Elder Andrew Sheffield: Gringo day of Gratitude

Arrived 28 nov 2016

Love the family more than Thanksgiving Turkey (Pavo) Legs (Piernas) So it fell to the “Sheff in the Field” to cook turkey for us this year. We got a few districts together in different parts of the zone because everyone is spread out and then feasted. We got a sweat deal on turkey legs at a La Sirena grocery store so I ended up making 8 pounds of turkey leg. It all turned out great except for my gravy didn’t work out.

Our first real week of the new transfer started out with high hopes. Jose our best new investigator read a little from the Book of Mormon and every time we teach the spirit is there and he really understands the message. He said “I’m coming to church” this week so we were really excited. Sunday morning he got robbed away by a friend with a work project since things are going hard for Jose but we still think he is in it to win it.

We had a super good district meeting this week. Part of what we talked about comes from the greatest missionary talk (or one of them) there is, it’s called the fourth missionary. That and my personal and district goal to work on the chapter six of preach my gospel self examine made it a good day. (You guys should look that up in preach my gospel to)

We have a new investigator who is Haitian, which my companion really likes. I think he would’ve loved to serve in Haiti and has even learned Creol, the Haitian language, pretty well. With our new goals of finding tons of new people and sharing the first lesson more fully and putting out more baptismal dates, we are realing burning through those that are ready for the gospel and those who aren’t for now. One family made a new experience for me when they sent us a text saying they aren’t interested in our message, most people just try and put the next lesson as far away into the next week as possible haha. The mission is up and down with excitement for new people and also sadness for those you have come to love that aren’t progressing.

One of a great new investigators named Hipolito is doing well, but his new job has him working a lot, and especially Sundays, which is sad.

Gustavo y Juana were set on coming to church and bringing their kid and his family (who have a date for the 24th of December) but couldn’t make it. We called them and everything was set Sunday morning but who knows what happened.

Sunday was our district conference, which is like a stake conference. I finally got to show the branch I can actually play piano decently - well when I have practiced the songs haha. The choir and I presented Joseph Smith’s Prayer (sorry I forgot the name in English), the Battle Hymn of the Republic and I know that my Redeemer Lives. There was a lot of pressure since President Castillo was there to. It was fun to hear one of the Distict Councilors quote straight out of the restoration pamphlet that we recognized immediately. We almost quoted it with him, word for word. I loved hearing president talk. It just seems like he knows what he is doing and is so firm and like a super hero. He is a super good speaker.

Getting the supplies to make a yummyThanksgiving dinner, missionary style

Saturday we had a baptismal interview in an area called Cotui. We were late since we had been without water for a several days when as we were walking out the door ,water came on. We spent an hour cleaning up a sink full of dishes, doing quick laundry so there were clean clothes and filling up our big tank of water so we had some if the water turned off. In the end the baptismal candidate didn’t feel ready yet, but he really wants to be baptized so it will just be postponed.

This week I was thinking a lot about consecration and submissiveness. In a talk several years ago Elder Holland shared a scripture in 3 Nefi 11. He shared just two versus, the first two things of what Christ said. What he said was I am Jesus Christ and I have submitted myself to the father. Elder Holland then goes on to talk about maybe that will be the first thing he said or rather asks us when we see him again. Did we submit our wills, actions, heart, might, mind and strength to that of our Fathers? I think that is really what makes true people great people. Doing what is best. Taking one for the team. Or as Grandpa Sheffield always says “Me third” and “Obedience with understanding”. That is why mission work in some ways is so great. It is two years of surrender, consecration rather than sacrifice. It’s giving up ourselves for Him. It is something I have said before and something that continuously comes back to me. We have only completed our missions when we have come to be one with Him as He and the Father are one. It is one in heart, in purpose in holiness. The greatest part is that it is reachable. It is reachable through him, His atonement and His gospel in His church.

Elder A Sheffield