Miracles

Hello Everyone!

My time seems to get shorter and shorter. The computer I write on isn´t very good and takes a long time to load things (a GREAT way to work on your patience when all you want to do is write your family) I also write my president a bit more than I used to. So please forgive me for not replying to all of the personal emails.

Sorry for not sending an email last week, it isn't for a lack of things happening.

I´ll dive right in: These last two weeks have been crazy. Saturday we went to visit a member whose young daughter had left him to be with her boyfriend (she has stopped studying in school unfortunately.) We later found out that when we knocked on the gate, he was about to commit suicide. He instead let us in, we talked. He changed from wanting to kill himself to wanting to kill the family that had stolen his daughter to finally calming down and not wanting to kill anyone. I wish I had time to relate everything. I just kept thinking, Heavenly Father please help him to calm down, please help me to know what to say, please please please please please. I don´t know what to do, this man is so sad I can feel it, it´s palpable. And it hurts to know someone is in pain like that. He isn't a bad man. Just in pain. We testified of love. He said that he heard a voice saying that he shouldn't do those things while we were with him. He also stopped crying. We said a prayer with him on our knees and left. It was a miracle to me.

I also learned how to cut grass with a machete. Now that builds (and knots) muscle like nobodies business. I´ve cut grass before, but this was new, even for me. I got really dirty too :D

Yesterday we had stake conference (where a bunch of Mormons get together to listen to good things.) We have an investigator named Ana. She has been investigating for eight years. She has met the past three mission presidents, she know more than I do, Her children are members, she´s married (usually people aren't married) Attends church. Even the conferences, which no one here does. But she has a fear of officially joining the church.

Yesterday we had the baptismal interview. It is a miracle it happened. First off, she almost didn't go to church (ie that means she wouldn't be able to get baptized because the people that do the interviews live in Liberia an hour and a half away where we were conveniently, having the conference.) So we went to her house at 6:30 in the morning. Wonder of wonders, she was sleeping. But, we woke her up. How rude right? But it was important. We called a member to come pick us all up. Went to the conference. It was AWESOME. The interview was scheduled for after, and well, she passed. Her story is really much cooler than I´m writing, but I am stressed and out of time. The baptism is for this weekend, pray for her, a lot.

Gradually,

Elder Noah M. Toney

Rain!

Howdy Howdy :)

Hope all is well. This past week has been an adventure. To start off, my companion learned how to make an egg bomb. I was in the bathroom when I hear this muffled explosion. I exit the bathroom in a jiffy, and see my companion standing, frozen in place, with pieces of egg covering EVERYTHING. He tried making a hard boiled egg in the microwave. He puts the egg in a bowl of water, then places it the microwave for TEN MINUTES. Then he peels it (still doesn't explode) After he is about to poke it with a fork, and before he even touched it, it exploded. I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry. I opted for the former. This goes to show that you should most definitely not put eggs in the microwave.

I also got to speak with my Family. Ain't got much to say about that, other than that it was good to see them. Family is important.

It rained!

This past Sunday in church I heard a talk that really had an impact on me. He talked mostly about the responsibility of Fathers, and the importance of marriage. At one point he recounted a story of how at one point. his young son fought with his mom over who would take off the boots of his dad (He´s a big burly construction man) It made me remember a few of the times that I had done the same for my father. It made me wonder if I´d be the type of Father that inspired that type of respect in his sons. It keeps me motivated to do good things. The talk taught me a little bit about the importance of unity in everything we do, be it with spouse, work companion, or mission companion. Be a man of dignity.

That isn't quite so easy to achieve, but as I shared with my family last night, I don´t believe it matters where you are at in your life, COMPLETELY irrelevant, to put it frankly. I believe that what matters is where you are going, and if you are taking steps today to achieve it. We are not all in the same places in our lives, but I don´t ever remember hearing that that affects the amount of love God has for us.

Auspiciously,

Elder Noah M. Toney

The son of my cook with my plac

Compa

Mission Birthdays

Hello,

Today's letter will be rather short. I am learning to order my time a little better in the night, because now a days things are a bit busier. Suffice it to say, I haven´t kept my journal the best.

My birthday was good. Pretty much just a normal day. I had the opportunity of giving a 45 minute lesson that was completely off the cuff, hats off to Andy Louthain, he showed me the way one bright Sunday when I only spake for seven minutes and he had to fill the rest of the time.

I am drawing a blank in my mind right now. But I am well, It´s never easy, but I´m gradually learning, becoming better. I´m learning to love. The kind of love that isn't selfish, that wants to help. And I´m really learning the dangers of pride. Be wary. It is a subtle poison that seeps into every portion of your life, it destroys slowly but surely if you don´t catch it. It ruins relationships, opportunities, and dreams. Humility is not weakness, it is a sign of true strength.

Waringly,

Elder Noah M. Toney

Pancakes in a cup. I am a genius.

After the sisters broke an egg, with paper in it, over my head.

This is at the house of some memebers. I'm not quite sure what I'm doing, but it makes me laugh.

My comp is about to smack someone with a pillow.

Really Insufficient

Hello Everyone!

Check out the hole in my worn out shoes!  I´m pretty sure I can fix them. Just requires some cement an they´ll be good as new!

My week has been so very very busy! Being the district leader is very busy, haha. I officially have no time to do anything like write in my journal or eat or anything like that. But I´m learning a whole lot. I honestly think I´d die if I didn't have help from my Heavenly Father.  I am learning how to depend on Him more, because as this butt kicking week has illustrated so finely, I am rather insufficient. Okay, I´m REALLY insufficient. But slowly I'm getting a hang of things. I´ll tell you what though, this is GREAT for my humility because I no longer think I´m all that and a bag of chips. I don´t mean to be self depreciating, but golly this stuff is real. It´s a tad surreal that people expect me to solve their problems, and it´s even more surreal when I actually resolve them. That being said, I have a good support system, my zone leaders are very capable and my companion has a lot of experience.

Motorcycle of an investigator

Speaking of him, he is another Guatemalan, the oldest of his four brothers, and the first in his family to go on a mission. He has a year and change in the mission and has been a district leader before. We get along pretty well. Things are certainly different with him, but I have a lot of hopes for these six weeks. If we don´t kill each other first :D

First off, I´m in Santa Cruz, not San José, San José is the big capital city, Santa Cruz is small (relatively) and not capital:) I kinda knew that I´d be staying, since Elder Lopez had more time than I in the area, so I was expecting it. I love this area more then ever, but I´m also pretty ready to leave. At this point, even the street dogs know me well. I like to trip over the same rocks every day. That being said, I continue to discover new things about Santa Cruz, new people, and new places. We´re working harder than ever.


To answer someone's question, it is very rare for our mission president to put two white kids together. It happens, but not much. I don´t have high hopes of receiving an american companion.

Tired but, excitedly,

Elder Noah M. Toney