Someone's Heart Will Be Touched

Hola to all!!

It's raining! That's kinda odd since it hasn't rained for awhile here. I would gladly send it the Colorado way if that were within my power to do so, but I don't believe that it is. Sorry guys.

I'm doing fairly well today. We got permission to watch Madagascar 3 today, and that was a pretty good movie. I miss seeing the original version of the film though and not pirated versions. Lamentably there aren't any original versions in Ecuador that I've seen, so sometimes you have to sit through a movie that has other people talking. It's a bit annoying, but thus is life.

We almost had a baptism this Saturday! We were so excited and it was basically a done deal...until the night before. Xavier Morla, who we were going to baptize, was way excited but being 12, is still under his mother's jurisdiction. And here's the deal: his mom kicked him out when he was very young (9 I believe) and doesn't have a lot to do with him. She goes over occasionally to cook, but he lives with his sister and 8 year-old cousin. A week ago he had permission from his mom to get baptized, and she just needed to sign the baptismal record. However, Friday night we went over and she had completely changed her mind. When we asked her why she didn't want Xavier to get baptized, she only said that there's no need to rush things and that she needed more time to think things over. When we asked what she needed to think over, she wouldn't give an answer, just that she needed to think more. Eventually we decided that while we were there that we should say a prayer and ask Heavenly Father what was the correct path for Xavier. Xavier said the prayer, and afterwards his mom had clearly received an answer that Xavier needed to be baptized because her complexion had completely changed. She was very calm whereas before she had been a bit frustrated. She asked Xavier a few questions, and it really looked like she was going to allow Xavier to get baptized. And then...she said that she needed to talk to her "husband" about it. She and her husband are separated and don't have a lot to do with each other and don't get along well, but she decided to ignore her answer from God and follow men. It was incredibly frustrating, especially because she clearly received an answer, and she blatantly went against that answer. Also, she won't allow us to talk to her and share the message with her, which is equally frustrating. I hope and pray that with time she can soften her heart and allow Xavier to follow Christ.

This is the last week before changes, and I honestly don't know what's going to happen. I wouldn't be surprised to find out if Heavenly Father makes me stay here another change just so that I can learn more diligence. Sure, every day I get up and go to work, but I can work better. When nobody will even try to take into account what you're saying and the members don't really have any references for you, the work gets really hard and really slow, and it's really hard to keep going. But like Bishop Jenson said, "[My] His testimony just has to be heard!" I have to speak up and let others know what I believe and perhaps someones heart will be touched.

Well, that's about all for this week. I hope everyone is doing well and that all feel happy, healthy, and the love of Heavenly Father. Keep on keeping on in whatever you are doing (unless it's something that goes against God's will; in that case, it'd be advisable to stop)! I love you all, and I will be talking with you next week! ¡Chao!

Love,
Elder Schomburg

Deep in thought... 

He's lost his mind. :)

Special Witness to Christ

Hey howdy hey!!

Today finds me well. We just got done eating some shrimp ceviche which was made by Sister Hilda, and it was delicious. Also, we managed to fit naps into our day, which was excellent. Naps are always welcome.

This week was about the same as all of the weeks before. Trying and trying to find people, finding a couple and discovering that they have no desire to learn more about the Church, and then trying some more. But thus is life for right now.

Happy Father's Day to all fathers and fathers-to-be!! I didn't get to say so yesterday, so I'm saying it now. Thank you for all that you do to help your children grow up strong and to help your families be unified. Thank you for being examples to your children and loving your wives. Thank you for those who preside over their households in righteousness and strive to edify your households over gospel principles. Thank you all so very much!

Yesterday we saw a video about the prophets and apostles that are on the earth now. Well, rather, that were on the earth in 2000 (some have gone to greener pastures). It's called "Special Witness to Christ", and it is one of the more amazing videos I have ever seen. It really reinforced my testimony of the reality of prophets and apostles in our days. They all bore testimonies that were incredibly powerful and described every principle of the gospel with amazing clarity. While I was watching the testimony that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave about the Atonement and what happened in the garden of Gethsemane, I was amazed at how detailed and descriptive his explication was. I wondered how he could relate that occurrence with such clarity when I realized something: it's because he has seen exactly what happened in that garden. As a prophet, seer, and revelator (of which all of the apostles and the members of the First Presidency are), he has the ability to see things past, present, and future as the Lord deems necessary. He receives revelation and direction directly from Jesus Christ Himself. I continued watching the video and that fact was clearly evident with all the other apostles as well. They not only bear testimony of Jesus Christ, they bear witness. They have walked and talked with Him, just as His apostles of old did. It truly is something incredible.

I know that there are many of you who won't understand or believe what I have just finished saying, but I want to call your attention to two scriptures: Amos 3:7 and Ephesians 2:19-20. The first tells us; "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, ^abut he ^brevealeth his ^csecret unto his servants the ^dprophets." If the Lord is going to do something, He will first make it known unto His prophets so that they may declare that thing to all of humanity. Prophets are necessary on earth to act as guides and help us understand how to follow Jesus Christ in such a way that we will be saved by Him.

The second scripture teaches us about the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ in antiquity. "Now therefore ye are no more ^astrangers and foreigners, but ^bfellowcitizens with the ^csaints, and of the ^dhousehold of God; And are built upon the foundation of the ^aapostles and ^bprophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief ^ccorner stone..."

The Church of Jesus Christ was founded upon the foundation of apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ being their leader. The same organization is found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There are 12 members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and a First Presidency, which consists of two counselors and a president, with the president being the senior apostle and the chosen prophet. All are called by Jesus Christ Himself, as was done in the days of old. They all have the same authority that Christ gave to His apostles in old. The Church is the same that He established, and the prophets and apostles of today are special witnesses of Jesus Christ to all nations and people. I know that with all of my being, and I know that every one of you can also know this if you will but ask God, in the name of Jesus Christ, if that statement is true. I leave you with my testimony of the truthfulness of latter-day prophets and apostles in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful week and that it's full of spiritual and temporal growth. I love you all and look forward to hearing from you in your letters and also in the weekly email. I love you!

Love,

Elder Schomburg

We can all go on...

To preface Elder Schomburg's letter, we are sharing the story we used to break some unfortunate news to him:

Once upon a time... in a land far, far away (from you anyway) there was a mystical, mythical creature known as "the Porsche."  Many brave knights had fought for their honor against the magical fellow.  Sir Andrew had taken the beast apart piece by piece in an effort to find it's heart and tame the amazing monster.  Sir Lee had driven it headlong into a guardrail and even attempted to drown the brute in a knee-deep rain puddle, but to no avail; the hellion continued to tease and tempt its drivers with its insistent "vroom vroom" and its heart pounding rumble.  Then one evening, Sir Jeffrey was at the wheel of the beast... lulled into a false sense of security by the monster's gentle purring, he ventured into the fast lane on I-25 to pass the lesser motorists.  In the blink of an eye, the creature began to growl and then screech!  A violent explosion followed as it commenced with belching smoke and spewing oil.  Heart racing and ears pounding, Sir Jeffrey gazed through the smoke-filled cockpit to find safety. He wrestled the dying, power-steeringless animal to the side of the road where it came to rest in a pool of its own oil.  With the oil pan ripped to shreds and a gaping hole in the side of the block from a hurtling connecting rod, the creature was dead.  Sir Jeffrey had slain "the Porsche."

The End.

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Not the Porsche!! Ahhhh!! ::anguish!!:: May she rest in peace. :(  [The Porsche was Andrew's first car.]

Well, all is well here with me. I am found in good spirits and with socks, so all is very, very well. Yes, more pouch! Oh, also, I received a Christmas card from the McKoons that was sent back in December I believe...welcome to Ecuador!! Thank you to all who write to me, who follow me through my blog, and who pray for me. I really am very grateful for all that you do to support me.

Things are looking a bit more up here. We're currently teaching a twelve-year-old brother of a member who recently moved to the ward, and he is not yet baptized but is probably the best investigator I've ever had. He understands everything perfectly, he always reads everything that he needs to, and the one time that he didn't remember what scriptures he needed to read he still read some of the Book of Mormon, so that's pretty cool. If only all of our investigators could be like Xavier. We're finally finding people here and there, and even some of the people that we contact in the street are a bit more open than earlier. It turns out that being obedient and diligent bring results. Huzzah!!

The missionaries here in Santa Ana are also starting to work a little bit harder. We had a mini conference this Friday and tried to get them excited. We had them write on paper all of the things that could impede them from working as hard as possible, and then we took that paper and threw it away. Maybe it was a tad cheesy, but I think it helped. There really isn't anything that can impede us, not even Satan. When we're impeded in the work, it's because we have decided to allow Satan to work in us and to put doubt or fear in our minds. We have to decide to NOT allow Satan to work at all with us, and it's a decision that we can definitely make. Sure, Satan can affect other people to try to hamper their progress, but my calling is one of God. I have received His authority and am a holder of His priesthood. Satan can have no power over me unless I allow him to do so. We're going to really try to help our missionaries see this fact, because when they really take that to heart they'll be able to work miracles. We all will be able to do so.

We're currently teaching a less-active family in which the mom passed away about a month ago due to cancer. The dad has been having a really hard time, and it's always kind of difficult to pass by there. But my mission experience has helped me to be able to relate to him a little bit. I don't have the slightest idea what it's like to lose a spouse (I'm not even going to pretend that being away from home and Michelle is anything the same), but I have learned how to endure and persevere through difficult times. Without a doubt the mission is the hardest thing that I have ever done in my life. I have never been required to give so much and to sacrifice so much, nor to gain so much experience in such a short time, and it is very true that there have been many days when I just wanted to stay home or take a vacation. But I haven't. Every day I go back out and I do what I have been called of God to do. Every day I put aside what I want (or try) so that I can do what the Lord wants. Every day. If you guys think that the Sabbath or P-Days are days of rest, you're very wrong. There has not been a day go by that I was able to work that I haven't worked. And it turns out that sharing this experience with Brother Andrade helped him realize that he can persevere too. Perhaps his wife isn't on the earth anymore, and perhaps his family is passing through a rough time, but that doesn't mean that he can't persevere. We can all go on. Christ suffered everything. Because of His suffering, we can all draw strength from Him and we can go on. As my companion is very fond of saying, "I can do anything in Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philipians 4:13). He suffered and died so that he could provide us with mercy, which is the enabling power of the Atonement. He gives us strength to overcome the things that we alone cannot overcome. And with that strength, I, and you, can do anything. I testify of that with all of my heart.

Well, my companion isn't feeling very well so I'll be off now so he can go rest a bit. I love all of you so very much. I hope all are still enduring and trying to walk the same path that Christ walked (that means every person that reads this blog). Have a wonderful week, and remember to put the things of God before your earthly pursuits, because what materials in this earth you gain you cannot take with you when you leave the earth. I love you!

Love,
Elder Schomburg

Ecuadorians love fútbol

Hello my happy family and friends!

I am doing rather well today. I got a bit of pouch, which is always wonderful (thank you Grandma!). I also got the invitation to Jeffrey's graduation party. I'm sorry to inform you that I don't think I'll be able to attend, but I hope you'll accept my sincerest apologies for my absence. ;) The picture of Jeffrey with the tank made me laugh a bit. Mostly because of the look on his face, but also because that photo was just so...Jeffrey. Thanks for the invite!

Well, we're still plugging along. We still don't really have any investigators, and things are getting a bit more difficult because the other missionaries don't seem to have the desire to work. They go out and work a little bit, but when things aren't improving they don't show the initiative to fix those things. It's frustrating especially because it doesn't matter how many times we tell them what's going on or how to fix things, they won't do it. And now we're out of ideas of how to help them. The assistants told us to not lose hope and to just trust in God, which is definitely all that we can do now. Things will get better at some point though, I know it.

The less actives are slowly reactivating, which is very good. The difficult part is getting them to stay active though. Activating someone doesn't just mean that they start coming to Church again. It means that they start preparing to go to the temple to be sealed to their families. It means that they gain a conversion. It means that they come back and lose all desire to fall away again. And then they have to act constantly on those desires. It's difficult but it is well worth all of the effort. It's incredible to see someone come back to the fold and really start living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Also, our "abuela" is doing just fine. We actually just ran into her and she was going to the doctor for some rehabilitation, and in her hand was a copy of the Book of Mormon. :) She's awesome like that. It makes me so happy to see someone truly converted, to have lived Romans 6:6. It's incredible.

Congratulations to Jeffrey on starting to fill out his mission papers! That's basically the coolest thing since...well, I dunno exactly, but it's darn awesome. Keep going! You can do it!

Cultural info time! Ecuadorians love fútbol. They don't love so much when their team loses to Argentina. The eliminations are going on for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and Saturday Ecuador lost to Argentina 4-0. It was almost as bad as hearing that the Broncos lost to the Raiders. But we'll get 'em next time!

Well, that's all for now. I hope that all is well with everyone and that everyone is still doing all that is possible to come unto Christ. I love you all very much. ¡Chao!

Love,
Elder Schomburg

Looks like the Angel Moroni to me!