One of the Greatest Spiritual Moments

Arrived July 25 2016

Love the family more than the book I am borrowing from Elder Oldroyd on hope called “Look up my Soul” by Gerald N Lund. It is sooooo good and I am, learning so much about the three Christian virtues of faith, charity and hope. I also borrowed a book called “A House of Glory” about temples from a member, she also had the “Miracle of Forgiveness” but I was/am a little to scared to read that one...

I feel like in the mission the work is summed up by the results of who comes to church. Even though it doesn’t show all the work you did, it is what determines your morale. Paulino came to church and is doing great! He has now come to church enough times for baptism and once we re set his baptismal date things will be just about ready. We also had our inactive of thirty years come to church. I am glad because I was getting a little tired of her always trying to talk about her boyfriend, and they are both fifty. Anthony who is another less active came to church. He is interesting because he knows its true but likes to pick and choose what commandments he wants to follow. He is a shoemaker and I have decided if I was your typical Dominican, I would do that to. I would be a baker, shoemaker, gua gua driver or a tailor. 

This week we officially stopped passing by the investigators who weren’t progressing. It is a little sad and uncomfortable, but I like to remember that I am not their last chance. Even when we want to shake people to make them realize the importance of this, we aren’t the last ones so we just have to accept it and not get dramatic. We had our first district meeting as a new zone. Most of the missionaries in our zone are a year old or younger. This makes me feel ancient. I still feel like a greenie and yet I have to be a leader now. I’m a little nervous for the new changes but it’ll be a good learning process for everyone. The district leaders are now getting used to their calling and the three trainers and their companions are doing well. My long time friend Elder Rojas was super excited to train and now he kind of realizes its not just rainbows and lollipops but he is doing great.

To make the mission more enjoyable for my compani0on as he is finishing up, we decided to do all four of our intercambios within two weeks. We just want to get it over with so we can keep our momentum going. It has been interesting when I know people he doesn’t and he knows people I don’t. I also am getting some experience with the latino missionaries and better range in my Spanish. I have realized I don’t know any vocabulary for things in the house since in the house I have only ever spoken English. It is a bad habit and I have some to regret it. I just use the dominican word Vaina which is a little that can be used for anything. It would be like saying pass me the thing. Or I need the thing underneath the thing haha.

Oh we also got our recent convert and less active Wadri to come to church. It is kind of sad and gossiped about when missionaries baptize children and then they go active because they don’t have the support they need. We probably should’ve waited for his baptism but we were both brand new to the area and the old missionaries gave us the thumbs up. He is a good kid, just needs more time, se necesita madurarse. In the zone there has also been some troubles with some things going on in sacrament meeting, I never realized how things worked when I just did my only little part in church. 

I had one of the greatest spiritual moments in a lesson we had the other day with Coronel De Luna. We normally teach just outside of his house where he lives on a dead end street. Things were going alright in our lesson on the plan of salvation when the spirit just took over. He was getting a little overwhelmed by it all but then I started to talk about how God has a plan and we have a purpose in this life. As I talked the words flowed out, and they simply were the right words. 

Elder Oldroyd challenged him to be baptized on the 20 of August and he said “With what I have been feeling, why not? Of course! Ill get baptized.” Then our friend Santiago who was with us shared his testimony and personally experience of conversion and the spirit was just so strong! Santiago isn’t the brightest light bulb, but he completely changed and it helped the lesson so much to here him speak. We kind of snapped back into reality after that, but finishing of the lesson I shared a part of Mosiah 18 and it finished out amazing! I am amazed about how pure his desire to improve is. He just wants to be a better man and he is feeling that this is the way how. He has innocent faith and I can’t help but feel how lucky I am to see it. I hope everything works out. He is continuing to change and say prayers for the first time in his life. It just needs to work out.

I had an interesting moment the other day reading a book. It was talking about conversion and testimony. One part hit me as it talked about getting a confirmation of our testimonies. I realized I don’t often ask for confirmation for things. I have a testimony and I love my Savior but I often just take the first response and continue forward without looking up from my work. I have decided that as I finish up the Book of Mormon another time that I am going to pray to know these things are true. It isn’t because I don’t know but because I want to refresh me testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know that by the power of the Holy Ghost I may know the truth of all things and those reading this may to. I testify that the Book of Mormon will help us grow closer to God than any other book so try it out. test me and test the book.

God shall show unto you, that that which I have written is true. (Moroni 10:29)

Elder Sheffield

Dominican Family night with Paulino

Our old district

The missionary I trained is in my zone!