Chile Santiago East Mission

Sunday, February 7, 2016

WEEK 27

This Week From Elder Colby Eyre in Santiago Chile:

Hey guys this week has been pretty good!  We've been working really hard to find new people to teach.  In my mission they are really focusing on baptism and repentance.  With our contacts that is what they want us to focus on. Yesterday Elder Aguirre and I had lots of time to contact so we just went for it and amazingly we found five new investigators.  We also have a few baptism dates set so thats super awesome.  It is really important that these people are joining for the right reasons so we have to make sure of that too! I've got faith that we will be able to teach all of them again hopefully in their homes.  

It is such a cool experience when a person accepts a baptism date.  Being out contacting is the best way to find the people that are elegido/chosen and are ready to receive the gospel. I know this gospel is true with all my heart and I know that in our lives we can see miracles if we have faith. 

I love all you guys back home have a great week!
Elder Colby Eyre

This Week From Elder Colin Eyre in Vina del Mar Chile:

 This week was pretty sweet except for one day.  Elder Silva and I were in the streets this lady walked by mumbling and looked nutz.  I didn't even talk to her cuz she was just too crazy.  She breezed passed me and touched my shoulder and kept walking.  There wasn't anyone in the street and we were out house contacting.  The next thing I know I hear like splashing so I turn around and her pants are down and she was peeing it was pretty gross.  I will have to say this was my first time being mooned on the mission haha!  My comp and I thought it was pretty funny we just walked away and laughed.  My mind is still scarred from that!

During a lesson this past week I had the opportunity to share a really neat story my grandmother shared with me.  It is the parable of the Mule in the Well.  


Sometimes it's not what is happening but how you handle it.  A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule.  The mule fell into the farmer's well.  The farmer heard the mule 'braying' - or - whatever mules do when they fall into wells.  After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving.  Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical!  But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back...a thought struck him.  It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back...He should shake it off and step up!  This he did, blow after blow.

"Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" he repeated to encourage himself.  No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up!  

You're right!  It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well!  What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity. 

That's life!  If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity...the adversities that come along to bury us usually have within them the potential to benefit and bless us!  Remember that repentance, forgiveness, faith, prayer and hope are all excellent ways to "shake it off and step up" out of the wells in which we find ourselves.

So anyway there is a member thats going through a really hard time and I shared this story with her.  I think it really helped her.  It is so true that there will be hard times and Satan will throw hard things at us.  He wants nothing more than to tear us down.  We have two choices, we can just give up or shake it off like the mule.  When we shared this parable with this lady going through a hard time I could really feel the spirit.  I am so grateful for everything I know that I have been so blessed!  This week was great just trying to work hard and find new people to teach.  It's actually a hard thing to do but I'm grateful for everything that I have.  

Hope everyone has a good week love ya tons!
Elder Colin Eyre

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