One is the loneliest number.

This week was a good week. I had a really good experience on Sunday. I was not doing to well this last weekend. I got sick from the lack of rest I had. I had not had a P-day in 3 weeks and I and all the stress came down on me and I got sick and had to stay in on Saturday to rest. No se preocupe I'm fine. I felt really down. I was missing my family. I was missing my home. I didn't feel like doing anything. This were feelings that I was feeling for the first time in the mission. That day of rest on Saturday really helped me out. When I woke upSunday morning I was not looking forward to the day. Sunday morningcan be tough sometimes because get up and get out early and visit all the houses. Then people that said they were going to go tell us, "otro domingo" or "proxima semana." Sometimes this can be really frustrating and it has tried my patience a time or two. I realized that I had to step up my teaching about church. One thing about living where I live in Utah is that practically everyone is a member. I just always took it for granted or rather didn't really think about going to church. I just always did it. So for those reasons I guess I didn't have the strongest testimony of church attendance or better, I didn't understand as much as I should about the importance of church. It's like Moroni says in Ether 12:6 "...for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." I guess I didn't really have a trial of my faith.  Please don't misunderstand me, I knew that we need to go to church and I knew that it was important but I didn't really realize why it was important.  My testimony grew a lot this weekend. We left the house and trudged through El Ranchador. Every single one of our investigators shut us down. I had prayed in the morning for help and comfort. I kind of expected it right then when I prayed but it didn't come. I don't know why I felt so down but I think it was just one of the effects of being sick.  Anyways no one came to church from our all of our investigators in El Ranchador and in El Bambú. We came to the stake conference and I was just really praying that our investigator who lives in Paraíso 2 would come. His name is Gilberto. He is really positive but has issues coming to church. We went by his house in the morning and he said he was going to come. It was really important that he come because he had a baptismal date for the 24th. The meeting was about to start and he hadn't showed up yet. Thankfully he came though. The messages were good but I still wasn't feeling it. Then President Cordón spoke about repentance and he said something about taking upon us the yoke of Christ. This and some other stuff that was said hit me really hard. Then we had the baptism of Elder Draper and Elder López and President Cordón spoke again about what baptism means. I learned a lot from that as well and I felt the spirit strong while I was being a witness to the baptism. We had a good lunch of fried chicken and that night I felt amazing. I was just so happy. We had some really good lessons and I just felt great. I learned a lot about the need to be nourished by the good word of God just as Moroni says in Moroni 6:4. In Genesis 2:18 it says, "it is not good that the man should be alone." In this context Moses is talking about when God created Eve for Adam. Getting married is obviously not an option right now but, it is still not good for man to be alone. I know that we have companions and they are with us all the time but sometimes you just feel alone. And really one is always alone. Other people can sympathize and comfort but the thoughts, feelings, desires, sorrows, and burdens are to be carried alone. No other mortal can take away or really understand what someone is going through. However after being baptized we are given the gift of the Holy Ghost which is promised companion and comforter who is constant. We need to go to church every week to renew our baptismal covenants. We need to hear and be nourished by the word. We must study everyday so we can have the spirit with us so that we are not alone. Because a lone man is a volatile man. He is free game for temptations and difficulties and will not have the strength nor knowledge to resist. He will be alone to face this harsh, cold world. In the classic novel, As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, the main character talks about how when she was pregnant was the only time she felt unalone. She felt a connection and a comfort from her child. When she finally had her child she became extremely depressed because she felt  alone again. These feelings eventually killed her. The sad thing is that a lot of people feel utterly alone in this world. But it need not be so. The Holy Ghost and the comfort in the Atonement can heal any wound and comfort any soul. I felt the comfort and I do not ever want to lose that. That is one of the reasons why we must go to church and we must read the scriptures. 

That is one great thing that I learned this week. I also really enjoyed the temple. I have never had such a good experience. I felt so much peace and joy. It was amazing.

Thank you for everything.

-Elder Rowberry

Oh also these last couple weeks I've been working on a Tshirt for the Christmas activity we have Attached are the designs I made.