5 September 2011

Dear Family, Oooff haha y'all put up the video of practicing. But wait you don't understand anything (apart from mom). Elder Conole? Awesome! He was from the same zone I was in in Arequipa and I just saw him Wednesday. He is a great missionary and is doing miracles in Arequipa right now. In this week we had another reunion [meeting] with the presidente [president] with about 28 missionaries. We talked about everything that the mission is doing, and about the faith. Interesting. The mission prep book that I read (which was great, thank you Brother Brooks) talked a little bit about that, but I didn't really let it hit me until the President spoke about the Faith for about 3 hours. Haha. But really. He was teaching us about how in all intelligent beings, faith is a principle of action [action] (from Joseph Smith). Which is to say that to have faith allows us to work. The faith that the mission has right now brought us to baptize 155 people in August (a 4-Saturday  month). That is faith of action [action]. We need to be able to have a faith of power. Faith is a principle of power. All know the examlpe of saying to the investigator, move your pen on the table with your faith. We have all taught that to get it to move, you have to choose to act and pick it up. The President did that in the reunion [meeting], and when the missionary got up, the President said "no from over there do it". Then he taught us about Jacob 4:6. That is the kind of faith that we need to develop to do what the Lord wants us to do. After that meeting we came back to Camana and the asistentes [Assistents to the President: two missionaries who work directly with the mission president in leading the mission] came with us to work in Camana. Edler Ortiz went with Elder Ulmer and I with Elder Loe (the one from my group!) I learned a lot in that moment too. I learned the importance of loving the people. This week we found 22 people to teach, (even though we hardly had time Monday, less Tuesday since we went to Arequipa, and none Wednesday) and I hope that we can help all of them to progress, but the balance is to remember that there are so many more people that we can't stick with people who aren't progressing. What we are doing is working more like our commission says. So exciting these days. In one lesson, we¨were teaching the family of a member, and the moment the word baptism left my mouth the mom went so unwilling and started rambling about all sorts of experiences that she has had. I listened to the spirit whisper that I should not cut her off, and after about 12 minutes (all the other people had completely lost interest) when she finished, I invited her to pray and ask God, and she was so happy with that idea. Her daughters too and especially her member son. We also taught the family that owns the big farm in front of our house. They are pretty awesome, and though they couldn't go to church yesterday, have promised to go the next. We talked a lot to them about the family, and the power of the gospel restored to make it possible for families to be together after death. Last night we prayed to be able to find another family before having to got back for the night. I felt pretty specifically that we should go the the area of Micaila, so we ran there and started knocking. Out of one door came two children who obviously are best friends. We called their mother and she came out laughing. I think it's them but we will teach them tomorrow or passing tomorrow [day after tomorrow]. Elder Oritz and Mark in their apartment in Camana Love Elder Johnson