It’s not that the boy doesn’t write; it’s that the father of the boy doesn’t keep up on these fatherly duties! Behold the October-ness and (most of) November-ness of news:
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| Elder Webb & Elder Berry |
November 2, 2015 – “THE
RAINS CAME DOWN . . .”
. . . and the floods came
up! Wow. It’s hard to describe exactly how flooded it was. Picture Lake Town
from The Hobbit movies, where there are houses and all the streets are just
rivers. Now imagine that like 3 feet under the wáter there are
missionaries trying to ride their bikes. Here’s an interesting fact: when the
water level is higher than a bike tire is tall, a bicycle is practically
impossible to ride. We also got to get off our bikes to help push a car that
had turned off because water had gotten into the engine.
So I went out of order and
started with the flood. It was raining so hard, we were told not to leave the
house all morning (something they sometimes don’t even do when there are
shootings, so imagine a rainstorm slightly more dangerous than a shooting...).
There was a ton of lightning and a lot of crazy stuff happened. Lightning
struck close to the house of the other missionaries (in Jardín, my old area),
and blew up a transformer or something. Anyway, they haven’t had electricity
for 3 days and, because the water pressure is controlled by an electric pump,
haven’t had water, either. We’ve been inviting them to our house to shower in
the mornings. It’s been an adventure.
Speaking of adventures, we
had a baptism on Saturday! If you’ve ever wondered if God has a sense of humor,
let this be your reply: after a torrential rainfall with flooded streets,
damaged properties, and some really excited missionaries, our church didn’t
have any water! If you know anything about our church, you’ll recognize it
would be very difficult to baptize in an empty font. So, we had to go to the
other church here in Valle Hermoso, which, thanks to the fact that the
other ward is full of witches, was filled with black water. BLACK WATER.
Actually, we don’t know why it was black. The church is still true. So we spent
a good amount of time emptying, cleaning, and refilling the font. It actually
all turned out great. Everyone who was going to get baptized got baptized, and
there was much rejoicing.
Also, we have transfers! I
don’t, actually. But Elder Berry does, and like half the zone here in Valle
Hermoso. I’ll be the compañero of one Elder Farrabee from Arizona, I think. I’ll
be picking him up tomorrow and let you know more next week. I’m sad to see
Elder Berry go, because he’s probably been my favorite companion, but everyone
says Elder Farrabee is really cool, so I’m hopeful. Oh! And Elder Santana is
going BACK to Buena Vista II, our first area. I’m so jealous.
I think that was it. Maybe
I was going to say something else, but I can’t remember.
The Book of Mormon is
true. Joseph Smith was a prophet. Thomas S. Monson IS a prophet. God
lives. Jesus Christ is our Saviour.
I love you guys. Be nice
to each other.
Elder Webb
• • •
October 26, 2015 – “PATRICIA”
This was a weird week.
Just a really weird week. I don’t remember everything that happened, but it was
something different every day. The subject is a reference to Hurricane Patricia,
which affected us with a 100% chance of rain on Friday or Saturday. We were
outside for 20 minutes and we may as well have brought soap and taken a shower
in the street, we were so wet. It made working really difficult and we went
home early to shower and dry off.
Last night, we had an
awesome Family Home Evening with a family here in the Ward, Dinora, her
daughter Berenice, and their neighbor, Fernanda. We watched Meet the Mormons,
and the family all shared awesome testimonies about the church and how it’s
blessed us. Dinora and Berenice have baptismal dates for this Saturday, and
they’re really excited, if a little nervous. We’re going to be working hard
with them so that they’re ready for the 31st.
I have to share my
testimony about the Priesthood this week: It’s real. Worthy, faithful men
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints really have the power and
authority to act in God’s name and work miracles. We are given the same power
as the Apostles and prophets of old to work miracles and to bless the lives of
God’s children. Let us use this power often, but wisely. There is a really
unfortunate shortage of worthy Priesthood-holders here in Mexico (at least
in my misión, I can’t speak for the South), and I’ve really come to appreciate
the examples of Priesthood-holders I have at home as my dad and other
family-members, church-leaders, and friends. I hope to be such an example to
others as I exercise the Priesthood worthily and to bless the lives of others.
Hey! I love you. Read
Doctrine and Covenants 88:124.
Elder Webb
• • •
October 19, 2015 – ”PANTS”
I had a birthday!
My wonderful mother sent
me some much-needed pants in my birthday package, and I have already put them
to good use. However, unfortunately, so much time with ill-fitting pants had
altered my visión, and now that I have the good stuff, I’ve realized how much I
need it. So, Mama, could you send me some more, please?
Yesterday, at church, the
two oldest guys in the ward were up on the stand to bless the Sacrament. One of
them is the teacher of the Elders’ Quórum and the other is the Stake Patriarch.
Well, instead of getting up there and setting an example of reverence, they
kind of just screwed around during all of the announcements. What they didn’t
know was that the microphone had been turned on while they were preparing the
Sacrament, and the whole congregation could hear them giggling. The Bishop had
to stand up and walk over to turn off the microphone and get after the geezers
(one of which is literally the Bishop’s grandpa). I felt like I understood a
little better what heaven will be like.
We also got to confirm
Deyanira yesterday, after she got baptized on Friday! It was really awesome,
probably the best-planned baptism I’ve had on my mission. We were prepared,
there were a ton of members there, they brought refreshments, Deyanira’s family
came, the Bishop gave an excellent welcome, and the Spirit was beautifully
strong throughout. Deyanira’s parents and son had been something of a problem
in her progress, because they’re all super Catholic and did not support her
baptism. She actually called us last Tuesday to tell us that she wasn’t going
to get baptized and that she didn’t want us to visit her anymore. But we set up
an appointment, and my companion and one of our leaders went to talk to her and
help her understand the importance of baptism (something of which she really
already had a testimony). There we learned that the real problem was her fear.
So, she showed her faith in the Lord, got baptized, understood what we had been
saying, and was confirmed yesterday. Afterwards, we were all waiting to talk
with the Bishop (she had an interview, we had a question about something else).
The Bishop asked her when they could put an appointment, and she said “It’s ok,
I have time right now.” Then, before she walked in for the interview said to me
“I learned that from you guys. There’s no reason to wait. I’ve just got to get
it done.” They talked about going to the temple and I think she’s already got a
calling. We’re going to talk with her family this week to see how they liked
it.
I’ve been thinking a lot
about foundations and Jesucristo this week. I’ve been ponderizing Helaman 5:12,
and the other day I thought, ““¿How can I build my foundation on the rock of
our Redeemer? ¿What do I really need to do to protect myself from Satan and his
‘shafts in the whirlwind’?” I’ve found that when I have a question about
Jesucristo, I should open Jesus the Christ, so that’s what I did. I
opened exactly at the point I had left off, which is when Jesús is finishing
the Sermon on the Mount and teaches the parable of [drumroll] the wise man, who
built his house upon the rock, and the foolish man who built his upon the sand.
Wow. God answers prayers. And how did He answer mine? “Hear and do” (I think
that’s how it translates. It feels like it makes more sense in Spanish: “Oíd y
haced”). What was the difference between the wise man and the foolish one? They
both had houses. We can assume they were similar in structure, size, comfort,
etc. They had the same trials: the winds, the rains, and the storms of life.
What made the difference? The wise man heard the words that were spoken, and he
DID. He ACTED upon the things he had learned. The foolish man had attended the
same sermón. He had heard the same truths taught. But he didn’t apply them to
his own life, and when Satan came to tempt him and tear down his house, he
fell, because he lacked this sure foundation.
Let us build our
foundation “upon the rock of our Redeemer, which is Christ, the Son of God.”
Study the words which He has given us through the scriptures, the living
prophets, and the Holy Ghost, and DO the things He says. That way, we will be
sure and steady in spite of the rain, thunder, wind, and even “fiery darts”
that Satan thinks to throw at us. God always wins. Put Him on your side.
I love you all. If you
tease somebody, let them know you love them.
Elder Webb
• • •
October 12, 2015 – “23?”
So I am now the age I will
be when I get home. That’s enough about that.
This week a couple of
amazing things happened. We’re teaching a woman named Deyanira (or something).
She’s awesome. She’s had a problema with smoking, but she’s determined to quit
so she can get baptized. She’s been really scared about taking this important
step for a lot of reasons. She’s got pressure from her family, her work, her
friends, etc and she wasn’t sure what she could do. So she said a prayer and
opened the Book of Mormon (which you should all do if you have a question or
problem) and the first thing she read was Alma 44:4. Look it up and read it. I’ve
read it a hundred times, but I don’t know what it says in English. But it was a
perfect, beautiful answer to prayer. Last night we watched “Joseph Smith: The
Prophet of the Restoration” with her and a member family. It was really
special. She’ll be baptized this Friday. The family bought me a cake for my
birthday.
Then, we’re teaching
Dinora. She’s a great friend and an OK investigator. Pray for her to read and
pray about the Book of Mormon. She bought me a pie for my birthday.
Today I had my first
District Meeting as a District Leader. I was nervous, but I think it came off
alright. My Zone Leaders bought me a cake for my birthday.
And a member made me a
cake for my birthday. And tonight, we’re going to eat cake for my birthday.
Everybody says they gain weight in Valle Hermoso, and I don’t think everybody
has a birthday in Valle Hermoso.
I love y’all. Co-eat some
cake with me today. I’d send it to you if I could.
Elder Webb
• • •
October 5, 2015 – ”I
LIKE YOUR TIES”
This week was full of
weird stuff. The subject is a reference to a man we found riding a bike. Well,
it was kind of a bike. It was shaped like a chopper-style motorcycle and he
had tied bullhorns to the front and back. On his own head, he had a trucker cap
to which he had tied a set of small, jackelope-style antlers. As he rode by
with a huge smile on his face, he said, in english and in the CREEPIEST way
imagineable, “Hey. I like your ties”. Then we saw him again the next day. Then
we saw him twice yesterday. As we were talking about it, we realized we had
seen him all four times IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE. It was a weird momento.
So General Conference was
awesome, wasn’t it? #ponderize
My feelings overall were
that we need to excerscize (sorry, I don’t English anymour) our faith to see it
grow, that we need to learn to let Christ mold us through our trials, and that
we need to be firm examples of righteousness in spite of what the world thinks.
We worked really hard this
week to have investigadores in General Conference to see how living prophets
can bless us. We found one of the best people ever on Friday. Her name is
Dinora, she has a baptismal date for October 17th, and she’s already a great
friend. We invited her to come to Conference, and she said she would come! Even
though she was busy. She said that if she didn’t come, it was because we didn’t
pray hard enough. So about a half-hour before the last sesión, she still hadn’t
showed up! So we called her and said “Hey, we prayed a ton, and you’re not
here!” to which she replied “Shoot, I did promise, didn’t I? OK. I’ll be there
soon. Just, when I get there, don’t make me pray, or talk, and
don’t look at me, and don’t talk to me, because if I get scared, I won’t come
back and I won’t be able to get baptized.” I don’t know if that sounds as funny
over email as it was over the phone. It was hilarious. Then we went over to
teach a lesson afterwards and accidentally just talked for like an hour-and-a-half
(I promise that doesn’t usually happen).
We’re doing really well.
Elder Berry is my first American companion, and we get along really well. We’re
doing really good work, and we work really well together.
Shoot. I feel like a lot
of excellent stuff happened this week, but I didn’t remember to write it down.
Sorrys.
I love you guys. If nobody
listens to you, remember that God always will. And you could also consider
saying more interesting things.
Elder Webb
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