Gold on the ceiling.

From Monday June 23, 2014

In our house we have a tacuazin in the ceiling. A tacuazin is similar to an oppossum but bigger I think. It looks like a rat the size of a small dog. It likes to run around in the ceiling at nights. Sometimes it likes to murder things and fight with things up there. Yesterday we were trying to get it to come out so we could kill it. It didn't come out but we'll get it.

This week was good. I've had better but hey what can you do? We had two baptismal dates fall. Two people were going to be baptized this last Sunday but they couldn't. One of them was a kid who is 18 named Francisco. We went to his house to make sure that he was all ready to get baptized and he tells us, "Brothers I have decided that I am going to stay at my church." That is the worst to hear that. Then we asked him if he knew that the Book of Mormon was true. He said yes. We explained to him that if that book was true that the Church was true as well. It seemed like he understood. I think he does understand but he doesn't want to give up his church. It reminded me of the young rich man in the sciptures. Matthew 19:16-26

16And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

17And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

18He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,

19Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

20The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

21Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

22But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

23Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

24And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

25When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

26But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. 

Here is the link to the video https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/christ-and-the-rich-young-ruler?lang=eng

Anyways this kid, knowing that what we taught was true decided to stay with his church. The other date, named Jesus, who is an old guy was sick so he couldn't get baptized but he will don't worry. 

I invite you guys to look at your lives at look at your "riches" and see if they are getting in the way of you getting in to the kingdom of God.

Thanks for everything!

Have a great week.

-Elder Rowberry

Without Me

From June 16, 2014

Well I finally left the office and Paraíso. It'll be so empty without me. No just kidding Elder Gordon will do great.

These past ten days have been great. A lot of things have happened. 

First. We saw miracles happen. I don't know if you all remember but a couple weeks ago I mentioned that we had a baptismal date with a girl named Iris. So that date fell. She wasn't able to get baptized on the date that we put because her mom did not give her permission to do it because she only is 17 years old. We were teaching her this past week and I told her that I was going to leave the area and I wanted to see her get baptized. She said she wanted to get baptized and she wanted me to do it, because Elder Paravato and I found her months ago. So we wanted to do it before I left that left us with Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. We talked to her on Friday night and she said she didn't think it was going to happen. She really didn't think her mom was going to give her permission. We told her to talk to her mom and pray to know what to say. We also committed Kathy Gochez, her member friend, to get the signature of her mom. We even did practices with her on how to get it. We had even fasted the week before to be able to get it. Long story short, we got the signature and she got baptized on Tuesday, the day before I left. She told us in a Family Night that we had with the Gochez family that she had prayed really hard with faith that her mom would sign and give permission and she got it. It was really cool because she started crying and Brother Gochez asked her if she was sad, she responded in the negative and the he asked her if she had felt like that before. She, once again responded the same. He explained to her that it was the spirit. It was a really neat experience. Her mom even came to the baptism. It was a really neat experience. That is when missionary work vale la pena. 

Second. On Wednesday we had changes. I got my new area and my new companion. It was a really cool surprise. Before I left President called me into his office and thanked me for the great job that I did. It was really cool.  I got called to go to the Nahuizalco Ward. I also had a change of assignment. I am now a Zone Leader in the Nahuizalco Zone. Our zone is the smallest. There are only six companionships in the whole zone. Nahuizalco is pretty cool. Now I'm sure none of you remember but my first area in the mission was Texical. It is also located in the city of Nahuizalco. It's cool because I get to talk to all the members and converts I had in Texical. My companion is Elder Sánchez from Mexico. He's really cool. He trained Elder Thorpe my comp from the CCM. I am really excited about this new assignment and ward. I'm back in the Jungle. 

-Elder Rowberry

Angels

This week was just a normal week. We are preparing for changes in the office. I am preparing to leave and I'm finishing up training Elder Gordon. But that's all boring stuff that you've been reading about for the last eight months. Yes I completed eight months here in the office four days ago. Feels like yesteday that it started. 

About two weeks ago Elder Hoagland, who is in the office with me, told me about a family that he had met in his area. It was a wife and a husband that came up to them and started talking to them. They were inebriated to say the least. They started talking to Elder Hoagland and Elder Tecun and telling them, through tears and obvious sorrow, that they were never going to make it to the Celestial Kingdom. They told them that they were trying to prepare to go to the temple to get sealed but that they would never make it. I imagine it had something to do the alcohol. They told Elder Hoagland that they lived in Paraíso but he couldn't get their names or where they lived. He told me that that family made him extremely sad and he just wanted to help him. About a week later we saw a family in our ward and we went and talked to them. We asked them for a reference of someone that we could visit. They told us they didn't have any investigators for us but they had some less actives. We said all right and they took us to their house. We arrive at the house and we taught them for probably 10-15 minutes about how to find new investigators in Chapter 9 of Preach My Gospel. We set up a Family Home Evening with them for the next week. We also said we would pass by during the week to see how everything was going in finding the people to teach. So we went by later, and we shared a scripture with them or asked them if they found some people. I don't really remember what but then the wife started telling us how we were angels sent from God to help them. They said that after we had came their week was completley different they had started to change and we helped them. We later found out that it was the same family that Elder Hoagland had found. The cool thing is that they invited like six people to the family night. We are still trying to help them out. 

Hearing stuff like that makes the mission all worth it. 

Right after that we went to a house to teach an investigator mom with a less active daughter and her aunt was there and the evangelical aunt totally chewed us out. We then promptly went and bought them cookies and left it on their door step saying we were sorry for bothering them. They felt pretty bad after that and wanted us to come back but it was too late at night. Fight meaness with kindess kids. 

Anyways love you all. Cuídense

-Elder Rowberry

P.S. Thats a picture of me in front of a really big tree.