Agency

Monday, we went to this restaurant called Pancake Paradise and I got a nice looking chicken and bacon wrap. However, it cost me 74 pesos and it wasn’t that big. Later that day while I was doing my shopping, I realized that I could’ve bought 4 kilos of chicken at the store, so that kind of hurt me.

But this week I had an experience that led to a great learning opportunity.  We were teaching one of our investigators and at the end of the lesson, she told us that she wants to discontinue studying with us, but keep studying with the Witnesses of Jehovah. And so afterwards, we couldn’t help but think, what could’ve we done to really help her know and feel that this truly is Christ’s one and only true Church. And I thought about it quite a bit and then realized that there is one sure way that you can know and feel if you did all you can. And that is through seeking personal revelation about each person individually. Because Jesus and Heavenly Father are the only people that truly know what these people need to hear. And so when you receive revelation for what you need to teach and say, and they still don't accept your message. You can know without a shadow of a doubt, that you did all you can, but that everyone has their own free agency to choose. And as missioneries, that’s all we can do, invite and teach and then let the people choose for themselves. So that was definitely the most important thing I realized this week. 

We also had another lesson with a Jehovah’s Witness and I asked him to read Matthew 18:11 and so he turns to it and then realizes that it's missing from his Bible, like the other 10 or so scriptures. So then I ask him why is it not there? And he says I don’t know.  Then I ask him why not and what are you doing? No, I didn’t ask him that haha but I wanted to. Then we go and read in Revelations where it talks about how we must not remove or add scriptures to the Bible. And like I said he didn't know that his Bible had scriptures removed, so he's going to ask his brothers why that is.

Anyways, this week we have had a pet mouse crawling around our house. One morning, I go to use the bathroom and I turn on the light and I see something scattering across the floor and for some reason I started screaming whoops.  Then it left the bathroom and went into the kitchen and hid in a place where we couldn’t see him…and where there was only 2 exits. So we blocked one of them off, and put a rat trap at the other exit. So the next day we find that it worked and a dead mouse in the trap, and I didn’t even have to buy a special camera to catch my rat, unlike my dad haha.  Please don’t send me a rat shirt. 

The food here varies a lot, but really just depends on who you are eating with. For example, one day we had tamales and I had 15 of those. Another day we had pure beans and tortillas. 

The status of our progressing investigators: Jorge found a temporary job and so now neither him of his wife can attend church consistently. And Angellica, she makes an excuse every week why she couldn’t attend church. We are pretty sure the reason she has fear because  her neighbor, who she doesn’t like, goes to church and so she is scared to go. Sunday, after I gave a talk I started feeling sick out of nowhere. And I didn’t eat hardly any food with the member that day and instead slept on his bed. Turns out I have a really hot fever and so I wasn’t able to do anything but sleep, because my energia has been completely drained, and my face was all white. So that night, I had my district leader come over and give me medicine, as well as a blessing, and I felt way better afterwards.  That’s all for this week

 Elder Talbot