Week 22: 2 Watermelons, Mangeos, and Asado (A Happy Thanksgiving Indeed)

5 months.

Yesterday, Sunday, I bore my testimony in Church. It was surreal experience for me because yesterday I hit exactly 5 as a Missionary. And for one reason or another, I found myself oddly reflective and I wanted to share briefly one of the testimonies that I shared with the ward yesterday. 

I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know it is true not only doctrinally and theologically as the word of God, but as Scripture that changes behavior. "It is not as much if the Book of Mormon is true" Jared Halverson expounds: "but if the Book of Mormon WORKS" (Kudos to Gallacher)

I think, unintentionally, we sometimes disconnect scriptural principles from our lives and live them only as intellectual truths, forgetting that they can and should impact nearly EVERY desicion we make. We say "Oh, yes I know Patience is important" and intellectually connect with that principle, and then in the first trial of our patience we forget it. God cares far less about what you do, and far more in who you become. Let the power of the Book of Mormon work in your life, I am more certain then I can describe that the Book of Mormon won't just teach you, but change you. It was written for you. Read it.

"Hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good." (2nd Nephi 33:10)

Want the most powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon I have ever read??

A Holland Classic.

Nowww.... to this week!!!

--> In one part of our area, theres a place called Tres Fronteras which is this tourist spot where you can see 3 countries. We were walking between visits and decided to hop by since we were 5 minutes from it. And while there we were there we were approached by these three younger guys in there mid-20's who noticed we were American Missionaries (can't tell you what gave it away) and one of the guys invites us to come to his house, eat dinner and talk with him and his friends. So we did and turns out he is sorta very rich. Anyways we spent maybe an hour and a half there and talked about everything from this fake country called Liberland, Bitcoin, how the Pyramids were fake and they made us a dinner of Asado and Rice which we ate together! Sorta amazing. But heyy we taught them and they all accepted Book of Mormons!

--> Thanksgiving!!! We had a rainy day and it was wonderful. In the morning, we went and worked (unfortunately it's not really a holiday here) but heyy we were walking along and were given a watermelon (the second one we'd been given just walking along the street) as well as a bag of mangoes out of nowhere haha. God was looking out for us. 

--> Friday, Saturday I got sick which sucked. So we took off a day Saturday so I could rest and it was honestly such a blessing.

--> Sunday, we had the confirmations of the Gonzalez family, as well as Daniela, Ruth, Silvana, and Ramon come to church!! Ramon, we went to look for at his house, and wasn´t there... and turns out he had gotten up and left early, and was already at church when we got there! Sunday Night, we had a ward council and it sounds like there going to split my ward... so prayers for that would be nice.

Anyways that was alot.

Élder Ralphs

Pic
1: Family Chavez
2: Tres Fronteras
3: A Chapel Spire in Argentina
4: Daniel, Atliba, Duro, (Tres Fronteras Guys)
5,7,8: An Assortment of Random Mission Flicks
6: My Mission President's Response to my Weekly Email
9: Rain Drenched.








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