Quiere Esperar?

Well another week or two in paradise and I gotta say I haven't even felt the time. We had meetings every single day this week and most of them were in other parts of the country which meant getting up a little early and sleeping a lil later so my concept of time isn't exactly 100% right now. But in a really cool note, this week was a really good one. I got to visit some old areas, see some old friends, all in all just a lotta good stuff. But I learned a little something about patience. Its not just the essence of all fine Mexican food (shout out to those who know) its the essence of success. I like the example of Peter. When Christ died and left the Earth, he left behind some of his boys to keep the grind going. But Peter, bless his heart, didn't exactly get it. So what did he do? He went back to doing EXACTLY what he did before knowing Jesus. Dude went fishing. To me, fishing has always been a question of patience, I was never very good at it. But in Peter´s case, fishing was just the opposite. Instead of taking the time, and learning from experience preaching the good word of God, dude went fishing. C'mon man. But Jesus swung by and let him have it. He said,
John 21:15-17, "So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, ^aFeed my sheep.

17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, ^aFeed my ^bsheep."

Love is shown in many ways but the realest way to show your love is with time. Time is the only gift that can't be given away, used more than once, thrown away, or regifted. Its permanent and really the most valuable thing we can give. I have been thinking a little and I realized something, the reason I am here, for 2 years is because I love my God and I want to show him that. The reason God wants us to go to church, or pray, or any of that stuff is because we show him, in the time we give him that we love him. Patience is the gift of time, and time is the gift we give to show love. Patience has never been really easy for Elder Moulton, but as I have learned to love, I have learned the virtue of patience. If you love someone, give them your time. If you love God, show him your patience. And he will give you blessings on blessings. Way up, I feel blessed.
keep on keepin on
SALUUUUElder Moulton

(Tanner saw a Celtics Paul Pierce jersey and had to get a pic)

(Sophie - little girl on the left, is getting baptized next week)

(The Elders bought a meter long burrito and then split it up between them)

Tres Días

Well it’s been like three days so don’t get your hopes up. You all know your boys still grinding down here in paradise. And I got to say it really felt like paradise this week because we just got back from the beach and between water balloon fights and a soccer game, we had a really cool activity. We all wrote something we wanted to leave behind and buried it in the sand. It might sound like I robbed that from Pinterest but it was pretty cool. 

This week was also pretty cool because we got to see the baptisms of Brian and Annalise. Brian is a little stud that we have been teaching for about a month now. He is a great kid and right now he is helping us teach his older brother.  

We went to his house this week and taught him how to tie a tie and the little guy picked it up in like 5 seconds. Smart kid. But I think the best part of the lesson was when he testified to his older brother and invited him to be baptized too. 

Annalise is a young girl who my companion and I taught a year ago when I was here before. 

It was really neat to see her finally making the decision to follow Jesus Christ. 

Just thinking this week about Brian and Annalise taught me an important lesson. All of our roads are different. Brian was baptized just three weeks after we taught him for the first time.  Annalise took about a year and a half to make the decision. My point is this, we all have a different road and we shouldn’t be disappointed if our road doesn’t look like someone else's. At the end of the day, the destination is the same. So don’t worry so much about where you are at so much as where you are going. 

Hope everyone is doing great. It was nice to go to the beach and think of home. Shout out to California. We will see you soon!

Saluuuuu

Elder Moulton

Guanaco De Cora

Well, another week in paradise. Have to say this was one of the weirder weeks I’ve had. We got to travel to visit some different parts of the country this week. Starting on Monday with a four hours bus ride and finishing up a couple hours ago on another bus. We got to take a giant tour of the eastern part of El Salvador. Which brings me to my email title. Guanaco is a nickname that the people say about Salvadorians. After having the chance to visit some of my old areas, and visit some old friends, I think I can officially say I’m Guanaco de cora.  It was a pretty cool week. I learned a lot. Got to work with a lot of other missionaries. Talking with a lady this week, even though this lady was a little crazy, I learned a really important lesson.  There is a lot of stuff we don’t know. There is a lot of stuff we don’t understand. I’ll be the first to tell you that God answers prayers. I will be the first to tell you that he will help us understand challenges and questions we have. But God is not going to give us 100% of the knowledge or every single answer to every single question in the way we want it. There is an answer to everything and God is willing to give it to us but we have to understand that it is not going to all come as clearly or as immediately as we want it. This is a very hard lesson for me to understand because I didn’t understand why. If God really is a powerful all knowing and loving Heavenly Father, why won’t he just give me what I think I need? I found my answer in the scriptures.  

Alma 32: 17-18 

17 Yea, there are many who do say: If thou wilt show unto us a sign from heaven, then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe.
18 Now I ask, is this faith? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for if a man knoweth a thing he hath no cause to believe, for he knoweth it.

  The whole point of our lives is to learn to walk by faith. We can’t know things for sure because when we know we don’t have to believe. I’m not saying its bad to know, because I think that’s something we all have to do is learn and look for more. The point is if we can learn to choose to believe or in other words make the active decision to follow God without knowing 100% all of the details, that is when we will see blessings in our lives. That is when we will progress towards our Heavenly Father. The whole gospel, everything I have spent these last 17months teaching wouldn’t make sense at all if the gospel was centered on having a perfect knowledge because when we talk about coming unto Christ, what we are talking about is a question of faith.  Faith is a decision we make to choose to believe. Belief is a choice. It is not a reaction. The president of our mission taught me this week that evidence doesn’t build faith, it rewards it. If you think the answers you need will come in the form of knowledge, just know that knowledge doesn’t usually come until after we have decided to have faith. For those of you who are reading this that might not be members of the church of Jesus Christ or those who have doubts or questions, I’ll just say this: instead of worrying about what you know, worry about how you feel. If you want to know, or if you even have the slightest desire,  know  that answers from God don’t come in the form of knowledge or great signs from heaven. They come in quiet reassurances and small experiences that will fortify your choice to believe. 

Also we found a snake in the road and took a bunch of pictures. Enjoy! Hope everyone is staying up and keep on the grind. As one little kid shouted to me while we were walking through the street, “Don’t talk to strangers.” 

Saluuu

Elder Moulton

Pues, Aqui Estamos

Well, I haven't written anyone this whole year so we´re gonna have to change this. New year, new me right? 

So its been a pretty good lil while recently. Its always a little bit weird after changing areas. Also a little weird when you get to eat iguana eggs. But they ain't too bad. Taste like sardines. But don't eat iguana skin. I learned that the hard way. But besides that, its been chill. Lotta fireworks blowin up all over. Someone almost hit me with one when I was hanging out of a bus. We Ubered everywhere. Its been a good ride

Like always your boy is a little short on time, so we´re gonna hit you with a quick bible story. Once upon a time, God told a man he had to leave his house and he couldn't look back. (No I'm not talking about Elder Moulton because you know I still remember the good old days) But this guy left his house and took his family with him. Long story short, his wife turned into a common table condiment because she decided to look back. Why am I talking about food condiments? Its not because iguana tastes better with salt, although that is true. Its because 2019 is gone. Don't look back. Its a new year, use it as a new opportunity to do good. 2020 hasn't been written yet and if there is anything this crazy experience has taught me, its that we have the power to write whats coming next. 

Hope everyone is living the dream and staying safe out there. We´ll catch you on the flippity flip.

SALUUUU

Elder Moulton