Weekly Letter 73
My beloved friends and family,
This week has been a bit wild too! Quite a roller coaster of emotions, frankly. Leaving Elder Schauperl was hard, he was like a brother to me, but I am happy to say that I helped him learn how to be a committed missionary. I was very excited to come back to Zacapa, now in a region called Las Flores where it is also very beautiful as it is in Gualan. Getting to know my new companion was quite an experience - this elder, Elder Bonett, already knows quite a lot about how to sing and play the piano, as well as some other instruments. He discovered some gifts during the mission. And he is a great leader, so he will help me out a lot as I take on the assignment with him as zone leaders in Zacapa. There is also a lot of talent in the zone, which I will have to explain another week to show you all. It is truly a group of missionaries already set since the premortal world.
And it has also been a lot of traveling. We went to a meeting of leaders in the mission, and that was fun, but also really important that we have somewhat earlier in the month.
There have also been some tears. Many of you may know that this last weekend was the funeral for my beloved mother. That was pretty rough for me. The reality of her passing is hitting me in waves... as in, I look at something, or I hear a song, or I read a scripture, or I smell food, and it reminds me of my mom in a different way, and it hurts for a moment. That is how it's been, and that is how it will be for a long time. Participating in the funeral was a huge wave for me.
But all of this has encouraged me to work harder, to be obedient, and to repent, especially the death of my beloved mother. There have been moments where I would sit to think if I were in a taxi, or to sleep or read if I were in a bus, but something really hit me on the way back from the funeral in the bus to Zacapa. I was reading the Ricciardi letter, which is a letter that a returned missionary wrote about his experience being trained by an elder from Italy called Elder Ricciardi, while serving in England in 1994. This is an incredibly amazing and inspiring narrative for a missionary. There were some phrases in there which really hit me.
"You want to kick Satan right in the mouth? You open your mouth and preach."
"We don't get better at playing golf if we don't swing. The same applies to missionary work. So as missionaries, we have to just swing as much as we can."
As I ended reading it, I almost felt like crying. I felt the Spirit. I looked behind me and looked at all the people who would benefit so much from hearing the wonderful message of the Gospel. I wanted to take a swing. I had something to share with them, and I knew it. I wanted to instruct them to know how to have peace in the midst of conflict, even such as I had been facing. I wanted to bless them so that at least one person would listen and feel inspired to make the changes necessary to feel that peace. I said a prayer for courage and inspiration, and then, already feeling committed to the assignment I had given myself by expressing it to the Lord, I went over to the bus driver.
"Excuse me, I have two questions," I began. "First, how much time do we have until Zacapa?"
"One hour, just about an hour," he politely replied.
"Okay, thank you. My second question, are you in charge of the music?" I asked because there was some Mexican band music that may interfere with the message I wanted to share.
"Yes."
"Can you turn it off for just five minutes?"
"Sure!" And he turned it right off.
And then I looked at the people behind me. I had a Book of Mormon in my hand. Quite a few folks were already looking at me. Not annoyed because I turned off the music, but curious as to the anxiousness in my demeanor. And then I began.
"Hermanos y hermanas, buenas noches. Yo pedi a nuestro busero que apagara la musica solo algunos cinco minutos para que yo pueda hablar con ustedes un momento. Esta es una maravillosa epoca, una epoca en la cual podemos celebrar el nacimiento de nuestro Salvador. Pero pensemos en eso, y recordemos porque es tan importante."
I talked about the Christmas spirit and how to keep it. And I gave them an account of my story, as brief as I could. And I invited them to learn more, holding up the Book of Mormon as the source to know. I ended my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ. And as I passed out the cards, and the one Book of Mormon I had, I realized that that was just what I needed to do. I realized the power that a testimony has. Not everyone stayed, neither listened. But there were the few that were watching and listening intently.
If you have felt the Savior's love, and if you know that He is there, share that with others. You can do it. It comes naturally when you have felt it. Strive to share that with others every day. We have the greatest message in the world, and we ought to share it, so that our brothers and sisters also know the way by which that can receive salvation, and how to follow it. I know that this Gospel is true. I know that Jesus is the Savior. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Elder Braden K. Dredge
Guatemala Guatemala City East Mission
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