Mas vale perder un segundo de la vida que la vida en un segundo

For those of you who dont speak spanish, the title says ¨Its more worth it to lose a second of life than lose the life in a second¨. Its a chilaen saying and its been making me think a lot.

ANYWAYS, we had the most powerful lesson of my whole mission yesterday. Let me explain....

So, last week I mentioned that we were going to do that big object lesson with Marcelo and his family. The mom ended up avoiding us all week and it was very frustrating. We would show up at their house and she would be ¨sick¨ or have some kind of excuse. I finally told Marcelo how I felt and that I was getting tired of how she was acting. Saturday night, Marcelo called and said that she wanted us over sunday night for an FHE. We both looked at each other and thought here is our chance to finally tell her whats up. So we showed up sunday evening at like 6. We played a little bit of soccer with the kids and Marcelo outside and then we kinda just hung out with the family for a little bit inside. The mom was in the back room AGAIN and didnt look like she was going to come out. She finally came out a little while and later and started making us some dinner. She came out with the dinner and we all sat around the table and chatted a little bit. Then, Marcelo looked at me and told me to tell her what I had been thinking and feeling the week before. So, I took a huge breath and the Spirit took over. I started saying how we had been coming by a lot and never able to get much done with the family because there was always something wrong and it was hard to feel the Spirit in the house. I told her that we were very frustrated and worried for weeks because we didnt know what was going on and she didnt even want to talk to us. She went on to apologize and say that she felt bad because she was just really sad when my last companion had left. She said she didnt think that the changes were fair and that she felt like her progress and the progress of the family was held back because of the big change.

This is where it gets good haha. So, I really wanted to do that chalk lesson like I said last week but it was already dark outside and one of their daughters was sick. Then, I remembered that my companion had a little white board in his backpack with some markers. I went and grabbed it and then I drew a big box. I told them that it represented eternal life and that they had to write what the expect it to be for them or how they want it to be. They all wrote something about being with the family. Then we went on to explain the 5 steps of the Gospel and how they can receive all their blessings if they are obedient. The mom went on to kind of make some excuses (like most people) saying that one has to be ready for these things or that people cant be obligated. A scripture from the book of James came to my mind at that point and I told her ¨Faith without works is death in itself. You believe in God? Thats great, so do the devils, and they tremble.¨ After that point she got quiet and I went on to explain that if they dont act now as a family, they will never receive the blessings that are waiting for them in the life after. She started crying after that she said that she had been realizing that last week that she was the one destroying the family and holding them all back. Marcelo had been talking with her a lot about how she hadnt been raising her kids with God in their lives and that now is their only chance and shes rejecting it. She had been seeing a great change in her kids and her ¨husband ¨ (they still arent married) and how she kinda felt left out since shes not home much. I felt the strongest impression ever to invite her to be baptized on the 25 of December. I then told her that we want them to be baptized as a family on Christmas day so that they can all enjoy the blessings that God has waiting for them after this life. I asked them all if they would prepare themselves for that date. I think it was the longest 3 seconds of silence I had ever experienced in my life. She finally looked at me and said that she knows she needs to but she is going to think about it and talk with Marcelo. We invited her to pray about it and we left them with Alma 7 to read.

This week will be a very hard week for me. I already have 3 changes in this sector and its very possible that Im going. Ive been 3 changes in all my other areas and Im just not sure whats going to happen next sunday. Ive been praying very hard that I wont be changed yet because I feel like my work isnt done with this family. Marcelo last week actually had a really hard time because he knew that changes were coming up. One day he sat us down and he said that he will stop going to church if I leave because he doesnt feel like the changes are fair. We finally calmed him down and now he knows why he needs to keep going to church but I its going to be really hard for all of us. Ive been thinking a lot lately about coming back down to Chile after the mission. These people that Im meeting here are sooo far away from home and its expensive to come down here but I want to do everything I can to come down here and see these people.

Anyways, that was our sunday night haha. Have a great week everybody!

Love Elder Peck