15 months

Wow! This week was totally nuts and I loved it. The DR is so crazy. But I’m alive.

Trio Life

Being in a trio again has been so much fun. I didn’t realize how lonely I was haha but now we have another American guy who has my same sense of humor and it’s been nice. So yea Elder Flake is hilarious. He’s struggling pretty hard with Spanish still but he’s been such a good sport about it. I’ve been messing with him a little too though haha. We were street contacting and ended up meeting a family but they only spoke Haitian-creole, so we just kinda left because me and Elder Lugo couldn’t understand what they were saying. We walked away and I turned to Elder Flake and said “were you able to understand what they were saying?”. He was like, “yea kinda”. Then I paused and was like, “well, they weren’t speaking Spanish”. That made him depressed for a sec haha. Then he turned to me and said “thanks Elder Wride”. But I don’t blame him because the Spanish here is seriously insane. But yea trio life is great.

Lesson with this guy

We had a lesson yesterday with a guy named Lucien. During the lesson Lucien starting laughing pretty hard about Elder Flakes Spanish and I felt kinda bad. But Elder Flake is a good sport so he just started laughing. Then I started laughing too. As we started laughing because Lucien was laughing, Lucien stopped laughing and told me and Elder Flake in a very serious tone that we were going to hell for laughing about the things of God. And he was dead serious. Then for the next 20 minutes Lucien talked about how we shouldn’t laugh and how we will be punished and so forth. It was all just a train wreck. And it was so confusing because he literally was the one who started it. Anyways. He’s an interesting guy. 

Quick Rant

I don’t understand why mosquitos exist. Like what do they even do besides bite people and transmit diseases? Why did a loving Heavenly Father create them? No matter how much mosquito spray I put on or how safe I feel in my mosquito net, they attack me. Then we’re out walking around sweating all day and at the same time my arms and ankles are itching like crazy and it’s terrible. Si Dios es justo, los mosquitos irán a las tinieblas de afuera con Satanás. 

Moises

The highlight of the week was Moises getting baptized! I’ve been teaching Moises since I got here 3 months ago and he’s been taught for a while before that. His parents are inactive members but his older brother is active. He’s been coming to church regularly since he grew up in the church and has still been going since his parents went inactive. It’s taken a while to get permission from his parents and get some other stuff sorted out but we got it and it happened this week! It was super spiritual. His parents came too and I’m pretty sure his dad was crying in the back so that was good haha. Right when we walked in the room we could feel the spirit so strong. Elder Flake turned to me and was like “woah, it feels really good in here!”. And he wasn’t referring to the fan that was on. (He was referring to the spirit). And I agree, it felt great in there. 

Before his baptism we walked around with Moises and Jhonni (the member who baptized him) and invited people. It was just pretty epic. It made me really happy. 

Other Stuff

Our area is doing really well. We have tons of stuff happening. I’m most excited for Albert and Junior. They are both set to get baptized next week so we’ll see how that goes! We started teaching Albert after Johans baptism and he’s still pretty elect. And then Junior is the boyfriend of a member and is quite elect as well. We also met a lady named Noelia who is super elect and the told us last night that she’s gonna read all of first Nefi today. So that’s gonna be sweet. But yea great things are happening here and I’m loving Navarrete.

These aren’t bad days - Spiritual Thought #1

This week was great, but I did have some hard experiences that were really discouraging.

So despite some really discouraging stuff this week, I have been really happy. Lately I feel like my trust in God has grown so much. Looking back at who I was in highschool and even at the beginning of my mission, I really didn’t know squat. Haha and I feel like I’m going to have the same epiphany years from now but about where I’m at right now. Anyways, it’s just been really exciting and I feel so grateful to the Lord for all the things I am learning out here that are so important. 

There was a quote by Winston Churchill I heard this week in a BYU devotional that I thought was super cool. In addressing the remarks of people who at this time were dwelling on how hard things were and how dark of days they were having, he said this:

“Do not let us speak of darker days; let us speak rather of sterner days. These are not dark days: these are great days—the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race.”

And it just kinda hit me, like “yea, these aren’t dark days. These are great days!”. So despite feeling like I’m getting punched in the gut and in the face occasionally, these are great days! And It’s actually fun! There’s this quote from the trailer for the movie La La Land if you guys have seen it. But Ryan Gosling is talking about Jazz haha and he’s like “it’s conflict, it’s compromise, and it’s very, very exciting!”. 

That’s totally about life right there. It’s conflict, it’s compromise, and it’s very, very exciting. I just love it so much. I love this crazy (w)ride where I get wrecked and grow a lot. Any good thing I have become has come because of how I’ve chosen to react to problems I’ve had.

Reminds me of this quote I heard recently-

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just ordinary people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. 

Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. 

Life is like an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”

Wherefore Can Ye Doubt? - Spiritual Thought #2

I also had another huge epiphany this week that I thought was really cool. I was feeling extra discouraged towards the beginning of the week about God doing His part. I was feeling doubtful about the future and frustrated about some challenges I’ve been facing and some promises I’ve been given that seem to be going unfulfilled. Then I had a huge moment where I looked back and realized that honestly most all of my prayers have been answered. That’s not to say that it hasn’t been a struggle. I’ve been stretched a lot in the process, but eventually, if I keep doing my best, the blessings always come.  God has done so much for me, and when He answers a prayer, instead of being grateful, I quickly move onto my next problem. 

For probably the first time, I relate with Laman and Lemuel a lot. At the beginning of the Book of Mormon, they make several attempts to get the brass plates from Laban, as the Lord had commanded, but it doesn’t work. Finally, Laman and Lemuel are pretty mad and they start beating Nephi and Sam, their younger brothers, with a rod. Then this happens:

“29 And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them, saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities? Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands.

30 And after the angel had spoken unto us, he departed.

31 And after the angel had departed, Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur, saying: How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands? Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why not us?”

I remember reading this before and just thinking “Man! You guys are dumb! You literally saw an angel! How can you doubt the Lords promises!”

But then, I find myself in the exact same situation. I haven’t seen any angels or heard any audible voices, but I have seriously felt impressed upon my heart and mind so strongly about certain truths of the gospel that I don’t know if an angel appearing to me would help me know any better that they are true. And yet, despite all the spiritual confirmations I’ve had and all the many many times my prayers have been answered to my satisfaction, I will get to a certain problem and doubt. I will doubt that the Lord will do what he said he’d do. After all these many confirmations and blessings I’ve seen, I think I finally got to a problem that is too big for the Lord. But nothing is too hard for Him.

Nephi responds to their complaints with the following: (1 Nefi 4:3) “Now behold ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt? Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians.”

Anyways I just thought this was cool. We all doubt so much and I’m sure God probably feels really frustrated. But wherefore can we doubt? Why do we do it so much? I started to feel really strongly when Nephi is ranting in the Book of Mormon and says “o the wretched man that I am”. I wish it wasn’t so easy to doubt and forget what we know is true. So I guess I just want to share my testimony that if we keep doing our best and give it time, everything will work out the way the Lord needs it to, for our own good. The evidence of the reality of Jesus Christ and His restored gospel is so overwhelming. How can it not be true?

Love you guys! Have a good one!