FW: Hola

Hola Familia!

 

Wow. This week has been really interesting. I liked it a lot. I learned a ton! It was not the easiest week of my mission, nor the hardest. But it was a good week.

 

Like I said last week, last week, we missed our goal of 32 lessons and 100 contacts by one lesson. We taught 31. I was so disappointed, after all we had done, we missed it by one. But this week, we got it! We taught 34 lessons with 100 contacts. We did divisions a few days so that we could reach our goal, and we did it! I was so happy at the end of the week because we had worked so hard and we had reached our goal. This week, we`re going to work our tails off so that we can reach the goal again, and even teach more lessons than this week. Because I know the goal of 32 lessons is the minimun.

 

This week, the true spiritual experience that I had was in my study. I studied Alma 34-38. Chapter 37 really stood out to me. Over and over again Alma teaches Helaman the importance of obedience. If you obey, you will be blessed. Over and over again. As we talked, me and elder mayta, we realized that we needed to do more. We can be more exactly obedient. One time my brother told me "be 100% obedient always. There is no such thing as 99% obedient. You are either 100% obedient, or you`re not obedient" I read that this week too as I read Alma 37. Me and Elder Mayta are being obedient, but about 99% obedient, and we need to give more. We both made plans about how we could improve. How I could help him and how he could help me. We made plans and we got a lot better. Also Alma 37 talks about the small and simple things. It is so true that by small and simple things great things come to pass. Simple things like family prayer, family scripture study, Family Night, going to church for 3 hours are so powerful. They are so important. These converts that I talked about last week who were starting to fall away and have family problems hadn`t had family scripture study or family prayers for at least 3 months (that`s partially our fault for not asking about that) and they had never had Family Night without the missionaries. So we taught them about the importance of the family. About all the small things that we should do as a family. And they started to do it again! Even though the Hno leaves to work at 5, they woke up early to say family prayers. And because they did it, they got a lot better! They`re getting along, they went to church all three hours on Sunday, and we were really happy because they did the small things, and they recieved great blessings.

 

This Saturday we have a baptism. If you remember, a few months ago, I talked about a new investigator that we had named Pamela. She was going to get baptized last month, but because of her work schedule, we didn`t teach her all that we needed to so she didn`t get baptized, but this Saturday, she`s getting baptized! She was so prepared by the spirit to receive the gospel. The first time she went to church, I talked to her, invited her to talk with us and she said "I don`t have a lot of time. i`ll call you guys if I have time" When she told me that, and that she thought that all the churches were the same and that she wouldn`t changed her religion, I thought "well, she`ll never get baptized. She`s never gunna call us" Well, I was half right. it was true, she didn`t call us. But the next sunday, she went to church again, and asked if we could teach her in the afternoon. We taught her, and now on Saturday, she is going to get baptized! She has accepted every lesson we have taught her. She had a problem with every commandment, but every time we have taught her a commandment, she has accepted and has lived it. In the words of Elder Barrientos after his interview with her, he said "she meets every requirement in D&C 20:37." She has truly been a great investigator. Like, you know president, very few members in Peru don`t go to the store on Sunday. Even the leaders go. We tell them not to, but they go. But Saturday, we talked for about 3 minutes about the Sabbath Day so that she would come to church at 9:00 to take the Sacrament, and I just mentioned that she shouldn`t buy anything on Sundays. Then Sunday afternoon, we taught her and her boyfriend, who is member, wanted to go buy something, and she told him no because it was the Sabbath. It was just a one liner that I told her, but she accepted it and lived it. She has truly been prepared and I know that if she stays as humble as she is, she will be a faithful member of the church.

Mom - I liked that about Lehi and the fruit. I hadn`t thought about that either. I always just think about the joy we feel when we feel God`s love and Eternal Life. But I like that about our love for God.

 

Dad - um............I had something to tell you...but I totally forgot......that`s a problem. I`ll try to remember.

 

John - that was pretty much the meaning of my last letter. Humility is good and pride is bad. I`m glad you got the spirit of it. That was my goal

 

Jordan - hi

 

Tashita - Happy birthday! You got another iPhone????? But you already had one! Why do you need another one???

 

Shaylee - how have you been?

 

So this picture is of me with a cuy head in my mouth. Guinea Pig (I don`t know how to spell that). everyone says that everyone eats it here, but I had never tried, but a less active family that I taught and reactivated made it for me and it was good! It was like chicken with a lot more bones than normal.

 

Love you all! I know this church is true and that it is the key to happiness! Never pull away from the things of god when life is hard, come closer to god and he`ll help. Also to help you all with the missionary work (I have a bit of experience) READ PREACH MY GOSPEL! It will help you a ton. It talks about how to find people, how to live by the spirit, how to teach, everything! I`m going to read chapter 1 again this week. If you want, read it with me and let me know how y`all felt and what you learned. That will help you a ton!

 

love you

Elder Schouten