Experience is a Great Teacher!

Family and Friends!

oh what a joy it is to hear from you all!! guess what, I received my FIRST LETTER from the US this week!!!!!!! BOY oh boy it was such a joy!!! :) haha it was in response to my letter from the mtc. ya'll wrote it june 26th. thank you!!!! That morning i had really been wishing for a letter, for something to read and have in my hands. thank you! it was so wonderful.

cant say much happened this week other than lots of missionary work! haha we did have a district activity where we re-enacted the coming of Christ to the americas for a branch. it was very nice, and very good for the branch we did it for. so many of the people here cannot read, and therefore cant study the book of mormon on their own. It is wonderful for them to see some of the portions of the BOM in our acting. :) i believe we will do the same activity in point four branch (mine) on the 17th of august. :)

Experience is a great teacher! that is something i have continued to learn this week. it has been great. I am continuing to learn and grow!

Sunday evening we were able to meet with a man to discuss the possibility of doing a district wedding (for all the couples in Monrovia) for him and his 'wife', as his wife has desires of being baptized. We  were there initially to explain the significance of marriage and the importance of being chaste, especially for his 'wife' before she is baptized. We did not expect to teach him much other than that, but it was so wonderful to watch as the spirit directed our discussion into the first vision. I was so amazed to watch the words flow from my mouth as i recalled Joseph's recount of His vision. The spirit was so strong, and i could see that the man was actually understanding my english and what i was saying. I pray he will have a desire to be baptized soon.

I have had many experiences like this, and they make me so grateful for the opportunity i have to share my testimony each and every day. it truly is a blessing!! i could not ask for a greater responsibility, than to share with others the gospel which i know is true. I love it, and i am grateful to have this opportunity for two years.

I cannot say that the work is all fun and games :) but the opportunities that come along with the work are wonderful :)  I am striving to forget myself in this work, and the more i do that, the happier i see myself!

Lets see, a quick update. I should let you know that Monrovia really isnt as hot as Houston. Im quite confident of that, but maybe ive just adjusted. A better comparison is probably more like Destin. its hot, but not toooooo hot. at night you dont sleep with a blanket, and your sheets are a little sweaty and wet, but not to the extent that its sooooo uncomfortable. the heat doesnt bother me much, so dont worry about that :)

it rains almost daily this time of the year, but usually only for an hour or so. its often overcast for at least a couple hours of the day, but i believe thats because we are literally on the shore. My proselyting area is right on the beach, as in im walking on the sand. i even teach some lessons with waves crashing in the backround. pretty sweet eh? :)

Yes, Ryan, i have walked through some poo streams this week. that only happens when it rains for an entire night and floods. that happens pretty often i guess, but we wear rain boots so its ok. haha until you step on a razor blade and get a small leak in your boot! but dont worry, i melted some rubber and sealed it back up again!! :)

shoot! my time is out!!! dont worry family, a wonderful, happy letter is on its way in response to all your questions :)

This week, remember that you are just one voice, but your voice can change the world. in all you do and say, follow Him, our Lord and Savior. Use your voice to proclaim this beautiful gospel !

-elder fairwell