Bring the Rain

Another week passes in here in San Felipe. Hard to believe that time is passing so quickly. I think i left a week before the school season started, and now its about to be over, ha it doesnt feel like ive been gone that long, but at the same time it feels like its been forever. The rainy season has officially started, and its crazy how hard it comes down. like five times we have been in lessons and we have to stop because we cant hear anything with the rain pounding on the metal roofs. for a while i thought i might leave the shoe dryer you sent me in one of my areas, because it takes up alot of space and i wasnt really using it. but lately ive been using it like everyday. Thanks for the foresight mom.
This week was pretty awesome, we had some breakthroughs with a couple of investigators. We are working with a family who contacted one of the members, asking if he could help with their son because he had gotten into some bad crowds and involved in drinking and other things. Last week his sister told us that she thought he was getting better from what we were teaching him, but that i few days before he was cutting himself in the arms again. we kept working with him and teaching him things we thought would help. we read from the book of mormon about people who had been sinners, but repented and were healed in Christ. and more than anything we just tried to be good friends with him. The other day he told us that he felt like cutting himself again, but he went to read the book of mormon, starting in 1st nefi, and that after he felt happier and didnt feel like cutting himself any more. now he says he has some personal goals he wants to complete, but when he does them he wants to get baptized. Its pretty incredible the things the Gospel can do in peoples lives. We have another investigator that is the grandma of one of our recent converts. We tried to get her to go to church, but usually she would have something come up. so lately we have just been teaching her principles like faith, prayer, and the spirit, things like that. Yesterday , to our surprise, when we got to church she was there seated with her grandaughter. I could hardly believe it, I think the next time we visit her we are going to challenge her to baptism and see what her objections are, if she has any.
my companion and i are getting along well. the other night they had another disco in the building across the street from our house and they had the music super loud. Elder Lira said, cool, now i can teach you to dance. ha i tried to learn, but i think i just dont have it in me. in the end we both gave up and resorted back to wrestling, something i can actually do. I gave him a pretty good pounding.
I was grateful for the quotes you sent about charity, and how people just want to be loved and we cant love people if we focus only on the negative things that they do. I think alot of times we, as human beings, tend to focus mainly on the flaws that we see, and have a harder time seeing all the good things. not only in other people but in life. The other day we were walking down the street in the rain. I was looking down at the ground like i usually do when i walk, i dont know why, but ive just kind of developed the habit of keeping me head and eyes down as we go from place to place. Well for some reason, i raised my vision, and saw one of the most beautiful views i have seen. it was just super green with lots of big trees, and the sun in the sky, like something from a post card. A fact of life is that we are always surrounded by beauty, because Heavenly Father put us here on earth to be happy, but the majority of the time we just have our heads and eyes on the ground and fail to see just how blessed we really are.
I think this week im going to try to focus on gratitude, and on recognizing all of the blessings that i have.
Well i hate to say it but its time to go again. its been fun but it couldnt last forever. Keep working hard and finish the school year strong. theres no point in running a marathon if you decide to stop a few steps before the finish line. (I hope your making a book out of all these quotes im coming up with) I love you all so much, and im grateful for this chance to be seperated because it is increasing my love and gratitude for you all. DO WORK.
Elder Jacobson.