Things are loco...

All right everyone. 

I just would like to say that things are out of control here. In a good way… ha-ha-ha 

Right now I am balancing 14 baptisms and teaching a ton of people without the help of Elder Borg. I’m going insane, but I love it. 

This week we will see the baptisms of:

Camilo, Natalia, Carolina and Natalia Astudillo. Yersson Florez and Alejandra Villarreal. 

I love my families 

Next week we will see the baptisms of the rest of the familia Villarreal and more. 

I love my area

We are teaching around 28 people who are moving forward with the lessons and I’m so stressed all the time because we don’t have enough time in the day to accomplish everything. It’s kind of awesome and stressful all at the same time. All these families are giving me tons of food and I’m gaining weight.

This week I was able to have an interview with President Prince the President of the Mission. He told me that I have been doing a good job and called my parents right in front of me. I really didn’t know what to do. I was just kind of speechless for a little while as I heard my father pick up the line and then I got to say hi to them. What an incredible experience. 

(I just have to add to this incredible experience. Craig & I were both home when the call came in. President Prince had us put it on speaker. He then proceeded to tell us what an amazing young man we raised and what an incredible job he was doing in the Colombia Cali Mission. He wanted us to know that although he had not been out very long out of the 200 missionaries that he was one of their number 1 baptizing missionary in the field. He then asked if we had another one behind him because they sure could use them. We then had to inform him that as we were sure he knew that Rawly is one of a kind. At this point he asked us if we would like to say hi to our son. Oh my goodness I cannot even express the joy it was to hear Rawly’s voice! I had been having a really, really difficult time and this call could have not come at a better moment for Craig & I. I am grateful for the Lord’s hand in my life!)

I love the mission

My families are amazing. They have such an incredible desire to serve and to follow Jesus Christ.

Okay, update:

Sandro and Yoneida. Both were sacked from their jobs immediately after baptism, it was a very hard time for them. Yoneida now has her own pizzeria and oh my gosh is it awesome pizza, I love it. Sandro has incredible amounts of work and they are receiving all the blessings of the gospel. 

Blessings are all around us we just sometimes have to look really close to find them.

Things that I have become accustomed to that I think I should tell you. 

My every day life includes:

Horses and carriages in the middle of the street, there is a horse and a colt in front of the Internet place by my house right now in the middle of the busy street

I eat chicken feet now like it's no big deal 

Everything is fried. The bread is even fried here

The indigenous people are pretty cool and the men wear purple dresses

The limes are orange

Blackberry is only used to make juice

Cheese is always accompanied by hot chocolate; the cheese is inside the hot chocolate or tea. 

The cheese doesn’t melt here

There are only two types of milk here, that of a cow and that which does not contain lactose.

Yeah, that’s all I can think about now. 

Lesson time: 

This lesson is about the purifying fire of God. 

How do you make silver or Gold?

You take a hunk of metal that contains these substances and heat it up to EXTREME HEATS. Way hotter than you would need to melt iron. The extreme heat separates the pure gold and silver from the rest of the metal deposits. 

Our lives sometimes contain the same. The question is how pure do we want to be?

Do we want to be of great quality? 14 karat, 16 karat, 18 karat and so forth. 

How much are we worth? 

Are we experiencing problems in our lives?

Are we experiencing the furnace that this life often offers us?

It is for this reason we are being refined. As long as we confront all issues with a mind set on God and eternal life we will always find that the difficulties of life will refine us. Personally I am experiencing a fire that was built well.

I’m feeling the pressure in all sorts of ways. But I know that if I can keep an eye on God I can continue forward unscathed like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

I love this gospel.

I know I can always be better.

I am grateful always but never satisfied in my own efforts. That is what makes the difference when facing the furnace. 

Challenge:

Face the furnace attempting to use an eternal perspective. Imagine a rope extending in two directions to infinity in space. Wrap a thread around a point in that rope and that is what this life is like. However we respond to the problems in that tiny part of our eternal existence makes all the difference. 

Today is the day.

Face the furnace with confidence that you will pop out the other side.

You will be different that is correct.

But if you keep an eye on God you will exit shining with glory.

Love you all
Elder Lyle