Real Rabbit

Hey Family, Elder Crump checking in from Aldea 1, Zona Paraiso! Time just keeps tickin’ and the weeks keep goin’ by! This week was a little rough in terms of animo as they say but hey, I’m a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ, what more could I want in life! We were able to see a lot of miracles this week as well as trials but as you know, it helps our testimonies go stronger and stronger!

This week we were able to bring Vilma to church and it was so sweet. She is the sister of a recent convert and like I said last week, she has problems with the other church she went to. This week though she was able to go to church with us and accept a date for next Sunday after church. The key to everything was, as always, Christ and his atonement. We talked a lot with her about the sacrament and that she would know the church is true by the spirit she felt while they were passing the sacrament. So I don’t know what it was this week but during the sacrament in the ward, the atmosphere was absolutely perfect. In general the meeting is like normal ones, everyone talking and babies crying, which makes it hard to think and feel the spirit. The whole time I was just praying everything would be perfect so that Vilma could feel the spirit. Well the sacrament was perfect, and it was literally silent the entire time. The spirit was just so strong and I felt so at peace and knew Vilma felt the same way. She felt so awesome there and is now ready to be baptized next week if everything goes well! Or as everyone says here, ‘Primero Dios se bautiza ella!!’ haha.

Well another real interesting thing was my lunch last Saturday. I was 100% sure I was enjoying some quality chicken and was licking the bones when the lady showed me what it was I had eaten. Real Rabbit. She had another dead one there she was going to make for dinner, which looked totally disgusting!  But hey, they taste amazing, so that was fun!

This week I have been in a trio with an Elder from Utah that has like 4 months in the mission, he is having a hard time working and doesn’t like the mission at all. He is set on going home and is already doubting his testimony. We even had a hard time making him go to church. It’s been extremely hard for me to be with him and keep happy, because it really is sad he feels that way. My comp and I have tried real hard to keep him happy and make him want to stay but just haven’t been able to change his mind. If everything goes as planned he will leave in two days. It’s been hard but I really have learned so much from being with him.  One thing is the importance of having a testimony of the prophets that call us to be missionaries and that give us a call for 24 months. This Elder doesn’t have faith in that and thinks that it’s just a time period that the people want us to serve, and not that it’s a call directly from God. I KNOW that God called me to be here, he knows I can do it, and he knows I can do it for 24 months, nothing more, nothing less. I have faith that the prophet receives revelation in everything he does.

Another funny thing for the week. I was leaving a lesson on an interchange and the lady is like, ‘Hey be careful of the goose outside.’ so I’m like whatever, whatever you say Hna! So my comp leaves down the stairs and just starts booking it, and I’m just like... uh what?? Then I realize there is this massive Goose storming down the brick stairs that lead down the hill. So I just take off running as well... needless to say I went tumbling down the stairs and that was just a grand time!

That’s all I’ve got for the week. You guys are awesome and I love you all soooooo much! See ya next week.

Elder Crump #1

Mom's note: No description came with these pictures this week.  I have no idea who these elders are except the one on the right in the second picture is Matthew's companion, Elder Calero.