God shall reveal his secrets

Arrived 21 Nov 2016 
Love the family more than winter! Last year I was in the hottest part of the country so being here in Bonao I actually feel like its winter, and my first one in two years haha. The cool breeze and even the smoggy air sometimes makes me trunky but I am loving the weather!

This week was a little bit of a roller coaster. 

Last week we cleaned up an Elders house, that had a special transfer, preparing everything for the new missionaries. We taught a few lessons and then we were going to have a member lesson but we showed up late and he had gone. Not having spare minutes is a general thing, so he had just left and when we called him we sort of received a boche, not good for our struggles with more member lessons. 

 

Old Bonao district with Sister Decker

Tuesday we had a district meeting in Senior couple Decker’s house. He is from the states and she is from Honduras and they are really kind. We had a small testimony meeting and announced transfers. Two brand new sisters came in and then a companionship of elders into the house we had cleaned. In the afternoon we taught a baseball player named Carlos Pena. For some reason he really liked us even though we turned down the offer to go to the movies with him and we never had time to go to the baseball field with him. He understood the message pretty well and said he would read the Book of Mormon on the plane ride to Toronto where he will hopefully sign with the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team. 

Wednesday we had transfers and a district leader named Elder Melling spent the morning proselyting with us. It definitely looks like we are the CIA of the FBI when three gringo missionaries are walking around in the street. Also, its funny rotating between the three to teach. Our lesson and baptismal date with the man that we thought may or may not have had been drinking alcohol turns out to be really good! In our second lesson he remembered his baptismal date and kept bringing it up! He had read the Introduction to the Book of Mormon and understood it and has a good friend who is a member and lives nearby! He is excited to be baptized. Our other really promising new investigator Jose had lots of things going on so our second lesson kept being put back. We had a little bit of a contentious lesson when the friend of an investigator asked some questions, without real intent, and our ward mission leader bless his heart has to prove his point. Things worked out but one always gets nervous.

Thursday was anther rough day. My companion re-contacted a pastor we had met and it was a rollercoaster. Then later an old investigator who occasionally goes to church gave my companion a boche on charity and things. Then one of my favorite investigators, Pedro a.k.a Haley, told us he can’t change religions because of his wife and family problems. 

Friday we had an interesting weekly planning and companionship inventory. I really respect my companion and things are getting better. That day for the crazy rain the country has been having we were all told to be home at 7:30 instead of 9. Our area recently has had less rain than usual, but the rest of the country is being hammered by rains and floods.

 

A little look at the rain

Saturday we had a decent day and an amazing couple of lessons. At first we were a little discouraged that we had invited all of our investigators to a baptismal program in the other branch here but that fell through and we had to tell everyone it wasn’t going to happen but in the night Jose and then Hipolito made my week! We taught Jose when we contacted him smoking. When we had told him about prophets he asked us tons of questions about what his name was where he lives etc. In this lesson we finished the restoration. At one point we asked what it meant or would mean to him that there are prophets on earth in our days. Half crying he said ¨It means a lot. It means a lot.¨ It was an amazing lesson but we had run out of copies of the Book of Mormon! With our new goal of teaching the restoration entirely in the first visit we have been putting a lot of dates and running out of even the four copies of the Book of Mormon we carry around. We didn’t have one to give him or a talk from President Monson and I felt terrible. I offered him my personal Spanish scriptures and my favorite Holland talk I had about two rock climbing brothers. He turned down my scriptures and said next time but he took the talk. Today we will get him a copy and a conference Liahona. I have never seen someone understand more and feel the significance of a prophet than this man. His baptismal date for right now is Christmas Eve. Hipolito like I said is super excited for his baptism on the 17 and we have to tell him to stop talking about it in lessons. It was a good night.

Sunday at 12 preparing our numbers, my companion on the phone

Sunday Juana Gustavo, a daughter in law and a granddaughter came to church! Four people! I almost didn’t see them walk in because I was playing the piano, but they loved it and I think they are back in the game. Our less active is indeed coming back. After one lesson reactivated! good stuff.

Today we cleaned the house, played soccer, learned net ball from Sister Kennerley from New Zealand, who is brand new, and bought things for thanksgiving. I think some Americans would even be jealous of what we have planned.

Other highlight included our recent juices of beets, carrot juice with milk and oatmeal, everyone trying to talk to us about President Trump, and Sister Nicelers friends. Sister Niceler just came into the mission this transfer, but turns out she is from Ethan Christensen’s ward in Saint Luis and she knows him! Also she met Sister Lawrence from Ogden High in the MTC and Sister Lynch also from Ogden High in the MTC and she met my trainer as he was going home in the MTC. Turns out she knew who I was before she got here!

I have been thinking a lot about how we as members of the church take for granted what it means to be guided by Gods prophet and have latter day revelation. It is latter day hope and guidance. Surely the Lord God will do nothing save he shall reveal his secrets unto his servants the prophets, yet how often does it strike us that we are part of the church that have received some of these secrets. Like Jose it should mean so much we cannot contain it. I am very grateful for a living prophet, for a living savior, a loving family, a divine calling of two years and for a hope in a better world. 

Con pila de gratitud

Elder Sheffield

Sunday at 12 reporting numbers

Old Bonao district plus Sister Decker

<andrew.sheffield@myldsmail.net> wrote:

Quick! what spices do you use for turkeys?

sheffield.emily  wrote:

Mom uses lots of salt and sometime season salt! Lots of people like rosemary or sage too

Or garlic and basil. Honestly just salt would be delicious too!

<andrew.sheffield@myldsmail.net> wrote:

 Haha Im just gonna put a little bit of everything we have and lots of salt