Chowi Chowi

Well another week in Oaxaca!  I love the mission – you learn a lot!  But the only bad thing is the more you love the mission, the more you love your family.  Funny how that works when we are so far away but we are still strengthing our relationships. The Gospel is amazing.

Yeah my comp…. well I am learning a lot in this situation right now.  But we are getting better chowi chowi (Zapoteco for poco a poco or little by little).  Mom is speaking Spanish – way to go!  I love the story about the young adults; if you are ever hungry you can count on Mom. Tell Dan thanks for the letter.   And I hope Grandma and Grandpa are handling Grandpa Lines’ passing well; I’ll be praying for them too.  We had an recent convert, Arturo, bless the Sacrament the other day.  It was the best prayer I have heard.  The reverence in his voice that brought the Spirit into the meeting was amazing.

With the other invetigators it feels like I am eating an appetizer of investigators that don’t progress fast enough.  And before the mission I thought I was a pretty patient guy, but my patience has been tried many times in the mission with the language, my weaknesses, my companion and investigators.  But I am praying that the Lord can help me change that.  I am learning also about the Atonement and how big it really is and the strength (grace) we can recieve.

Love you all!  And prepare for one of the best weekends ever with General Conference!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Moore

Bad Food & Fungus

Well, this week was good.  I got sick again at the end of the week and had to go to the doctor.  I had a stomach infection from some food I ate that was prepared bad, but I don’t remember what it could of been — maybe some carnitas, tacos al pastor, empenadas — who knows.   But I went to the doctor and he said I had to rest for three days,  but i was given a blessing and felt better in a day and a half, which was really nice and a blessing. I also have these white marks on my face, but I went to the doctor for that too and he said that its just from the sun and some fungus that I picked up, but he said that will go away so thats good.  Well love you all, and I am so gratefull for the Atonement of Christ and how we cant learn enough about it! also the temple and the symblism it has given me to direct my life and live how the lord would have me live.

 Right now I am really trying to love my companion because we don’t really agree on the same stuff, so we get a little frustrated.  That is one of the hardest parts about the mission — living with people who have different ways of living.  But I’m learning a lot.  Love you all, and I can’t wait until we can all go to the temple together.  Take advantage of the temple that you have five minutes away!  I am not able to go to one right now and I haven’t been for four months because its too far away from us.  Take advantage of the blessing!!!

Elder Moore

Viva Mexico!

¡VIVA MEXICO! Right now I am in Ixtepec Centro, and yesterday was Mexico’s Independence Day.  On this day everyone eats a soup called Pozole – it’s pretty good.  All the celebrating happens at night; the town throws one big party in el centro (downtown) and the people drink and dance until 5 am.  We walked by where they were going to have the party yesterday and there were piles of beer and a lot of fireworks.  We had to be in our houses at 7 pm because it was too dangerous to leave.   

Right now  I am studying some topics in the scriptures.  One thing I have learned is that I have much better study sessions if I study by topic.  The topics I am interested in and have been studying are Justice, Mercy, and Grace.  I don’t know if the articles in the Liahona are the same as the articles in the Ensign,  but there is a talk by Elder Holland on Justice and Mercy that is amazing; I have read it multiple times.  And there’s another article by Brad Wilcox on grace, i love that talk by him!  I am so grateful that God is just and that through repentance  we can receive forgiveness (mercy) and power (grace) to help us change and become more obedient.  Through studying this I have come to know more of my Savior and Heavenly Father, and the sacrifice they have made for me.

Love you all! Keep going to the Temple!

 

Elder Moore

A Light In The Darkness

I had a  really neat experience with a recent convert that is blind and looks like Morgan Freeman.  We were reading the scriptures with him during one lesson and as I finished reading a verse  he stopped us and said that he saw a light when I was reading.  He then moved his hand to where he saw the light and put it right over my scriptures.

At that time there was an ex-missionary sitting on a ‘hamaca’ (hammock) in the same room.  He is inactive and was wearing a blind fold because his eyes were bothering him.  He was listening in on the lesson and he saw a light pass over his head that moved towards us, and then he heard Arturo (the blind man) share his experience with us.  He decided to come sit in on the lesson, which was big because he doesn’t want to be taught.  It was a really neat experience.  Even though he is blind and can’t read, the Lord gave him an experience to feel how powerful scripture study is.  He told us after that that he will never forget that experience.

After the lesson my mind went to Lehi’s dream and how the rod of iron is the Word of God, and how it is also a light in the mist of darkness to show us the way, but we can only see that light if we are feasting on the Word.  I am grateful for having that experience the Lord gave me.

Well, love you all!  Keep reading your scriptures.

Elder Moore

Introspection

My mission is going well right now.  The culture is very rich here! I am loving the people here more and more.  The only thing now is adapting completely with the language because I adapted to the food the first day!

I am learning a lot about my self and the work. I have gotten down on myself but have always picked myself back up with the help of the Lord.  The world is so different outside of utah and some parts of the gospel that seem like they are common sense are so foreign to people.  That is the weirdest part.  One of the hardest parts for me is living with people that I dont know and having to adjust to how they live because you get comps from all over the world and they are all very different, but it’s good for me to learn how to adapt and be myself.

Love you!

Elder Moore