So I'm now officially two months and a day into my mission. This past week I've been trying to be like Adam, but more on that later. I've learned a lot this week. Not all of it was stuff I wanted to know. For example, cockroaches can fly and melt when you spray them with bleach. I've also learned that Americans have been doing hot dogs wrong since forever. Here in Obregon, they take the hot dogs, wrap them in bacon, stuff them with sausage, and then add a bunch of different toppings that everyone from the states hasn't even dreamt of adding before.
As for the mission, things have been progressing well. We have four investigators that are preparing to get baptized. We have had a minor setback in church attendance this past weekend though; its the first week of the Mexican summer vacation and everyone is out of town. I'd say that we could simply teach the tourists that come here, but Obregon is the type of place that literally rains dust, so I haven't seen any yet.
Another interesting thing is that because I don't know too much Spanish yet, my companion has done most of the talking. But he likes to start off every lesson with a hymn. And all of them have been impressed so now all of my investigators have come to know me as the singing gringo that doesn't speak. Hopefully I can change at least part of that title.
As I said earlier, I've been trying to be like Adam. I say this because I recognize that my mission is a lot like the plan of salvation,and I'm right at the start of it. First there is the MTC where everything is beautiful and perfect. All of the food is well prepared for us every day; we hear from general authorities on a weekly basis; the parrots fly through the sky on the way to class and everything is just wonderful. But never got the chance to actually fulfill my purpose as a missionary there. Now I'm in the field, where I've been assigned a trainer, which all of the missionaries refer to as my dad.(for sister missionaries, their trainer is called mom). We also get to choose for ourselves out here. I don't have anyone writing out my daily schedule for me anymore; I can choose to follow the mission rules or not out here; I get to choose how to spend my money. I can choose if I want two liters of coke or three! But in all seriousness, I now have the opportunity to be like Adam, and make my sacrifices without question or explanation (because wearing khakis in 115 degree heat is a true sacrifice), or I can choose to do what I want. I can choose to defile the sanctity of my calling, and like Cain, and lead generations of souls down to captivity and destruction. It's my choice.
The same thing applies to other church callings and commandments. Take the Word of Wisdom for example. We know that it is supposed to be a health code designed to protect our bodies from harmful substances such as tobacco and alcohol. But what about coffee and tea? Science hasn't come out with a definitive answer for why to avoid either of these substances. In many cases, science has come out to say that in moderation they can even be good for us. Why should we try to avoid it if it's not harmful?
The answer simply is that God has commanded it. Conventional arguments that it is bad for the caffeine doesn't make sense because energy drinks and soda aren't a part of the word of wisdom. We can't say either that there is a definitive health risk either because from what we understand so far about food is that both chemicals carry just as many benefits as there are risks. And we can't say that it's simply because they are hot either, because every Mormon I know loves hot chocolate,and no one has ever tried to say that hot chocolate is against the Word of Wisdom. In short, we don't have a reason. We've just been commanded.
I get that this can make this commandment a little bit harder to follow at times, especially with the rising popularity of Starbucks. But there comes a point when we have to ask ourselves who knows more, God or man? If I've learned anything here on my mission it's that the answer is God.
Take for example missionary work. In Obregon, there is a high population of Jehovah's Witnesses, and their missionaries. Their missionaries have years of biblical study and experience. They are armed with a scripture to counter any concern or counter argument anyone could throw at them. Ad yet, they don't see as much success as the Mormon missionaries. If you look at it through the logic of man,it doesn't make sense. How is it that the most immature and uneducated age group in the world that can legally live on their own (young adults ages 18-28) are able to do such a great work and have so much success. After all, we aren't theologians; many of us didn't read the Book of Mormon all the way through until they gotten their mission; we aren't terribly mature; and half of us don't understand the language for the first several weeks or months of our mission. And yet the church continues to grow faster than any other on the face of the earth. It is as if God decided that he wanted the missionary work force to be as the army of Gideon; completely incapable of accomplishing it's intended purpose unless it was led by the hand of God. And this here can stand as a witness to you that it is God's work. Because if it was the work of man it would have failed a long time ago.
I know that there are many of you on this email list that aren't members. For those of you that aren't, I encourage you to find missionaries in your area. nothing makes a missionary happier than to hear that someone has been looking for them. For those of you that are members, I still invite you to have the missionaries over. They can be great instruments to help increase your faith in the savior. That's all for now
Elder Gooden
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