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Monday, April 9, 2018

OPENING ANGACO

I want to tell you all a story about a little town called Angaco.

Angaco is a little town very far away from our meeting house.  There are members there, but they can´t come because it is nearly impossible for them to get to the church building Sunday morning.  The mission hasnt been working there, but after lots of prayers and meetings, my companion and I started going.  Our plan was simple: find people to come to church, and find a place to hold meetings, to open the area before the end of the month.

We made a list of all the members we had listed who lived there, there were few, and we spent 3 days there, meeting some people and getting to know the area.  The next time we went, we didnt have any plans, we just had our list of members, and we went walking.  

Now, Last monday, Elder Moon (Lider de Districto) just gave us his district meeting lesson on Those Placed in our Path.  He taught that with prayer and faith we can find those who God will put in our path.  I have a lot of faith in this principle, and with even new faith, I prayed that He would put people in our path.  I know He does this, but we have to look and pray to have the ability to identify them, because not everyone is ready.

So we finished eating lunch and studying in the park and left to go look for members.  We talked to a few people and keep going, as we started to pass a ghost town looking gas station.  During the siesta in Argentina, very few people are outside.  There is a weird man sitting there, and I think for a second, no, I dont have to talk to him... and just then he starts calling us over.  

Within SECONDS we are walking with him to his house, and identify him as one of the people on our list.  Federico.  He is 30 and lives alone. He is very different and people dont generally like him, he doesnt have many friends, and suffers from some things. But he has a HUGE heart.  He told us he had the book of joseph smith, and it was obvious he wasnt ever an active member.  But he had the biggest heart.  We get to his house, and its a mess, but I feel so at peace.  I see this man, and I see giant potential.  I knew God put him in our path.

We start talking and he offers his home for us to start to have meetings there.  

We had to leave, but we told him we´d be back 2 days later.  We come back two days later, and we were very late to the time we set, so when we got there, he was not.  We left a note saying we´d pass by in 2 more day, on Saturday morning.  I have had SO many people throw away my notes before even reading them, so I had little hope.

Saturday morning, we show up, he is sitting out front of his house on a chair with our note in his hand...!

We talk and I feel so happy again.  I felt the need to invite him to church.  Knowing he had never been, and that it would be almost ridiculous for him, without a way of travel.

But we agreed on a time and place to meet Sunday morning.

A las, sunday morning, we wait for 20 minutes and he does not show. So we go to church.  But my faith was burning.

Almost near the end, I look to my left and in walks Federico.  HE MADE IT!


I know God lives.  I want to testify that God chooses weak ones.  The world would never have chosen Federico, but God Did. and so do I.  

 I love this gospel.   I love when people walk past me and stare and laugh because Im with someone like Federico.  I love when people doubt it... Because I have seen the power of our God above.  I love being with the strangers, the weirdos.  

The Biggest difference between Federico and EVERYONE I HAVE MET IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS IN MY AREA, is that Federico is disposed.  He is as ready as the apostles of Jesus Christ.  He dropped everything when we came.  I have never seen anything like it.

I know those are the true disciples.  Those who are ready, DISPOSED.  

I know there are people who need this, even as much as I need it.  My focus will always be on those people.  Those who need  to call on God.

We must be DISPOSED.  
 
Hugh B. Brown gave a talk about this: 

While I was acting as servicemen's coordinator, I was in London, England. I sent the following telegram to the senior chaplain of a large camp near Liverpool: "I'll be in your camp tomorrow morning at 10:00. Kindly notify all Mormon boys in your camp that we'll hold a meeting."
When I arrived the next morning, I met seventy-five young men, all in uniform. They were delighted to see me, although I knew none of them. They were glad to see someone from home.
There stepped out from the crowd a man who, after shaking hands, said, "I'm the one to whom you sent your telegram. I'm the chaplain of this camp. I didn't get your telegram until this morning [that is, Sunday morning]. Upon receipt of it, I made an inquiry--a careful inquiry. I found there were seventy-six Mormon boys in this camp. Seventy-five of them are here; one is in the hospital." 
He said, "I wish you'd tell me, Mr. Brown, how you do it. I have six hundred men in my church in this camp, and if I gave them six months' notice they couldn't meet that record. Tell me how you do it." 
"Well," I said, "if you come into our meeting, we'll show you how we do it." And so he accompanied me into the quonset hut, and before us sat these seventy-five young men. I had the minister sit next to me. 
I said, "How many of you fellows have been on missions?" Fully 50 percent of them raised their hands. I pointed to six of them and said, "Come here and administer the sacrament."
I pointed to six others and said, "Come here and be prepared to speak." I looked at my friend, the minister, and he had his mouth open. He had never seen such a thing. 
And then I said, "Fellows, what shall we sing this morning?" And with one voice they said, "Come, Come, Ye Saints!" And I said, "Who can lead the music?" and most of them raised their hands. I selected one. "Who can play this portable organ?" And again there was a fine showing, and one was selected. 
We didn't have any books, but the man at the organ sounded a chord, and those young men stood, shoulders back and chins pulled in, and they sang all the verses of "Come, Come, Ye Saints." I have heard that sung all over the Church many times, even by the Tabernacle Choir, to whom I apologize for what I am going to say. I have never heard "Come, Come, Ye Saints" sung with such fervor, such conviction, such power as those young men sang it. When they came to that last verse, "And should we die before our journey's through, happy day, all is well," I tell you it was thrilling. And as I looked at my friend again, I found him weeping.
After the prayer, one of the boys knelt at the sacrament table and said, "O God, the Eternal Father," and then he paused for what seemed to be a full minute before proceeding. At the close of the meeting, I went and looked him up. I put my arm across his shoulder and said, "What's the matter, lad?"
He said, "Why?" 
"Well, you seemed to have difficulty in asking a blessing on the bread. Has something happened?" 
"Well, sir," he said, "a few hours ago I was over Germany and France on a bombing mission. We had made our run, left our calling cards [meaning the bombs], and when we gained altitude and were about to return across the channel, we ran into heavy flak. My tail assembly was pretty well shot away, one of my engines was out, a number of my crew were wounded, and it looked like a hopeless situation. It seemed like no power in heaven or earth could get us back across the channel to a landing field. But," he said, "Brother Brown, up there I remembered what my mother had said to me. [And this I want to say to this vast audience, both those that are here and those that are listening in.] This is what my mother said, 'If ever you find yourself in a situation where man can't help you, call on God.'
I had been told that same thing in Primary, in the seminaries, in Sunday School: 'If ever you need help and man can't help you, call on God.' Although it seemed hopeless and impossible, I said, 'O God, the Eternal Father, please sustain this ship until we get back into England.' . . . Brother Brown, he did just that.
"When I heard of this meeting I ran all the way to get here, and when I knelt at the table and named his name again, I remembered shamefully that I had not stopped to say 'thank you.' And that's the reason I paused, to express my gratitude for the goodness of God." 
 
 It was a glorious occasion. 
Finally there came an end. We dismissed, and this minister turned to me and said, "Mr. Brown, I have been a minister of the gospel for twenty-one years, but this has been the greatest spiritual experience of my life." 

My best friend asked me what I knew about righteous desires.  I am learning so much.

I know Federico has righteous desires and that they move mountains.  

I know Christ lives.  He is my guide.  He has changed me. I am so glad, I have never been so happy.  tHIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING. 

I know this is a big question ha but like what do you know about the worth of a human being.  Like where do we find worth in people?  like is it in appearance or wealth or intelligence ?  I know none of those things are true worth, but I dont know where to start.


I LOVE YOU ALL,

fall is killing me im so cold it dropped like only 5 degrees so far... BRR

I forgot my flashcard with Federico :( 
Next week youll see him!

Argentina Flag♥
Elder Moon practicing choir.