FOUNDATIONS

Wow,

All right folks get ready cause this week was juicy enough to be broadcasted as a telenovela, soap opera. 

It started with our zone meeting Tuesday, where the room practically exploded with everyone yelling at the zone leaders telling them they are doing a crap job. Saying that they can’t tell the missionaries what to do, that they are pressuring them too much, blah, blah, blah. I felt really, really bad to be honest. It was crazy Elder LaBar practically broke down into tears, and the other elder, Elder Cha didn’t care cause he was being moved out. 

That brings me to point number 2

Cambios, exchanges. 

Elder Ramirez left. Elder Jones now has a companion from Chile, I love most Chileans not going to lie, as missionaries, the Chileans and the Argentines work the hardest. This Chilean will work hard, his name is Elder Carrasco, but ha-ha he thinks he knows EVERYTHING and acts very un-Chilean like from the other Chileans I have met. 

Other missionaries came in, some are really awesome, another Chilean, Elder Silva is the bomb. 

Now why I call this Foundations:

This week Elder Borg and I went out to Cristales to continue our service project building a house. Right now we are building the foundation of the house, laying concrete making concrete yaddah yaddah. And that is when I was able to think about what I am doing here. 

I am here in Colombia building foundations. Yes I am building foundations for houses but even more than that; I am building foundations for life. I am helping these people build their foundations on a solid rock, so that when the tremors and storms of life come they can rely on their foundations, their foundations in their Savior Jesus Christ and the Gospel that they now have in their lives. It really is an amazing opportunity to help people rebuild their lives, inside and out. 

This week we were blessed with the presence of President and Hermana Prince. They really are awesome, I love them, and they just make everything so awesomely fun. We had a conference with them Saturday that lasted 8 hours but it was totally worth it, and yes they brought tacos and burritos, which was the most amazing treat of all. Oh, how I miss this food. Any how… 

The conference was awesome; it was all about love and action, love towards members, leaders and companions and how we as missionaries should take action. 

I’ll explain this a little bit later 

Then Sunday we had Stake conference. AWESOME yet again, however we had to pay for all of our investigators to reach the building, our district had the most attending, 24, which really is an impressive number, but it did a number on our money supply. Although it was totally worth it. The investigators loved the stake conference, especially because President Prince and Hermana Prince spoke. Afterwards they came and met our investigators, which they couldn’t do with all of the missionaries, because of the strike that started...today. They had to leave immediately after the meeting. 

This week, my companion and I had another moment, we blew up at each other, yet again one morning, but once we blow up things go a little easier. We kind of fight off and on now, but only once in front of an investigator so I consider that a success. Sometimes I think my companion is the best and others I want to punch him in the throat.

Some of my favorite phrases of his, "Well you see, I’m very talented, in everything". "I am very intelligent", or my personal favorite "One day I will be prophet". These are honestly my favorite phrases I hear that just make me smile. My companion is the best. 

I will start to work on doing something called Goal of the Week, and I would like whoever is reading this blog to do them to. I think it would be a fun way we can all make ourselves better, and stay connected. I’d like to hear your responses too, how it all went, and stuff like that. 

So here is the…

GOAL OF THE WEEK 

Have Christ like Love and Act. 

The main message that Presidente Prince and Hermana Prince shared is that we should have Christ like love always, as it is a commandment of God. To share and to love all as we should love ourselves. If we love God, yet dislike our neighbor, we do not love God and we are liars, it says so in the bible. Mathew 5:43-48 read it. 

My friends and family, love with all your heart, trust me, I know sometimes it can be incredibly hard, but somehow when you think that Christ died for that person, all of a sudden your ability to deal with whoever that person is heightens and makes it that much easier. Think about it this way. Christ died for them and for you. If Christ died for this person surely you can try to live through whatever circumstance that you have in your life right now. People who you may not get along with try to have love for and act on it. 

But I don’t want to. Right? 

I know, sometimes we may even have fear of what that person will say or do, but friends and family, 1 John 4:18-21, if you have fear, you do not love God, to love God and have perfect love is to not fear. Do not fear to show love.

Friends and Family be perfect, or try, try to walk with the dignity that you are a child of God. That you have purpose and meaning. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect" Show love without fear, act and do not be acted upon. For fear is to not have love and to have love for others is a commandment of God. 

Lots of Love 

Elder Lyle