Hey everybody!
This week a couple things happened, not much: an intercambio with my good friend the Australian, a zone conference with a general authority in the 70, and an unlikely miracle.
The intercambio was on Tuesday and it was my favourite day of the week! Elder Gomez is such a fun, positive, funny, hard working guy! He used to serve in the area I'm in right now, so our lunch appointment we had was very fun because the member recognized him. And guess what was served at the lunch! You will probably not be able to guess... just kidding tomato 🍅 was probably the first thing in your mind. And you are correct! Tomatoes yippee. Love 'em. Anyways I learned a lot from Elder Gomez. He taught me of two ways of helping correct someone that he was told by two mission presidents. The first is to be an example, you can't forcefully tell the person to change, or make them change. So you be an example and and try to push them gently to the better way because you love them. The other way is to be open and honest with them, it could make them hate you. But you love them enough to show them and tell them the right way not fearing them because you fear God more. So Elder Gomez recommended a healthy medium of those two. Trying to balance them.
Tuesday was also Halloween and it is pretty much like back home, costumes, decorations, candy, trick or treating (except here it's called buscando por dulces (looking for treats)), and thats about it. We got chased by a little kid that had a baseball bat, but he was just joking. Our neighbour gave us little bags of dulces and when we are unlocking our bunker to go into our crib a homeless man that was a little above the clouds opened up his bag of dulces. And Elder Gomez grabbed the top thing of his dulce bag from the neighbours and gave it to the man. That man got a cup of yogurt that night. Oh yeah our neighbours are always. I'll say that again; always. Giving us yogurt. It's like the only thing I've had for breakfast for the past 2 months haha. It's actually great!
The zone conference was really great! We had president walker and his wife talk to us! He talked about Jeremiah 16:15-17 and related it to missionary work. In the passage it talks about hunters and fishermen. Fishermen will cast their line and wait for someone to bite. Whereas the hunter will actively stalk and track his prey. It's related to missionary work in that I need to choose who I will be. Will I be the fisherman and sit around waiting for someone to contact me. Or will I be the hunter and actively work hard in seeking to find people to bring into the light of Christ. I am choosing to be the hunter. And then Hermana walker talk about the importance of teaching with power. And the way to do that is to be in tune. Be in tune with God, Christ, the Holy Ghost, my companion, the person being taught, the mission. When I have compassion for a friend i'll be more in tune with them!
The unlikely miracle was amazing! So we left Sunday morning to pick up someone for church, we left a little late. So we get there and the person didn't show, something was miscommunicated. Anyways we head to church and we are a little late, and we are right outside the gate about to go in and we see on of the people we are teaching; Lidia. She had work which was why she couldn't come, but then it got canceled. So we invited her to come to church with us and got so excited so she joined us at that moment. At the end of the meeting she told us she loved it and how all the members participate and it's not just one person lecturing. She asked if she could come back next week or if she need a special invitation. We told her she could come anytime without invitation! And she was so excited at hearing this. But she is also very very sick so please keep her in your prayers.
Questions of the week: how was everyone's Halloween festivities? And what is something you are grateful for?
Love you all! Elder Spencer
A dog
