Monday, February 20, 2017

A Week of Blessings

We had some interesting days in the week. Wednesday was memorable in that we proselyted in a place we don't normally go. We went to a far-off part of our area by the river where instead of seeing the city, you saw mountains and a long dirt road, and the cliff upon which resides a more populated sector of the area. It reminded me of a community in a book I once read- very rural and a little dark, with mutters of adultery and attempted murder. We visited an old man with a farm of potatoes and lettuce. We tried to teach him, but he wanted to talk about how his neighbors were far too critical of one another, and how the scriptures teach how fasting is a sin. At the end of the day, a drunk man told us passionately he traveled seven times to the United States... 'but I NEVER arrived!!!' He sprayed us a bit with spittle as he spoke, and asked forgiveness for his ´escupidez´, which is like saying, 'stupidity'.

Another blessing of the week was meeting twice for trainings with Elder Montoya, a member of the Seventy. He spoke in General Conference two years ago. It was a wonderful experience. I like how he balanced missionary instruction with the fortification of our own testimonies.

We also had a baptism of a mother and her son who were very happy with their decision, although the water was mercilessly cold. The son is very excitable, and a good friend of ours. He's ten years old and hungrily waiting to go on a mission. The mother has been waiting for some time to be baptized, so it was a joyful day.

These are some of my experiences of the week. I hope you all had a good one, too. The church is always growing, and it has been since it began. It is never going to stop growing either, and while religious belief dwindles in these days, we need never worry the Church of Jesus Christ will dwindle. If we build it up in our lives, we share its destiny of success, until the perfect day. If in egotistic desires we build ourselves up, struggling to construct our own Babylonian towers, we limit the heights to which we might achieve. If we are meant to touch eternity, said towers will only provide stumbling blocks. Let the others toil and weeze....we stand tallest on our knees.