For a bit more detail on my
situation in my new area, I am in Cementista, which is a sketchy suburb
of Mendoza City itself, and I love the area, despite the fact that
Cementista is enormous and we go by foot. The capilla is a half-hour
away by foot. Oof. But it's a great time, and I am still growing so much
here. Elder Mazzeo is great too, and I have learned more of the
language from him, which is a definite benefit of being with an
Argentino. As for the situation with packages, I am not certain how
those would work, because I would still have to go by bus for over an
hour to the mission offices in Godoy Cruz; thus, I really don't know
what to tell you. I suppose it's possible, but I don't know. Also, I
found out this week that the Temple land is in my area! I don't know yet
exactly where, but the Temple will be in MY AREA!!! I can't explain how
excited I am for that.
We had an awesome
experience this week with a man who hasn't attended church in a long
time. We were reading in 3 Nefi 18 around verse 16, which says that we
need to follow the example of Jesus and pray in churches (and, in
extension by the context of our lesson, it says that he needs to attend
church again). When he read that, he told us that he felt as though
Jesus, whose words those are in that verse, was talking directly to him,
and he knew instantly that he needs to attend church again. That was
miraculous, and his faith is so powerful. I felt the Spirit radiating
from him. Another wonderful time was when we were talking with a man who
is not a member, but who is interested to hear our message. He listened
more attentively that just about any other person I have ever seen in
any circumstance, and I could see the Spirit start to fill his
countenance as we talked about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. We gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon, and he said he will
read it, and also that he will do it joyfully because he loves reading
books like that. He has a stunningly clear understanding of how to
understand things by the Spirit and the power of God, and I am impressed
by his desire to learn.
Two more experiences
were particularly notable: one of the investigadoras was baptized this
past Friday by her fiancé, which was so joyous - she is so incredibly
happy, and is especially excited to go to the Temple. The other instance
was when we taught the lesson on the Restoration again, and the two of
them accepted a baptismal date! By some weird chance, that couple has
the family name Bustos, just like the two brothers Bustos in Pellegrini
who also accepted baptismal dates. I can't begin to explain the deeply
good feeling that accompanies both of those events, both fraught with
faith.
In termination of this letter, I want to
say just how overjoyed I am to be here. I have never grown so much as I
have here. Before my mission I thought I had felt peace, but I can
attest firmly to the fact that this mission has blown out of the water
every feeling of peace that I have ever felt before. And that is solely
because of the overwhelming feeling of willingness to serve. And like it
says in Luke 7:47, to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little;
and, by implied opposite, to whom much is forgiven, the same loveth
much. Looking back on who I was in the past, it is clear that the Lord
has forgiven me of so incredibly much, and I will love and praise Him
forever because of it. As another scripture says, "And ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free." I felt free before my
mission, but looking back on it I feel like I was a slave. Because of
all the immense blessings and growth I have experienced, I have seen the
Heavens and the Eternities opened to my view like never before, and I
am even more unable than before to reject the veracity of the restored
Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is perfect, and I have never seen anything
more beautiful. I fully plan for this to be my life for the rest of
forever, and I will be free because of it.
Con amor de Argentina,
Elder Hill
P.S. So you know, I will not be able to call in the mornings in this area
because we have to ride a bus all the way into el Centro to get to a
cyberlab. I'll try to call at other times, as opportunity permits.
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