I was going to put "and I," but I thought the
other one sounded better in context... hehe
My replacement arrived on Tuesday (my "office
child," as Elder Smith would say), and so we've been working like crazy to
get him trained and ready for when I leave. It's not even like my job is that hard
to learn, it's mostly just repetition that makes perfect. And, of course,
learning how to do all of the small little things that result in the big things
working out, if that makes sense.
It's been a long time since I've written much, so I'll try
to let more of my reflections spill out today. Caution: Garrulous and
long-winded message to follow...
I've also been thinking about how much I've learned and the
skills I've acquired here... more personal responsibility, more problem-solving
skills, more self-reliance (which, by the way, is a big theme in this mission
and in this country). President Córdova really expects us to solve our own
problems, here--I guess that sounds a little harsh... he's there to help us if
we really need him, but what he wants to teach us more than anything is to be
able to rely on ourselves, both temporally and spiritually. And what that all
really means is teaching us to rely on the Lord, using our agency and
the abilities and things He gives us to choose to do what He asks of us, and to
actively seek to do more (DyC 58:27-28). It's not having to rely on somebody
else for our spirituality, or obedience, or personal development, or to get our
work done.
Well... setting personal reflection aside for a brief
moment, Elder Andrus from Nampa, Idaho is here to stay, and I'm not... for too
much longer. As far as I know, I'm leaving in normal transfers on the 4th of
April, right after General Conference. And they're going to tell me where the
night before, most likely. We're having a lot of fun--Elder Andrus is sharp,
picking things up quickly, gets along well with everybody, and even though he's
definitely a "gringo" his mom's Peruvian so he speaks really good
Spanish. I know I'm leaving the job and the area in good hands!
This week has actually been super busy in the offices, what
with training and all. President had me leave some (ok, a lot) of work undone
so that I could do it with Elder Andrus, which meant that we had an extremely small
window of time to get some very important and time-sensitive visa work done.
But, we did it! Yeah! In other news, we're working hard on reactivating some
less-active members here in Altamirano, and also looking for new people to
teach, like always. Cesar and Lupita have been really busy lately, so we
haven't been able to see too much of them, but we still pass by, and still have
hopes for the family. They'll be an eternal family yet!
Yesterday we met a non-member whose mom and sister are
converts of almost ten years, and we soon realized that her family members have
gotten a little... overexcited... when it came to sharing the gospel with her.
Now, normally excitement's a good thing, but you need to understand boundaries.
And appropriate moments. And the principle of generally avoiding criticism. The
point is, her mother was there in the lesson with us, and it got rather awkward
a few times because of some insensitive comments. The daughter got really
defensive every time her mom would talk, and closed herself off. It had the
feel of a common conversation topic in the house. What bothered me is that the
mother seemed to think that what she was saying would help. Or, at least she
seemed self-satisfied when she was saying it. Yeah, I guess there's a
difference. The point is, you can't convince somebody into the gospel of Jesus
Christ. Somebody doesn't have a true, lasting, changing conversion to
the gospel because someone points out some great fault in their reasoning, or
in their Biblical exegesis, or with a self-satisfied voice quotes that really-obvious-one-verse-that-person-just-must-not-have-seen-when-they-were-choosing-which-religion-to-join,
so that they "see the error of their ways." Give people some
more credit than that. And realize, as Paul put it, "...my speech and my
preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in... the
Spirit." That's what we need.
The Spirit converts. We can just invite them, and love them,
and not judge them, and, when and if the moment's right, present the message.
The Spirit will confirm the truth, and teach, and do the convincing. And, think
about it... that's way more easier for us! We don't have to
worry about being able to convert people, whether we be missionaries in the
street or members with our families and friends. We don't have to! We can't!
We're going to keep on visiting the daughter, and the young son of
the daughter... but we may have to ask the mom to sit out the next time. I hope
we can manage to do it kindly, so she takes it well... But it's very important
for the progress of her daughter. When someone takes a self-righteous attitude
with another person, even when they're right, it can get really
difficult to bend. That's always been a personal flaw of mine that I'm working
on a lot here: the need for humility. And because of that, I understand just
how hard it would be for this woman to decide to get baptized, even if she grew
to know it was the right thing to do, if her family keeps on like that. It
would require incredible humility, because honestly (sadly) it feels like some
members of her family would take the opportunity to "rub it in her
face," like an "I told you so," that she ended up getting
baptized, if that's what she decides. It's just sad that people would be like
that. What does this teach us? That the gospel is true, the Church is an
inspired and divinely-guided organization, and that the members of the Church,
the Latter-day Saints, are people just like everyone else. I hope this isn't a
shock to anybody. What we do with what we learn is up to us. Which ties us back
into the topic of self-reliance!
Anyway, all's well in Veracruz, at least well-covered in
sand because it's been super windy right now. And we're all super sticky
because of sweat, and then we get super gritty because of the sand and the wind
and the sweat. But, life goes on, and Jesus still hasn't said the work is done,
so it's not done. Onward and upward.
Love,
Élder Rob Weatherford
