This week was a great week! Elder Ocon and I have been working closely with some of the same neighborhood friends and they have been helping each other to progress. There are 3 boys who are the main ones that are progressing and our recent converts (2 youngmen) have been talking to them alot about the great blessings that they have recieved from the gospel. We have planned for this week the baptism of two of them depending if they has been reading and praying.
On Thursday we intended to do an activity for Thanksgiving because it is not celebrated here in Honduras. We had everyone say something that they were thankful for and the spirit was great as each person said that they were so thankful for the gospel and the blessings that they have recieved by living it. We ate a traditional food called pastelitos which is basically a corn tortilla fried with meat and rice in the middle. It made me think of the many things that i have to be thankful for.. there is so much!
One of the most spiritual experiences that I had this week was when we taught our most recent converts about the plan of Salvation. They remebered alot of what we had taught them and what they had learned at church, but they had some amazing questions that really filled the room witht the spirit. Josue asked us why evil exists in the world if God loves us so much. He asked us why it was so important the atonement and what happens if we dont repent. We took the chance to explain to him about agency and the premortal council. We explained to Him that before this life he agreed to the plan that Jesus Christ presented which allowed him and everyone in this world to have thier own agency and that is something that God cannot take away from us. We told him the consequences of sin and how we need to repent to recieve blessings and salvation in the celestial kingdom. His mind was opened and in his prayer at the end he thanked Heavenly Father for what we had taught him because he felt in his heart that it was true. That was one of the greatest experiences that I have had in the mission. I could feel the spirit testify of our words and the truth that we taught.
We also had the chance to talk to an atheist girl who doesnt believe in God. We listened to her point of view and taught her about prophets and how they have always testified of a supreme being and to know if its true we invited her to pray. Prayer is such a powerful tool that we have to know of truth! I am thankful for the answers that I have recieved to my prayers.
What are your thoughts as you prepare to come home?
I cant believe its actually close! haha i am sad to leave but happy to see you guys. My feelings are mixed but i feel happy.
Are you reading through your old journal entries?
Yes.. there are some very interesting things in there.. i wonder what i was thinking! haha
How do you feel the spirit directing you these days? Is that different from when you first got there? How?
I feel so happy. I feel like I understand better my purpose in this life and I can feel the spirit guide me in the good decisions that I make and I know when something is wrong when the spirit leaves. I would say it is the same.. i am just a little more experienced at noticing it.
What have you learned from teaching this week?
I have learned that there are some atheists that believe that everything that we do is just in our mind and not real.. i thought that was an interesting way to look at things. But I learned that God is perfect, even though He gives different commandments at different times to His children. The fact that He has revealed new comandments doesnt mean that He is defferent.
Who will be hard to leave behind when you come home?
It will be so hard to leave my converts and the members of the ward. they are so supportive and i can always feel their love for us as missionaries.
How do you feel about your new companion?
He is super awesome. This week we have worked alot together and we have got to know each other very well. Actually he is one of my favorite companions! We get along great!
I love and miss you guys and I am so thankful for your support and prayers these past 2 years. i feel like it has gone by fast and I am so excited to see you in such a short time! Have a great week!
Love
Elder Dowell
No comments:
Post a Comment