Monday, May 26, 2014

My sister must be fast!!!



Well ya know I usually don`t really think about my letters until I`m right there in the internet opening up my e-mail. But ever since this morning, I was SOOOOOOOo anxious to run to the internet and find out how Shay did at state. Obviously I already knew that she had the 3000 won, but it was again so much fun to read and imagine Shaylen Crook my big sister, womping on all of the rest of the girls running. Great job Shay, you make me proud and are such a great example once again. I don`t think I can say that enough. Honestly I want to say I wish I would have been there, but I actually don`t have regrets about missing this one. Equally I`m sure you will all say the same thing, that you don`t regret me not being there. And some events about this week made me realize that I`m still supposed to be here, and that I have a lot to learn about being a missionary. 
Well my week has been great! I decided to name this period of my mission here in Bucaramanga, ¨The Golden Ages.¨ Haha I know it`s a little goofy but everything here just shines like gold, especially the sun! Also I came up with another name for my period of time in Bogota with Elder Perez and Landa ¨A Gringo in Paradise.¨ It`s just been quite the ride, getting to know different people and places and how they all think so distinctly. I have tried my best to enjoy every single minute of this time that God has given me. Honestly it`s funny because there were some really hard, sad, and tough parts a while ago, but as I remember and look and think back, everything just has the color of roses:) I kinda really like that about the human brain, because for some reason it remembers the best parts way better than the worst part. Even though I still believe in the phrase ¨the more miserable, the more memorable.¨ The miserable parts turn into the most legit and cool parts of the whole story! I think it`s just sooo incredible the amount of time and preparation that God has spent on my spirit and body, from before this life he was training me to be a missionary and putting soo much time and effort into me, just to have me come down to earth and serve him so little, to be so inept and weak. I can say proudly that I am trying my best, but that is never sufficient.   Tomorrow’s best has to be better than today’s best or I`m letting everyone down. I have been able to realize just a little bit more of how merciful everyone has been with me, and how everyone that I love most supports me 100%. Those are blessings that not many have.  
So I think I`m going to tell you a pretty awesome/weird/crazy story about a guy named Fabian. Bear with me here,  it might be a little long lol. So we first saw Fabian walking towards us down the street, like always I said ¨Hi, hows it going?¨ he responded a little more excited than most. ¨Ohh gentlemen I am great, thank you, have a nice day!.¨ So we kept walking but after about 2 steps I turned around to try to chase him down, but turns out that he was already headed our way. We wrote his number and address down, invited him to church and gave him a restoration pamphlet.  He`s about 40 years old and lives alone because he is recently divorced. This was Friday. Then we couldn`t visit him Saturday but he said he would come to church Sunday. Everyone says that but no one actually comes. Well he came...haha turns out that this guy has been amazingly prepared by God and his angels and I believe that now is his time to accept the restored gospel. Except...here comes the funny/weird part. He has a horrible temper! So we were in the gospel principles class and he was just having a great time answering questions and reading scriptures. BUT I guess one of the sister missionaries was in the back of the class making the lunch list for June, in the middle of the class. He did not like that one bit. At the end of the class he stood up and flat out yelled and chewed out the poor hermana from Argentina. Everyone was shocked at first, then it kinda made me angry. Honestly maybe he`s right, she should be paying attention, but no one EVER has the right to yell at a girl in that manner and in that tone of voice. I thought about trying to quiet him down, but just stayed silent and told him that we needed to end the class. Afterwards I took him aside and told him that NO ONE ever talks to a woman like that, no matter what. Obviously with as much love that I could find, but he seemed ok with it and later told me that he should have communicated better and shouldn`t have publicly humiliated her. Then both him and the hermana apologized between themselves after church. I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT!!! Anyways since we hadn`t had a lesson with him, we went after church not knowing what to expect and come to find out that he read the whole pamphlet and had watched just about every movie the church has to offer online. We set a baptismal date with him for the 28th of May and are really hoping that he is able to prepare himself right for that day. Then he ended up shining and glueing my shoes together lol. But dang it was weird, first off I think I felt as bad as the hermana did when he was yelling, and second off, I totally thought she was going to burst into tears, but she was fine with it and took the scolding like a hardened champ lol. 
I just wanted to share that with you because it was the most interesting part of the week lol, I realize that it is still up in the air on if he will get baptized or not but I really like the story because it shows just how prepared some people are to receive the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how willing they are to humble themselves change and get better. I want to tell you guys just how much I love you all and again how PROUD I am of my big sister and that we will talk next week. HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!! 
-Elder Crook

P.S Shay! save a cookie or 2 for me ehh!!! just kidding! you deserve all the cookies in the world and more!!! 



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