June 6, 2011

June 6, 2011
Another week in Mexico!
First thing that was super cool this week was that my package got here! With everything in it! Also came a package from Chris oops … PRESIDENT Dahl. I think about every elder knows when another elder gets jerky because this has happened to me every time that it’s been sent to me. My companion loves it and wants his own bag, and asked that if I die, that he can have my jerky. Another elder gave me the package and knew that it was jerky by the smell. So it’s a pretty hot item here. The rubix cube is so nice to feel again. Because it’s so new, it slides a lot better than the old one that Elder Brixey taught me on. Love the Fruit snacks (my companion does too). He says you’re an awesome mom. The camera got here fine and everything. I miss my old one, but this one has some new features so that’s always nice. Oh yeah, maybe I didn’t explain what I wanted when I said egg timer. I was talking about a timer I can use for like up to sixty minutes. The one I remember is just the simple face one. Oh well. I wanted to use it for my studies because what happens a lot I get going and have planned time. Then I look down and I got ten minutes left when I should have been studying this and this and this. Anyway, till next time if you can. The fishing game was a surprise. I think I’ll use it for a kind of family home evening. Help them with the “fishers of men” kind of an idea.
This week as far as work went slow again. A lot of the people we had planned to do different things this week they couldn’t or they fell through. One was on Sunday a kid that we had been teaching a little named Henry. His family is Catholic but he believes in his own way. We taught him some things then set up an appointment to come back, wasn’t there. The next week he was this and that and any way really frustrating with him. We came to his house on Sunday to go to church because he said that he would go with us. He basically lied to us and said that he had to go to a football game. Little things like that make the mission hard.
A new thing that has been pretty fun was we found a recent convert that we didn’t know. His name is Rodrigo. He is studying to be a chef. He is 21 and is a big guy; like taller and a lot wider than me. He is a really cool kid though and I respect him a lot because he is the only member of his family. So that’s cool. He brought his younger brother to church. It is super cool to see someone like that working in the gospel. It’s so fun to see people share the gospel. That’s one of the things that we are starting to do better at. We have plans to do family home evenings. Oh yeah this will make Allen a little bit more excited. I got to go with a guy from Argentina this week. He talks different, but talks a lot. That night we found three examples of people who were frustrated and on dangerous grounds with their testimony because of being offended. When we got home that night, the lesson of the day was to put our trust in the Lord, and not be offended. The church is true because it was given by divine revelation. The people within it however, are not so divine. If there is anyone that is offended, think about all the temporal and eternal blessings they are losing, all for some badly said words. Puts those words down the list a little in importance.
Well it’s a little bit shorter this week but we got to run. Here’s the spiritual thought for the week. Sunday we didn’t have a meeting like normal so we went knocking doors, seeing and experimenting how fruitful it was. It was trying to rain and we got in a door, but he really didn’t accept what we said. My companion was frustrated. Well we were both frustrated but him more, because the people seem to be rejecting so much. The cool part was the bit of a talk on missionary work from Elder Holland we found. He said “Anyone who ever does any type of missionary work has the opportunity to ask, “why is this so hard? “ the missionary work is hard because the experience of salvation was never a cheap one. The work of salvation was never easy. How can we expect it to be easy for us when it was never easy for Christ? It’s my opinion that everyone who does missionary work should spend a few minutes in Gethsemane. Also they should take a few steps on the hill on their way to Calvary. And then they will have a question, “is there not another way?“ This is a normal question. But there is no other way. And we must remember that we aren’t the first one to ask ourselves this. Once a man much greater than, a long time ago asked if there wasn’t another way.” Kind of stings a little but at the same time puts things into perspective. Helps me to understand more of why we are here. Also in this little battle of despair I thought about that one time when I figured out why I’m here. That great man suffered more than I can bear. He paid the price that I couldn’t. He was so great and did so much for me that I can never repay. He still gives and blesses me. Now, when he asks that I give two years of service and to give it the best I’ve got. I’ve got an everlasting opportunity in front of me. He asks me to serve a mission and the answer is easy: of course I will.
Until next week!
Elder Mackay