Transfer 8 Week 3

Okay Dokey...

Well, just thought I would remember my southern roots for a moment. Actually, I never say that but Hermana Maza says it all the time, so now I'm in the habit. Did I tell y'all that hermana maza' s last companion is from Houston, Livingston. So that's cool.. so she has a thing for Houstonians. Is that what were called? Anyhow, this week has been money. We had intercambios with the hermana's from Telde, and Viciendario. I have almost been out for a whole year. Can you believe it? I know I can't. I fell like just yesterday I was Spanish too much money of fireworks for the fourth of July, and eat barbeque ribs, and potatoes salad, and staying up way to late watching the stars. It seems like this has been the fastest year of my life. The fastest and the most difficult and amazing year of my whole life. I have gone thru many ups and downs, and have had many days that I will never forget, good and bad. I have cried, and laughed, and eaten, and slept and started over again. But, it's not over yet... I have so much still to learn and to change in my life. But coming here, to Spain and serving a mission has been by far the best decision that I have made in my life, and I am extremely grateful to god, and my family and  friends for all of the love, and support the y'all have given me. Thanks! 

Okay so this week we had intercambios like I said, and I went to Telde with hermana wihongi. So she is amazing and super hilarious. So she was companions with hermana Snyder, who was my trainer right after I was. So it's fun because she totally reminds me of hermana Snyder. It's super fun. So with her we went to a puebltio called ojos de garcia, which translates to Garcia's eyes. It was fun. I tried mojo for the first time, which is a salsa with tomatoes, garlic, and red bell pepper. These are the things that you finds in pretty much all Spanish food... well, and rice. They put that stuff in everything. Everything. Then in that same lesson, we were teaching this old lady the restoration, and I was asleep. Like literally my eyes couldn't stay open, and my companion was like shaking me. It was awesome. But then we were almost late for the guagua, and we were running from her house to the bus stop when all the sudden this tree came out of nowhere while I was running and hit me in the face, and took out my arm. It was terribly but we made it to the bus stop on time. Well I say on time, because we had to wait for the bus for another 45 minutes. So.... 

Then the next big thing to happen to us was teaching Jose and lacy. We found Jose about 2 weeks ago, and had met with him 1 time, and then his daughter and him came to church. It was awesome, the are Cubans. Just the sweetest, modest people that you could ever meet. So we taught them in a mall on Sunday night, and we talk to them about the things that are important to them, and the restoration, and the priesthood. They loved it, so we made another appointment to meet Monday morning, so this morning we met, and talked a little bit, and had breakfast together. They are going to read the book of Mormon and pray so the can find out from themselves if what we shared with them is true. They are going to ask God. They are going to pray to him and ask him their questions, and he is going to answer them. That is how it works. God loves us and wants to talk to us, and help us with the things that we are going thru. He not just some all knowing , all powerful being who is just their, and expects us to pray to him with out recompense. He loves us, we are his children, and he wants to talk with us, and he will. He does. 

Also I found a really cool story that I wanted to share with you guys this week.

Throughout Jack’s life, he and his father had many serious arguments. One day, when Jack was seventeen, they had a particularly violent one. Jack said to his father: “This is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. I’m leaving home, and I shall never return.” So saying, he went to the house and packed a bag. His mother begged him to stay, but he was too angry to listen. He left her crying at the doorway.

Leaving the yard, he was about to pass through the gate when he heard his father call to him: “Jack, I know that a large share of the blame for your leaving rests with me. For this I am truly sorry. I want you to know that if you should ever wish to return home, you’ll always be welcome. And I’ll try to be a better father to you. I want you to know that I’ll always love you.”

Jack said nothing but went to the bus station and bought a ticket to a distant point. As he sat in the bus watching the miles go by, he commenced to think about the words of his father. He began to realize how much love it had required for him to do what he had done. Dad had apologized. He had invited him back and had left the words ringing in the summer air, “I love you.”

It was then that Jack realized that the next move was up to him. He knew that the only way he could ever find peace with himself was to demonstrate to his father the same kind of maturity, goodness, and love that dad had shown toward him. Jack got off the bus. He bought a return ticket to home and went back.

He arrived shortly after midnight, entered the house, and turned on the light. There in the rocking chair sat his father, his head in his hands. As he looked up and saw Jack, he rose from the chair and they rushed into each other’s arms. Jack often said, “Those last years that I was home were among the happiest of my life.”

We could say here was a boy who overnight became a man. Here was a father who, suppressing passion and bridling pride, rescued his son before he became one of that vast “lost battalion” resulting from fractured families and shattered homes. Love was the binding band, the healing balm. Love—so often felt; so seldom expressed.

But all of my great experiences are not in the past. Branch Rickey, the great baseball manager, was once asked to describe his greatest day in baseball. He said, “I can’t because I haven’t had it yet.” And most of our greatest experiences are yet ahead of us. One of them will be the glorious second coming of Jesus Christ, when with his mighty angels in flaming fire he will come to cleanse the earth of its sins and to inaugurate the millennial reign upon this earth. Every one of us will have a literal bodily resurrection, and what a great experience that will be! Charles F. Kettering, the mechanical wizard of General Motors, once said, “My interest is in the future, because I am going to spend the rest of my life there.”

So when I first got into the MTC, I wrote something on the back of my nametag. I wrote "Love Everyone". More than anything, during this year I have learned to love. I have learned to love myself, others, and God. I have learned of the great love that God has for every person in Spain, and in Texas, and wherever in the world that his children may be found. Love can heal broken hearts, can mend broken bonds, can save lives, and can be felt like the sun on your face. Love came to the earth to save us from our sins. Love suffered and pleaded in a garden, so that we could have a better future. So that we could be with the families that we love, forever. God is love.