Santa Cruz de Quiche: My Final Six Weeks In The Mission

"Leader"

Tortillas for the week: 33

My first week in Quiche is about done and it was a good week. So Quiche is not as hot as HueHue, a matter of fact I am actually cold. I know I have said it before but I have never been so tired, this week I was like a zombie, it was bad. Maybe it is because of changes since I didn’t get much sleep the night before. When the alarm goes off at 6:30 in the morning I’m like you have got to be kidding, I just closed my eyes 5 seconds ago. Another thing that has happened is about 5 in the morning someone decided to set off some firecrackers. Elder Chavez and wanted to go outside and let them have it. And then there are some other people who turn up their music at the crack of dawn for all of Guatemala to hear, it is horrible but oh well, the life of tired missionary.

Elder Mendoza, Elder Mac, Elder Bonilla
Generation Photo: Son, Father and Grandfather

So this week we had some very good appointments, on Tuesday night we have a very good lesson. We were teaching a familia parcial (part member family) and we met a daughter that always leaves right before the missionaries get there. We show up and she is about to leave and I said Hermana why can’t you just stay, the lesson will be 30 minutes. And Elder Chavez also encouraged her stay so she did, which was awesome. We taught about the restoration. I can only remember what happened towards the end; we ask her how she felt and she said good. I was like there is more than that, so I asked what does your heart say? Again she says good. And I’m like umm ok you feel peace and hope and she said yes. I said do you feel that your Heavenly Father is telling you to come home, do you feel like He is calling you? She started to cry and said yes, she then said I have been gone to long and I need to come back, it is time. So my friends I testify to you it is never too late to come back because we have a gift called the Atonement to help us. I testify of the Atonement and that through the Atonement we can be made clean, loved, forgiven and strengthened. As my mission comes to a close I know the Savior’s Atonement is available for each us, always. It have felt the healing power of the Atonement in my own life and the Atonement can felt be in each of your lives too. It is through Him we can find peace and solace from our pain and our sins if we will but come unto Him with humble hearts. I ask why shouldn’t we talk about the Atonement and share the joy of the gospel because there is always hope through of the Atonement of Christ. I am beyond grateful for the Atonement of Christ for some many reason but this week I have witnessed the healing power of the Atonement in the hearts in some of the people we are teaching. I have been able to give more things up to the Lord and it is through the Atonement I have the courage to submit to the Father’s will.

Walking The Roads Of Quiche

I would like to end with an experience we had yesterday, we went to go teach this young man. As we were teaching him he told us he wants to repent, he wants to be someone and he wants to do what is right. We shared a scripture in 3 Nephi 11:11, we learn Christ submitted to the Father’s will by drinking of the bitter cup and He has taken upon the sins of the world with great suffering and a light to the world. Elder Chavez and I told this young man you are submitting to the Father’s will by your desire to repent and willingness to do what is right. We told him if you want to be someone then truly submit to the Father’s will and take those steps to repent so that our Father in Heaven can say this is my son and I am so proud of him. Friends I know that if we do the Father’s will, we will actually find our real selves and become someone, a light to those that walk in darkness. Before I end I want to share of other sweet experience we had. We taught his kid who is working to be baptized; his parents were baptized a month ago. When we challenged this kid to be baptized he looked at us and we thought he was going say no. He said I have been talking to my friend and I want to be baptized and so does my friend so is there way we can be baptized together? Elder Chavez and I about died, we just sat there in silence, yeah fue bien calidad (this was so great) and it turns out the kid’s friend has been to church 4 veces (times), all I can say is wow! The Lord is preparing gente (people) to come unto Him.

HueHue Familia 

What I love about Mom is that she taught me that it’s more important not to shrink than to survive, what I love about Dad is that he has taught me what it is like to love like our Father in Heaven.

con mucho amor, ducks forever,

Elder Mcilmoil 

May 18, 2015

Good To Back In A Small Town

Scripture of the week: Doctrine and Covenants 19:15-19

“I have learned that not shrinking is more important than surviving.” Elder Neal A. Maxwell

“As we confront our own trials and tribulations, we too can plead with the Father, just as Jesus did, that we might not shrink.” David A. Bednar

“Real hope is much more than wishful musing. It stiffens, not slackens, the spiritual spine.” Elder Neal A. Maxwell.

Saying Goodbye And Leaving My Tie As A Reminder To Always Serve