Monday, April 6, 2015

Life is how we look at it



Dear Family and Friends,                                                                  

New haircut selfie while helping a brother move
Life this week is amazing as every week has been. It’s been a week to learn and grow and to be stretched. Here in Pontevedra there are 6 active men in the Rama including the missionaries. For Semana Santa (Holy Week) our branch president went down to the Temple in Madrid with his son, leaving us with only 4. One of those men has medical issues that will not allow him to walk and move around a whole lot. That left us with three. The last brother left, changed apartments this last week. It was a week of carrying heavy things through the streets of Pontevedra and up and down stairs to the 5th floor piso which they were moving into. With such physical labor and other issues that come with changing pisos it got hard to keep a positive attitude through it all. This morning I was reflecting on the past week and the many miracles that came from Our Father in Heaven.

Miracle 1. After a long day of getting rejected in the street we found a wonderful man who just talked with us and shared his beliefs, we shared ours and how our message could help him, he told us to write down his number so that we could call him to set up a time to talk with him more. Then, our next appointment called and told us that she was running late but that her brother was there so we could go inside and teach them! Usually people just don´t show up at appointments let alone call us to let us know that they are coming late. Then we ran into a super wonderful lady that complimented my companions Spanish and started a conversation with us, which again never happens! It was a miracle that testified to me again in about 5 minutes that the Lord watches over us all and knows what each of us needs individually.

Miracle 2. We met with a woman named Ana for the first time after Elder Giforos contacted into her last transfer in the street. She told us in the lesson that she believed in God and Jesus Christ but had never found a church that could "fill her heart". She then went on to ask us what she should read before our next visit with her. Another miracle is that God knows us and our desires to bring prepared souls unto Him.

A cool snake we found in a tunnel under the train station
Miracle 3. We went out to visit our investigator Richard this last week at his home in a little pueblo (small town). We had an excellent lesson with him and then went to the bus stop to wait for our 40 minute ride back home at 8:45 pm. As we waited and waited no bus was coming. 9:00 rolled around and we started to wonder if we had missed it. We had cut it close after our lesson with Richard but figured we had made it in time. We started to think about that 5+ hour walk that we might have to start making back toward Pontevedra (the one member with a car was down in Madrid at the temple). We were worried we would have to call the APs and start our trek and then at about 9:10 the bus finally rounded the corner. I don´t think I have ever been more excited to see a bus. It was a blessing that the Lord sent a bus for His missionaries late, so that they could get home.

In life it is all about how we look at things. If we want to focus on the hardships and the difficulties in life that is how our lives will be, difficult and a hardship, but if we focus on the joys and miracles and blessings that is what our lives will be. It is about how we look at life that determines how life is. I am so grateful for these miracles this week as well as all of the others this week and other weeks. I love you all and know that the Lord does as well.

Love,
Elder Gustafson


The amazing gluten free food from the amazing package sent by the best family in the world.



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