we both knew how to teach and knew Preach my Gospel. The rest of my district is pretty cool too. We use to have ten elders. Some of them left early for the Peru MTC. Those Elders were going to the Peru MTC (lucky guys). Now we have seven and it seems really small. We're all going to Mexico, just two missions though. Everyone else in my zone is Spanish speaking too. It’s way cool because we are all in the same boat with speaking Spanish. Some of us have to bail water faster than others.
Speaking of Spanish, mine is coming along nicely. A way cool experience I had started out really rough. Each week we have that’s called a TRC. It’s where we "Practice" with a "real investigator". We practice with other districts through out the week but this is someone we don't know at all. Also we have a task or something that we focus on that week that’s not related to our lesson. It’s for being able to survive normal type stuff. This week we were practicing ordering food. I practiced a lot of words so that I wouldn't embarrass myself. When we got in there, a lot of the things that were on the menu weren't in the book I had studied. It was frustrating and when you’re frustrated you can't think in Spanish or have the spirit. After that we had a lesson and it felt like I didn't have a Spanish word in my head. It was a super rough lesson and my companion did most of the talking. By the end of the night when I went back to the residence hall I was discouraged and down hearted. Why couldn't I do better? I had practiced. I was being obedient. I was doing All the things necessary to be a good missionary. I pleaded with the Lord to know what to do. The next day in the morning, started out like any other day. We had a lesson from one of our teachers on patience. I wondered if it was a coincidence or if they always gave that lesson after our first TRC in Spanish. Later on that night though, we had an awesome lesson on how we feel and the different ways we can feel the Holy Ghost. I felt comforted knowing that I wasn't abandoned. I had another practice lesson with some other Elders and the Spanish came. Some days are just hard. In those times is when we stand up, brush the dust off, put our hat back on and get back on the horse.
Each week we have a devotional on Tuesday. We had a way good speaker this week. He was the Presiding Bishop. He had been in the Bishopric for 18 years! He knew what he was talking about because he's seen a gazillion missionaries. He gave a wonderful talk about how we're odd for our age, but a good odd. We have things that others don't and that’s why we're on a mission. He then gave a few points on how to have a successful mission. After devotional, we have a "aftermath" testimony type meeting. We got on the subject of when we're not feeling to happy that we need to remember our favorite things. We have the gospel after all, why shouldn't we be happy? I kept thinking about something related but I didn't want to send us off on a tangent that nobody would understand. Eventually I raised my hand and what the spirit said through me went kind of like this.
"I was quite busy in high school with sports and other things. I sometimes feel over whelmed that I can't do it anymore. At times like this I use to remember a family that lived down the road. They seemed to have every physical sickness or trial imaginable. The lesson from here is that it can always be worse. Even in my ignorance, I sometimes think my life is worse than anyone else." At this time I started to choke on myself, "I think that I can't do any more that it’s too much. But I haven't been asked to do too much. I haven't been asked to take upon the sins of the world. I haven't been asked to bleed from every pore under that weight. I haven't been betrayed by one of my friends who I held dear to my hear. I haven't been falsely accused of crimes that are almost exactly opposite of my purpose here. I haven't been publicly mocked, and spat at by men who claim that I’m a heathen. I haven't been tied to a post and been whipped so horribly that my flesh is laid wide open. I haven't had a crown of plated thorns placed then forced into my head. I haven't been nailed to a cross, lifted up, and then suffered there. No I haven't been asked too much at all. When I remember this, my trials seem so pitifully small. I can do it. It’s not that hard."
I don't know where all that came from, but the spirit was so strong. a few others things that you asked about mom, don't worry about the pajama pants. I have seen Brenden and Joel but not Jonathan Dilworth. The dried pears were great. I shared some to one of the guys in my district and he was way jealous. The last cool experience this week was in an interview with one of my teachers. I told him about how my purposed has transformed. It started out that I wanted to baptize people. I just thought that was the coolest thing. Then I contemplated and it was better that I bring souls unto Christ. After I thought about it more, it’s more about bringing my brothers and sisters home with me to know Christ. As I told each one of them, the spirit got stronger and stronger. Well I've got about ten seconds left.
hasta luego!Elder Mackay