Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net>09/27/16
at 4:09 PM
To
Hey all!
This week was
actually kind of slow. It was good, but still kind of slow, so nothing too too
crazy to report this week.
-Alright, so
here's what went down with food. We have a few young men in the church (one of
whom is a recent convert that we baptized a few weeks ago) and we decided to
cook for them. We wanted to know if they'd like some American food, so we made
pancakes! We made some pancakes, and we thought syrup would be too sugary for
them, so we put a little strawberry jam on top instead and they said it was too
sweet! They ate a pancake totally plain and they said they liked it a lot! Then
today at church they said we should make them more but with no sugar. I've come
to see people here aren't too fond of sugar, haha.
Also, the student
has finally become the master. Elder Tolzmann finally ate a ball of banku
faster than me! I know most Americans who come here learn to love banku and
fufu and whatnot... I'm still waiting for the day that happens to me, haha, but
it's already happening to my companion! He's been out for four months and I've
been out for a year and he can already eat more than me, so he's doing well!
-Yesterday in
church I had two special assignments. First, the branch president's wife asked
me to help teach her young women class the hymn Our Savior's Love, so I was
able to sing there and guide them along in learning the song. Not yesterday,
but the last time we sang, the branch president's wife started tearing up while
we were all singing it. It really is a beautiful hymn, and the spirit was
definitely present there. Then, the young men teacher wasn't feeling well, so
he had my companion and me teach the class. We had no manual or lesson plan or
anything, and we just get up there and are supposed to teach about fasting for
an hour. At first I'm wondering how we can talk about fasting for an entire
hour, but it was actually really cool seeing how much we can learn even from
something that seems so simple as going without food and water. We discussed
what it is, what blessings come from it, how we grow and learn from fasting,
and how we can make it a joyful experience. The young men were so involved and
inquisitive, and it was actually a really good lesson. We actually had to cut
our thoughts short because we ran out of time! But since I've come here,
teaching has become pretty enjoyable because it's nice being able to help
someone else out.
-This week in my
studies I came across a scripture that's just so awesome. It's very short and
simple, but it's very meaningful to me. It's in The Book of Mormon, Mosiah
26:30, "Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their
trespasses against me." I love that so much. I know I've definitely made
my fair share of mistakes thus far in life, but Christ reminds us that as
often—every time—we repent, He is ready to forgive us. That's why I love this
gospel so much. It offers hope to the hopeless. Sometimes we mess up so many
times that we feel we've reached the point where we can never change or God
will never forgive us, but He constantly reminds us that that's never the case.
God is always right there by our side, ready to lift us up when we're down.
He's there ready to help us change and become better people. Sometimes our
flaws and weaknesses hold us back, but our loving Father in Heaven knows how to
help us overcome those weaknesses and turn them into strengths (Ether 12:27).
We initiate that change through repentance, and I'm so grateful that the Lord
has promised us that every time we truly and sincerely repent, He's ready and
eager to forgive us and to lift us back on our feet.
I love you all so
much. Thanks for all the love and encouragement from all of you. I hope you're
all doing great and that life is treating you well. I hope to hear from all of
you soon!!
With love,
Elder Buchanan
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| I don't have too many pictures this week, but I thought to send a picture of the outside of my apartment on a rainy day. :D |
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