So. Just a few experiences from the week. There was this guy who came up to me on Sunday that I have met and talked to a little bit while being here in Corozal. He usually comes and talks to me while he is drunk, but we have had a couple of civil, nice conversations while he was not drinking. Anyway, his name is Gregory and he came up to me in a lesson yesterday and we started talking about when he was going to come to church. I told him that I've been here a while and that I wanted to see him in church at least once before I left and he said that he would read a pamphlet and we could talk about it--he wanted to make some changes he said. Well he left and I didn't think too much of it.
He came back a little later, without the pamphlet--which he had replaced with a burning cigarette. I told him if he wanted to make some changes, he needed to start small and throw away that cigarette. He said he knew that, but that it was hard. "Changes are hard." So I began to tell him, "Yeah. I know. Life is hard and it's full of hard changes, but if we don't ever start to make them, we won't ever do them." Then he proceeded to tell me that I don't know what hard is--how I have a house, I have food, I'm from the States, etc. He said that I have never known what hard is. My first thought, "But I have met many of you who do. And I have watched them change...." And then I thought, "No! Ido know what hard is. Maybe it's a different kind of hard, but I CAN and I do hard things every day here on the mission." And so I shared some with him. And then I told him, "We have to make sacrifices, man. Sacrifice is giving up something good for something better. And I know that there is nothing better than preparing to make covenants with our Heavenly Father to follow His Son, Jesus Christ, in order to have an eternal family." And in that moment--it felt like a movie (SO dramatic!)--he threw down the cigarette and said, "There! It's gone." and then pulled the half-empty beer bottle out of his shorts pocket (that we didn't know about) and dashed that away as well. And then he rode off on his bike saying that he'd see us tomorrow. Sister Mims and I were shell-shocked. We finished our lesson, still dumbfounded, and then rode away as well to regain our senses.
Another lesson we had that was just amazing was with a man named R____. He is a barber that Sister Vasquez and I met and had been trying to teach for the longest time. We found out that he was a friend of Brother Tillet--our branch mission leader. Well we had a lesson with the two of them a week and a half ago and had set up an appointment for this past week which ended up falling through on our part, due to a lesson that ran over. So we met up with Brother Tillet yesterday and he said that R____ was a little sad and has been planning to go to another church. So as we rode over together, we braced a devastating him-dropping-us lesson. Buuuuuuuuut something crazy happened.
We were standing outside his fence, listening to his pitbulls bark almost the entire time. We began talking about all kinds of things and then at some point, something changed. I'm not sure what we were talking about, but then he finally shared his story about the challenges with his ex-wife and his current living companion and his past church and just....everything. He feels bad, because he's committing adultery, but I can see that he wants to make a change. He wants to "ask God's forgiveness," he said. So after he explained everything, I pulled out our little DVD player and showed him the Mormon Message "Because of Him." The Spirit was there and EVERYTHING changed. At the beginning, as we had been discussing when to come back, the appointment time just wasn't working. He was ready to give up, but once we showed that video and testified of the Atonement and the peace, relief, and hope we can feel? He offered to MAKE the time for us to come on Wednesday! As I invited him to come to church, I told him, "We can try to explain why it's different from the other churches, but it's best if you come and FEEL it for yourself." And because of the Spirit that the video brought, he is truly considering it.
I can't even begin to explain the love that I feel for these people. Just this morning Sister Mims and I were at the bank and saw some clips from the news. It forwarded us both into the future and we thought about what it would be like to be home (I'm not trying to be baggy or anything....), seeing the news of things happening in El Salvador or Belize. My heart aches at the thought of not staying here forever. I know, I know, I know that I will always be a member missionary, but it won't be the same. God's children are in need of the gospel in every inch of the world, but in these two tiny countries of Belize and El Salvador? These are my people. The love I feel for them is overwhelming and I have no explanation as to why. But I am so grateful for it.
I encourage you all to look at the people around you with the eyes of Christ. Try to see your coworkers, your family members, your friends, the people on the freeway or in the supermarkets--try to see them as Christ does. Learn to love them as He does. You will experience an entirely different level of the Atonement--a more personal one--as you serve them as He would.He came back a little later, without the pamphlet--which he had replaced with a burning cigarette. I told him if he wanted to make some changes, he needed to start small and throw away that cigarette. He said he knew that, but that it was hard. "Changes are hard." So I began to tell him, "Yeah. I know. Life is hard and it's full of hard changes, but if we don't ever start to make them, we won't ever do them." Then he proceeded to tell me that I don't know what hard is--how I have a house, I have food, I'm from the States, etc. He said that I have never known what hard is. My first thought, "But I have met many of you who do. And I have watched them change...." And then I thought, "No! Ido know what hard is. Maybe it's a different kind of hard, but I CAN and I do hard things every day here on the mission." And so I shared some with him. And then I told him, "We have to make sacrifices, man. Sacrifice is giving up something good for something better. And I know that there is nothing better than preparing to make covenants with our Heavenly Father to follow His Son, Jesus Christ, in order to have an eternal family." And in that moment--it felt like a movie (SO dramatic!)--he threw down the cigarette and said, "There! It's gone." and then pulled the half-empty beer bottle out of his shorts pocket (that we didn't know about) and dashed that away as well. And then he rode off on his bike saying that he'd see us tomorrow. Sister Mims and I were shell-shocked. We finished our lesson, still dumbfounded, and then rode away as well to regain our senses.
Another lesson we had that was just amazing was with a man named R____. He is a barber that Sister Vasquez and I met and had been trying to teach for the longest time. We found out that he was a friend of Brother Tillet--our branch mission leader. Well we had a lesson with the two of them a week and a half ago and had set up an appointment for this past week which ended up falling through on our part, due to a lesson that ran over. So we met up with Brother Tillet yesterday and he said that R____ was a little sad and has been planning to go to another church. So as we rode over together, we braced a devastating him-dropping-us lesson. Buuuuuuuuut something crazy happened.
We were standing outside his fence, listening to his pitbulls bark almost the entire time. We began talking about all kinds of things and then at some point, something changed. I'm not sure what we were talking about, but then he finally shared his story about the challenges with his ex-wife and his current living companion and his past church and just....everything. He feels bad, because he's committing adultery, but I can see that he wants to make a change. He wants to "ask God's forgiveness," he said. So after he explained everything, I pulled out our little DVD player and showed him the Mormon Message "Because of Him." The Spirit was there and EVERYTHING changed. At the beginning, as we had been discussing when to come back, the appointment time just wasn't working. He was ready to give up, but once we showed that video and testified of the Atonement and the peace, relief, and hope we can feel? He offered to MAKE the time for us to come on Wednesday! As I invited him to come to church, I told him, "We can try to explain why it's different from the other churches, but it's best if you come and FEEL it for yourself." And because of the Spirit that the video brought, he is truly considering it.
I can't even begin to explain the love that I feel for these people. Just this morning Sister Mims and I were at the bank and saw some clips from the news. It forwarded us both into the future and we thought about what it would be like to be home (I'm not trying to be baggy or anything....), seeing the news of things happening in El Salvador or Belize. My heart aches at the thought of not staying here forever. I know, I know, I know that I will always be a member missionary, but it won't be the same. God's children are in need of the gospel in every inch of the world, but in these two tiny countries of Belize and El Salvador? These are my people. The love I feel for them is overwhelming and I have no explanation as to why. But I am so grateful for it.
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