Las victorias y los desafios

18 Jan 2010

Dear Family,

I received two letters this week noting that I have been sugarcoating my letters a bit. Yes, it is true, I like to share about the good experiences a lot better than the bad ones. And I don´t have much time to write each week, so I make sure to get the good experiences down first. So if I have time towrite some of those other feelings, I will in this letter, but I will talk about the good stuff first.

One of the most impressing stories that I have heard on the mission is happening in Moreno 3, another ward in our district. A few weeks ago, the bishop saw a man and said, “You want to talk with me.” He replied, “Yes, I do.” This man is named Arey. Since he was 14, he has been a Catholic monk. He has travelled all over the world working on projects for the Catholic ministry. One day, he met a missionary in the airport who was finishing his mission. This missionary gave him his spanish triple, with all of the markings he had for his entire mission. Over the past 5 months (I think), Arey has read it completely 5 times, has read every single reference to the Bible, and memorized many key parts. He knows that it is true and was inspired by God. He now knows that his baptism is worthless to him and that he must be baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ. He actually lives in a Fransiscan Monestary here in Jardines and his only clothes are his monk robes. He is now in the process of renouncing the Catholic church and will have many trials as he enters the world in which we live. But, with faith in the Lord, he will be guided and supported. I find that story absolutely amazing.

Here in Jardines, things are going well. There are difficulties constantly, but we are seeing progress. Things go really well for the Salazar family. The father is loving going to church again and is helping the rest of his entire family go as well. The mom, who was a little bit more hard hearted, felt the spirit more and decided that she would start praying again. They are bringing two of their children with their “future” spouses (with whom they already have children). They are great and have real desires to be married. I´m hoping that I´ll be able to participate in the marriage of my investigators at least once in my mission. And Daniel is being strengthened as well.

This Sunday, Nieves came with her granddaughter to church and really liked it. And she is putting forth the effort to stop smoking. Her daughter, Cynthia, was really interested at first and had received an answer to prayers, but we see that she has a doubt about something. We just need to learn what it is. Gonzalo also received permission from his parents to come to church again. We´re teaching his grandma and she likes us and I think she is having a small influence on the parents now.

While talking with Olinda, Gonzalo´s grandma, I´ve had verified again the truth of this gospel and the safety it brings us. She tells us about all of her life stories, everything that has been stored up for years and years that she won´t tell to her children, and what she has learned from those experiences. Sometimes I think, “It took her her entire life to learn the things that we already know.”

So, now for some of the difficulties. First off, this week I´m on a special diet. The past few months I have been having digestion problems and I have felt weaker than usual. Some people say that I look skinnier, but I haven´t really seen any drop in weight. So, I have been afraid that I contracted a parasite and that I have had this extra companion with me for these last few months. So, the mission doctor said I should go to the clinic to do a study. I went this past week and to do this study, I can´t eat anything with fats, anything fried, oil, butter, and potatoes. Basically, I can eat rice or noodles plain and boiled meats. So, I´ll have a better appreciation for food with taste next week. This study, at first I thought the mission would pay for, but then Hma. Benton said that they wouldn´t. So, I had to take money out of the account again. I´m sorry if I´m doing that more, but it seems that everything here is a little more expensive now and we use half of the money we receive on bus passes here in Jardines. I´m hoping I´ll be able to get all of those problems resolved.

Yes, I have trials, especially feelings of being inept and that a lot of the things I do or plan seem to fall through, which can be stressful, but I know that the Lord strengthens the weak back. I know that He is with us and will guide us. He is guiding us.

Love,
Elder Drake Ranquist

P.S. Yes, it is alright if you sign me up for an apartment in Campus Plaza.