"before you seek to declare my word, seek to obtain it."

Hola Mi Gran Familia!

 

As for me, I have been soo blessed when it comes to Spanish. I can say now that understanding people is not the problem, and in the lessons I feel like I can communicate pretty much what I'm feeling. The problem now is the street stuff. Just common speaking on the street is now what troubles me. And I still find myself translating in my head but I'm sure that will soon go away! The Gift of Tounges is REAL.

 

I first want to share an experience that happened last Monday. We were having some trouble and it seemed like nobody was keeping commitments. And so Monday night we recruited one of the Assistants to come out with us and see if we could help some of the people who weren't doing to well. Elder Stutz is his name, he is from Arizona and is super cool and a great missionary! We went to visit Jorge Octado, who had been struggling with his Catholic background and accepting that there needs to be priesthood authority on the Earth. We had a powerful lesson on covenants with him, Elder Stutz used his sister's baptism picture to show how happy she looked when she made that covenant and also read Mosiah 18: 7-12 to help him understand covenants a little more. 

 

I didn't say much at the beginning of the lesson but at the end I had such an overwhelming feeling to say something, I just didn't know what. And amazingly as soon as I did that Elder Stutz looked at me and gave me the nod to say something. I just opened my mouth and the Lord put words in there...it was a truly amazing feeling. It was the first time I really felt like I was really a tool in the Lord's hands. I just bore testimony and promised blessings that come from making covenants with the Lord. After I was done there was a silence for about 10 seconds and then he said the words every missionary wants to hear, "I think I know that this is true." It was truly an amazing experience. Problem is he backed out two days later when we went to follow up. He is just too afraid to let go of his Catholic Church that he has believed for so long. He is almost there though I can feel it. We are going to see him this week.

 

Last night we had what is called a "desembarco" for our area, it's when all of the missionaries from our zone come and try to find new investigators and also try to reactivate the less actives. It was a huge success and we now have 22 possible new investigators to teach. I am excited about what is about to happen to this area! Me and Elder Matos are so ready to get to work and start harvesting some of those sheaves! It was so cool to have all the Calima Zone here helping out.

 

I wish I could give you the report on every investigator but that's just impossible with how many we have haha, so what I will do is just keep you up on the ones that are progressing and right now we only have 2, Jorge and Wilmer. Wilmer is doing great.  We tought him the 2nd lesson this week and he came to church again. The only problem is the parents. They aren't sure if they want their son getting baptized in another church, but he is really chevre (Colombian word for cool). He has such a desire to learn more about God and His plan for him. He reads the Book of Mormon like a champ. We left him " 2 Nephi 32 and he read all the way to Mosiah. He has such a desire it is great, we will see if we can soften his parents and get a baptismal date this week!

 

I learned a valueable lesson here in the mission. Whenever I would be teaching Lesson 2 I would always have trouble getting the words to teach it, it really bothered me. When you are trying to teach something as complex as Adam and Eve or the Spirit World in another language things can get tough haha, luckily Elder Matos was there to fix whatever I said wrong. But it bothered me why I wasn't getting the words "in the very hour" that I needed them as it says in D&C. I pondered that promise in personal study and then I found the verse that states "before you seek to declare my word, seek to obtain it." I hadn't really taken the time to learn Lesson 2 yet, and because I didn't know it, the Spirit couldn't give me what I needed. 

 

I then started dilgently studying the Plan of Salvation to make sure that I could teach it, and came out learning a ton. After studying so much I have a new appreciation for God's plan for all of us. He really does love us more than we know. Everything that happens to us in this life is because He knows the big picture and what we need to further progress in our Eternal Journey to become like Him. I am so thankful for a knowledge of this plan and the opportunity that I have to share it with others, I know that He lives!

 

Anyways I hope you all have such a great week, I miss you all!

 

Elder Eliason