Ipe Semana 11

Clouds make rain. 

Rain makes mud.

Mud makes missionaries,

Look like scrubs.

But in a city where half the population works in construction, rain also means that everyone stays at home so we can teach them :)

This week was a bit rough, but we made it through. Once again, we had few investigators at church. Those who came, were greatly strengthened by the testimonies shared. I don´t like it all too much when people shirk their commitments... I will be much better about this after the mission, having my word be as good as a contract.

In missionary work the only thing worse than being dropped (here we say `cut`) is having to drop them... even when they know the gospel is true. It is very hard to make the decision to stop teaching someone, and at first, I felt like we were condemning them to spirit prison or something, but now I have a testimony in this respect. If we are teaching people who are not making progress, but like talking with us for one reason or another, we are spending time teaching someone with the time that should be spent teaching someone who the Lord has prepared for us. This past week, we moved many people to the back of our area book and as a result we received 9 people and 3 families to teach... some of which were literally just waiting for baptism. The Lord can do his own work, and he is using us to hasten it.

100% obedience is really hard. Probably a mission-life-time pursuit... And I suppose that´s how life will be afterwards... A lifelong pursuit of perfection.

When your companion breaks down on the sidewalk crying because in one day everyone unloaded their baggage on you and the spiritual burden becomes too heavy to bear, remember that this is the Lord´s work, and that only He can do it, and that when we have the chance to help in it for a little season we will often feel inadequate because we are. And we must rely on His Grace to help us. I know that might sound a little Louisiana baptist-ish, but Grace (which is the enabling power of Jesus Christ) is perhaps one of the most powerful topics of study for a missionary.

We had a neat little miracle this week when all of the tobacco in one neighborhood disappeared in the same week that 4 families who live there began the fight against their addictions. But all the other smokers in the area there now blame those `boys with the ties` for it. :)

Maybe this week we´ll pray for all the alcohol to evaporate... 

Love,

Elder House