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| This is Cantel. We went and helped the elders in Cantel contact for a while. |
Hey family,
This week was a little bit better. We had one of our investigators go to church. We found him this week. His name is J--. He is 17 years old and is really cool. This week we will start talking to him about baptism. We also found another person that we are teaching. His name is J--. He is the husband of a less active member and they just had a baby, so his heart was touched when we talked about the the Plan of Salvation. I will let you guys know next week how it went.
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| Cuttin' some hair. |
This week for some reason we encountered some opposition in our area. Here in Central America there are not many people who hate the Church, but we were standing waiting for a bus and someone threw a yogurt drink at us. I ducked and it barely missed my head, but I did get yogurt on me. Then last night we were waiting by the church and some guy came up to us and picked up his bike and was going to throw it at us. He was yelling at us and calling us names. I thought we were going to have to run or do something. You would think he was drunk, but he wasn't. Well I will talk to you guys next week. It is raining like crazy outside so I don't know how we are going to get home.
Con amor,
Elder Reinhold
So the blog editor (aka Mom) is going to keep with the quote tradition. Jake inadvertently sent one he already used, but needed to leave the Internet cafe, so I suggested I share his favorite scripture that is on the right of his blog found in Ether, chapter 12 verse 27. " And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
I think it is true that it takes a certain orientation towards God to know the truth of who we are. All realization through pure intellect lacks something elemental and often the truth about ourselves and our experiences goes unrealized. What we usually see is polar opposite to what we access when we see through a spiritual perspective. It is easiest to focus on what we call the 'natural man' and the accompanying natural desires and perceptions, but we are clearly enlightened by Jesus through statements like "blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
What I find interesting is that the Lord says he gives unto men weakness. Whether He gives it specifically to each individual or whether it is inherent in this earth experience, the fact is that it is part of the plan. Without weakness would there be growth or would there be a drive for spiritual connection? When we do humble ourselves we turn to God because we think we don't know enough, cannot survive, succeed, or continue; we look to a power greater than ourselves. Many think that not having the answers, the fortitude, the talent or skill is weakness. Real weakness is when we need to deny the truth of our experience and of who and what we are in order to feel like we are okay or maybe somewhere near the top of the human food chain. In our insecurity we cling to our independence and buy ourselves alienation. It is only when we tap into that spiritual source that we can know the truth of this existance, of who we are, and of what it means to be strong and to feel supported spiritually by a God who wants to teach and lift us through our struggles.
I know that missions are difficult and Jakob has shared many quotes with us about adversity and staying strong. This scripture is no different, but is a beautiful promise of spiritual guidance and nurturance to those who know where to turn when they are wise enough to recognize that they have been 'given' weakness.
We are very excited to talk to Jakob this week. It will be the best Mother's Day gift I could ever want. Stay tuned for a summary of the phone call....
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| This one is for you, Dad. Look what I found. I missed home. |
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