Buenas!
Well, like I say every week, this week was really good, but also really hard. Maybe the hardest week of my mission. But I don’t know, nothing really tops the week I projectile vomited on various missionaries, children and viejitos on the bus! Good times... Anyway, this week was really hard because both my companion and I got sick! We thought my comp had chikungunya (but turns out it is probably something else) and was almost dying. So I took care of her for a day and then I got sick. I really hadn’t ever been affected by the food like other missionaries until this week. Oh my gosh, it was awful! My comp and I just laid in our hammocks all day, and then our backs started to hurt. So we made “beds” on the tile floor with the few blankets we have. That night I switched from hammock to tile every couple hours. When I woke up on the floor the next morning there was a cockroach right next to me. Thankfully, it was dead, but what a lovely sight to wake up to!
We only had to stay inside and rest for two days, but legit it felt like a week. Usually our days are packed and we’re running from one place to the next and everything’s great. It was so weird to not do anything at all for a little while. I prefer the running!
But! We felt good on Friday so we worked! We visited lots of families. One family kept complimenting me on my Spanish and I felt very grateful!! It means so much to know that people actually understand me haha. I’ve struggled so much and worked so hard to learn this freakin’ language. I’m finally starting to feel more comfortable. At the beginning of my mission, I never talked on the phone. It’s super hard to understand people and I was always scared. But for the last couple weeks Hermana Cervantes has forced me to talk on the phone. So it’s not so scary anymore :)
Well, my slaying of the telephone was just one of the reasons this week was great! But the main reason was General Conference! For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s a worldwide conference with all of the leaders and authorities of the church in Salt Lake City. It’s broadcast throughout the world and translated into almost every spoken language (it should be translated into Maya, but I don’t think it is :( The prophet speaks to us! He and the other apostles share the messages that God wants us to know! General Conference has always been cool, but I’ve never really appreciated its coolness until the mission. Conference as a missionary is heaven! We just get to sit in an air conditioned room and listen. And everything we hear is GOLD! There’s so much we can learn - so much we can apply in our own personal lives and in the lives of the people in our areas! Seriously, like every 10 seconds there was a sweet quote that I wanted to write down and plaster on the wall.
My very favorite talk was Elder Bednar’s. He talked about a lot of really awesome things, but I LOVED what he said about the concept of belief. He posed the question “Do I believe what I know?” I thought about that really hard. I know that I’m a child of God. I know that Christ is our Savior. I know the gospel can change lives. But do I believe it? Do I only believe in these things generally? Or do I believe that I can personally apply all of these truths and receive the blessings or rights that come with them? This talk was pretty much the summary of every spiritual struggle that I have had on the mission.
I love the story of the father who brings his child stricken with a devil to Jesus for healing. Obviously the man knew that Jesus could heal his son. He had probably heard stories or even seen Jesus perform other miracles. He had the knowledge that Jesus had the power, but lacked the belief that Jesus would do something personally for him. When the man brought his son to Jesus, Jesus asked him if he believed. The man instinctively replied, “Lord, I believe”, but then probably thought better of it and followed with this supplication: “Help Thou my unbelief?” Jesus took mercy on this man and because of his desire to believe, healed his son.
I absolutely love this because so often I feel like I am the father. I have knowledge, but I lack belief that Christ can personally help me! That God cares about me, Lindsay Caitlin Keeler, individually! Or that Christ’s atonement covers MY sins, MY heartaches, MY trials!
I have so much to work on. But i’m ready to work, work, work, work, work, work!
If you didn’t watch conference, WATCH IT! It will brighten your hope and enlighten your spirit. IT’S THE BEST! I LOVE IT! (Nacho Libre Voice)
I love you all! Have a great week.
Love,
Hermana Keeler
What we did for two days...
More of what we did for two days.
More cool walls
This is my face when once again the door doesn't open.
And a waterfall of sweat drips down my forehead.
We found this giant jar of mayonnaise in the refrigerator in the Church. It was the only thing in there. (So naturally, we must take a picture with it.)
Watching Conference in ENGLISH with the gringas!
I call this "girl in hammock"
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