April 28, 2010 Antonio and the Power of the Atonement

Sent: Wed, April 28, 2010 7:32:15 AM
Subject: HOLLLAAAAAAAAAAA

Dearest Family, This week...BEST WEEK YET!!!! I can honestly say that this is a gospel of miracles. This week, we got to go out to the city again to go contacting and preach the gospel. You´re supposed to get paired with a Latina comp so it’s not that scary, but my last name is Garcia....do I get a Latino comp?? Again, NO! Except this time they put me with a newbie who has only been here for one week so literally knows NO Spanish. Great!!!! But it was really so much fun. We looked at each other and she told me I hope you know what you’re doing, because I know nothing!! I smiled and told her; this is going to be the best day of your life, Sister!! And it really was. WE got on the bus and it was hilarious to see her face! It was an adventure just like it always is. Mom, dad, I cant wait till you come and ride the magic school bus. You will love it. But I think I am getting used to it. This is the fourth time I rode it, and I only gagged twice....progress!!!!!

We got there safe and it was great. We said our prayer and we got to work. This week, I honestly experienced and learned what the gift of tongues is. I can testify to love!! For the most part, I could not understand what the heck anyone was saying, but the things that you need to know or understand to help someone else, you will know with perfect clarity. It is so true!!!! Soooo, we met this guy named Antonio....about mid 40s young, we started talking to him and I don’t know if it was because he actually had teeth or what, but I could understand almost everything he said. We talked about his job, he said he didn’t have a family, talked about Guatemala...it was simple light and good. Then we started sharing our message and we were talking and I think we said, we know that God loves you and then he just FREAKED OUT!!!

He snapped and was like, don’t tell me that!!!!! It was kinda shocking how fast the conversation turned. We said it again, Antonio, we know God love you and he just kept saying NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! He said you can’t tell me that! It’s not true!! How can you tell me God loves me? He said, how can you tell me God loves me when he took away his wife, his children in an accident. One day everything he loved was gone! And then a couple months or weeks I didn’t quite get it, both his parents died!! He looked at us and we were speechless and I could just see the pain and hurt forming in his eyes! He said if I know anything, I know that God doesn’t love me!! He kept saying I have pains! I have pains everyday and he started belittling us and saying that you come here with your perfect life and say you understand and you can help me and that you know God loves me....You will NEVER understand!! He started pointing his finger at me and said you don’t know anything! You don’t have a clue! You will never understand. You don’t know the pains I feel everyday.

My comp and I looked at each other and had a lost for words. I prayed for strength and I told him, Antonio I am so sorry. He started going off again and was saying No! And I told him Please... Listen...I told him, Antonio, you are right. I don’t understand the pains you feel. I have no idea what it would be like to lose all my family and loved ones. You´re right, I have no idea and cant even imagine how you feel. He looked at me and I told him, But Christ does! I started talking to him about the Atonement and how I knew that Christ gave his life and suffered not only for our sins, but for all our sadness’s, and sufferings as well.

I talked about how Christ personally experienced our pains and our sufferings so that He would know how to help us. I opened my Book of Mormon and we read together some scriptures in Alma 7 that talks about the Atonement and what Christ did for us and me and my comp bore our most sincere and heartfelt testimony of the Savior and the reality of the Atonement of Jesus Christ as we possibly could. I can’t even describe the feelings that I felt.

I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real and that the Savior did suffer and give his life for each one of us. That´s the only reason this life or God´s plan is a Plan of Happiness. We taught him a little about the Plan of Salvation and gave him a pamphlet for the Plan of Salvation, Restoration, and Book of Mormon. I asked him if he would meet with the missionaries, but he was still a little hesitant. He told me no. And I said Why not. And he said because three months ago missionaries contacted him here at the park, and he said he’d meet with them, but they never called or showed up.

He said he waited three months and doesn’t want to go through that again. He said you never show up! I was irate and so mad and I gave him my promise that the missionaries would get in contact with him so I told my teacher and she called the mission. I think he’s in Guat city south, so they will call him. But it was just crazy. He was still a little hesitant, but he did give us his info and I am just praying the missionaries will get to him. I don’t know if we got though to him, or if anything we said helped him, but I feel confident that he’s in the Lords hands.

I know that Heavenly Father loved Him so much. As I was talking to him about the Savior, I felt an overwhelming feeling of love come upon me. I tried my very best to pour out my heart and convey those feelings that I felt, and it is kinda sad because I’ll never know if anything I said will make a difference, but like I said he’s in the Lords hands and I know how much the Lord loves him.

I just felt so grateful because I realized just how much I’ve been blessed. In this short 5 weeks in Guatemala, I have met so many people who suffer things and live in circumstances that I can’t even imagine and it is really humbling. I’ve been so blessed!!!! I never really understood how blessed I am, and honestly I still don’t but I know that I have. I know I don’t deserve it and I don’t know why I’ve been so blessed, but I am so grateful to be here in Guat to have the opportunity to get a glimpse into how others live, and in a small, small way experience and see the pains and sufferings others go through everyday without the blessings and comforts of the restored gospel. To be able to see the world through the eyes of others...What a Blessing!!!!!!!!! I haven’t even entered the field yet, but my mission has far exceeded my expectations. I am sooo pumped to leave next week.

The atonement is real I know that!! I am so grateful for this time in my life, to experience that and to give everything, my whole life heart and soul to my Savior and Father in Heaven as they have given everything to me!!! I love this gospel. I love all of you. Thank you for all your love support and prayers. Prestos Todos Prstos mi familia....The church is True!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you!!!!!!!