Jan 27th Letter

Hola mi familia,

I am glad that everyone is found well and that everything is going well. The package is yet to arrive, I suspect sitting in the office or something like that. But its all good everything has been going fairly well lately. I suppose I am approaching 6 months out here, and it is all leaving far too quickly. Looking back I feel as though I have accomplished so little sometimes, but at the same time so much. 

Happy Chinese New Year! Feliz ano nuevo de China! I entirely forgot that was approaching very soon. I sort of forgot a lot of things. I am happy that everything went well and everyone put on some fat by eating too much. I used to be getting fatish, but now I workout. I still dont build muscle, but I feel better about myself at least and can do the most jumps on the jump rope. VICTORY! So remember to workout after having lots of fattening chinese foods. 

Im not sure I can even imagine 12 degrees right now. I feel like I would die in that temperature. I have to sleep with a blanket as it is right now. 

So yeah Elder Diaz is still in our house, also training. He shall remain in this area a long time, the members will probably get sick of him haha. But oh well, he is really cool and stuff so they really shouldnt get sick of him. The Elders from Buenos Aires are still in our house for now, but they are supposed to move out in two months apparently. The house is being built right now, the church put in the money to get it rolling. So, I might see the day our house becomes a 4 man house again.

We have interviews with the president tomorrow (my excitment knows no bounds) and that will be awesome. I guess haha (awesome to just see and talk with President). To report to him the status of our somewhat strange area haha. I discussed the whole starting over again and again with all the people and having to find so many new ones with zone leaders, and they related something cool. They said ¨well, the church and the priesthood have been restored and taken from the earth many, many times and every time the prophet had to start all over again. So, dont worry it will all work out!¨ So I suppose that is supposed to be us, starting the church back up again. Our old investigators are stagnating, and new ones prove difficult to keep, but we work with them. Elder Herrmann gave his first ever priesthood blessing a few days ago, he did the anointing. Priesthood blessings are really cool. The guy was fine the next day we saw him, walking around and stuff. Elder Diaz had once given a blessing where the guy was better right away, they actually saw the bulging on his chest decrease and the guy was able to speak again. Wow pretty cool stuff.

Even though we are still a little deabilitated and such, we are finding really cool people to teach. Tough people to teach, with super strong catholic or evangelical roots. And people with just general catholic or protestant roots. Its weird to always teach people who have knowledge about God and lots of people who read the bible. Sometimes its difficult, because people believe its fine to interpret the bible how you want and stay in your own established ways. Its a really big barrier with people. The other churches really just invite people to join them and worship, without major change unless they are breaking laws or commandments or something like that. As the church of Jesus Christ, our true invitation is really unique. To actually change one´s life entirely, and not just join a church but really become a disciple of Christ and recieve of the Spirit. After reading about the Apostoles of Jesus, I have really seen the importance of the Spirit and how when people recieve of it and it changes them, its something amazing. The apostoles baptized thousands of people in just one meeting, because those who spoke with them were truly touched by the Spirit. The apostoles were truly ordained and consecrated their lives in the service, and for that they achieved great success. I have seen the true touch of the Spirit only a few times in the mission, and sometimes people really ignore its promptings. It was a priviledge to watch a few feel it, see one truly understand and take the steps to change entirely. Yet I wish to have been as the apsotoles of old. With their grandeur. Their witness. It is really cool to walk as they walked and be fishers of men. Of course, a fisherman always has bad days, sometimes the storms rock the ship but luckily The Master is with them and he speaks gently to the seas ¨Peace, Be Still¨. I have really seen such things happen, and have learned a lot about charity and love. I hope people here can start understanding that too, instead of just avoiding condemnation. The country fears God, but Im not sure if they truly love Him. I have met many who do, but still lean on their own understanding. I hope they can come to learn of God in his manner.

Well, that is my spiel I guess. We had a cool activity where we played sports and stuff. Watched a movie with investigators. Weird thing in the mission is that the Americans and the Latins sort of split up during activities and only really hang around each other. Being neither, I sort of have to drift between both. I really like speaking spanish with the latins, but there are a few things I still dont understand especially with their jokes and such. I wish everyone kind of hung out together, but segregation is pretty common with only a few exceptions. We ate awesome food (empanadas) that the Hermanas from our neighbouring zone made. Cool times had by all!

Dont worry about me and stuff I am doing great and I hope to be able to send pictures some time and also be a better missionary and work harder and get some fruits to grow on this tree! I suppose we have to dig more or something! It is really hard to keep starting over, like growing a tree that keeps dying. But people are still really open, everyone wants to talk and the Spirit has touched a few. Hopefully enough that they change their lives. This one dude who is making us some clothing (I wanted a cool pair of handmade pants) we are also teaching is super funny. He is kind of fat, but he always lets us in his house for some reason and hopefully he read the pamphlet (if not, Im not paying him for pants hahahahahahaha). I hope someone one of these days truly prays to God like Javier did, even if they take more time and such, I hope they can arrive at knowing, it really takes some work and acceptance of God´s will. I suppose I need to work on acceptance of God´s will as well. 

Know my prayers are always with you all, and with those at home as well. Please remember my companion sometimes. I hope Dad´s leg gets better, and that Chinese New Year was a great time together with family, and that Gon gon made an appearance in Spirit.

I am glad that everyday gets better with all of you, remember I always love you all!

With all my love as always,

Elder Sullivan

PS Never leave food out too long. It grows nasty fungus that smells bad and you have to waste a lot of bleach.

PSS Getting rained on is kind of cool in this country