My thoughts while reading the letter:
50 years later and Uncle Dave still knows Spanish! I kid. No impressive. Close to errorless. Well done! I hope to be like him!
Oh and props to Danny and Lauren. Called it! And Zach and his BYU squeeze.
I especially enjoyed two phrases that I would have never thought would be said in the same sentence: Party at grandma´s house, and way out of control. Congratulations!
1) Where are you?
Im in Campiña, Suba, Bogota, Colombia! It´s a rockin. Quite possibly the biggest and best ward in Colombia! 250 active poderoso members. I felt like i was back in the states for a little bit with a piano on Sunday and a not-completly tone deft congragation. (p.s. i was wondering how many members are in our ward, people ask me frequently). If I haven’t mentioned before, tis only a very, I mean very select few that can sing here. Therefore, the hymns are a little rough here, but I love it. Anyways, lets talk campiña. Bogota is cold. Basically its late Utah fall right now. I really have no idea what the temperature is because they use Celsius here, and even with celcius, ha I still have no idea. all I know is I sleep with two blankets and my toes are cold most of the day. But I love it. We have a baptism and marriage of a couple this week. Fam Beroy, some allstar missionaries decided baptize the kids of the family ha like 3 between 8-12, instead of actually working and trying to get all the papers ready for there wedding. They´ve been attending church for a year, but nobody before my companion wanted to do the work to get them married, the birth and marriage system in this country is messed, its very hard to get everything ready for a marriage. Anyways, there were two families baptized the week before I came, and one this week, and were working on the papers for another family right now. Its sweet, finally get to work with families, all my investigators before were single. We basically work purely of references here. It’s the best. This past Sunday we went to church and by the end had close to the whole week filled with appointments. Oh and food is a lot better. They actually believe in serving something other then chicken rice and potatoes here. It rocks. There is salad with almost every lunch. FINALLY!
2) Do you have access to phone on Christmas day?
It´s business, it´s business time! So yeah, with much waited adeu, 11:30 utah time, 25 de December. Its on! It’s the final countdown! I´m going to call from an international phone booth. Let´s say we talk 2 hours. It´ll only be twenty bucks. I´m going to ask if I can barrow a phone and call from the apartment, would be better. I´ll email again if im going to do that so you can load up the phone card.
) Will you have access to Skype on Christmas day?
Ahh, we can probably for a little but, but don´t think its possible to do both at the same time. Hablarémos.
4) What time do you think you can call on Christmas day? (Your time)
Its 1:30 my time
5) How much do you weight now? (just thought I would throw that in)
I have no idea, like 185 kg? I´m pretty sure I´ve lost weight the past 3 months. I´ll I really know from whether I'm gaining or loosing weight is from how my belt fits. So I´ve moved two nouches down from where I was when I got here, ha if that’s any help. Everyone tells me that I look older then my photo from my farwell. Don´t know. Probably happened when I turned 20. viejo.
6) How many minutes do you have on you're calling card?
No idea! If I decide to use it, i´ll give you all the information
7) Did you or can you rent a cell phone for Christmas?
I´ll check!
8) Send us your calling card number so we can reload or you can do it and charge to credit card.
Deal!
9) Is there a number that we can call you?
Um you can try our cell phone. If I get back on I´ll send it.
10) How long can you talk, is there a limit imposed by the mission president?
I never heard anything, I think there might be a rule in the mission handbook, haha but i´ll read it after Christmas. I think 2 hrs is good.
Welp, if I forget something. We´ll talk right!!!
Love you all and I´m anticipating the chat very much so! Be ready for my horrible English!
e. adams
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Benchmarks this week
1. Finished 6 months in the mission. Wow, and based on how fast this last change went, I’ll be finished before I know it. Sacres me how fast time passes.
2. I turned 20, thus im half way to 40. Wow. Vejito.
3. I’m not going to experience my first transfer.
Thanks so much for all the love that I found in my email box this afternoon, filled with birthday salutations. I’m pretty sure I have the best family ever. I would love to send you all indvidual thank yous, but consider this like a mass text message you think is just for you!
Note: I’m sorry, I really don’t know how to talk normal in English anymore. In Spanish, many words are similar to words in English, but they are words we don´t use as often, such as, salutations. So if you feel like I talk in 1900’s English, that’s probably why.
It really is when you don’t expect change, it happens. I was pretty positive I had one more change here in Central. but, I was wrong. tomorrow, I’m Bogota bound. Its in a zone called Suba, and the name of my area is called Campiña. It was the second area of E. Moreno, my companion right now, and he said it’s a rockin area. It’s in a gamelo (rich) part of town, but the members work like crazy, thus the have a lot of baptisms there. My new companion will be E. Fernandez from Chili, ha and guess what, it´ll be his last change, meaning he´s going home in 6 weeks. Another trunkie! Woosh. I hear he’s super funny. So maybe we can active the great saying : Work hard. Play hard. WHATS UP!
It’s been a bit different/difficult for the past 8 weeks, felt like, and really was doing everything here in Central. oh well. Hopefully I can help my new companion finish his mission of strong. When I was in the MTC, E. Jefery R. Holland came and talked to us, and told us that ‘the success of your companion, should be more important to you than your own success.´ I just remember that quote this week, and i´m going to do my best to apply it for the rest of my mission. Before when my companions didn’t want to work I would just say, welp, I guess ill do it all then. I´m sure there is a better way. I’ll try to find it.
I got to talk to E. Reynoso on the phone yesterday, it was great. We had our difficult times, but we left being great, great friends. I love forming lifelong relationships.
Oh yeah, about my birthday, ha well I didn’t really remember it, thus I didn’t really tell anyone about it. Ha but one of my favorite families here found out and bought me a cake, and sang to me. It was great. Then we sang and ate more cake with the elders from pinos, when we got back to the house. I´m going to miss them all.
As a matter of fact, I’m really going to miss everything about Bucaramanga and my plentidud of great friends here. Honeslty, it feels like a home to me. Like its what I know, the streets, people, and sounds. I hope to feel the same love for my other areas to come. Today felt like those days before I left on my mission, saying good bye to the people I love, Feelings of sadness and anxiousness for the things to come. I hope to come back here on my mission. But I know that the Lord needs me in Bogota. Faith is always in the future.
I hope I was a little less missionary and a little more detailed oriented for the request my dear mom this letter!
And I’ll let you know how things go this week in Campiña. IM SURE ITS GOING TO ROCKKKK!
Love you all
L8r sk8rs.
e. adams
it seemed like there were a couple of questions about Christmas call. Honestly, the details are yet to be reviled, but next week I promise!
photos to come!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Because they know not
That adds a little bit of a twist to my exit interview with the Stake President after my mission now that it is Pres. Clayson, he served here in bogota. I believe you said that he served here, in Bucaramanga,if so, please try and find out what barrio (sector) he served in here.
Everything is going great here in central. We continue to be placed in the path of great people who are ready to here the gospel. As of lately I have found so much truth in d&c 123, which talks about my friends ‘’who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it.’’ I then find out what now is my responsibility for these people from the following versus ‘’Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven— These should then be attended to with great aearnestness.’’
I love this work. The hand of God is in my every day life. There are so many little miracles.
WE HAD SOME FAMILY THAT WANTED TO DONATE TO JAKE ON HIS MISSION THIS CHRISTMAS. HE WANTED TO TAKE THE MONEY AND HELP THE WARD MEMBERS.
Concerning the majority of us like to see where our money goes, and out of complete gratitude for the generosity, here is where the Christmas money has gone thus far…
The ward temple trip was this weekend, and due to the financial situations of many here in barrio central, quite a few well deserving people just couldn’t make it on their own. I talked with the bishop and I let him know that there was help, we made sure that no one else knew where the money was coming from. The relief society president and her husband wanted to be sealed, but the money just wasn’t there. Their daughter began to question if the help from God would come. I’m not saying that it was divine help, but I know that God puts peoples in paths to help them and sometimes answer their prayers. They got back Saturday night, and Sunday happened to be fast and testimony meeting. I listen as Sis. Moreno (relif pres.) bore pure, beautiful testimony of the blessings she had received from the temple, she testified that that Sunday, here in bucaramanga, she knew more than ever that this is the church of Christ. I knew as I looked her in the eyes as she walked back to her bench, that she had been changed, there was a grand light in her eyes and I know that only the comfort and power that is in the House of the Lord can provide that. It was followed by the rest of the members who receive the blessings of the temple. In total 5 people were able go and feel the Love of the Lord Jesus Christ more fully than ever thanks to the generosity of our family. It was the most powerful testimony meeting I have had the privilege of being in, due to the sacrifice they had made and how they were able to bring a little bit of that pure perfect love that is in the temple in to our little chapel.
I love you all.
Aloha, (elder au, who is from Hawaii, taught me today that aloha means hello, goodbye, and I love you)
E. Adams
Monday, November 30, 2009
Escogidos (the elect)
If an angry stomach is part of thanksgiving, then I felt a little home here for thanksgiving day. Ha! But not worries. I´m doing sooo good! Oh and of course, what was literally a piece from home was I got the package on Thursday! THANKS IT ROCKED! I'm looking for microwave so I can enjoy the feast! Haha honestly it wasn´t till the day before that I realized that thanksgiving was coming when someone asked me `what is that big holiday you have in your country tomorrow?` I wasn´t sure at first. How quick one forgets their roots right?
Well I´d like to take some time to talk about how funny Mom is. Oh gosh. She cracked me up with her comments about the BYU football game. Oh soo good. I´ll now refer to her letter so you can get a taste of the brilliance!
´´ The weather was great I only got cold at the end of the game.
Dad and Mike said it was the worst officiated game they had ever
seen. But they have said that before (HA! SHE´S BRILLIANT!). Utah started out strong with
two field goals but BYU rallied with a field goal and a couple touch
downs. BYU lead most of the game until the last 3 or 4 minutes and
then they got a touch down and some field goals the game was tied at
20 20 with a minute left. Utah got a field goal and BYU came back to
win with a touch down. What a exciting game! I was so glad they won
because Mike would have been grouchy all night (GOLDEN!!).``
While in bed actually reading a talk by Elder Oaks, he talks about how many times, we ´have omitted the weightier matters of the law` (Matt 23:23)
I believe that when we are studying the góspel, and our mind wanders, so much of this is done by the power of the Spirit, which brings to our mind the things He wants us to know. When I was reading this article my mind wandered to when I was young and was on a handful of sports teams and was dependent on Mom for a ride. I thought about how when she was late I would think that the world was litteraly going to end if I wasn´t on time, thus I was very impatient, and often at times rude when she did, as always come. I looked back and realized that I was defiantly omitting the weightier things. I´m pretty sure nothing ever happened from me being late, I actually can´t even remember a result. But what I do remember is my impatience and rudeness. How often is this the case, that we omit the things that really matter, like how we treat others and the development of our character, for things that we think are important at the time. I know at least I do. So mom, i´m sorry for the follies of my youth, and thank all of you for your patience with me.
This week more than any, I learned that God does prepares people to be taught. I didn´t have very many lessons this week, but of the few I did I met some of the children that Heavenly Father has prepared to accept his gospel. In Spanish we call them ¨escogidos¨ (or the elect). As we began to talk about the events the Lord´s hand began to be shown, They didn´t exactly recognize it when they were talking to us, but I knew, and as missionaries we try to help them recognize that call from God. I thank Him everynight for the opportunity to be able to do that. One of the examples was of a great women named Luz Maria. She grew up Protestant, stopped attending that church. Was married and started attending the Catholic church with her Husband, but didn´t like the repetition of prayers, which she felt was contrary to exact nature of prayer. Then she went to a Evanglical church, with a big rock band and screaming and yelling. She knew she couldn´t feel the spirit in that atmosphere, she then got tired of her churches and decided that she as going to just read the bible for her shelf. Two weeks ago her daughter told her that a Church would help her feel more at peace. She then, at that moment, remembered a friend from 8 years ago that was a member and what good things that she had said about her church. She asked the people around the church to find out when it opened. She was there at that time. She felt the peace, felt the love of the members, knew the doctrine was true. It might very while be that Luz Maria won´t miss another Sunday. I know what Elder Brent Nielson said in General Conference is true. ``The need has never been greater. The field has never been whiter. You are called to go “this last time” (Jacob 5:62). There is no greater work; there is no greater call than teaching “all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19)``.
I love this work. I love this people. I love you all.
Feliz dia,
Elder Adams
Well I´d like to take some time to talk about how funny Mom is. Oh gosh. She cracked me up with her comments about the BYU football game. Oh soo good. I´ll now refer to her letter so you can get a taste of the brilliance!
´´ The weather was great I only got cold at the end of the game.
Dad and Mike said it was the worst officiated game they had ever
seen. But they have said that before (HA! SHE´S BRILLIANT!). Utah started out strong with
two field goals but BYU rallied with a field goal and a couple touch
downs. BYU lead most of the game until the last 3 or 4 minutes and
then they got a touch down and some field goals the game was tied at
20 20 with a minute left. Utah got a field goal and BYU came back to
win with a touch down. What a exciting game! I was so glad they won
because Mike would have been grouchy all night (GOLDEN!!).``
While in bed actually reading a talk by Elder Oaks, he talks about how many times, we ´have omitted the weightier matters of the law` (Matt 23:23)
I believe that when we are studying the góspel, and our mind wanders, so much of this is done by the power of the Spirit, which brings to our mind the things He wants us to know. When I was reading this article my mind wandered to when I was young and was on a handful of sports teams and was dependent on Mom for a ride. I thought about how when she was late I would think that the world was litteraly going to end if I wasn´t on time, thus I was very impatient, and often at times rude when she did, as always come. I looked back and realized that I was defiantly omitting the weightier things. I´m pretty sure nothing ever happened from me being late, I actually can´t even remember a result. But what I do remember is my impatience and rudeness. How often is this the case, that we omit the things that really matter, like how we treat others and the development of our character, for things that we think are important at the time. I know at least I do. So mom, i´m sorry for the follies of my youth, and thank all of you for your patience with me.
This week more than any, I learned that God does prepares people to be taught. I didn´t have very many lessons this week, but of the few I did I met some of the children that Heavenly Father has prepared to accept his gospel. In Spanish we call them ¨escogidos¨ (or the elect). As we began to talk about the events the Lord´s hand began to be shown, They didn´t exactly recognize it when they were talking to us, but I knew, and as missionaries we try to help them recognize that call from God. I thank Him everynight for the opportunity to be able to do that. One of the examples was of a great women named Luz Maria. She grew up Protestant, stopped attending that church. Was married and started attending the Catholic church with her Husband, but didn´t like the repetition of prayers, which she felt was contrary to exact nature of prayer. Then she went to a Evanglical church, with a big rock band and screaming and yelling. She knew she couldn´t feel the spirit in that atmosphere, she then got tired of her churches and decided that she as going to just read the bible for her shelf. Two weeks ago her daughter told her that a Church would help her feel more at peace. She then, at that moment, remembered a friend from 8 years ago that was a member and what good things that she had said about her church. She asked the people around the church to find out when it opened. She was there at that time. She felt the peace, felt the love of the members, knew the doctrine was true. It might very while be that Luz Maria won´t miss another Sunday. I know what Elder Brent Nielson said in General Conference is true. ``The need has never been greater. The field has never been whiter. You are called to go “this last time” (Jacob 5:62). There is no greater work; there is no greater call than teaching “all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19)``.
I love this work. I love this people. I love you all.
Feliz dia,
Elder Adams
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
dia de gracias ( day of thanks)
The golf trip sounded sweet, with an excpetion of the BYU hater (btw wheres my BYU sports corner this week?). They have a couple of Golf courses in Bogota, i´ll have to hit up a bucket of balls when i´m there.
Speaking of Snows. Is Dan married yet?
And before i forget, who is the new Stake President? Did any Apostles visit for the change?
I just realized that my birthday is pretty close. I´ll be twenty. If you do the difficult math, that´s half of 40. ¡Estoy viejo(i´m old)!
Pretty rockin´ week here in Central. We had interviews with the president, and the president did a little bit of lecturing my companion for his trunkie attributes. So needless to say, there was a lot more obediance in our companionship this week, thus a lot more blessings. The Lord blessed us with 12 new investigators this week. Outragous, we had like, six combined with the three weeks before. And to add on to that, we have 4 killer references that we recieved yesterday that we are yet to teach. So yeah, the field is white!
Four of these were the second generation of inactives members. So I don´t know if i mentioned before but in my ward we have a program where we visit all the members (the majority of which are inactive) on their birthdays and give them a little card with a scripture and a message from the bishop. Very simple, cheap, and effective. With this birthday, we didn´t have the oportunity to visit her on the day of, but when we were close yesterday we decided to pass by. It turned out that at the hour we passed by the whole family was gathering together to celeberate her birthday. Which consisted of 5 members, and 4 non-members. The family hadn´t been to church for over 20 years, the father told me that really it was very hard to transport their family to the chapel, cause at this time there was only one in all of Bucaramanga, thus it was far away, and they lost touch of the Church. The lesson went well, the spirit was there, and were heading back on wednesday. The mother, of the family, said that ´God had sent us´. The more and more i look for it, I see his Hand more in my daily life.
I hope with this evidence, along with so much more this week, my companion can learn more the importance of obidience. He has said before that, if your baptizing, and your following the ´important rules´, the others don´t really matter. How absouletly wrong he was. We don´t pick and choose the commandments were going to keep. We try our best to keep them, because we love Him who made them, and we know that if we do keep them, He will bless us abudently.
My beloved Sister Jess -
I know have been bad at getting back to your letters, but if its any bit of consilation, i get them all and love to read them. BIEN HECHO (well done) with the member missionary work. Without a doubt, the Lord place the majority of people he is preparing in the circle of relationships of the members. I share the heartache of watching people, that i love not commiting to live with the knowledge of the truth of the restored gospel.
I don´t know if the missionaries have a shared Alma 32 (faith is like a seed) with her, but if i were there i would make sure that she read it. It helped an investigator we had with the same problem. Like it says in v. 21,faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true. ´ The chapter rocked my world this past week when i read it with the prespective of missionary work, i realized that its mine, and the members responsibilty to help these new converts, that ¨know the seed is good¨ thus they were baptized, to cultivate that seed so that it can grow in to a tree and give forth fruit, which i attributed to a firm testimony or conversion, and not parish and fall away, when they are pressed up against the wall of faith, and begin to question whether that seed was really good or not. But if they have those roots in the Church of Christ, in ´a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall´ (Hel 5:12)
Jess i´m proud of your efforts in this great work. Remember the Lord´s promise to Alma and the Sons of Mosiah: Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.
The mission has broke my heart many a times. But I find some much comfort in this promise. I know that if i´m patient in the hard times, don´t complain, when it is so easy to do, but press forward with optimsim (wow i have no idea how to spell), success will come.
Wow, enough of my district meeting-esque letter. I love you all, and am so thankful for all that you do, and have done for me.
con mucho amor,
Elder Pipa (what my security guard friend in our complex calls me, haha. Pipa means like fat stomach or a gut. To call someone gordo here is not offensive at all, so i just roll with it, and accept my chubby stomach)
mom dad,
Thanks for the packages! I´ll let you know when i get them.
jess
haha, almost forgot to answer this, im so bad. But just let me know when todd is going to call or what ever, we decide when we call. I don´t know if im going to be here in b/manga or not, so when it get closer i´ll talk to my companion about it. But no worries. probably around 2-5 in colombian time, i think it´s 3 hours ahead. Not sure. Hablaramos (We´ll talk). BTW send the kids my much love for them. miss them when i talk with the kids around here
Speaking of Snows. Is Dan married yet?
And before i forget, who is the new Stake President? Did any Apostles visit for the change?
I just realized that my birthday is pretty close. I´ll be twenty. If you do the difficult math, that´s half of 40. ¡Estoy viejo(i´m old)!
Pretty rockin´ week here in Central. We had interviews with the president, and the president did a little bit of lecturing my companion for his trunkie attributes. So needless to say, there was a lot more obediance in our companionship this week, thus a lot more blessings. The Lord blessed us with 12 new investigators this week. Outragous, we had like, six combined with the three weeks before. And to add on to that, we have 4 killer references that we recieved yesterday that we are yet to teach. So yeah, the field is white!
Four of these were the second generation of inactives members. So I don´t know if i mentioned before but in my ward we have a program where we visit all the members (the majority of which are inactive) on their birthdays and give them a little card with a scripture and a message from the bishop. Very simple, cheap, and effective. With this birthday, we didn´t have the oportunity to visit her on the day of, but when we were close yesterday we decided to pass by. It turned out that at the hour we passed by the whole family was gathering together to celeberate her birthday. Which consisted of 5 members, and 4 non-members. The family hadn´t been to church for over 20 years, the father told me that really it was very hard to transport their family to the chapel, cause at this time there was only one in all of Bucaramanga, thus it was far away, and they lost touch of the Church. The lesson went well, the spirit was there, and were heading back on wednesday. The mother, of the family, said that ´God had sent us´. The more and more i look for it, I see his Hand more in my daily life.
I hope with this evidence, along with so much more this week, my companion can learn more the importance of obidience. He has said before that, if your baptizing, and your following the ´important rules´, the others don´t really matter. How absouletly wrong he was. We don´t pick and choose the commandments were going to keep. We try our best to keep them, because we love Him who made them, and we know that if we do keep them, He will bless us abudently.
My beloved Sister Jess -
I know have been bad at getting back to your letters, but if its any bit of consilation, i get them all and love to read them. BIEN HECHO (well done) with the member missionary work. Without a doubt, the Lord place the majority of people he is preparing in the circle of relationships of the members. I share the heartache of watching people, that i love not commiting to live with the knowledge of the truth of the restored gospel.
I don´t know if the missionaries have a shared Alma 32 (faith is like a seed) with her, but if i were there i would make sure that she read it. It helped an investigator we had with the same problem. Like it says in v. 21,faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true. ´ The chapter rocked my world this past week when i read it with the prespective of missionary work, i realized that its mine, and the members responsibilty to help these new converts, that ¨know the seed is good¨ thus they were baptized, to cultivate that seed so that it can grow in to a tree and give forth fruit, which i attributed to a firm testimony or conversion, and not parish and fall away, when they are pressed up against the wall of faith, and begin to question whether that seed was really good or not. But if they have those roots in the Church of Christ, in ´a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall´ (Hel 5:12)
Jess i´m proud of your efforts in this great work. Remember the Lord´s promise to Alma and the Sons of Mosiah: Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.
The mission has broke my heart many a times. But I find some much comfort in this promise. I know that if i´m patient in the hard times, don´t complain, when it is so easy to do, but press forward with optimsim (wow i have no idea how to spell), success will come.
Wow, enough of my district meeting-esque letter. I love you all, and am so thankful for all that you do, and have done for me.
con mucho amor,
Elder Pipa (what my security guard friend in our complex calls me, haha. Pipa means like fat stomach or a gut. To call someone gordo here is not offensive at all, so i just roll with it, and accept my chubby stomach)
mom dad,
Thanks for the packages! I´ll let you know when i get them.
jess
haha, almost forgot to answer this, im so bad. But just let me know when todd is going to call or what ever, we decide when we call. I don´t know if im going to be here in b/manga or not, so when it get closer i´ll talk to my companion about it. But no worries. probably around 2-5 in colombian time, i think it´s 3 hours ahead. Not sure. Hablaramos (We´ll talk). BTW send the kids my much love for them. miss them when i talk with the kids around here
Monday, November 16, 2009
City Park clean up
So sounds like your birthday was a hit. I love hearing all the great things Preston and Liz say, and I guess before I’m back you´ll be quoting Alaina. Life´s crazy!
So we started of our p-day off with a service project with the ward. Cleaned up this rough park by our house. Bucaramanga is loaded with parks all over the place. They are known as Cuidad Bonita, or Cuidad de Parques. (BTW, ask Bro. Clayson where he served in Bucaramanga. I could talk with some of the missionaries there and find out if ´his fruits remained´ ha don´t say that, i´m sure they´re the poderosos in the barrio)
Anyways this park we pass through is known for its population of ´Mujers de la Vida´ or as we like to call him in the states, prostitutes, and pigeons. Is that the best combination or what! Anyways, while we were cleaning we´re able to talk with the passer byers (I think that is a word in English), and loungers. We talked with some pretty sweet people, got some appointment set. Life rocks. Love productive p-days.
So I had a great week. And what was great, and what we can all do, is try my best to make it that way. I finished the other week feeling like we just weren´t doing all we could. For the past three weeks I´ve been working with trunkie central here in, central. And I felt like I wasn´t doing everything I could to stop ´the trunk´. I knew I was trying hard and doing good things, but I just wasn´t sure I had been doing my absolute best. So I really just tried to work my guts out this week. The thing is that there wasn´t really any change in our week. Not a huge spike in our numbers, they didn´t really even increase much. But I knew that I was trying my hardest and that made all the difference. So many times we don´t see the fruits of our efforts, but we know we did our best, and that’s all that matters. It was though my fastest week, and one of my happiest. It actually is the principle on how salvation is reached. “For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” (2 Ne. 25:23.) How simple is that. It doesn´t matter who we were, what great things we did, the positions we held, but that we gave our Father that is in Heaven our best effort, our very best effort.
There was one great fruit from this week: basically an already converted investigator. So sweet. Her name is Clarasofia, and she has a good share of friends in the Church, but because of her busy Schedule, she never had the time to talk with the missionaries. We met with her for 45 minutes and were just in awe of how great her and her mom were. Then we had to leave for my English clases. Returned, and taught her for two hours. Ha. She started by asking if we could ¨please¨ teach her more about the book of mormon. Brilliant. We taught about the Restoration of the Gospel, and when we asked if she would read and pray about the book of mormon, to know if it was true, she said that she had already read it and knew that it was true, nuts, and preceded to flip to her `favorite` verse, read it, and stated ´how can this not be true, it´s beautiful´. I left being awestruck, not only by her faith, but by the process in which she obtained that faith. Oh, the power of members, and how much they can bless missionary work.
I love that that I have no idea how much time I have left here in Bucaramanga--gives me more motivation to absolutely pour out my soul.
I love you all. Les están siempre en mi corazón.
Cheers,
Elder Adams
Moms and pops-
So there are 6 elders in my district, 2 live with me. Your package to me is already a package to 6 missionaries already so whatever you see fit.
Happy 28 years and many more¡¡ (haha I can only find the upside down quotation mark). If in the end all that I learned from you guys was the love that should be shared in a marriage, that would be enough (of course there are countless other things I´ve learned). Thanks for being the best parents ever.
So we started of our p-day off with a service project with the ward. Cleaned up this rough park by our house. Bucaramanga is loaded with parks all over the place. They are known as Cuidad Bonita, or Cuidad de Parques. (BTW, ask Bro. Clayson where he served in Bucaramanga. I could talk with some of the missionaries there and find out if ´his fruits remained´ ha don´t say that, i´m sure they´re the poderosos in the barrio)
Anyways this park we pass through is known for its population of ´Mujers de la Vida´ or as we like to call him in the states, prostitutes, and pigeons. Is that the best combination or what! Anyways, while we were cleaning we´re able to talk with the passer byers (I think that is a word in English), and loungers. We talked with some pretty sweet people, got some appointment set. Life rocks. Love productive p-days.
So I had a great week. And what was great, and what we can all do, is try my best to make it that way. I finished the other week feeling like we just weren´t doing all we could. For the past three weeks I´ve been working with trunkie central here in, central. And I felt like I wasn´t doing everything I could to stop ´the trunk´. I knew I was trying hard and doing good things, but I just wasn´t sure I had been doing my absolute best. So I really just tried to work my guts out this week. The thing is that there wasn´t really any change in our week. Not a huge spike in our numbers, they didn´t really even increase much. But I knew that I was trying my hardest and that made all the difference. So many times we don´t see the fruits of our efforts, but we know we did our best, and that’s all that matters. It was though my fastest week, and one of my happiest. It actually is the principle on how salvation is reached. “For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” (2 Ne. 25:23.) How simple is that. It doesn´t matter who we were, what great things we did, the positions we held, but that we gave our Father that is in Heaven our best effort, our very best effort.
There was one great fruit from this week: basically an already converted investigator. So sweet. Her name is Clarasofia, and she has a good share of friends in the Church, but because of her busy Schedule, she never had the time to talk with the missionaries. We met with her for 45 minutes and were just in awe of how great her and her mom were. Then we had to leave for my English clases. Returned, and taught her for two hours. Ha. She started by asking if we could ¨please¨ teach her more about the book of mormon. Brilliant. We taught about the Restoration of the Gospel, and when we asked if she would read and pray about the book of mormon, to know if it was true, she said that she had already read it and knew that it was true, nuts, and preceded to flip to her `favorite` verse, read it, and stated ´how can this not be true, it´s beautiful´. I left being awestruck, not only by her faith, but by the process in which she obtained that faith. Oh, the power of members, and how much they can bless missionary work.
I love that that I have no idea how much time I have left here in Bucaramanga--gives me more motivation to absolutely pour out my soul.
I love you all. Les están siempre en mi corazón.
Cheers,
Elder Adams
Moms and pops-
So there are 6 elders in my district, 2 live with me. Your package to me is already a package to 6 missionaries already so whatever you see fit.
Happy 28 years and many more¡¡ (haha I can only find the upside down quotation mark). If in the end all that I learned from you guys was the love that should be shared in a marriage, that would be enough (of course there are countless other things I´ve learned). Thanks for being the best parents ever.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
