A taste of the joy...

Wassup my lovely family!? Another week has passed by here and it’s crazy how times just a ticking! This week I have finally been able to relax a bit and Saturday was the first day in 3 weeks I haven’t had a massive migraine so hooray for that! I’m finally starting to get a handle on being a trainer and the things I need to do to have a great son. Here are some of the sweet things that went down this week...

We were out in Pushtán where all of the houses are just sticks and tin and we starting teaching an uncle of one of the members here. The guy wasn’t really that positive and so I asked him what he wanted out of our message. He said he wanted nothing but that we should give money to people here in Pushtán to have a better life and home, especially me because I’m gringo... So as usual I felt bad and stuff but then I started to explain to this guy that I knew without a doubt that money doesn’t buy happiness. He then flipped out and was going off about the gold statues and buildings we have that reach the heavens and that’s how we receive all of our blessings. It was quite comical to say the least, but then I just looked him straight in the eyes and said, I KNOW money doesn’t make you happy, your niece literally lives in a shack and has nothing but she is 100 times happier than lots of people back in the U.S. because she LIVES the gospel. She KNOWS Gods plan for her and for that reason alone she is happy. I finish bearing my testimony and the guy just sat there with nothing to say...So the guy still doesn’t want to listen to our message... BUT at least I know that without a doubt that happiness is only achieved through this gospel. It was a sweet moment.

I was reading in Alma 17:13 today about when the sons of Mosiah and their friends all separated and went their own ways to teach the gospel because they knew it was what they needed to do and because they knew they would see each other again. It just made me so happy thinking of all the friends I have around the world and that we will all be able to get together and share of the joy we have had bringing souls unto Christ.

This week I had been thinking a lot about the fact that I have been inviting people to pray about the message of the Restoration for literally 6 months, to probably more than a thousand people and that only two had actually gotten a definitive spiritual experience to know that the Church is true. To be honest is even made me start to have some tiny doubts. So this week all I wanted to do was have someone tell me, ‘Yes I prayed like you said and yes, I did receive an answer’, but then Sunday night came around and still nothing had happened. I was really disanimated (Spanish version of disheartened) to say the least... But that day I had been on splits with the Zone Leaders and my comp stayed in our area, so I got home and started talking to him about how the day went and how were our investigators. He just gets a huge smile on his face and says, ‘Diana got an answer man! She knows the church is true!’... Boy oh boy was I so happy!! Diana is a 17 year old girl that we’ve been teaching and her two younger siblings are just waiting on her to be ready to be baptized, so we wanted her to receive an answer so badly! She had told my comp that she prayed about Joseph Smith and felt a warm loving illumination in her heart and she then knew for sure he was a prophet. Ahh the joy I felt hearing that was just so awesome! It’s those moments when you get a taste of the joy a missionary can get that just make things worth it! We are hoping to put the date with her this week and so I’m super stoked for all that!

That’s about all I have time for this week but thanks for all you do family. Keep praying for Gpa Crump. You all better be reading the Book of Mormon like Cami said. It’s literally the best way to spend 10 minutes of the day. Have an excellent week Fam! Love you so much!

Elder Crump

 

Just hangin' out with his comp in their apartment.
Gotta love the green walls :0)

A District meal? Who knows?