Encouragement from Above

Hey fam,

The week was alright.  Still having issues with the plumbing and water pressure.  We didn’t get much done this week, we had plumbers and "experts" come Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  They were at our place the entire day, coming in and out of the pension, so we couldn’t really go anywhere.  Wednesday we were in the capital all day, so really it was a week full of trying to fix the water, and not succeeding.  There is now cold water, but 0 pressure in the hot water.  And to top it off, the owner of the house is making us pay for it all, even though it’s nothing we did and comes from her water tank and plumbing that they use for her house and ours (they are side by side).  But it’s funny how they have all the hot water and pressure they want, and we don’t have squat.  Just one of those weeks.

Sunday was either a really good day, or a really bad day, depending on your perspective of things.  We had a grand total of 3 people at church. Us 2 missionaries and one member.  A definite drop from the 20 we had been getting used to.  But it was probably the most spiritual and enlightening sacrament meeting I had ever been to. Our own, modern day, 2 Kings 6 story.

  

We started off the meeting singing the song "Christ the Lord is RisenToday" then "I Stand All Amazed."  My comp then gave a talk on some of the highlights of conference.  Then we sang "Onward Christian Soldiers" as the intermediate hymn.  In the 4th verse, in Spanish it says:

"Al gran Rey eterno todos honrarán;

ángeles y hombres juntos cantarán"

then the chorus.

And that translated in English is:

"Glory, laud, and honor

Unto Christ, the King.
This through countless ages
Men and angels sing."

then Onward Christian Soldiers, marching as to war...

I lead the music every Sunday, and as we sang those words, I heard the voices of angels and of men and women who have come and gone before us singing along, supporting us and telling us and encouraging us, "Onward, Christian Soldiers."  As I got up to speak, I shared what I had heard and felt with my companion and the member who was there, they were both in tears and had felt the same.  There may have only been 3 visible seats filled to the human eye, but that sacrament meeting was standing room only, a room full of angels and of men and of women, of Saints already gone, who suffered the same in the early days of the church as we suffer here in this area, and they were there supporting us in our trial.  I did not see, but I testify that I felt and heard, Angels and Men singing Glory, Laud, and Honor that day.  Won’t be a day I will be forgetting any time soon! 

It sounds like y’all had an awesome week!  Full of soccer games and feeding the missionaries.  That sounds like a really neat experience with Sister Simons and everybody at the temple, wish I could have been a part of it.  We find out about transfers this Saturday, and my comp goes home on Sunday.  So I will be getting a new companion, and will most likely be staying in the same area.  There is a possibility of me training a greenie straight from the MTC, but we will see what happens.  

Give Grandpa and Grandmommie some love for me when they come down for the weekend. Hope everybody has a great week!

Love you all,

Elder Mangum

P.S. Tell Luke a Happy Birthday for me on Thursday!