December 6, 2010

Hey,

Sorry this letter is coming so late, but there´s been a couple of things happen this week, and more specifically, today. The reason I´m writing you now, is because P-Day has been changed to tomorrow... because we had our Christmas celebration as a mission today. So the reason I´m writing you today, and only for this little time, is so that you can sleep well tonight not worrying where I am or what in all of Momos could have happened to me.

The week went well. We hiked between Nimsituj and Patelup, getting to know the members, and now we´re going to try and get some real work done. I feel a little inadequate, to be honest, and have for a while. The thing is, I haven´t even had investigators for such a long time, let alone any hope of a baptism. So I´ve been a little stressed this past week trying to be as good as I can be, to talk to all new people, and trying to be outgoing and friendly and saying and doing what the Lord would have me do, but the truth of the matter is: I am a little out of shape in the teaching aspect, and I have a lot of studying and praying to do if I´m going to be successful. President told us today that unless we are reaching the quota of 2 new families a day and 2 new potential priesthood a day (new, meaning we´ve taught them a lesson already and have a cita for the next lesson), 10 investigators in sacrament meeting a week, and 4 baptisms a month, we aren´t missionaries. SO... I have a lot to work on, and I'm trying to keep a positive attitude. This is what I understand and what I believe the Spirit is telling me from all the things I´ve been taught:

1. I read somewhere in my personal study in the scriptures, that anything that is righteous, that we ask of the Lord, believing that we will actually get it, He will give it to us. Period.

2. We are taught that the principle of faith is action. Everyone knows that. It´s pounded into our brains in seminary and the MTC. Jesus Christ, when he was baptized, was baptized to show that he would be obedient in all things to his Father. It takes faith (or in other words, believing SO MUCH in what we are promised and told to do, that we actually do it with a full expectation that the results we are promised will come.) and an actual desire in order to be able to accomplish the things we are asked.

3. A) People have their own agency. They make the ultimate choice whether to be baptized or not.
B) God knows everyone and knows who is ready and who WILL chose to be baptized, or further, who NEEDS our influence in their lives at that time.
Therefore, our goal is to find those families who are prepared, not convince and make people do something they don´t want to do.

4. We are only promised success if we are doing EVERYTHING that we are told, and are doing our best. That includes everything that we don´t think is a reasonable rule as well.

I´m not going to lie to you. Momostenango is filled with little transgressions. Here and there rules are overlooked. Also, rules are never really clearly stated. Some are made sporadically because of an event that happened a year and a half ago, and are never reiterated. Therefore, some elders know of it and others don´t. You never know who to believe when they say "This is a rule" or "That´s not really a rule" or "That rule isn´t in effect anymore (or) has changed". I´ve found that, at times, I just need to stop listening with my ears and start listening with my feelings and act according to that.

There´s "technically" a rule not to go on any other web site other than the e-mail site. I´ve broken that rule to get conference off of there, to show to the members of Pancá. I´ve received permission to do so, and many other things, from my zone leaders, which is about as good as I can do. I know that having the gift of the Holy Ghost allows me to know if a decision I´ve made was a bad one or not. I´m going to try and follow those feelings to the best of my ability and see where it takes me. I pray that I will have the strength to follow all of those promptings, no matter how hard that is.

So, I got my packages today and I couldn´t wait to open them. Today really is like our Christmas, especially since we´ll be working on Christmas day. So I only got a chance to glance at all the things I got, and all I can say is that everything was perfect. I´m glad to start playing the harmonica once again. The books, I´m super excited to start reading. Elder Robinson and I will definitely have fun with the toy cars. I thought you´d forgotten about the pedometer and the compass, so that was a really nice surprise. I´m loving the caramel and the Christmas orange and am super excited to enjoy that fun memory of Christmas. Elder Winkle had one of those worm things and it was so FUN! I can´t wait to show off my new little pet to all the little Primary kids in the Ward.

Anyway, I loved it and I´m so grateful to have so many people care about me and pray for me.

Love,

Elder Landon James Crapo