Hola,
Being on a mission is great! I really hope that all of you
had a fantastic Conference Weekend! I know that I did! Let me update all of you
on how our investigators are doing and progressing.
Diego came to Conference and he really loved it! He said it
was something like he had never experienced before. Although the Prophet was
not present, he knew that each of the people that talked were called of God to
stand in front of the World and declare the Word of the Lord to all of us. He
is progressing well but still continues with his doubts in a few things. It
seems that no matter how many times we try to resolve them, they always come
back and cause further doubts as we progress. Tonight we have a family night planned
for him that we are going to and we hope that it can be a positive experience
that can help his doubts and also help him have more desires to be baptized.
Billy is doing well! He came to a session of Conference as
well and said that he really enjoyed it. His biggest problem is that he has a
hard time understanding the Book of Mormon since it is in an older type of
writing. We have been praying and hoping that he will continue to progress more
but things are still moving slowly. Thankfully the older son of our Penchanista
who is 20 is helping us teach him and has been amazing because he has been
there to help and be a friend of Billy. We have another visit with him this
week and hope to continue to prepare him for his baptism.
Now for a quick story.
So this week we were walking after finishing up dinner and were stopped
by a guy who was super drunk. Normally
we try to be quick and friendly when we talk to a drunk guy but this week we
ended up talking to him for several minutes. Every time it makes me super sad
to see someone who has turned to drinking to try and get away from the problems
in their lives. We explained that through Jesus Christ we could not only get
away from our problems but also have him as a permanent solution to the
problems we face rather than something that would only solve our problems for a
short time while also creating and causing more problems for us. I could tell
that the drunk man could feel the Spirit, so he gave us his address and
information which doesn’t usually happen (most the time we are yelled at by
drunks). We are hoping to pass by this week try to help him out even more.
The big Conference weekend thing that happened was on Friday
night a HUGE rumor started going around Cusco that President Monson had passed
away. We were at a Stake activity with some of our investigators where the
Cusco Orchestra was playing some cool music when the rumor started going around
the room. I am not exactly sure how it started but there were a lot of members
down here who were super worried about it and were even crying about it! It
seemed to spread like wildfire as everyone in the activity was sending messages
back and forth about how the Prophet had passed away. Eventually everyone found
out that the rumor was actually false and that the Prophet was alive. The
following day we were privileged to have a great Conference in which we were
blessed to hear some great messages from the Lords Modern day Prophets.
Something that really stood out to me was that that several of the speakers
quoted or made notion to the scripture that is on my missionary plaque that
hangs near the Bishop’s office in my Home Ward. D&C 84: 88:
“And whoso receiveth you, there I
will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and
on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round
about you, to bear you up.”
As a missionary I can personally testify that the Lord has
been on my right hand and on my left. There has never been a time in my life
when I have literally felt the Lord with me so strong then when people have
accepted us into their homes and let us share the message that my Companion and
I have prepared our entire lives to share with them. I have personally felt the
Lord’s Spirit in my heart and have had the privilege of using that Spirit to
not only change the hearts of others but also to change my own. The Lord’s
angels have indeed been round about me as I have not only been protected
physically from danger but have also been protected spiritually from the
dangers that are so common and normal in today’s world. Finally, I know without
a doubt that the angels of the Lord have been there to bear me up throughout
every day of my mission. Some people may think that this has been the easiest
most positive experience that I have ever had but despite all of the positive
things that I have had occur on my mission, there has most definitely been days
where I have struggled. Days where walking up the hill and knocking on the next
door was far from what I desired. Days when walking in pouring rain just flat
out made me want to give up. Or even days when I really wanted to stick up for
myself when that drunk guy insulted me. But I have personally witnessed the
Spirit of the Lord in my mission. I have felt that Spirit strongly as it has
prompted me to do something that I wouldn’t normally do or something that I
wouldn’t ever think of doing or saying. I have even felt that Spirit more
strongly than ever when I have seen the life of someone permanently changed
forever as they have entered into the waters of baptism to take upon them True
Discipleship and have a desire to follow Jesus Christ for every second of every
day after their baptism. For me this message is only one of the many things
that has helped me realize how much the Lord has been in my life and also been
in my mission. I am so thankful for modern day Prophets who can see what is
coming for us and how we all need to prepare for it. I love you all so very
much and hope that you have a fantastic week!
Love,
Elder Fawcett
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| Entire Zone in Beautiful Cusco Peru |
