July 15, 2009

Well, this week's big news.... guess I’ll start with today and explain the my first music thing, Elder Schreiner and I went to a in home recording studio today, and after talking with the guy a bit (Elder S. has a lot of interest in the whole music recording deal) about how we and a couple other missionaries would like to have a jam session some day. He was open to the idea, but didn’t have the equipment outside of the drums, acoustic guitar, and mics. so it won’t happen, but Elder S asked if I could record a little song with the acoustic he had there, and he agreed, so I went in, recorded this little dealio, it doesn’t have an end really, and it was just a quick little go, but I thought it turned out kinda cool, still needs work, including words, but hope you enjoy it :).

Big news from Vitoria da Conquista, I heard that a woman (Redilane) we were teaching is going to get baptized here in a little bit (this weekend I think) Also on the order of big things, met President Vecchi on Monday, he is really easy to get to know, already in the 1st interview with him after the conference I feel like I’ve known him alot longer than an hour or two at the pulpit and a quick interview. He has a son serving in New Jersey speaking Spanish and brought his other three kids here on the mission with him.

The work here with that family we met on my birthday unfortunately hasn’t brought any fruits yet, we haven’t been able to get in contact with the mom and Daughter, and after one visit with the grandpa, (Sinaldo) he decided to listen to the words of others and not trust in God, reading the book of Mormon and praying to know of its truthfulness. He had to work on Sunday so he didn’t come to sacrament and so we called him on Tuesday to follow up on the reading etc. and as he spoke of how he already has his bible, and how he is already evangelical, baptized 5 years, happy where he is, etc. I felt like someone kicked me in the stomach. Here on the mission we get to see the Lord work, but we also see the opposition of Satan at work as well. Whether through the influence of other people speaking lies about the church with ignorance on the part of the teller and the hearer, tendencies of procrastination, the fear of not staying firm in the gospel, not having enough knowledge to be worthy of baptism, or the implacent view that God is in all churches and so it really doesn't matter which one you join or participate in. Satan is absolutely amazing at putting on a show for the masses to draw them in, to replace the Spirit with excitement, emotion, and mystery and lead them all to think these human reactions are the same thing. The prophecies of Nephi concerning the last days and the apostasy that would exist is in plain open view here. But in the midst of all this I still know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, this is His church, with a prophet led by revelation, that the gospel and authority needed to bring us back to the presence of our Heavenly Father was restored through Joseph Smith. I know that the Bible and the Book of Mormon hold the fullness of the gospel and that when we act in faith, the Lord does and will continue to bless us with a testimony of these things. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.