Well, this week has been a struggle, but it has also been one of the most strengthening weeks of my life! This is going to sound really weird, but no body freak out. This week, my testimony of the truth of the gospel was really tested... We talked to so many people, and no one accepted us. I constantly just had doubts shoved into my mind about things that just made me feel miserable for a bit, and i could hardly study, or feel the spirit... It was tuesday when I had transfers and got to my new area: it is called Maravillas. The spirit was so strong on tuesday, and then something happened on wednesday and thursday and the truth is that I almost did not feel the spirit; it felt so week during the lessons, and I felt that all our teaching, no matter what teh members told us, had no affect and wasn't helping anyone... My new companion, Elder Toxqui, and I talked about it in the street, and came down to the resolution that we needed to be more prayerful, and more careful with how we act. That day, we really didn't feel much of the spirit.
Finally on friday, we were doing our studies, and I honestly cannot describe the thoughts and Feelings I was having. I had hundreds of thoughts that just jumped and i felt aweful... Finally, I bowed my head, and without saying a word, bore my testimony in my head to myself. Little by little, as I expressed the truths that I have recieved from God, satan and his thoughts were pushed out of my mind. I kept bearing my testimony in my head until I no longer felt like I was being attacked. I then offered a prayer to our Heavenly Father and pleaded for his help to help me keep my mind clean and free from doubts. I have never felt so strong and so much comfort in my entire life. I felt like in that moment, my mind became a vault, and I could easily focus on my studies and feel the spirit. It was truly and incredible and tender moment for me and for my testimony of the church. I have been made stronger now than ever before, and I feel ready to now go out and help other people resolve their own doubts and find their own answers from god! I truly know that this church is true, and that God is truly watching over each and every one of us. I found an awesome scripture in D&C 105, and it is before verse 20. It explains a promise from god that "he will fight our battles for us" I think verse 16. I found that about 5 minutes after this experience!
Other miracle! So I got pretty sick on wednesday night. I got the chills, my head was killing, my intestines hurt, and I just felt weak. We called the doctor, and he told us to go to a Pharmacy and buy a really long complicated sounding medication. We went to teh first Pharmacy, and they told us we needed a reciept from the doctor to buy it because it was an antibiotic... We go to another Pharmacy, nope.... Another....Nope..... I was silently saying a prayer this whole time, but no one gave us teh medicine. We decided to head home early, and as we walked down teh sidewalk, I offered an earnest prayer to God to please let us go somewhere where we could buy this medicine to help me. Elder Toxqui said "lets check the pharmacy below teh house before we go home" ok, we went. He asked if they had my medicine. They did. Without a reciept, he gave us teh medicine, and it cost 50 pesos.... All the other pharmacies were going to charge us 500 PESOS and we needed a reciept! Medicine in hand, we went into teh house, and the realization his me like a brick. I began to weep as I realized that God had answered my prayer. I know that God is watching out for us, and that he will bless us!!!!!!!
Ok, so now that the really cool stories are out of the way, here is a little about my new area. My companion, Elder Toxqui, is 20 and has 3 months in the mission, and is from Puebla (a city less than 2 hours away) He is really chill, and he is really open with me. We have had no problems and we get along great. He is teaching me slang spanish so I can understand some of the people in our area, and he is really patient with me. We are in an area called maravillas, and I'm not going to lie, we have some work ahead of us. We currently have ZERO INVESTIGATORS, and on the first day we went to eat with the 1st councilor in the bishopric; he gave me the very special assignment to reactive someone..... THE BISHOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, we currently have a less active bishop that comes to church about once a months, and he is also a doctor. His family gives him no support, and they are also less active... :/ OK THEN!!! Let's GO!!!! We are working really hard because he have to have between 45 and 55 lessons each week!!! I truly encourage you all to love the missionaries!!! We go to some of these members houses 3 times a week! They give us food, and often express how much they love to have us over. Please, let the missionaries into your homes, and help them with this work. It is really hard to just find people in teh street that have teh desire to hear about the restoration of the Gospel.
Ok, so lot's of you are probably thinking about my title this week "3 dollars and a Wal-mart watch?" WEll, that's because we got robbed on sunday... We walked right out of our house, and we were jsut chillin on teh corner waiting for a combi (paid van thing). This guy walks by, and asks (really nicely an upbeat) " Are you guys those mormons that have the temple in San Juan?" I reply happily "Of course we are!" and then teh conversation goes a little like this:
-"ok, cool, well I am going in that direction, can you guys give me 3 pesos to pay the combi?" (lots of people ask and then after we give them a peso, they leave)
Sorry buddy, we don't carry money, we're missionaries.
-Come on, I know you guys have some money.
Ok, (i fished out 2 pesos) here you go.
-Come on guys, I know you guys have more.
Dude, we are missionaries, we're not rich.
-I am asking you guys nicely, if I wanted your money, I could just rob you guys (gets a little serious)
Ok, whatever, here are 10 more pesos (I gave him)
-Ok, I know you guys have more money. (he then takes out a 4 inch long 6mm wrench, that isn't sharped, can't cut, and it tapping it on my companions leg)
In my head, I thought "are we really going to give this guy money because he has a plastic baby wrench?" the answer to that question is yes.... :/
I gave him the other 30 pesos in my pocket, and he told my companion to take off his watch. He then turns to me and tells me he wants mine too. I ask him "really?" He then says yes, and I give it to him...
Probably the more lame robbing in my whole life. We could have beat the crap out of this dude. He was like 5 "3 and super skinny, but he probably did it because he needed it more than us. It's weird because he didn't check my suit jacket for money (I had 100 pesos for fast offerings) and I had my god Temple pin, CTR ring, and everything. He didn't take a thing. Only 3 dollars worth of pesos, and a Wal-Mart watch....
Needless to say, teh other missionaries laughed at us when we told them what he robbed us with.... but it't not big deal :)
The services on sunday wer great, and I felt the spirit really strong. I taught sunday school about teh atonement, and that wen't well, but the people weren't very reverant...
Overall, I love this area, and I KNOW THAT WE WILL HAVE SUCCESS! Oh, and by teh way, I got the 2 packages that you guys sent me! THANK YOU!!! THat book is awesome, and I am looking forward to opening the otehr things on my birthday!!!
I know this church is true! WE will all have doubts, and we will all have challenges, but if we put our trust and faith is God, he will fight our battles for us, and we will become stronger. I know I am here in Mexico for a reason, and I will send pictures this next week! I love this gospel and truly know that God is watching over us! Take care and know that I love you all!!!!
Love Elder Norr!!!!!
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