Nathan's Letter 8-19-11

Hola!

So this week has been awesome for a couple of reasons. I learned a LOT. I am getting my travel plans to CHILE today!!! I only have 11 more days here!

So I would encourage you to read Alma 12-26 when you have a chance and make sure you pay attention to the missionary work. Alma and Amuleck are a great companionship, look to how they work well together. Also, look at how Ammon converts King Lamoni. Pay attention to the first question that Lamoni asks, what does that mean about him? Pay attention to what Ammon does to teach truth to a person who doesn't have a Christian background. Those few verses of his teaching are probably one of the best in the Book of Mormon. He answers the question while teaching truth. It really is incredible. Also, the definition of success can easily be seen. It depends on who you teach!

So everyday we have an hour of language study. I have been reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish. I am currently reading in Alma 21 ( I started in chapter 12) and I am writing down every word that I don't know that I think I might be able to use. I review the cards when I have a chance throughout the day. It is helping to improve my vocab!

So I want to share just a quick experience that I had this week. Here at the Missionary Training Center, I am teaching several people about Jesus Christ and about our church. These people are either volunteers or our teachers. One of my teachers plays the role of a person he taught in the Dominican Republic, named Jorge. Jorge has been a golden person to teach (or investigator), because he has been praying and reading the Book of Mormon, and pretty much doing everything right in order to find out for himself if the things we teach him are true. Well, he has a baptism scheduled for the 28th of August, and he was progressing really well until Tuesday. We had met with him on Monday night and he seemed a little tired, but he was doing great. We swung by (we teach him in the middle of our class time) on Tuesday morning and he told us that he didn't want to meet with us anymore and that he was done investigating. This was pretty hard for me and my companions, because we had really come to care about Jorge (even though he wasn't real). We planned and studied everyday so we could teach him more about Jesus Christ. We have been teaching him for over a month, and it was really hard to hear that. Well, being the stubborn and persistent person that I am, I decided to give it one push right then and there to see if he would listen to us. I told him about how my membership in the church had blessed my life immensely. I told him about what I knew. I told him about Jesus Christ, and how He suffered for us so that we could overcome any trial, any pain, anything in our life. He has gone through it all. For us. I told him about the Book of Mormon, and how it contains everything that we need to be successful in this life.

Well, he told us that he would pray more about it and that we could come check back in a day or two. We haven't had a chance to meet with him yet, but I know that if he really prays to know, that he will know. Because of Father in Heaven loves us, and wants us to know what is true, what is right.

I can't wait to go to Chile and start teaching the people there about how they can be happy. I just hope that I might be the means of bringing a few people to know their Savior, and to feel His love. This work is true!

Elder Hales