My! How Time Flies!

Forty minutes ... Lovely chance to talk with Andrew ... Flew by like lightning!

Andrew is well, happy, and working hard. He has a strong testimony that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and that is why he is doing what he is doing. He knows his message can make a difference in the lives of those who will listen.

From our conversation and his last email:

He is trying to eat healthfully, which can sometimes be a challenge for missionaries (aside from the very generous and filling once-a-day meal provided by church members). Sounds like the standard diet at most missionaries apartments consists of ... well, cookies. The mission "nurse" who helps the missionaries when they are sick, gave Andrew some instruction on cleaning fresh fruits and vegetables with a chlorine wash to remove pesticides and bacteria, so he as been buying more healthful food to prepare and eat.

Today I found a sale on peas and bought enough to last a few weeks. Normally I don´t buy canned food because it´s super-expensive. I also found black beans (ha ha!) and red beans. (He's missing Mexican food -- wants some of Dad's tacos.) On the way home, I´m going to stop by a fruit stand and buy tomatoes, onions, apples, mandarin oranges, and maybe some kale or broccoli. Yum! My favorite quickie mission meal is rice with tuna and sliced tomatoes. Pretty tasty! 

Groceries, in my brand-new wash basin.
It makes washing clothes fun!
(Well... no, that was a lie.) 

He has to wash clothing by hand in this area, which is not his favorite thing to do on Preparation Day. Once he left his black socks in the soapy water too long, and some of the color leached out, so now he says he wears black pants, semi-purple socks, and shoes that tend towards brown when they've been out in the rain and mud. Colorful fellow!

When we asked about Villa Amelia, his current area, he says it is part rural, and part city; some very poor areas, and others much more well-to-do.  He sent these pictures of their tracting on a rainy day in a less well-to-do part of town.

Elder Jimenez

Johnny, a member who accompanies them
on occasion

They are heading into winter, and he has heard predictions that this is supposed to be a wet, cold winter. Ugh!

We had a rainy day the other day, and it was pretty miserable! We tried to go out and work, but there was no one in the streets - and no one would open their doors! They say it is going to be a very rainy (which implies a very muddy) winter. Probably as a result of the rain, my companion got the flu and has to spend a lot of time resting in the pench. I´m doing my best not to join him! (So far, I feel great - I think exercise, hydration, and a good diet help a lot.)

Zone Conference in Castellar:

Some of his mission experiences:

On Sunday, we were in the Gospel Principles class with a nonmember who I hadn´t met before, listening to a class about the Priesthood. While we were listening to the teacher, a question popped into my mind that I had wondered about a long time ago: Why is it that only men can hold the Priesthood? I thought about it a little bit and came up with the answer to the question, then went back to listening to the lesson. Just a few minutes afterward, the investigator raised her hand and said, ´I have a question. Why is it that only men can hold the Priesthood?´ And I found myself prepared and ready to give her an answer. That was kind of nice - to be prompted beforehand and be ready to explain the answer.


(From my journal, a while back:)
Today Elder Jimenez and I were on a collectivo (that´s a bus) coming back from a lunch appointment. I saw a family - a dad, a mom and 3 little kids - and thought, ´I want to give them an invitation to church. Now, maybe I´ve written about this before, maybe no... but I have a fear of contacting on buses and trains. I just don´t like it! Maybe it´s because other people will be watching the contact - it´s not just me and the person. I guess I don´t like feeling like I have an audience. Anyway, I prayed to God, asking, ´Should I contact this family? I kind of want to, but I´m scared to. Is it Thy will that I contact them?´ And the words of a scripture came into my mind: 

´For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.
Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness.´

And I thought, ´Oh. Okay.´ And I did it! I realized that God is not going to command me to do everything that I can do as a missionary. Rather, he gives me plenty, plenty, plenty of opportunities to do good, and I can choose for myself how much good I want to do. Something I learned.


As I look through my journal, I notice that my handwriting is getting less legible over the weeks. What does that mean?


Love you all! Best wishes to Uncle Paul and the rest of his family, to both Grandmas, and to all my cousins and friends!

Hugs and mucho amor,

Elder Stockton

 

Mom's Day Mix-up

The much-anticipated Mother's Day phone call from Andrew didn't come as expected. He and his companion were out teaching some investigators, and by the time they finished, there wasn't much time for a call. He did call briefly to set up a time for next Sunday ... so we'll hope to hear a little more from him then. It WAS wonderful to hear his voice! He sounds good, and happy!

Andrew has a new companion, Elder Jimenez, from Nicaragua. As you can imagine, each new companionship takes some adjusting and a lot of give-and-take, but they are learning to work together for the good of those they are teaching. Occasionally they go on "splits," which means they split up and go out with another missionary from the area. He also learns much from these experiences. From Elder Valencia he has learned the value of self-confidence as well as genuine love for the people. He has seen that people are much more receptive to their message when they work with both qualities. 

He sees many people wearing Nike shirts which say "Just Do It." It reminds him to have courage and follow the promptings of the Spirit. (Probably not exactly what Nike had in mind ... but a good application nonetheless.)

Here are some excerpts from his last letter:

A miracle happened this morning. 

On our way to an appointment, we crossed paths with a disheartened-looking man. I felt like maybe I should contact him, but I didn´t do it. Fortunately my companion received the same prompting, listened, and did it. He greeted the man and asked if there was anything we could do for him. He looked up and said, ´Yes. My wife is dying of cancer.´ At first he seemed sarcastic and almost angry, but when he learned that we were in earnest and wanted to help, he said, ´Come with me.´ 

He led us back along the way we had come and brought us to a house. We entered and met his daughter, who we found out was the mother of a young woman we had contacted earlier. Then we went to the room of  the sick grandmother, who was in bed. We met her and talked a little bit, then gave her a Priesthood blessing of comfort and health. The grandfather accompanied us to the gate and thanked us for what we had done. And he shook my hand firmly and said, ´Thank you, my North-American brother.´ What a miracle that we ran into him just at the right time.  

Later in the week, they returned to visit the young woman, with whom they had scheduled an appointment.

We went back and Celeste´s mom answered the door. We chatted for a bit, asked how her mom was, then asked if we could share a scripture with her. She told us, ´Not with me. I´m mad at God right now.´ Upon conversing more with this woman we realized that she needed to be healed even more than her mother did. Although the mother kept her faith even in her sufferings, her daughter had allowed herself to become angry at God for letting her mother suffer so much. She asked us, ´How can God leave her in so much pain when she has spent her whole life serving Him?´ We reminded her that in the Bible, Jesus´ disciples were not exempt from hardship - in fact, they were some of those who expereinced the most trials and persecution. Jesus himself suffered beyond measure, beyond our ability to comprehend, and He is the most righteous Man who ever lived. 

At this point I remembered a story from the Book of Mormon: the story of Alma and his people in bondage. (Which, not coincidentally, I had just studied that morning in preparation for another investigator.) I told her the story - how directly after Alma and his people had made a covenant to follow the Lord and to be His people, they were captured by enemies and made to bear heavy burdens. How could the Lord allow this to happen? Didn´t He care that the people had just become righteous and promised to serve Him? But the Book of Mormon contains the words of comfort that the Lord speaks to His people: 

Mosiah 24:13-14

13 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.
14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

Her heart was touched. We explained that even though we may have trials and burdens, if we keep our faith in the Lord He will strengthen us and make us equal to the challenge. 

We left her the Book of Mormon so that she could read the whole chapter on her own time. 

It´s amazing how the things we should say are given to us, just like the scripture says. And how the Lord can use the things I studied recently to bless others. It´s great to be a missionary. 

............

Another experience:
Elder Carazas (his last companion) and I were working with a man who was baptized a year ago but stopped coming to church. He was receptive to having us visit him, but in our lessons we discovered that he has his priorities a little mixed: Work comes first, then God. So, for now, with his busy work schedule, he wasn´t going to make time to come to church. He´s a great guy. But he wasn´t progressing, so we stopped visiting as much. 

Elder Jimenez and I went to visit him a few days ago to see how he was doing and to share a scripture. And, although we had tried in the past to help him see that he needs to put God first, the Spirit guided me to find exactly the scripture that finally reached him. (Seek for treasures in heaven, not on earth.) He said, ´Ah. I understand. You´re right.´ And he promised us that he would come back to Church. 
...............

Yesterday an Evangelical Christian pastor blessed my companion and I. It was different, but, a nice gesture. I hope reads the Book of Mormon. He says he will. 

...............

I´ve started buying fruits and veggies to snack on, instead of the standard missionary-pench diet of... cookies. Mmm! Oranges to fight off the scurvy, apples, pears and potatoes.
...............

Mission life is great. Sometimes stressful, but great. It´s great to be an instrument in the Lord´s hands. I wish I had time to write everything that goes on, because there´s more. But, thank you, Mom and Dad and Family, for loving and supporting and teaching me. I couldn´t do it without your love and support. And the happy family that we have is giving families here hope that they can have the same thing.

The Gospel is true. It´s true and it´s what matters. Family matters. I love you all! Have a fantastic week!

Love, Elder Andrew Stockton