Monday, August 1, 2011

May 30, 2011


Hey everybody,
 
A big thanks to everyone that gave me the birthday shout-outs this week and last! It was great hearing from everyone.
 
So this past week started off just as they all have been lately, a little on the slow side but pretty good none the less. Tuesday, we started teaching the sister of one of the more recent converts here in town. She is really interested in everything and always has a ton of questions and different things she has heard from people, which are always fun to answer. She came to church this week and really enjoyed it, so that was dope. But the downside of Tuesday was when we went with Hna Chuy, the lady with the coffee problem who we have really been working hard with. She told us she didnt like church, but it was for no particular reason. She was upset but we couldnt find out why. The problem is, she is very touchy and gets upset easily. She said she didnt want us coming by anymore. We told her we were of course sad but if there was nothing we could do to change her mind, then we wouldnt come anymore. We also told her we would continue to pray for her, and she looked a little taken aback when we said that, but she said fine and we went our separate ways.
 
Wednesday was pretty normal. Nothing new or spectactular. Thursday was my Birthday! Elder Gutierrez gave me a sweet tie and some awesome picstures of us that i hadnt ever seen. But a lot of bad things were made manifest (my english seems to be turning into a kind of "Book of Mormon" language) that arent exaclty helping the work move forward. I wont go into extreme detail, but here in Leona Vicario, there has been a supressed vibe within the branch. Its hard to explain, but i could feel it when i got here. Since then, it has grown and finally hit rock bottom. Turns out the problems stems from things that not only happened not too long ago, but years ago as well. I wont go into detail about any of them, but the cause of the problems is easy to see. There is a deadly virus that has spread throughtout the town, and continues to do so. it has recently affected my comp and I and the work we do in the worst of ways, has driven people from the church, and has caused friendships to collapse and testimonies to be shaken. Its a diease that it seems that everyone has, and something that i have seen affect people in only the worst of ways throughout my whole life. Its rumors and gossip.
 
Im not going to write any of the muck the people have been coming up with here. Im also not going to write too much about how I feel about all of it, I might put my head through this computer screen.... But i will simply say that nobody, with the exception of the Savior and Heavenly Father, knows the circumstances and situations of others. Too many think they are doing a harmless thing, trying to guess or put together what they believe has happened, when in reality they are stirring the pot, and in the process getting their own hands dirty. Its something I have heard and read the Prophets discourage, something I have seen almost destroy lives. Im saddened to say that before my mission, my hands were just as dirty as the next persons, and unfortunetly this type of dirty may not wash away as quickly as we would like. As a missionary, I have a different view point as i did before, one that makes me realize just how dangerous a few simple words can be, and how easily it all could have been avoided had one person just not shared what was to not be shared. Its not as easy to avoid. its not a physical substance such as alcohol or drugs, and we might not even realize what we said until after we had said it. The best way to avoid it, dont participate. I promise you your opinion is better kept to yourself, until asked for, and even then, it should never be to put somebody else down. This town that I am in, the branch in which I serve, is literally falling apart because of gossip. The members here should know better, as should we as well.
 
Friday we spent trying to mend testimonies that had been hurt over the past weeks, months, and years. It is extremely frustrating to see great people kept from going to church because they dont want to face others that had said things about them. Saturday we had another great lesson with the sister of one of the recient converts, and sunday was a solid service with a pretty high attendance rate that we hadnt had for a while, and included Hna Chuy, who had told us she wouldnt only come if we didnt bother her about us teaching her or coming by. Then sunday afternoon, she came to us at our house, just as we finished eating with the members we live next to. She said she wanted us to come by at around 8 cause she had something she wanted to tell us and that hopefully we would forgive us. We knew it had to be something good! We went at 8, and she told us she was sorry for telling us not to come, and that she would like be to baptized in 3 months. That means she went from not wanting to be baptized, to wanting to wait for 2 years, to 1 year, to Dec., now down to just 3 months! When we asked her why she cahnged her mind, she said she would tell us Tuesday. So i guess we will see tomorow.... But i still feel she we can cut back the time more, but we have to be careful cuase too much preasure and she will close again.
 
So sorry, but I definatly forgot my camera cable back at the house, and seeing as we are short on time, I wont be able to get any photos out today. Sorry again.
 
So that was my week. Things are picking back up thankfully. Thanks again for all the Happy Birthdays and everything. I remember when i turned 10, and went to Mom and said that I was a decade old now. Well Mom, Im two decades old. Love you guys.
 
Elder Kitterman 

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