Hello guys!
It feels so nice to say that. I have a hard time saying "Elders" instead of 'guys.' It's very important though! Our Branch President is really adamant about it: There's only two groups of people we refer to as "Elder So and so." The Twelve Apostles and the Missionaries. The reason for that is that both of us, the Apostles and the Elders, are called and set apart as special witnesses of Christ. It's kinda mind-blowing to think about. One of our Maestro's (Teachers) said "You stand on a pedastal with Prophets and Apostles when you say 'Yo se que El Señor JesuChristo Vive!" ( "I know Jesus Christ Lives!") It has been awesome to feel this happening as my companion and the others in my district testify as we teach.
Amalio improved a lot! After the last lesson I talked about, we taught him the Restoration, and most importantly, the Book of Mormon. During the Book of Mormon Lesson, we started by talking about his family troubles. He told us a lot of things that were really hard to imagine dealing with. I finally told him that I had no idea how to help him with his personal troubles; I'm only 20! I don't even have a girlfriend or a family of my own. I testified, however, that the Lord does know how to help him. We were led by the Spirit to turn to chapters in a Spanish Book of Mormon that we certainly hadn't even planned for in our English one, but they were perfect. We testified that if he did what the Lord wanted him to do, he would find true peace and happiness, come what may. By the end of the lesson we had committed him to baptism! Hooray for Amalio! Good thing too, since the day after that we no longer have him as an 'investigator.' We'll teach our new 'investigator,' Isabel, tonight at 6:00. We're excited, what with being able to actually understand, if not speak, Spanish.
We heard a pretty impressive talk by Elder Bednar, given last Christmas in the MTC. It was "The Character of Christ." Basically, he summed up the Character of Christ as "To turn outward when the natural man turns inward." He talked about a time when he was on the phone with a woman who was telling him about a horrific accident that had occured, where two young women were in severe condition, and a third was dead. He was on the phone with this woman, (realized that she was simultaneously on the phone with a nurse at the hospital) when she learned that the one who had passed away was her daughter. Instantly, she told him "You need to tell the other mother's what is going on." Later, on the day of her daughter's funeral, being the relief society president; she was called by a Sister (Who didn't know about the situation) who chewed her out because she'd been sick and no-one had brought her a meal. On the way to the funeral she brought a dinner she had prepared herself.
Wow! The concept here kinda floored me. I can hardly imagine that, but I'll try to love more like He did and care about myself less.
Nos Vemos!
Elder Clough
Ps: For you upcoming missionaries: to avoid the usual unfortune side effect of the MTC food: eat the Cottage Cheese. I think I'm the only one in the district who does, and I've got no problems.
