Nefi Got Me Trippin
^^
Mildly edited actual text message from someone who just sat down and started reading the Book of Mormon. We love it when people actually do that because surprisingly few people are really willing but everyone who does learns a lot.
This week was NUTS.
Like I talked about last week, we learned a really cool trick to involve members in missionary work: don't run away to another island like two days after they notice you're at church. We stayed this whole week in Lanzarote and saw miracles. Where do I even start?
Amparo, who tried several months ago to get baptized but backed off, is BACK. We had a few great lessons, talked to her son in Miami, and watched her connect with her friends in the ward again. She's taking her time but has baptism as her goal.
José passed his baptismal interview! He's all set to get baptized in March. His wife Lely also just got back from the temple for the first time so they're ridiculously happy.
We also had time to organize a Family Home Evening at the church, and invite basically everyone who's been hesitant to meet with us or come to church. It was small but we're going to make it a weekly thing when these islands have a consistent missionary presence. We got a few people to come and it was great, but the true miracle was Mireya.
When we headed down to the church to start setting up, we ran into Maria and Pedro, a member couple who were cleaning the chapel. They introduced us to Mireya, who María met on a bus. Mireya had been waiting for a priest to come pick her up for some reason, her and her family came here from Colombia a few months ago and have been looking for a church. The priest didn't show up, but María started talking to Maria, and even shared her super powerful conversion story with her. (can't get into it now but she saw the inside of a temple in a dream before she'd ever heard of the Church) We walked in at the exact right moment to just sit down and teach her the first lesson. She stayed for the activity and then invited us over to meet her three kids and two grandkids. We taught them all, gave them the Book of Mormon, and and invited them to church. Sunday rolled around, they showed up to church and invited us over for arepas that night. We sat on the floor and laid out some papers to teach them the Plan of Salvation, and they had amazing questions and great understanding. They came to understand the importance of making covenants with God by proper authority, beginning with baptism. They have that as a goal, and already want to one day be sealed together as a family. 10-year-old Matias even wants to be a missionary in Colombia one day. They're going to progress so fast, I'm so excited.
Let's hope I get to see it.
We're on Gran Canaria now for an exchange, and we'll spend the coming week on Fuerteventura. Saturday we'll get transfer news, and mission will probably get enough missionaries to split up our islands. We're almost sure that Elder Nelson will take one, I'll take the other, and we'll get new comps. I don't know what I want to happen, and I'll be overjoyed and devestated at the same time in either case. I love these islands and can't imagine losing one. We'll see what happens next week.
Miracles everywhere.
Elder Nelson and I have been ranting to each other about the miracle of the Restoration some more this week, this time about doctrinal understanding and priesthood authority being restored. It helped us explain to Mireya's family why they needed to get "baptized again" and how we knew all this stuff about God's plan. The point of the Lord's Church in these days is to help the children of God receive the ordinances of salvation from *Him* through His chosen representatives. For a long time this was not possible for anyone, and even today there are people who don't know that this is something they can receive. The full understanding of God's plan, hinted at in the Bible but powerfully expounded in modern revelation is also a privilege. There is only one church with a full understanding of this Plan and the authority from its Author to participate in it, and everyone deserves the chance to learn about it.
Enjoy the week!
Elder Curtis
Slice of Life
Last week we actually found stuff to do in Lanzarote for P-day, like visting this old castle that got attacked by pirates a lot. We also got matching hats, but we're still trying to figure out if they're 50's fedoras or Canarian caballero sombreros.
Today we got €20 fake Rolex watches on Gran Canaria. Not bad. (That's $20 for you Americans)
Pictures
Hat pics
Rolex
Irja was a Finnish sailor cadet who we hung out with after we ran into her at the castle.
Sand dunes
"First impressions of the Book of Mormon"
Been cooking up a storm out here
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