I will try taping a picture of Jesus on the bag and see if that works:)
I guess I have done bad at telling you about my wonderful comp Elder Rodriguez from El Salvador. This kid is a stud. He is a convert of about four years and is anxious to share his newfound gospel with the people here in Honduras. He is kind of weird, but then I realized I'm kind of weird too so we get along great:) I love talking with him because he talks to me! He is always testifiing to the people that he knows that this stuff is true. I love working with him. And Dad just to answer your question...He is 5 bajilion time better than Marcia. My only regret is that this is an area where the people have trained for 20 years to not like the mormons. Many times we go contact a house and right off the bat they tell us that they don't like the mormon church. But they never give us a reason, just that they don't like it. Oh if only they knew the blessings that came from the Church of Jesus Christ.
There is a scene from the movie Night at the Museum that I have been comparing to the work here that makes me chuckle. It's when the little cowboys and the little romans are letting the air out of the tire of bad guy's van and it shows them giving every thing they have and from their level it seems so dramatic and then it zooms out and the van still looks the same and you really can't tell that anything is going on. I would recommend that you watch it. It makes me laugh every time:) Anyway that's how I have felt the past little while, but finally we are starting to see some results which makes me way happy. And I found out that Elder Beus and his other comp are baptizing a lot of the people that I left behind and all the wedding that I didn't get to see are all happening so that has made me extremely happy.
As for my earlier emails about feeling a little bit distanced from the Lords. Or not being able to feel the Spirit like I wanted......
This week I went on divisions to another area. While I was there the Elder that I was with was taking a shower and I was thinking what I should do till he got out. That's when the Ensign sitting on the table caught my attention. Imediately I felt drawn to it. It was from 2007. The opening article was by President Faust, it talked about never giving any space to that wiley fow Satan. He trys everything he can, but we just have to be strong. The next article was by Elder Scott. I can't remember much of what he talked about, but there was a line there where he gives thanks to a God who lets us struggle and gain knowledge piece by piece. That line hit me. I felt like these past six weeks I had been getting little pieces of the comfort that I was longing for, but it never lasted and it was driving me crazy. After reading the article I remember how much I love the Ensign. I really learned to love it in my time with Elder Marcia. Because that's when I had a LOT of time to read it lol. I remembered then that the time I felt closest to the Lord was when I had a steady diet of The Book of Mormon and the Ensign.
Saturday night I searched through the huge stack of Liahonas and Ensigns and pulled out all the English ones (it's just not quite the same in Spanish). I found a copy of the ensign from 1988!!!!! That thing is older than Madison!!! I decided to read it and the opening article was from a member of the First Presidencey that is still familiar to me. President Monson. It talked about the pioneers and the sacrifices that they made and how they were drivin and driven from place to place until they found a place which the Lord had prepared for them. After reading a few more articles that were written before I was even born it was about 10:15 and time to get ready for bed. But I have never felt the prompting so strongly to pray before in my life. I couldn't resist it. So I bowed before my God and even before I had said anything the familiar feeling that I have missed so much came rushing back to me with such force that couldn't help but crying. I didn't even have to say anything. He knew what I wanted and what I needed and in that night I recieved what I have been searching for in these past 6 weeks.
1988 was a long time ago. But really the Ensigns is modern day scripture. Read it and I promise you that it will never get old.
Sincerely,
A much happier Elder Neiswender
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