40 mile MUD push 7/3/2017

Hey Fam, 

This week was filled with a lot of fun and will definitely be ingrained in my memory for the rest of my life. We had an experience like non other on our trip to El Potrillo this week. We left to go there Tuesday and spent the night in Juarez. Then Wednesday we woke up and started heading to El Potrillo. We were surprised though because Usually this guy named Fama takes us and it isnt really ideal because two missionaries have to sit in plastic chairs in the bed of his truck for the normally a 2 hour trip. But we walked out of the Hotel Wednesday morning and a nice, new modeled VW Truck pulled up with Brother Fiestas inside. Brother Fiestas is a faithful member that lives in Los Chireguanos and offered to Elder Moreira to take us to El Potrillo. So he took him up on the offer and we all got to sit inside this nice truck and listen to Spanish hymns all the way to Potrillo. I then had an interesting experience while there. I went with Elder White to visit the people and investigators while Elder Moreira and Freeman stayed to do temple recommend interviews. The first house we went to was of a lady that contacted us the very first time we went there and told us she wanted us to come and teach her. When we got there, the lady told us that there has been a dark spirit visiting there property every night and keeping the kids awake. I was kinda freaked out when I heard her say that… just thinking of the kind of influence dark/evil spirits can have on such an isolated Indian settlement is startling. So we sat down with her and did a dedicatory prayer for their property and the mom starting shouting like a classic Argentine evangelical. It was interesting.

Anyway, as we were finishing our work there, it began to drizzle. This was troubling for us because the road to and from Potrillo is about 60 miles of dirt road that, if wet/muddy, is impossible to pass. So we started heading out while the drizzle kept coming down and by mile 5 we were sliding all over the place with no way to go forward. It didnt help that it was a rear wheeled truck that didnt have 4 wheel drive. Brother Fiestas would get out, scrape off the mud caked factory tires and then try to go again, only to slide 10 yards forward and be stuck in the same situation. Finally the inevitable happened, us missionaries hopped out in our shirts and ties and started pushing the truck. 

Before we got muddy

 Long story short, we ended up having to push this truck 40 miles in the mud. It was quite the experience, I completely slip and fell one time. The mud we were dealing with was straight clay that was incredibly thick. It took 5 hours to make the 60 trip back.

After pushing the truck for 40 miles

 It was incredible and we ended up passing some time with the Fiestas family at their house. They are such an incredible family that is from Peru. They talk very cleanly and make incredible food. Brother Fiestas served a mission in Peru and they have a 21 year old daughter that is attending SLC community college right now. They have one other daughter that is 10 years old and is super smart. The mom of the family washed all out cloths upon arrival to their house and then cooked us up an enchilada type dish with a spicy sauce that synched my tongue.. but I LOVED it. I took pictures of this entire day and will attach them. We then took a shuttle back to Ibarreta and got back by 2am in the morning. It was a day I will never forget. 

The whole Fiestas family

The dish Sister Fiestas made us (super spicy!)

So President Franco is now back in the mother land and President Patania is moving in to his office right now.. We will be having Leadership conference this Thursday so I will be able to meet him there. We did divisions with the area Estanislao del Campo, which is Elder Moreira and Elder White, on Friday and Saturday. I went to Est. del Campo with Elder Moreira who is the Branch President there. We went to an activity they had on Saturday which was an activity to start a fast together and to teach the members about the fast. It was a good experience and I actually played some football after wards with the little kids… I enjoyed that. Lucky I was playing with 12 year olds so it wasnt TOO embarrassing. 

Then Sunday we had a great fast and testimony meeting. The Cano Family and another investigator named Jenoveva came. Then in the Colony we had a lot of people come to church… a whopping 23 haha be that is up from the average 13. We are making a lot of plans to work a lot more in the colony to strengthen it and reactivate the members. 

This week I finished reading the book of mormon again and really enjoyed a couple verses. We all know that promise of the book of mormon found in Moroni 10:3-5 that promises us that we can ask God if the book is true and He will give us an answer because He tells us that ´´If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all man liberally and upbraideth not, and it will be given unto him¨. But I really enjoyed the scripture in Moroni 7:5-6 which says,

6 ¨...by their works ye shall know them, for if there works be good, then they are good also..

7  For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good, for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent, it profiteth him not. 

I really liked that statement a lot. ¨...except he shall do it with real intent, it profiteth him not¨. It really hit home to be that we MUST do what we do with real intent. Especially with out prayers. If we dont have real intent in our prayers, we are just wasting our time and it doesnt benefit us anything. 

Also side note, I loved Moroni 7:12 that says, ¨For the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin and to do that which is evil continually.¨ 

In spanish the words translate directly to ¨continually¨ and ¨without ceasing¨ which struck a chord with me. I have had some wrong thinking that as long as I do that which is right and keep the commandments, then devil will just get tired and give up trying to tempt me. But I learned that the devil fights against God without ceasing, no matter what! He doesnt care who you are, if you are a covenant saint or one of his followers, he will tempt, entice, and invite EVERYONE to sin and do that which is evil... without ceasing. 

But that was my week. I hope you all have another fantastic week. Also if you are receiving these emails feel free to respond, I´d love to hear from everyone. 

Elder Corbin Keicher 

A nice burger and fry meal one night this week