Happiness is a choice

Arrived June 20 2016

Love the family more than smiling! So I have a new goal to be more positive and energetic, especially with our investigators. Sometimes things just feel pessimistic or like lectures or disappointment but since I have started going the extra mile to smile and be happy with people I have really seen a difference. People really light up when you smile at them.

First things first, I am officially on the slippery downward slope in the mission. Though I haven’t hit my year mark the Americans in the mission go home two weeks before they hit two years with how the transfers work. I am halfway through my mission and it scares me honestly.

A few funny things were when Oldroyd ripped his shirt sleeve walking by a tin sheet fence, by the way we only see grass in the yards of really rich people, our whole world is cement and iron. The neighborhood went crazy last night for the NBA finals. At one corner there was a big projector and a crowded street of bandwagon basketball fans. That whole night we heard cheering. One day walking by our investigator Roberts house he stopped us to talk with his sister who was visiting. My jaw dropped when he was able to give a 5-minute overview of the restoration and the Book of Mormon to his sister without our help. I didn’t know how well he understood the lessons because he never really acts upon it but it was a good moment. My new choice Colmado, Dominican gas stations that don't sell gas, is of a less active. He has a large variety of my Mabis drink and we are trying to get lessons going with him.

This last Tuesday I got the opportunity to spend a day as assistant to the president! We went on intercambios with the assistants, I went with my friend Elder Hola and Elder Oldroyd stayed with Elder McDonald. I had a fun time except for going to be at almost 12 due to a few assistant duty things. Elder Oldroyd had a little bit of a rough day in our area, which isn’t very good your boss is there with you. He jokes that he is going to finish his last transfer as junior companion somewhere and they whitewash the area, interviews are in a few weeks so you never know. 

I spent Wednesday in our area but Thursday on other intercambios. Elder Hawkes from Idaho Falls is a super great guy and we had fun. It did make things rough feeling like I hadn’t been in the area for a week, but we worked hard to finish the week. 

I finally got my scripture cases that I had made this week and I feel really official with my new leather. That with some homemade cheesecake to celebrate my halfway mark made for some fun times. 

I was really excited this week with several investigators who are doing really well. Our Older Couple Cesar and Iluminada, though not married, read the Book of Mormon like I said and really are amazing. We started teaching about the plan of salvation and Cesar really understood! Also Iluminada made us proud that she said she was a little unsure about it. It may seem strange but so many people just agree with everything and then just never learn, they just go with the flow. Ilumindada actually admitted it was something new and she would have to receive some confirmation that it is true, we really thanked her for that. Our lesson was made possible because, even though tempted with other things, Cesar told people he had to stay home because we were going to come and teach him.

We finally got some people in church!!!!!!!! We technically haven’t had any progressing investigators for a few weeks because people don’t make it to sacrament meeting. We asked an old man named Paulino if he would like to come to church and he said yes, as if of course he would come. He was a reference from old ¨Hunchy¨ Hon Lee and on Sunday, they walked to church together. Paulino really seemed happy in the lessons when Elder Oldroyd juggled the mangos he gave us and in church he had a good time. I thought I was going to cry tears of joy watching the two old men make their way to church one slow step at a time. Ignacio our best investigator gave us a less firm agreement to come to church this week but we weren’t going to give up. 45 minutes before church we went to his house and knocked on the door about 25 times and then called him. He told us he was super sleepy but he would make it, so we decided to call him every 10 minutes after that. Fifteen minutes before church we called and he didn’t pick up but we got a call. Elder Oldroyd in his best imitation of the best two years checked the phone, turned to me and then said ¨Its him!!!¨ I cracked up and Ignacio said to not come by again because he could make it himself. I was feeling skeptical but he made it!!! And it turns out he knows several members of the church including bishop! It was an amazing Sunday. I was happy this week. 

I decided this week to be happy and I really have been thinking about it. I have been learning how much of happiness is choice and the difference it makes. I do not think you can be an effective missionary or disciple of Christ if you choose to be sad, letting it dominate you. We can be sad at times and is necessary yet it should not be longer than necessary. Men are that they might have joy and God is that he might help us obtain it. I don’t know how to say it but helping others is the purest way to be happy, it is like charity the pure love of Christ. Imagine how sad it must make Our Father when we are sad, it must break his heart, Christ suffered that we could have an escape from sadness, so let it work. Don’t make sadness last when He died for it to be just for a moment. Peace for He has overcome the world. He lives and we become more like him every small opportunity we take to do something happy. I know He lives and I know his gospel works, it has for me and it does for the people I see here. 

Elder Sheffield

My scripture case

Lunch today...