The More the Storm, the More the Strength

Hola, Hola! 

What a week! I'm going to start with a story. So we are teaching this really old guy named Bonifasio! I mean OLD!! He's 88 and just crazy! He can never remember what we have taught him the day before or anything. But he likes to talk to us. On Friday we went over there, and we went over the First Vision with him. We got to the part where we show the picture of Joseph Smith while he was praying, with Christ and Heavenly Father appearing to him. So my comp said, "So, Joseph Smith decided to ask God which of the churches was true. And this is a picture of his experience (pointing to God and Jesus).  Bonifasio, who do you think these people are?"  He thought about it and looked at us, then said with a face completely serious, "I'm pretty sure that they are the Jehovah´s Witnesses."  haha It was so funny! We both could not stop laughing! It was hilarious! Here we are, two Mormon missionaries, teaching about the first vision, and this guy thinks that it was the Jehovah´s Witnesses who appeared to Joseph Smith when he prayed! Haha it was great!

Also this week we had our Christmas party! We drove up to Tegus this Thursday and had a little program with all the final testimonies of all the elders that are going home this change! The spirit was very strong! Then we had a little dinner, and sang some songs. President gave us all a little gift with a cool little fold out card with all of the faces of all the missionaries in the mission right now. And then we got to play soccer! It was great!

Besides that it was really a non-eventful week. We worked hard and tried to follow the spirit. But anyway, I'm going to get back to my story about Bonifasio.

So, it was super funny! Probably one of the funniest moments of my mission. But then when we went back to his house on Saturday he was super mad at us. This old guy who could never remember what we had talked about the day before, couldn't tell who we were, or even which church we represented, but he remembered that we had laughed at his answer. He told us to leave and that he didn't respect us. We spent probably 30 minutes begging for forgiveness from this old man, but in the end he told us to leave. This has been hurting me! I have been thinking about this a lot. Was it a sin for me to laugh at that comment? Because I couldn't have held it in. I have been repenting of it every day in my prayers, but it doesn't feel like it is going away. I don't know if it was a sin or if it was just an unfortunate thing that happened.

Later that day we were with our ZLs because they live down the street. Elder Elgreen could tell that I was upset and shared a poem with me. It's called Good Timbers. This is a part of it: 

Good timber does not grow with ease,

The stronger the wind, the stronger the trees,

The further the sky, the greater the length, 

The more the storm, the more the strength.

By sun and cold and rain and snow

In trees and and men good timbers grow

Where thickest lie the forest growth,

We find the partiarchs of both

And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars

Of many winds and of much strife,

This is the common law of life.

 I don't know if this is just a wind that I'm supposed to get through, but this poem is very true. I'm going to use this experience to grow! I think that is part of the purpose of going on a mission, to make mistakes and grow from them! I would like some advice on what to do, or some feedback. What do you guys think?

Anyway, I hope you all have a great week! I love you all!

Love, Elder Smith