Week 33, March 23, 2015 - Bagpipes and Mateo with crazy hair

We had some pretty cool experiences in the last week. First things first. 

So we were walking down a lonely street looking for some old investigators. And I heard a familiar sound from what looked like an abandoned lot... BAGPIPES. So I yelled over the wall that I played the gaita too and I wanted to come say hello. Any other contacting approach would not have worked, because I soon found out that the bagpiper was a late sixties-ish Spaniard. Hanging out in a bunker dating from the Spanish Civil War with his cat and the garlic plants he´s growing. Usually not a very golden contact.But we shared bagpipe knowledge and he said we could come by, play the bagpipes, and talk about God anytime we wanted to. Now my only problem is getting a set of Asturiano bagpipes - the scottish kind won´t do here. 

Ada, the dominican whom I mentioned last week - she´s now come to church 3 weeks in a row! And what´s really cool is that she wants to progress. There have been some people who try to back out when they first commit to a fecha (that´s when all the trials start) but Ada looked at us and said,"it´s been really hard. But I believe God wants me to be baptized. And I know the book [of mormon] is true. So help me keep going." What´s really nice is that the Hermana missionaries are helping out too (we´re tag-teaming, it seems) and Ada invited THEM over today to make delicious Dominican food. I´m going to try and count that as a blessing. 

I love these little branches I´ve been asked to serve in. Only in a branch of 50 can some of these things happen. For example, I´ve now given two lessons in priesthood and Gospel Principles because people haven´t showed up to teach. I sat and translated for a visiting British RM during sacrament. And quite regularly the Branch President looks at us during FHE friday nights, the look that means, "Nobody showed up. Can you guys plan an upliftling lesson and fun game in the next 30seconds?" And the Lord always delivers. 

So there´s an Italian man named Jacincto here, with his Asturian wife and two children. (Is that a common name it Italy?) One is an RM named Mateo, with nothing better to do than grow out his hair Jamison-Afro style and come help us on lessons. And Jacincto made us the BEST LASAGNA the other day. And tomorrow he promised to make us yet more italian food - we´ll see how that goes. But back to Mateo - this kid served his mission in England, and now is just the best person you could ever find. He speaks fluent english with an accent, so we also have a secret code. Direct quote from last Sacrament meeting - he´s the second counselor in the Branch Presidency and shows up without a jacket and his sleeves rolled up and his Jamison-hair going por todos lados. 

"The Priesthood may now go back to their seats after administering the sacrament with such reverance. We will now be privileged to hear a talk from Brother Gonzalez. (looks around - brother gonzalez isn´t here.). I mean, we will actually be privileged to hear a talk by Hermana  Barkle (poor Hermana -Barkle´s only been in the field for 2 months - and all her freckles turned white at the prospect.) I mean, actually, it is now my privilege to give a talk." 

And then he gave an awesome talk that he literally prepared while in the act of giving it. (Maren - this is known as "Running Impromptu speaking" - getting up and starting after only 30s of prep. Not very easy, unless you have the spirit. More on Mateo in the future - he´s one of my new life heroes, especially because he´s one of a few people who genuinely want to help us out. 

Spiritual thought, from the oldest general conference on Lds.org. I´ve made it my goal to listen to every general conference talk they have on record - MedioDia is a great time to do it. 

I am presently in possession of the world’s mostvaluable information. I know that God lives, that wewere created in his image, and that by obeying theprinciples of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the offspring ofGod may eventually hope to become like their eternal parents.

But all of my great experiences are not in the past.Branch Rickey, the great baseball manager, was onceasked to describe his greatest day in baseball. He said,“I can’t because I haven’t had it yet.” Charles F. Kettering, themechanical wizard of General Motors, once said, “My interest is in the future, because I am going to spendthe rest of my life there.”

Love from far away,

Elder Stew