All is well, I am well enough...
So it's change time again. It comes so fast. It's been a pretty nutty six weeks. Let's recap some of the fun stuff.
- Remy and I called to serve together again
- Remy and I have emergency changes.
- Page and I duke it out with the Elders Quorum.
- Page and I have a cancún getaway.
Oh wait...shoot, Nevermind.
This week was a little uncanny. We did a lot of work that will launch the next change into a fun blast for the next Elders. A lot of programs, future baptisms, and a ton of support from the Branch. Our short term goal in a sector is to leave it in better condition then when we left it. I feel we accomplished that goal. It's pretty amazing to see the Lord work. I'm very thankful that I can be a medium through which the Spirit works. We found someone amazing this week! Rather, someone found us... She's what missionaries call, "Golden." There's just one minor detail. She's 10. She sang in a primary activity last week, and she felt "something incredible" inside the church. She came up to us and said, "Hi, I'm Camila. I used to be (Name of Church Omitted) but now I want to be Mormon. Can I join your church?" Wow, why can't call investigators be like her. She reads all the homework we give her (Twice, just to make sure she remembers it). She's already having spiritual experiences (She said that for as long as she's remembered, she's been Reciting to try and find her dad, whom she hasn't seen in years. She said that when she started to Pray, using the steps that were set forth by Jesus, she said that her prayer was fulfilled immediatly, and her dad called her.). She's being an example and influencing all the other investigators. She showed up to church 10 minutes early, to make sure she got a good spot. Elder Page and I were highly amazed.
Well that should just about do it for me. Thanks for all the prayers, support, and letters. Keep up the good work family. I'll keep doing what I do, and y'all keep bringing up a family in righteousness.
With lots of loves,
e'horspool
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
How to use Faith
So, check this out:
The last couple of weeks we haven't had any success finding new people. On top of that, we're about to drop some of the few investigators we have because they're not progressing, not going to church, and not completing with their promises. Hugo, the atheist investigator, is becoming more and more distant, and doesn't want to do anything anymore unless his ear is pulled. Not the kind of leader the church needs right now in Ovalle Norte.
We were starting to get kind of down. Elder Page was kind of freaking out to find himself in a, "Dead Sector." This last Thursday, during our weekly planning session, we were brainstorming on how we can find new investigators. Suddenly Page opened up his scriptures and read out of Ether 3, and the Brother of Jared. He remembered how the Brother of Jared had prepared a plan, and all his tools for the Lord to use and make his miracles happen. It then clicked that, yes, we have all the tools to make things happen, all we had to do was present them to the Lord and work to have a miracle come to pass. So that's what we did. Now, I'm sure I've mentioned the Suplica to you all before, but here's a brief rundown on what goes down everyday before we leave the pention. We kneel down and pray, and report our plan to the Lord before heading out (it's about a 15 minute prayer). So, during the Suplica (it was Elder Page's turn to Suplicate), he told the Lord exactly what we were doing, and expressed out desires (for the Lord works according to our desires). We were going to knock the street Las Terecianas, with Gonzalo, a member, and we wanted to enter into a house and teach someone.
It's exactly what happened. The first house we knocked on, a woman let us in. Let me explain a little more:
We can't go into a house if there's no man inside, unless we bring a member with us. Normally we do not do contacts with members, for it's kind of boring. This day, Gonzalo (who put in his mission papers recently) came to accompany us all day. We taught a very powerful First Lesson, and came back four hours later to teach some more. She had already read and prayed. A miracle, if ever I've seen one.
Next day, it was my turn to pray. I did the same thing (except we didn't have Gonzalo with us). The first street we knocked on, the last house, out came a 15 year old kid. He received a very powerful answer, after the lesson, that everything was true. Quite an interesting story, sometime that, I'll be sure to tell ya'll sometime.
Next day pretty much followed the suit of the first Thursday. We prayed, entered into the first house we knocked on, and taught a quick, awesome lesson.
Pretty awesome, eh? My lesson learned, when we really pour out our desires to the Lord, he answers. We have to prepare the plan, the tools, and express our desires to Him. And if we ask, believing that we will receive, it will happen. I know that God lives, I know that he hears our prayers, I know that if we do all that we can in this world, God will take care of the rest and all will end up well.
e'horspool
The last couple of weeks we haven't had any success finding new people. On top of that, we're about to drop some of the few investigators we have because they're not progressing, not going to church, and not completing with their promises. Hugo, the atheist investigator, is becoming more and more distant, and doesn't want to do anything anymore unless his ear is pulled. Not the kind of leader the church needs right now in Ovalle Norte.
We were starting to get kind of down. Elder Page was kind of freaking out to find himself in a, "Dead Sector." This last Thursday, during our weekly planning session, we were brainstorming on how we can find new investigators. Suddenly Page opened up his scriptures and read out of Ether 3, and the Brother of Jared. He remembered how the Brother of Jared had prepared a plan, and all his tools for the Lord to use and make his miracles happen. It then clicked that, yes, we have all the tools to make things happen, all we had to do was present them to the Lord and work to have a miracle come to pass. So that's what we did. Now, I'm sure I've mentioned the Suplica to you all before, but here's a brief rundown on what goes down everyday before we leave the pention. We kneel down and pray, and report our plan to the Lord before heading out (it's about a 15 minute prayer). So, during the Suplica (it was Elder Page's turn to Suplicate), he told the Lord exactly what we were doing, and expressed out desires (for the Lord works according to our desires). We were going to knock the street Las Terecianas, with Gonzalo, a member, and we wanted to enter into a house and teach someone.
It's exactly what happened. The first house we knocked on, a woman let us in. Let me explain a little more:
We can't go into a house if there's no man inside, unless we bring a member with us. Normally we do not do contacts with members, for it's kind of boring. This day, Gonzalo (who put in his mission papers recently) came to accompany us all day. We taught a very powerful First Lesson, and came back four hours later to teach some more. She had already read and prayed. A miracle, if ever I've seen one.
Next day, it was my turn to pray. I did the same thing (except we didn't have Gonzalo with us). The first street we knocked on, the last house, out came a 15 year old kid. He received a very powerful answer, after the lesson, that everything was true. Quite an interesting story, sometime that, I'll be sure to tell ya'll sometime.
Next day pretty much followed the suit of the first Thursday. We prayed, entered into the first house we knocked on, and taught a quick, awesome lesson.
Pretty awesome, eh? My lesson learned, when we really pour out our desires to the Lord, he answers. We have to prepare the plan, the tools, and express our desires to Him. And if we ask, believing that we will receive, it will happen. I know that God lives, I know that he hears our prayers, I know that if we do all that we can in this world, God will take care of the rest and all will end up well.
e'horspool
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Suddenly Unexpected
Seems like this has been a very sudden week...
Well now, this has been a series of strange events, for good, I hope. First off, I send my condolences to Jason and his recently passed away Mother. I hope she passed away in peace. Que descanse. However, Many a congratulations on your newborn child, though I'm sad you couldn't hold it for 3 more hours (Hah, I kid). Your child is very beautiful, and I can't wait to meet the lil' stinker. Good job on the whole Prop. 8 thing, my comp recieved notice from his family that they're feeling the effects of it all the way in Utah, already. I find it highly hipocritical by every sense of the word that they're doing harm to the Church. How can a bunch of people who where principally promoting more "Peace" and "Understanding" be so hateful and ignorant? But that's for ya'll to worry about.
Last Monday, after district class, Elder Remy and I were talking, getting ready to leave, passing off references for some other Elders to teach when the Zone Leaders approached us and told us that they wanted to talk to us four (Elder Remy, Elder Horspool, Elder Page, and Elder Halverson) real quick. The aterior week we had had interviews with President Wilhelm, and after said interviews, he sat alone in the Bishops office for a few hours. When he came out, he told the Zone Leaders that Elder Remy was needed elsewhere, in fact, one Branch over, in the Branch of Canihuantes, and that Elder Page needed to be with me here in Ovalle Norte. Emergency Changes. It was real sudden; it hit us very hard. For two months I had been with Elder Remy, and I was starting to warm up to the guy. It's very strange how you never realize how much you rely on and become attached to something until how it's gone. For two months I had been worrying about how I could help out Elder Remy, how I could lift him up to be the kind of Leader the Lord needs. Now, he's gone. It felt like I had been punched in the stomach very hard. Normally they don't do Emergency Changes unless there's something bad going on, but in our case there was no problem, no contention. In fact, most people complemented us on how well they felt the Spirit of Unity between us two. But the Lord has something up his sleeve, I can feel it. This last week with Elder Page has been a blast as well. We get along like peas and carrots, and I'm learning a ton about everything. But, it just feels kind of strange, odd. What an awesome and strange experience the mission is. I've never been so close to a group of men, a band of brothers, before in my life. All working for one the greatest causes that we can do in this world, Bringing to pass the salvation of souls. I know this is the Lords Work, and that His hand is in everything. I love you all, Be safe, Be Healthy, and Be Firm in the Faith.
e'horspool
PS - I believe there's a picture of Elder Page on an earlier post, when we had mission conference a while back. It would be with Elder Kohler. You'll notice that he's a gringo with Tongan background (From the town of Roosevelt, in the Uintah Basin). Everyone thinks he's Barak Obama. Quite hilariously stupid.
Well now, this has been a series of strange events, for good, I hope. First off, I send my condolences to Jason and his recently passed away Mother. I hope she passed away in peace. Que descanse. However, Many a congratulations on your newborn child, though I'm sad you couldn't hold it for 3 more hours (Hah, I kid). Your child is very beautiful, and I can't wait to meet the lil' stinker. Good job on the whole Prop. 8 thing, my comp recieved notice from his family that they're feeling the effects of it all the way in Utah, already. I find it highly hipocritical by every sense of the word that they're doing harm to the Church. How can a bunch of people who where principally promoting more "Peace" and "Understanding" be so hateful and ignorant? But that's for ya'll to worry about.
Last Monday, after district class, Elder Remy and I were talking, getting ready to leave, passing off references for some other Elders to teach when the Zone Leaders approached us and told us that they wanted to talk to us four (Elder Remy, Elder Horspool, Elder Page, and Elder Halverson) real quick. The aterior week we had had interviews with President Wilhelm, and after said interviews, he sat alone in the Bishops office for a few hours. When he came out, he told the Zone Leaders that Elder Remy was needed elsewhere, in fact, one Branch over, in the Branch of Canihuantes, and that Elder Page needed to be with me here in Ovalle Norte. Emergency Changes. It was real sudden; it hit us very hard. For two months I had been with Elder Remy, and I was starting to warm up to the guy. It's very strange how you never realize how much you rely on and become attached to something until how it's gone. For two months I had been worrying about how I could help out Elder Remy, how I could lift him up to be the kind of Leader the Lord needs. Now, he's gone. It felt like I had been punched in the stomach very hard. Normally they don't do Emergency Changes unless there's something bad going on, but in our case there was no problem, no contention. In fact, most people complemented us on how well they felt the Spirit of Unity between us two. But the Lord has something up his sleeve, I can feel it. This last week with Elder Page has been a blast as well. We get along like peas and carrots, and I'm learning a ton about everything. But, it just feels kind of strange, odd. What an awesome and strange experience the mission is. I've never been so close to a group of men, a band of brothers, before in my life. All working for one the greatest causes that we can do in this world, Bringing to pass the salvation of souls. I know this is the Lords Work, and that His hand is in everything. I love you all, Be safe, Be Healthy, and Be Firm in the Faith.
e'horspool
PS - I believe there's a picture of Elder Page on an earlier post, when we had mission conference a while back. It would be with Elder Kohler. You'll notice that he's a gringo with Tongan background (From the town of Roosevelt, in the Uintah Basin). Everyone thinks he's Barak Obama. Quite hilariously stupid.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Mission Conference # 4
Wow, after just three weeks we have another mission conference, but there was a special reason for it... Elder Amado of the Quorum of the 70 decided to pay a visit to the Mission Chile, Viña Del Mar. It was amazing! I feel so enlightened about the mission now. We pretty much learned about how to be successful on the mission and how to help everyone.
Elder Remy and I decided to put some of that revelation to work. I forget if I've mentioned him before, but we have an investigator who calls himself, "Atheist." It's kind of ridiculous really. He prays a ton and reads without a problem (when the bum remembers to.). In short, he exercises faith. Elder Amado said, if someone does not accept a baptismal date, help them to understand repentance. If they don't understand repentance, help them to understand faith. If they don't have faith, help them to have desires to know. Hugo, the self proclaimed Atheist, is exercising faith, and is praying to a being that he doesn't believe in. My comp and I are stomped in this logic, but whatever. He prays to know, and has come to church a few times, and reads. I'm assuming he faults some sort of "Trail of Faith" as is described in Ether 12:6. I don't know how many of you read it, but there was an article about a protestant student at BYU who had to take a leap of faith in his investigating efforts, and for him it was the determination to accept a baptismal date. As of now, that's pretty much all Hugo lacks. But here's the thing: Do any of y'all have any experience with talking with atheists? What were their experiences in their conversion? How did they come to have a belief in God?
Well, that should just about do it for this week. Thanks for all your support. Love ya lots, be safe, fight the good fight, keep the faith, congrats on your new kid Hea-doo.
Con mucho amor,
e'horspool
Aiight here's how they go:
Desayuno - This is a standard Elder Horspool Breakfast these days. Avocado, or Palta, is very, very cheap. Eat it with a spoon.
Bafroom - This is our current project in the house. Right now, the paint in the bathroom is falling off wherever it is slightly touched. I like to draw while I'm taking a shower.
Bafroom - This is our current project in the house. Right now, the paint in the bathroom is falling off wherever it is slightly touched. I like to draw while I'm taking a shower.
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