How are you?? I am glad that you survived your week!! It sounds like it was just filled with...fun experiences ;) I definitely had a very different week than that!
The Spanish language is more intelligent than the english language. Or at least the english that we as americans speak. The way in which the spanish speakers form their sentences and all of the vocabulary is just more sophisticated. The spanish that I have heard (spanish from pretty much every spanish-speaking country in the world) is kind of like 18th century english. They think more about what they say and how they say it. There isn´t as much slang. If Spanish were translated exactly it would be very proper english. ¨ The reason for which I wish to purchase this plane ticket has much to do with the desires that I have to see my dear son again.¨ I don´t know how to explain it. But it is a more correct language. And it hasn´t changed as much as english has.
I really hope that all of that jaleo with Brigham´s immunizations doesn´t affect his call. Although the US is a WONDERFUL place to serve as a missionary. Uncle James once told me that the very worst and the very best get sent to the States. I could see how that is true. But I feel like we all have different things to learn.
I am doing phenomenal. Fantastic. Really it´s been a great week. We still don´t have any baptismal dates, but we found a lot of new investigators this week. We found some mexicans. I love mexicans. Seriously. C and her son C. Really nice people. We´ll see how interested they are in our message. We found a Romanian family of seven. They seem quite interested and very sincere. So I am excited to see what happens with them. We also found a Cuban kid named L. And this kid from Ecuador called A. And this Spanish lady called A. But I don´t know how much she really wants to listen to our message. Spaniards are hard to find. You can really only get to a spaniard if it is a reference from a member. And I think that´s pretty much the truth. But we are still hanging in there. We decided that we weren´t really getting anywhere with the investigators that we were teaching. So as I said we would do, we only went by B's house once. And we made really good use of our time. So we found like 12 new investigators. It was a really cool week. We have a goal of setting 3 fechas this week. And getting four people to church. So we are determined to do that. I really am enjoying my time here with Elder Wiley. He is a lot like me. And we motivate each other really well.
I feel super inpsired right now. I don´t know why. Reading Kylie´s email was really inspiring. You should read it mom. I SERIOUSLY loved what Elder Holland told her mission president. ¨I don´t know how many baptisms we will have, but can you, mission presidents, promise me at least 200 converts??¨ That statistic about return missionaries hurts me deeply. I actually cried a little when I read that. But I can see it happening around me. I can totally see it. I think it´s because so many people go through the motions. They just get sick of talking about the gospel all of the time because it´s not becoming part of them. The same thing happens with all members that just go through the motions. But it is especially sad that some young men and women spend 2 years of their lives and get little or nothing from it.
I think it´s important that all missionaries keep that in mind. The only person that we really can convert is ourselves. It´s great to baptize and do all of that. It´s important. But it serves for nothing if we aren´t changed forever in the process. Can I get a little ¨First Great Commandment¨ action up in here? I think so: ¨I include in that call to fixed faithfulness every returned missionary who ever stood in a baptismal font and with arm to the square said, “Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ.” That commission was to have changed your convert forever, but it was surely supposed to have changed you forever as well.¨ Jeffrey R.U KIDDING ME Holland.
It is so different to read and remember those words as a missionary. It was really easy to quote it as a teenager, but now that I am here doing it...well it takes on a completely different meaning. This is the only time in our lives that we will do anything like this. And after two short years, it´s gone. Forever! I will never be able to stop someone in the street and introduce myself as a representative of Jesus Christ. I won´t be able to invite anyone to be baptized. It will never be the same again. Even on all of the missions that I will serve with my wife; it just won´t be the same. And my beloved time is ticking.
So that´s why I am making the most of it. :) I am super excited for this next week. Something exciting that is coming up for me? Well...We are going to teach the Romanian family in about an hour. And then I get to do an intercambio with Elder Chapple this week. I don´t know. Nothing super thrilling. We´re just going to spend the week finding, teaching, and baptizing. Calling people to repentance. Actually, I can´t think of a better way to spend this next week. Feel free to be jealous ;)
I am super stoked for Brigham to get his call. Get this- I will have to email on wednesday morning next week, the same day that brigham SHOULD get his call. But the mission president finds out before the missionary. SOO I could very easily find out from President Deere that morning in the mission home if another Elder Sharp will be coming to the Spain Malaga mission. Now wouldn´t that be interesting?? I am not saying that he will come here or anything. But that´d be crazy right?
I had the chance to give two blessings this week. We were teaching this less active girl with her mother there. We teach lots of less actives here in Elche. Much more than investigators. And way too many of them are return missionaries. Thankfully this girl isn´t. She finally burst out in frustration telling us that she wouldn´t read the BoM, and that she didn´t even believe in God. She is 21. It was sad for me. It hit me like a brick wall. I was totally caught off guard. She comes from a very active family. And then I thought about my future family. What a terribly frightening situation. What if one of my children were to ever say those same words to me? I don´t know what I would do. But I know that all I can do right now is prepare myself to be the best husband and father that I can possibly become. I hope to be the best example for my children. And I hope that, like my parents to me, my unshaking faith in God (because one day my faith will be unwavering) will help them to build their own foundations of faith in a Divine Creator, and His Son. I have spoken to lots of Muslims lately. I respect that people. But they are SO SURE that Christ wasn´t the son of God. They openly tell that to us, often. And I know that they are wrong. After we finished teaching her, and bearing testimony, her mother asked us to give her a blessing. I gave it. I was afraid. But I hope that it helped.
I gave another blessing to an active member. She is married and about 25. I don´t know what she needed a blessing for. But her husband was working and she was at the church with us and just asked us for it. I gave the blessing, and afterwards I really had no idea what I had said. I think the channel was clearer that time. I wasn´t as nervous or self-conscious as I usually am as I give blessing, and instead of thinking so much about how it sounds, I thought more about her. I felt very guided. And she definitely felt the spirit. L, the wife of D. (just so I remember it. these emails are going to be part of my journal)
Wiley is good at praying. I always used to feel a little rushed when we had comp prayers. But Wiley says even longer prayers than I do. Our prayers are more sincere. And I think that has helped me to feel the guidance of the Spirit more as a missionary.
I watched a documentary on Jehovah´s Witnesses, which is a huge church here in Spain. It was produced by them, so it wasn´t bashing them or anything. Just information. Like the restoration video. The thing that shocked me was that they don´t claim ANY divine inspiration. They acknowledge that their church was founded by men trying to follow the Bible. Which is great. They are very sincere honest people that follow the Bible better than any of us. But I could never believe in a church that didn´t claim divine visitations and revelation. The very thing that makes our church difficult to believe in is the only thing that is worth believing. It´s the only thing that makes sense. If God really were going to have a church in these days, He would make it known. It would be restored by Him, by His direction. Not by that of men. It was actually a huge testimony builder.
This really is His church. His work. And we have made very important covenants with Him; covenants that will make or break our eternal state of happiness!! I seriously cannot wait to go to the temple again.
I should go. I love all of you. Thank you for the prayers and support!! I will talk to you in 9 days!!!!!!
Love, Elder Sharp
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