I Almost Punched an Atheist!!

October 26, 2013



Mom!

How are you doing! I want to let you know that I am still alive here... barely. Hahaha. I am doing very well. Well... about as good as I can, considering the circumstances. I am learning to be patient.

I want to tell you something.... I almost punched an atheist in the face. Wow. Ready to hear the story?We were out knocking doors and this atheist guy came out of his house. He said, "Like an educated person, I am going to greet you."  And then he started in. He started in with the most irreverent and disrespectful language about God that I have ever heard in my entire life. Holy cow! I said to him, "Hermano, it is fine that you don´t believe in God, but would you please try and be respectful?"  Then he started ripping on me. He said,” you stupid Mormons and your stupid religion (I am editing out all of the swear words that he said). “You people come down here like rich snots from the United States and you obligate people to get baptized.” “Go back to where you came from and quit trying to force people to join your church.” “You are wasting your time, you idiots."  At this point I was ticked. But I calmly said to him,"Hermano, we don´t force people to do anything.” “We only invite people to listen because we know that our message can bless their lives." He interrupted and said, "Bless people´s lives? “You can’t bless anybody’s life, you son of Satan.” “You have absolutely no right to preach the word."  I said, "Hermano, I am a missionary.”  “I have the priesthood authority of God." Then he just swore at me. Then he said, "Do you talk to God?"  I replied, "Yes, every single day."  He said, "If you have such good communication with him, bring him right here right now." Then I said with probably as much feeling and authority as has ever come out of my mouth,"Hermano, God is here. Know why? Because He has sent us here as His servants to your house to share a message with you and tell you that He LOVES you." He stared at me for a long time and didn´t say anything. He just stared at me. Then he quietly said, "I must go now." And he went back in his house. It was a crazy experience. I went from ticked off to the point of wanting to punch that guy in the face, to being led by the Spirit in what I was saying to him. He didn´t accept the invitation to listen to our message, but I know that man felt something that day.

In other news... when I wear the blue slacks I feel like a police officer.

My companion... is a man-child. Haha. In every sense of the word. I got really mad at him the other day. Don´t ask me why, but he spits his food on the floor. Like a farm animal. I asked him to please not spit food on our living room floor. He asked, "Does it bother you?"  I told him that it did and that is why I was asking him not to do it. Want to know what he did? Spit food out on the floor again. Ooooo... I went beast mode on the dude and ripped him a new one.

Again, in other news...or as a comic relief... I found a nice scripture I want to share with you. Proverbs 23: 13-14 "withhold not correction from the child:  for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.  Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.” Is that awesome or what? It makes me laugh every single time that I read it.

To answer your question... they do celebrate Halloween here. In Centro they sell masks and costumes and candy and such. But not everyone celebrates it. It is a holiday that is gaining momentum.

The work is slow here. We are looking for investigators. People here aren´t very friendly. They actually are very rude in Osorno, even worse than in Llanquihue or Villarrica. It is crazy. We get yelled at everyday by someone. It is difficult to keep going all of the time. It is definitely a trial of my faith to keep looking when the people are so opposed to us. But…hey I am still here and still going.

Hey... be happy. Have a good week!


Elder Warren