Maarte - Dramatic (9)

Maarte means dramatic, or like overly dramatic, like a girl jumping on a chair at the sight of a mouse, or someone being very offended by a sentence like "Man I love the Philippines," "Oh, so now you hate America, I see how it is,". [Edit: The most common use is for people who are picky about food, for example, Americans are often called maarte because they don't like to eat fish...but whatevs.]

that kind of dramatic

Its been a combo ball of Good and Evil, Happiness and sorrow, Pain/sickness, light and miracles. It has been epic, but dramatic, but oh the things I've learned from it all.


Well, lets start where we left off,

 My ward has still been really stagnant until out of no where they approved to build a chapel in our area to replace the meeting house which used to be a dance bar. This caused an excitement and sparked a desire to get active, pay tithing, and work with the missionaries. We will finally be getting some ward co-operation. That is way cool. (It's been decades they've been without a chapel)

Joanabelle, the one who lives 2 hours away is lined up for the 15th of may with Ian Tiosen who is also a mega mega stud. We came over to his house to prep him for the interview and all, and the first thing he says is "I don't have my book of Mormon," and we asked "why? what happened?" his response was "I gave it to my friend so he could read it, I also gave out all the pamphlets you gave me, and they want you to teach them."  Future missionary? chya.

So, things with my comp started to get a lil choppy, just kind of uneasy. Nothing serious, no fights or like arguments, but rather their was a lack of communication or I felt an issue, but couldnt approach it, or didnt know how to. It was suffocating my spiritual sensitivity, but I didnt know it was coming from my companionship, so we will get back to that.

I started getting confused and didn't understand why I was losing a lot of my spiritual power and sensitivity. I had been setting good goals, studying weaknesses and how to overcome them, and our companionship goals were good. I put my head down and kind of went commando in an attempt in order to retain that which I felt I was losing. I studied harder, I started praying more often and with  more energy, I removed all the little things that caused disobedience. But even after all these things, there was a void still, something being neglected. A great friend and a miracle brought me to my senses that I was leaving my companion behind, trying to do things solo, even in teaching. He has a really hard time listening, and it's impossible to teach if you dont listen to your comp and the investigator, so I kind of unconsciously took away his normal opportunities to teach, and like I said, went commando. But even after all these things, there was still that gap.

Finally I talked to my comp. He finally opened up, and told me many things that I was doing wrong that I had no idea I was doing. I sat humbly in awe as my inadvertent actions were causing my companion a lot of grief and suffering, to the point he wanted to be E-Transferred by punching me! I was shocked, and could have started crying from regret and sorrow that I didn't understand what I was doing. It was something small, that grew and grew over  6 weeks, and because it wasn't addressed it became a big problem. We talked about it, and I promised him I would change immediately if he would meet me half way and begin to listen in lessons so we can become one in teaching, and truly unify. He consented, and things haven't been better since. I made the tiny change that solved a big problem, and he has been taking extra steps to listen and contribute more in teaching. COMMUNICATION is the answer, even if it seems small and unimportant, it needs to be discussed, because if a weed's root isn't rooted out while its still small, it can grow strong, dig in deep, and grow thorns, making it really hard and painful to remove. Communication is the secret to companionships. [All relationships to be more general, but equally correct. People need to talk, people need to resolve their conflicts. Whether if it is with a friend, a co-worker, or your family. Small things become big things, and I encourage you to not be afraid to bring it up. In my experience with Lotima, I learned the hard way. I loved Lotima, he was one of my favorite companions; but because he and I both were hesitant to talk about the small things, they overwhelmed the good stuff and broke us apart until we talked it all out, which was a lot more painful than if we would have brought it up early. Be charitable, humble, and meek when you address issues. It is so important to not be on the offensive, but rather, to be understanding that you could be wrong, because chances are...you are. If you can't admit that you may be doing something wrong, you are in no position to tell someone that they are. It's the mote in the eye analogy. That is why it is called communication, not argumentation. If there is one thing I could emphasize to you, in life, is that when you are in close proximity with someone frequently, room-mate, girlfriend, spouse, or any other, talk openly one with another, and I promise your relationship will strengthen, and the big fights will never come.]

Amongst this my companion was hospitalized for having a fever of 102 degrees. He was down and out for 5 days, and on that 5th day another miracle happened where he was healed and rose and worked very hard in-spite of his sickness. God blessed and answered his faith with other variables comprehended only by God. This caused the ward to think we had been transfered which caused a big disturbance. But we cleared that up.




Their are certain things that I cannot discuss in this epistle that have happened these last weeks because of their sacredness and their seriousness, however, I do want to bear testimony and give my honest belief now in the reality of Angels and Demons. Angels are there, waiting, protecting, watching, and the opposition is standing-by, ready to manifest itself. I have witnessed the physical, temporal power of both these parties in this past month, and they are very real, very here, even as spirits, they have power to interact with the world we live in. So be on guard, be attentive, and look for them. They both are watching.


Many many other things have been learned. I have learned a limitless amount about my personal weaknesses, and am learning to overcome them. I have learned what the word "Hope" truly means, its deep connection with action, or, in other words, faith. Its connection to charity, love for one's self, God, and his fellow man. Hope is the only reason why you go to school, a hope to get an education right? to hope for a good job, to hope to provide for your family. This hope is manifested through studying hard, getting good grades, achieving the graduate, and then searching for that job. Spiritually speaking, it is obedience, to hope that blessings will come, it is suffering through trials, and having patience and trust that these things will bring forth fruits of knowledge, experience, and wisdom. Are we not certain a good education will provide a good job? Obviously we cannot know with a surety, but because of the evidences and experiences of others, a good education will provide a good job. Hope is this. We have the experiences of other nations and peoples in the scriptures, the testimonies of old and modern prophets, and these things help us believe that salvation will come through obedience and faith. Obedience + faith = Salvation. And this is our hope. much like Good Education + Searching = Good job. We can never be sure, but we have faith and believe and hope that we will be granted our desires, whether it is for a good job, or for eternal happiness with our Father.

Their you have it ladies and gentlemen, and it is only a millionth of the things that have happened. And for this I apologize I cannot report them all

I love you all, God bless

-Elder Mace