Another 7 days of jungle hikes, overflowing buses, and chicken. Lots of chicken. But we couldn't be any happier, its been a good time here in Cojutepeque. Got to have a few interchanges and work with some really awesome other missionaries, and even ended up back near Las Canas for a day. But the real grind is going on here in the chorizo capital of El Salvador with the greatest Guatemalan of all time, Elder Felipe. We had some crazy stuff go down this week, starting with a mystery car-motorcycle off road adventure that I can only describe as a direct guidance from God that led us to a family in the middle of nowhere who all came to church this Sunday. A walk through a military camp at 8:45 at night. 2 guitars, and a brief preview of the future duet of Elder Felipe and Elder Moulton. Horrible burritos at the Mexican restaurant we got here. And to explain my title, a pair of brothers who really wanted us to drink their water. One was shirtless and sweaty but an old friend of mine from a couple months back. The other was sadly pretty sick and it had left its mark on the front of his shirt. Long story short these guys are our buds and way funny but we were really tired and sweaty and they weren't exactly models of personal hygiene at the moment. So Juan goes, "Don't worry man we aren't dirty people drink my water," in broken Spanglish. And so we did. But he also had this nugget of advice that I figured would be good to pass on "Don't be a dirty person."
Little spiritual thought this week is something I had the chance to share at church this week, when the designated speaker couldn't make it. Its one of my favorite scriptures of all time and its been huge in my time here. Its the story of a young guy who needed to build a boat. And he didn't know how to do it. So his brothers started getting on his case. But this guy, in this verse of scripture, gives one of the greatest comebacks ever given:
1 Nefi 17:51
"And now, if the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should build a ship."
Now God isn't asking any of us to build a boat. At least I don't think he is. But if we think about it, the point here still stands. Looking back on my life, God has given me a whole bunch of miracles. Just the fact that I made it through the crazy streets of Chula Vista everyday on the weakest scooter in existence, or that we find our way back to civilization here when the bus routes close down. And if God has the power to do that, I have no doubt that he has got what it takes to help me get over whatever it is I got in front of me. God isn't going to build our boats for us, but with a little bit of faith and some work on our part, he opens the way to get it done. This scripture really helped me awhile back when I was struggling to learn Spanish. And while I can't say I am a perfect Spanish speaker yet, I can for sure say that God is helping me to build this boat. And that promise rings true with whatever problem or difficulty we could face. So next time something hard comes by or when life says you need to build your own boat, remember those words:
"If the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles in the life of (insert your name here), how is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should (insert action needed to overcome personal struggle or trial here)?
Hope you all have a great week, thanks for all the love, prayers, and support. It makes building this boat of a mission a whole lot easier.
SALUD
Elder Moulton
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