O-15: The Famine, September 9, 2024

Holis!

This week we had a famine in Compañía. We didn't have a single lunch this week. Usually we do just by members of our congregation, but this week, nothing. That's never happened in my year in Chile... one day we cooked, one day we had a little buy of food at interviews, another day the sister missionaries wanted to cook for us, 2 days we bought pizza, another day I was gone in another area and on Sunday we finally had a member meal and it was some amazing lasagna!

We had interviews on Wednesday with our mission president. It was very very good. I recommend that people read “Deny Yourselves of All Ungodliness” By Elder Neal A. Maxwell. We didn't talk about this in our interview but it talks a lot about what we talked about.

This afternoon we had an interesting lesson with a man named Jorge. He wanted a Book of Mormon to read, because he's read the Bible, Quran, and other religious books. So now it is time to read ours. And we were happy to bring him one. We answered a lot of questions he threw at us. Aand he still has more, but he wants to wait to ask us so he has time to read and find out for himself.

I went on two exchanges this week, both out of my area. It was nice leaving for a bit, to be outside in the fresh air. It has started feeling suffocating in the city. In the second exchange we were able to find three new people to teach, 2 with a very high chance of progressing, so that was great for the Elders there!

Spiritual thought: A quote from the talk afformentioned

"So it is that real, personal sacrifice never was placing an animal on the altar. Instead, it is a willingness to put the animal in us upon the altar and letting it be consumed! Such is the “sacrifice unto the Lord … of a broken heart and a contrite spirit,” (D&C 59:8)." This is an interesting image. In ancient biblical times they used to sacrifice live animals in a representation of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. Now God still asks us to sacrifice, but now in a more personal way. To give up the natural man, the animal inside of us so to speak. Our natural tendencies as animals is to do as we see animals do. We need to put our natural tendencies on the alter and offer it to Christ. Whether that be offering up your anger, your hate, your lust, your hunger, your addictions, your slothfulness, anything and everything that will and can distract you from God. Lay it upon the alter and offer Him a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

Question of the week: What can you offer up to the Lord?

Love you all!! I'll be praying for you🙏

Elder Spencer

Pizza

On our hike we ran into a group doing a photo shoot, and they were with redbull and speaking English. So we went and talked with a lot of them and they were all break dancers on tour! A lot of them were actually in the Olympics and one was a Japanese woman that one gold! (I wasn't able to actually watch said Olympics this year but we found out after talking to them!) Most were from different parts of Europe including: England, Denmark, Switzerland. Then some from Japan, Korea and Chile. Anyways we got a picture with some of them.