News is, yes, the earthquake did hit the mission this morning at 6:20 AM, and it was pretty big. Good news is that we were playing soccer so we didn't feel a thing and there was nothing to fall on us while on a field (nothing fell down anyway). But, really only the people that were standing still felt it. So, even if I would have been asleep, you don't feel those things in your hammock. :)
So, this week I'll just mention what has gone on with Jorge, one of our latest miracles--the one we invited to Stake Conference and showed up all by himself. We went back to visit him to follow up on his prayer (we had just invited him to pray to know if what we were teaching him was true or not). He told us he found it hard to pray every morning and night, and I thought, "Great! He's already trying to say his prayers and we just told him to pray once." Keep in mind that this is the man who until last week had not entered into any church whatsoever. But then it got better. He said, "so, if I feel like if I'm going to forget, I just do them in the afternoon." ... Is there really not someone with a hidden camera fiming this? Sometimes in my mission the responses come too perfect, or the ridiculous situations just too unreal to be true.
We also had a bittersweet ending with another investigator named Daniel. He is 16 years old and the brother of Lucía one of the people that have been baptized in my time here. They've had some huge family struggles, and Daniel came here to find work, but to no avail. So, he was going to go back to the small town and get what work he could to help support his other 5 younger siblings. We had just gotten him adjusted to Allende and the church. When he got here he didn't believe in God. But he left with a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon and prayer. We were able to take him for a walk on the beach and we taught him what little we could the night before he very abruptly left to go home. As we were leaving him, he turned to me and said, "You know, ever since I met you guys, I kinda thought it would be cool to be a missionary." What do you say to a teenager like that? I tried to do all I could for him, but there was nothing I could do for him, as much as I would have wished for him to stay. Seeing him leave without getting baptized, and not knowing when or if he would ever make it back leaves you wondering if things really can be ok for a person like that. Especially when you know the nearest church is 2 hours away from his house and he already doesn't have money. So, I looked and Elder Hernandez, then to Daniel, and we said, "Well, today you are going to be a missionary." And he went out his last day with us to teach the gospel.
Can we always be sure that it really is going to be alright? You can't really say that it will, unless you have a firm faith in Christ; if you have a bright hope that His promises will be fulfilled. That we may each do our part, so that everything will be alright.
Elder Andrews
Note: The subject of this e-mail likely stems from the fact that Elder Andrews is now serving beyond the expected 24 months.
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