21 June 2010
Hello there. I don´t have much time at all, so many things we have to do the week before Zone Conference. I just wanted to share with you a couple thoughts that I had this week.
I was reading in a scripture that is so well known, but a different perspective came to me this week while I was memorizing the verse in Spanish. In Moses 1:39 it talks about the work and the glory of the Lord, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. I was thinking about how I am called to labor in this great work, but why? I am so weak, I make so many mistakes. Why is it that the Lord is putting His trust in me to help complete His work and His glory? I was pondering that when I thought of how hard this work is. If it were easy they wouldn´t need to more than 50,000 missionaries we have in the world today, the Twelve Apostles would suffice, but this work isn´t easy. The work and glory of the Lord come at a price. So then it gave me even more reason to wonder why the Lord would put me in a task that seems so above my capacity to complete. And I believe that within that doubt lies my answer. It is because this work is so far beyond my capacity to complete. I am called to do His work, by His power, in His manner. I know I am weak, that is why I am serving the Lord. The small and weak things will conquer the great and strong. I feel that this is such an amazing privilege the Lord has given me. I want to thank Him with all my heart for putting His trust in me and calling me to His work.
I love you all so much.
I hope that you can have a spiritual experience this week that will fill your spiritual well to overflowing.
Love Élder Vomocil
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Happy Happenings
Well this week has felt really long. I was not able to be with my companion for most of the week due to a meeting in Quito and I had to stay with other missionaries. But the days e were together were great. It has made me feel how wonderful it is to give your all in one day and then wake up the next to do it again. I got your note the one with the camera card thanks, and also like normal I got another great letter from Coleen, thanks for writing.
This week has been a spiritual roller-coaster. One day I feel so strongly the Spirit and all that He can do for us, then the next day the obligatory trials come and try to stop my progression. I think the best moment of the week was during our mini-zone conference. As the Zone Leader I had to direct and plan everything. I assigned Elder Zundel to give a training about why we came to the mission and what motivates to keep going. At the beginning of his training he had us write down our conversion, how we came to know the gospel is true. I pondered on why I really know that the gospel is true. I have had some amazing experiences here, I have seen miracles. I have received answers to prayers and I have been the answer to others prayers, but putting that all aside there is one reason more than any other why I know this gospel is true. It is the absolute joy that the gospel brings to my life. I have found out why others lives are so hard and my trials always seem to be lighter. I have discovered the reason that I wake up I love being alive. The reason during rejection, acceptance, or neglect that I am a happy person. It is because I am alive to have joy and I couldn´t live without the joy the gospel brings. I have lived the invitations in the Book of Mormon and they invite all men to do good. All good things come from God. To be closer to God is to be a happier person. I feel so sad for families that reject us. That let problems get in the way of them listening because literally the solution to their problems has been trying to enter their house and has been passing them everyday on the street. It does not matter what is the sorrow or worry all things can be made right through Christ and His infinite sacrifice. I finally have discovered why I love feeling the Spirit, because He brings love and happiness. What more could I want? It was a great moment for me. I feel that I can not let a single person escape without fully grasping what it is they are rejecting. It is an identity, a purpose, and everlasting joy.
Another great experience I had was with an Elder on Saturday. I had to come to his sector to make sure he was working. When I got there he had no plans and just wanted to walk around doing nothing or sitting at members´ houses. So, I decided to take him contacting to give him an experience to motivate him. About the tenth house we visited a man came out and asked if someone had sent us. We said no so he let us come in. He explained that he had attended church for 12 years and about 5 months stopped coming to church and had started visiting with the Jehovah´s Witnesses. He had never been baptized because he did not believe that the president of the church was a prophet. The Elder I was with tried with all sorts of scriptures and examples to rpove him wrong, to see logically the error of his ways. I felt I should interrupt him and bear my testimony. I bore testimony on how the gospel is simple and unchanging. There is no chance that with all the missionaries that he has met in 12 years that I am the most scriptural versed or the most eloquent, but I do have the most powerful tool, the Book of Mormon brought to his heart through the power of the Spirit. I told him I had met the prophet but meeting him does not give one a testimony it confirms the witness that God has given. God is the only one that has the power to soften hearts and change habits. All doubts lead back to the Book of Mormon that is why it is so important to have my personal witness. When the test of faith comes and I am backed up to the wall, that witness can not fail me.
An investigator we have I don´t know if I have talked about him before but he is so special I have to share. His name is Segundo, he almost speaks no Spanish. We found him in a random way involving a crazy ganny and some sweet techno music, but to contact him we basically just had to use pictures. We had tried another time to teach him but he doesn´t understand anything. We finally got a member to come visit with us and the member talked for about 45 minutes with him. He explained prayer, baptism, and repentance all things that Segundo had never done. Segundo told the member he let us keep coming back because he liked the way he felt when we were there. I feel that he is someone I promised I would meet in this life. That is the first time I have ever really felt like that. That I have an obligation to this man and his family because without me he couldn´t make it. I will let you know how he is progressing, he wasn't able to make it to church because his wagrakuna ran away (cows).
It has been a crazy week here but I love this work. I love you so much. I hope that you can feel that I care and think about each one of you. I hope that this letter will let you see all the blessings the Lord is giving me and help you recognize all the blessings I know He is pouring out on you.
Love Élder Vomocil
Cultural Note: Breastfeeding. It is disgusting. No matter where you are or how you are with if a baby starts whining, the women here just bust out and start breastfeeding. The weirdest thing is the age when they finally stop is about 5. It is so weird the little kid runs up and just starts. There are no social norms here, Ecuador is crazy.
This week has been a spiritual roller-coaster. One day I feel so strongly the Spirit and all that He can do for us, then the next day the obligatory trials come and try to stop my progression. I think the best moment of the week was during our mini-zone conference. As the Zone Leader I had to direct and plan everything. I assigned Elder Zundel to give a training about why we came to the mission and what motivates to keep going. At the beginning of his training he had us write down our conversion, how we came to know the gospel is true. I pondered on why I really know that the gospel is true. I have had some amazing experiences here, I have seen miracles. I have received answers to prayers and I have been the answer to others prayers, but putting that all aside there is one reason more than any other why I know this gospel is true. It is the absolute joy that the gospel brings to my life. I have found out why others lives are so hard and my trials always seem to be lighter. I have discovered the reason that I wake up I love being alive. The reason during rejection, acceptance, or neglect that I am a happy person. It is because I am alive to have joy and I couldn´t live without the joy the gospel brings. I have lived the invitations in the Book of Mormon and they invite all men to do good. All good things come from God. To be closer to God is to be a happier person. I feel so sad for families that reject us. That let problems get in the way of them listening because literally the solution to their problems has been trying to enter their house and has been passing them everyday on the street. It does not matter what is the sorrow or worry all things can be made right through Christ and His infinite sacrifice. I finally have discovered why I love feeling the Spirit, because He brings love and happiness. What more could I want? It was a great moment for me. I feel that I can not let a single person escape without fully grasping what it is they are rejecting. It is an identity, a purpose, and everlasting joy.
Another great experience I had was with an Elder on Saturday. I had to come to his sector to make sure he was working. When I got there he had no plans and just wanted to walk around doing nothing or sitting at members´ houses. So, I decided to take him contacting to give him an experience to motivate him. About the tenth house we visited a man came out and asked if someone had sent us. We said no so he let us come in. He explained that he had attended church for 12 years and about 5 months stopped coming to church and had started visiting with the Jehovah´s Witnesses. He had never been baptized because he did not believe that the president of the church was a prophet. The Elder I was with tried with all sorts of scriptures and examples to rpove him wrong, to see logically the error of his ways. I felt I should interrupt him and bear my testimony. I bore testimony on how the gospel is simple and unchanging. There is no chance that with all the missionaries that he has met in 12 years that I am the most scriptural versed or the most eloquent, but I do have the most powerful tool, the Book of Mormon brought to his heart through the power of the Spirit. I told him I had met the prophet but meeting him does not give one a testimony it confirms the witness that God has given. God is the only one that has the power to soften hearts and change habits. All doubts lead back to the Book of Mormon that is why it is so important to have my personal witness. When the test of faith comes and I am backed up to the wall, that witness can not fail me.
An investigator we have I don´t know if I have talked about him before but he is so special I have to share. His name is Segundo, he almost speaks no Spanish. We found him in a random way involving a crazy ganny and some sweet techno music, but to contact him we basically just had to use pictures. We had tried another time to teach him but he doesn´t understand anything. We finally got a member to come visit with us and the member talked for about 45 minutes with him. He explained prayer, baptism, and repentance all things that Segundo had never done. Segundo told the member he let us keep coming back because he liked the way he felt when we were there. I feel that he is someone I promised I would meet in this life. That is the first time I have ever really felt like that. That I have an obligation to this man and his family because without me he couldn´t make it. I will let you know how he is progressing, he wasn't able to make it to church because his wagrakuna ran away (cows).
It has been a crazy week here but I love this work. I love you so much. I hope that you can feel that I care and think about each one of you. I hope that this letter will let you see all the blessings the Lord is giving me and help you recognize all the blessings I know He is pouring out on you.
Love Élder Vomocil
Cultural Note: Breastfeeding. It is disgusting. No matter where you are or how you are with if a baby starts whining, the women here just bust out and start breastfeeding. The weirdest thing is the age when they finally stop is about 5. It is so weird the little kid runs up and just starts. There are no social norms here, Ecuador is crazy.
Cambios
Mark Harrison Vomocil Jun 7
Well I have been left by my companion, Élder Morris, to stay on in the Imbabura Zone. It is a brand new zone that is a little bit smaller but I am now with Elder Zambrano and I am super excited to work with him. I have only heard great things and I know we will be awesome together. I had to wait all day to make sure all the changes worked out so I don´t have time to write but just know life is going great here in Ecuador and I am loving the work. We had a meeting with President Sloan this week and like always I leave ready to be a better leader, missionary, and person.
Love you all.
Élder Vomocil
Yes I get pictures that you send. I should be getting my package soon. My new suit is amazing pictures will be coming soon. I am happy for your garden I want to bring some of the crazy things that the States don´t have when I come home. I will keep praying for Quintin I know he will do great at BYU.
Well I have been left by my companion, Élder Morris, to stay on in the Imbabura Zone. It is a brand new zone that is a little bit smaller but I am now with Elder Zambrano and I am super excited to work with him. I have only heard great things and I know we will be awesome together. I had to wait all day to make sure all the changes worked out so I don´t have time to write but just know life is going great here in Ecuador and I am loving the work. We had a meeting with President Sloan this week and like always I leave ready to be a better leader, missionary, and person.
Love you all.
Élder Vomocil
Yes I get pictures that you send. I should be getting my package soon. My new suit is amazing pictures will be coming soon. I am happy for your garden I want to bring some of the crazy things that the States don´t have when I come home. I will keep praying for Quintin I know he will do great at BYU.
Sunday-Graduation
Sunday-graduation-May 30, 2010
Mark Harrison Vomocil May 31
Well my day isn´t going to great. I went to the ATM and took out some cash to buy a flash drive to store my pictures along with the DVDs I bought to have backups and the computer wasn´t working this morning. So, when I went to take out my camera card on a different computer it wasn´t there. I left it in the internet shop near our house. We have just returned to find that someone took it. So, 400 pictures of the most recent parts of my mission will not be recorded. Doesn´t life just seem to do that to you. Hey I should go make backups of these photos so nothing happens, and then I lose all the photos. Besides that things are going pretty well here in Otavalo. My sector is enormous with lots of farms and not very many people. It goes from Esmeraldas to Ibarra, if Dad remembers where those places are. We have a couple of great families that we are teaching and the humble spirit they have is a refreshing change from the busy lifestyle in Quito. In two days I will have been on the mission for 9 months. I read the letter that Nate is going to hit the year mark. The time is going too fast. I feel like I have so much left to learn and so many ways to grow. I feel happy for Quintin. I still remember my graduation day, with my long flowy locks. You should tell all my friends hi and that they should write me. Josh did write so he is doing good. I love you so much. Not too inspirational my letter I am still kind of depressed about the camera card. I will have lots to talk about next week, we have lots of stuff to do. Love Élder Vomocil
P.S. I really like Nate´s cultural notes so I decided this week to include one. There is a myth here that if you change temperatures too fast you die. For example, it was a cold rainy night when we got to the house of an investigator and they are bakers so their shop was really warm and I was excited to get into the heat. They told me that I would have to come back another day. I asked why. They asked if I was crazy if I entered the store after being so cold I would die. That is why none of the drinks here are cold. If you drink something cold on a hot day you die. And everyone has a firsthand experience with a friend that has died from rapid temperature change syndrome. Ill keep the crazy stories coming they are so weird down here.
Mark Harrison Vomocil May 31
Well my day isn´t going to great. I went to the ATM and took out some cash to buy a flash drive to store my pictures along with the DVDs I bought to have backups and the computer wasn´t working this morning. So, when I went to take out my camera card on a different computer it wasn´t there. I left it in the internet shop near our house. We have just returned to find that someone took it. So, 400 pictures of the most recent parts of my mission will not be recorded. Doesn´t life just seem to do that to you. Hey I should go make backups of these photos so nothing happens, and then I lose all the photos. Besides that things are going pretty well here in Otavalo. My sector is enormous with lots of farms and not very many people. It goes from Esmeraldas to Ibarra, if Dad remembers where those places are. We have a couple of great families that we are teaching and the humble spirit they have is a refreshing change from the busy lifestyle in Quito. In two days I will have been on the mission for 9 months. I read the letter that Nate is going to hit the year mark. The time is going too fast. I feel like I have so much left to learn and so many ways to grow. I feel happy for Quintin. I still remember my graduation day, with my long flowy locks. You should tell all my friends hi and that they should write me. Josh did write so he is doing good. I love you so much. Not too inspirational my letter I am still kind of depressed about the camera card. I will have lots to talk about next week, we have lots of stuff to do. Love Élder Vomocil
P.S. I really like Nate´s cultural notes so I decided this week to include one. There is a myth here that if you change temperatures too fast you die. For example, it was a cold rainy night when we got to the house of an investigator and they are bakers so their shop was really warm and I was excited to get into the heat. They told me that I would have to come back another day. I asked why. They asked if I was crazy if I entered the store after being so cold I would die. That is why none of the drinks here are cold. If you drink something cold on a hot day you die. And everyone has a firsthand experience with a friend that has died from rapid temperature change syndrome. Ill keep the crazy stories coming they are so weird down here.
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