Hola a todos!
How is your fall/winter(/spring/summer for those in Argentina or Mexico or anywhere warm) going? How are you doing? Anyone bringing out the skates to go play on the odr with friends and family? Bringing out the sleds? Mixing up the hot chocolate mix listening to Christmas tunes? Or for the Americans here, getting ready for Thanksgiving?
We went shopping at the local Liter this week (it is literally a Walmart, same logo and colours and everything) and we were in the self checkout. And my machine was being goofy and using Spanish words I've never heard of. So I called for help from a worker that could hopefully look at the unknown spanish words and hopefully describe it with known Spanish words haha. But it was not the case... he spoke pretty good English! (Honestly better English then I have at the moment jaja.) I was surprised at how good his English was, I was so surprised that a local was speaking English to me that may brain didn't recognize it. I just kept speaking Spanish haha. Anyways he helped me figure out the problem and then said he liked our church and that he went to it a couple times before he moved to Chile. So we talked with him for a little bit and told him where our church is! He ended up living in another area so we helped him find his local church in that area!
We had a noche de hogar (family home evening) with an older couple in our ward a few nights ago, Rosa y Jorge Meza. Rosa has a special place in my heart, because when I first got to Chile, like that 2nd week, she told us she wanted nothing to do with God or the church. She was full of anger and sorrow, it was so sad to see. Then we hesitantly went back to her house the next week and we shared a powerful message. Powerful as in Spiritually renewing. We were all crying and the feeling of calm and peace were around us (this was back when I couldn't really speak spanish, yet I still felt the power of what was happening). Anyways she started coming back to church and everytime we go over for lunch she is cheerful and has joy. And always feeds me tomatoes. She actually gave a talk in church a couple weeks ago! Her husband Jorge wasn't there the first couple times we met Rosa, and we are now getting to know him and try to help him feel God's love. Jorge, for whatever reason, really likes me and always asks how Canada is doing. And will try to talk to me for hours even with the little spanish I know haha. Anyways back to the noche de hogar, we talked about temples, he had never been inside. But he told us a story of being outside of the temple: "I was outside the temple grounds standing on the street. And I felt overwhelming fear, I was afraid to go into the grounds. But I decided to enter, and as soon as I did I felt peace as I walked among the beautiful garden. And when I came close to the temple I felt my whole soul overwhelmed with bursting joy, love and calm. I don't know what that feeling was. I don't know. I don't know." (That was the best translation I could give). We explained to him that the feeling he didn't know, was the Holy Ghost testifying of the Love God had for him. He started crying and so did we, all feeling the Holy Ghost that had touched him at the temple grounds. And then their little dog bursts into the room barking with another dog (definitely a street dog that had gotten in somehow) right on it's tail. We tried getting the dog out but it kept running around dodging us. So that was a little disruptive and distractive. But all in all the noche de hogar was amazing and brought me joy seeing Jorge feel the love of God in his life.
On sunday we were walking to church and we were waiting to cross a cross walk 20min away from the capilla. And there was a car the stops in the middle of the crosswalk and waves us over. Ue tells us to get in his car. Now I'm thinking this is weird and I'm remembering my parents teaching me about stranger danger. But he was also offering candy so he seemed nice! Just kidding no candy. So im being a little hesitant here but then my comp just walks across the cross walk and hops in, so I do the reasonable thing and jump in as well. Now you may be thinking, Elder Spencer your spanish isn't very good, you must have missed something saying he was part of our church. 9 times out of 10 I'd agree with you. But this time is the 1 out of 10. The guy said like 1 sentence that I understood. Anyways, turns out the guy actually was a memeber of our church in barrio Brazil (different ward then me) and was on his way to church. Got to listen to some hype Italian opera. At least I think it was Italian, if it was spanish then that wasn't the language they taught me at the mtc. All in all, I'm still alive, didn't have a cool story to tell from that experience, and didn't get any candy.
Last night we had a noche de hogar with our neighbours and two other couples. I ate two burgers, two completos, lots of small empanadas, and drank juice y soda. I felt great haha! It was my turn to share the spiritual thought and I shared Mosiah 4:11-12 in the Book of Mormon. The person speaking in this passage is King Benjamin, speaking from a tower to his people before he died. In summary the scriptures say that when we gain knowledge of God, come to know His goodness and feel His love that brings great joy to our souls, we need to remember. Remember God. And always retain the greatness of Him that created us. Because next to Him, in reality, we are nothing. (But to Him we are everything, but *spoiler* that is the topic for the next paragraph). We need to humble ourselves, calling on God daily and standing steadfast in our faith. Sometimes when we grow in our knowledge of things and find success, we believe it was through our own power, forgetting God. This is why King Benjamin is telling us to remember our God. He also tells us of blessings in verse 12 for remembering God and being humble: "And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true." This for me is a powerful promise! And those are blessings that I desire. I personally want to always rejoice, always feel the love of God, always be forgiven of my sins, grow in the knowledge of God, and grow in all things that are just and true! Anyways so I shared that and some other relating things.
After I shared that my neighbour spoke up and said that she remembered the very first day I was here. That I understood nothing, I could hardly speak and then she looked me in the eye and said "you've grown so much, this is a testimony to me that God has gifted you with the gift of the Holy Ghost to learn and speak and understand." Then her brother spoke (one of the couples forementioned (I don't know if that is a word, but now it is)) and he told us story of when he was in the military. And after he finished he said he knows us, he is praying for us, he loves us and supports us. As he was saying this a different voice spoke in english to me a little louder then the man speaking but it was still a soft voice that surrounded me. And the voice said "I love you Owen, I know you, I see you, I am cheering you on" and with it came an overwhelming feeling of peace and love bringing me to tears. Everyone escuchame; God knows you personally. God loves you more then you can comprehend. Think about it, God is omnipotent, all knowing, all powerful. Next to Him we are dust. Yet, Moses 1:39: “This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” God wants us to return to Him, and to have all that He has. God is cheering you on, through the good times and especially during the bad. God loves you.
Anyways sorry for the long email, I honestly didn't think I had to much to write about haha.
Two more things....
1. Question of the week: when did you feel the love of God this week?
2. Next week my email might be sent out on Wednesday.
I love you all! ¡Tenga una buena semana!😁
Elder Spencer
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