Spencer's Adventures: Cow Tongue is delicious!


Hiking to a volcano (FOGGY volcano) and waterfalls for a District pday! Bonding, yeah! This plant is called Poor man's umbrella or something like that. Huge little bugger haha

Selfie with the Guatemalan!

Me, with fog!

Me with the first waterfall

Some weird little waterfall thingies

Me with the 2nd waterfall

The District!

Cow tongue is delicious! I didn't know it was cow tongue until I tried it. I was like, holy cow (no pun intended), what is this meat? It's so good! So I asked the lady and it was cow tongue. It is seriously tasty stuff!

This week has been pretty good :) I hope all of you are well and safe and healthy too!

This week has been a lesson for me on patience.

Starting Monday, we were just injected with the spirit. We were feeling so great! Elder Guirola and I were dedicated to start doing better. And we did!

We were more obedient, including running to the house to get there before 9:00 (and we arrived at 8:59 on several occasions). We saw the fruits with a GREAT Monday and Tuesday (and maybe Wednesday too?)

Then the challenges came. Even though we were improving, we just saw all of our appointments falling through! It was really frustrating. What were we doing wrong?! Well, obviously, a lot of things, but if we were improving why weren't we seeing the fruits?!

I've come to realize that, sometimes, God doesn't give us the reward right away. Of course, he helped us know right away that we were doing what was right, but then he gave us a little trial to pass through.

God wants us to really improve as people! He wants his teachings to penetrate us to the very core of who we are. But sometimes, to do that, it can hurt a little bit. I like to think of it a bit like a dentist, giving me a filling. On the other side of the whole ordeal, my tooth will look a whole lot better, but first the dentist has got to drill drown and get rid of all the junk.

In 2 days, Elder Guirola and I found that obedience is important. But had we really learned our lesson? With a full week of trials, really "drilling" out all the gunk, obedience with exactness is something that's been well applied into who we are. And it's a whole lot better than just using it because it seems to work! We have a firm testimony that it's true.

The analogy of a refiner's fire is often used in relation to our mortal experience, because that's just how it is. Following all the commandments doesn't mean that all our problems are going to go away. Look at Jesus Christ! He was the perfect example, and never disobeyed our Heavenly Father, but he had to carry the greatest burden of all!

This purpose of this life isn't to look for excuses and slide on by. It's a time of probation, a time to really refine who we are through experiences, challenges, and actions. Just like refining a metal can take a little bit of time, our challenges might last for a little bit. But, in the end, that's all this life is! A little bit of our existence as children of God. All that's required is that we put in our effort! That we accept Christ! That we 'refine', or sanctify, ourselves, little by little. Christ has paved the way for us, and he's there to help.

To all of you who are in times of trial, be patient. Patience doesn't mean just suffering through it, but accepting the Lord's timing over your preferred timing. Keep on refining yourselves! This trial has a purpose. Take it week by week, or day by day, or hour by hour. As you break it down into tasks, you'll find that you have the power to overcome it. As 1 Corinthians chapter 10 says:

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make away to escape, that ye may be able to bear.

Don't worry about overcoming the challenges. You have the promise of God that there is a way to overcome them. Just worry about finding that way, and putting in your effort to do it!

I love you all so much! Have a great week this week :)

-Elder Henry