Hey Family!
Drunks are the best in Guatemala. They also always have the best English. :) This last week we were sitting in Las Cabezas eating some lunch when a really drunk guy came up to us and started talking with us. Then it just got really funny, I wish I could have taken a video of him but it wasn´t really possible. Lets just say that it ended up with him giving us a bunch of green mangos and him telling the ice cream lady to give us free ice cream. Then he started to get mad about how his pants don’t have a button and that his zipper does not work. Then he started to tell us about all of the things that he has and yelling, "Im prideful!" Then he said goodbye to us by kissing our hands. I just love interactions with bolos (drunks)!
This last week we got some tough news from Ruben. His parents gave him the last answer and said that they would not give permission for him to be baptized. And that if he waits for another year till he turns 18 to get baptized, he would not be considered part of the family anymore. That they would not answer his calls, that he can’t return home to get things out of the house, and that if they see him in the street they would not even recognize him as being there. How sickening is that! Honestly, when he told us that I felt a mixed range of emotions, some of them being sadness, anger, but also faith. Faith that in the end it will all still workout. We had a great lesson with him in which we shared the Mormon message called The Will of God from Elder Christofferson. Ruben, although he is young, is super faithful and is very humble. He said that he still wants to get baptized and that he is willing to do whatever the Lord wants him to do. We still have faith that he can be baptized, we are also still trying to finish the Book of Mormon by this Sunday. 2 Nephi 27 23 says, "For behold I am God, and I am a God of miracles, and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today and forever, and that I work not among the children of them save it be according to their faith." With the faith all things are possible.
Also, had my first run in with a scorpion last night. Let’s just leave it at! We were both screaming like a couple of little girls when it fell off the wall and started running around. It was about three inches long and a dark brown. We eventually killed it and got it’s spread out of the house, then we sprayed insecticide all over the house. Gotta love liven in Oratorio, Guatemala.
This week, more than anything, I have an invitation for everybody, that is, in a spirit of prayer, to read and study your Patriarchal blessing again. And then reflect on the promises that each one of us have there that are special to each one of us. I know you have studied them before, but they are blessings for our whole life, not just to a certain point. From doing this activity I have seen new ways that my personal blessing can apply to my life and have also felt re-motivated to all that I can do to make sure that these blessings come to pass. God loves each and every one of us so much more that we can imagine and he wants to bless us. We all can set goals, spiritual and physical, and then include God in the process of accomplishing these goals. Remember that He cares about all aspects of His children lives and not just some parts. With help we can do all things that strengthen us in every aspect of life. Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Through an all powerful loving God and Father in Heaven we can also be an extremely powerful being during this life. I love you all so much and pray that this week will be an amazing one!
Love, your brother and son,
Elder Marks
Drunks are the best in Guatemala. They also always have the best English. :) This last week we were sitting in Las Cabezas eating some lunch when a really drunk guy came up to us and started talking with us. Then it just got really funny, I wish I could have taken a video of him but it wasn´t really possible. Lets just say that it ended up with him giving us a bunch of green mangos and him telling the ice cream lady to give us free ice cream. Then he started to get mad about how his pants don’t have a button and that his zipper does not work. Then he started to tell us about all of the things that he has and yelling, "Im prideful!" Then he said goodbye to us by kissing our hands. I just love interactions with bolos (drunks)!
This last week we got some tough news from Ruben. His parents gave him the last answer and said that they would not give permission for him to be baptized. And that if he waits for another year till he turns 18 to get baptized, he would not be considered part of the family anymore. That they would not answer his calls, that he can’t return home to get things out of the house, and that if they see him in the street they would not even recognize him as being there. How sickening is that! Honestly, when he told us that I felt a mixed range of emotions, some of them being sadness, anger, but also faith. Faith that in the end it will all still workout. We had a great lesson with him in which we shared the Mormon message called The Will of God from Elder Christofferson. Ruben, although he is young, is super faithful and is very humble. He said that he still wants to get baptized and that he is willing to do whatever the Lord wants him to do. We still have faith that he can be baptized, we are also still trying to finish the Book of Mormon by this Sunday. 2 Nephi 27 23 says, "For behold I am God, and I am a God of miracles, and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today and forever, and that I work not among the children of them save it be according to their faith." With the faith all things are possible.
Also, had my first run in with a scorpion last night. Let’s just leave it at! We were both screaming like a couple of little girls when it fell off the wall and started running around. It was about three inches long and a dark brown. We eventually killed it and got it’s spread out of the house, then we sprayed insecticide all over the house. Gotta love liven in Oratorio, Guatemala.
This week, more than anything, I have an invitation for everybody, that is, in a spirit of prayer, to read and study your Patriarchal blessing again. And then reflect on the promises that each one of us have there that are special to each one of us. I know you have studied them before, but they are blessings for our whole life, not just to a certain point. From doing this activity I have seen new ways that my personal blessing can apply to my life and have also felt re-motivated to all that I can do to make sure that these blessings come to pass. God loves each and every one of us so much more that we can imagine and he wants to bless us. We all can set goals, spiritual and physical, and then include God in the process of accomplishing these goals. Remember that He cares about all aspects of His children lives and not just some parts. With help we can do all things that strengthen us in every aspect of life. Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Through an all powerful loving God and Father in Heaven we can also be an extremely powerful being during this life. I love you all so much and pray that this week will be an amazing one!
Love, your brother and son,
Elder Marks
RSS Feed