Elder Connolly in Mexico Letter #46
Buenos Días Familia,
Learn Spanish if you wanna know what that says! (or just stick it in Google Translate). I had a great week this week. There was a lot of super cool experiences, both in the office and in the area. We had some of the coolest lessons I've had in my mission. But as always, in this work of ups and downs, there was a few bummers this week. We are leaving Jonni for a bit, he just is not progressing, even though he comes to church every week and welcomes us into his home every time we come. In our weekly planning on Sunday and from our District Reunion, we planned to focus on the Priesthood and hoped that it would call his attention a little bit more, because we´d tried the "families can be together forever" pitch and it just wasn't sticking, I have no idea why... We had a awesome lesson with him Tuesday about how the priesthood would bless his life and family and house, he said he wanted to become worthy enough to have it, and we just testified to him of the power of God that he gives to men. Then to close, we gave him a preisthood blessing and left. Then we watched the Restoration video with him on Thursday and had a great lesson, but when we talk to him about baptism and stuff, he just says he doesn't see the need....HOWWW!? it's suppper frustrating~probably the most frustrating thing is trying to comprehend how people don't see the truth of what we teach, and we explain it and they don't get it! Basically, it all comes down to timing~ it's just not his time. so we have to leave him. Also, we got Hernan to accept a baptismal date, he has been reading and doing the studies on the back of the pamphlets that we have given him, and he just realized the need to be baptized. Juan is doing good, it will take a little bit of time to come around, but he´ll come sooner or later.
Tomorrow in Mexico is voting day for presidente of mexico and governer and stuff, only every 6 years in Mexico! There have been a bunch of rallies and parades these past few weeks, and tomorrow is the day.
We´ll see who comes to church tomorrow, even members. Its a bummer that they do it on Sunday here, we are only going to have sacrament meeting. And its kinda hard to vote here, well not hard, just a lot more complicated that in the states. They don't use a computer box, but do it by hand, and you have to go back to the city where you were born. And in Merida, practically everyone was born in pueblitos outside of merida, because i'ts just recently that everyone is moving into the city. Merida has grown like 4 times its size in 20 years. My area where we knock the work didn't exist 15 years ago! haha. So anyways, and I think Elder Amador is gonna go vote for the presidential election tomorrow.
So today was a chill day, this week we had maintainence come and clean the whole back yard of the office! and we also got a cleaning lady in the offices!!!! hahaha, I love it! not gonna lie, its hard to keep this place clean all the time, just us 3 secretaries. we have constant traffic of missionaries and also our own missionary schedule. We usually spend a few hours cleaning on Saturdays, sweeping and mopping up and downstairs, but now we just have to clean our apartment, a LOT smaller and do-able. I actually took a 2.5 hour nap this morning, was very well needed. I am ready to go for this week!
Well I wanted to share what we learned in the junta with President this week. So as normal, we have our weekly meeting with Pres, the other secretaries and the Assistants, and it usually takes about an hour and a half to 2 hours, just planning for what we are gonna do this week or upcoming weeks, updates on what we did the week before, what we need to get ready for, and all that jazz. Well this week we finished really fast~~ maybe in like 30 minutes. We all finished our reports, and with no other asuntos, President just started to teach us. and it went for about 2 hours ha. He started with what he learned in the morning in his study, about miracles and how they can happen. We talked about, using scripture, what is required and how they come to pass. and in talking about this, he brought up 3 Nephi 8:1, which teaches that you have to be cleansed of "every whit" from your iniquity to be worthy enough to do a miracle in the name of Christ. He started to humble himself before us, and in about 30 minutes of that, we all felt like crap haha. THen he said, "i can see it in your faces, it looks like a knife just got put into your heart and is twisting. but I want you to think for a minute. The state that you guys are in right now, this is called a contrite spirit. And isn't that what Christ requires of us?" Read 2 Nephi 2:6-8, and also 3 Nephi 9:20. Then he said "Well, how are we gonna find motivation? If we realize constantly just how sinful we are, how small we are, how fast we fall into temptation, we just are never happy. How are we gonna find the animo again?" Then he said, "Ill tell you how i find animo. I find animo in the ressurection , in the thought of the reality of the plan of God, that I will see my wife and kids, in celestial bodies and in there perfect form, again, the promise of the eternal family." he went on for like 15 minutes. It was so powerful!!
I think my real testimony of this started about 5 months ago. I remember vividily when we were in a capacitation with president, one I will never forget. To close, President started to bear his testimony, but he started with the plan of salvation, something we didn't really talk about that day, which was interesting. But I'll never forget the words he said, and I can't translate it into English. But I felt the power of the Holy Ghost testify to me that we were once with God, in His presence, before we came to earth, that we did indeed hear His voice, and OH did we REJOICE when He told us all, in his voice of thunder that would shake mother earth silly, as we listened to Him proclaim His plan, that a Savior of the world would be prepared and that we would come to earth and follow by faith in obedience to His commandments to be able to return to His presence and be like Him. It is one thing to believe that, and another thing to really think in how that was and how the plan WILL be. All my life i believed it, because I was taught since primary this plan, but to think of it realistically has changed my whole perspective of it all. I think that gives me the animo I need. iIrely on the promises I have from God to keep my eye set on the real goals in life. One of my favorite scriptures right now is Moroni 7:41. I have faith in this plan.
Well im outtie, have a great week. Girls, enjoy the girls trip. Dad enjoy the fishing and golfing and breathin´ in the home Idaho air in the home state ;) love you all, thanks for todo!
