Lessons from Elder Uceda

Good Morning,

I forgot that peach days was this week, I´ll have to buy a peach (but
then ones in cans because the peaches here are the size of a small
plum or something). And yes when there is a sort of festivity here,
the missionaries stay away especially in the night because that is
when they all get drunk. The last time there was a festival there
where drunks running around throwing bottles and yelling at each other
in the wee hours of the morning. That is one thing you don´t see much
of in Utah. Here I have learned how to identify drunks, the smell of
alcohol, and all that. Bolivia has a serious drinking problema, they
can buy the cheap stuff but it destroys their body. I think all of the
investigators we have ever had have drank before.

This week we had the conference with Elder Uceda. We arrived in Santa
Cruz at 6 in the morning and then went to the church and studied until
Elder Uceda arrived at 2 in the afternoon. First sister Willard spoke,
then President Willard, then we did the practices (in every missionary
meeting we do practices with other missionaries to improve our skills
in things like teaching, obtaining referrals, etc), and then the wife
of Elder Uceda spoke and all that lasted abour an hour and a half.
Then Elder Uceda gets up takes off his suit coat and says ¨Let´s get to
work.¨  That statement was followed by a 3 and a half hour lecture.

Some of the things that he spoke about was (1) learning english or
spanish: we cannot always see the future and how learning a language
can bless our lives in the future. Face your fears. He has not opened
his Spanish scriptures for 30 years (2) Obedience: Sometimes we
justify breaking the small rules thinking that ¨nothing will happen¨.
Satan will do everything to make sure that ¨nothing does happen¨
until we believe our own lie and then something serious happens. (3)
Persuasive Teachers: Our investigators do not progress because we
don´t know how to help them progress. We often learn by doing and need
to talk with the heart, because talking is not always teaching.  (4)
Scriptures. It is like the square that is divided into 16 squares and
at first we superficially only see 16 squares but as we look there are
more. Same thing with the scriptures, we sometimes ready superficially
and read the same scriptures over and over and get the same meaning,
not searching for hidden treasures from the spirit.

And by the way, we were in the back of a taxi and I look at the
driver´s shirt and it says Ogden Clinic, Golden Spike Reality, Jamba
Juice, etc. His shirt was a race shirt that they give out to the
participants. Apparently the clothes we donate to DI or Charities make
it here to Bolivia.

Today we are going to go to the Chorro, a waterfall thing.
Anyway, have a nice week and enjoy!

Elder Gilbert

Photo with Elder Uceda