Once upon a time there was an Elder. He worked hard in Uruguay during the winter, but forgot what it was like to be warm. It didn't seem to matter how many sweaters or jackets he put on, the cold still penetrated. He even looked like that kid from "A Christmas Story" because of how many clothes he had to put on. The winter almost destroyed him. (Back to first person.) They are calling for snow in Uruguay this week. Do you know how long it has been since it has snowed in Uruguay? There's a man in our ward of 82 years who has never seen snow in his life. That's how long. It probably won't snow here in Florida because of how low it is in altitude; we'll just get the fierce winds and the rain: oh, joy... I broke down and bought gloves and an umbrella. I am not as strong as I thought I was. Even though the gloves don't really keep my hands warm, I think that it's a mental thing.
The cold doesn't help the Uruguayans want to listen to us in the street or even in their houses. Uruguayan culture calls for two things when it is cold, dark, and wet. Tortas fritas (which is just fried dough, sometimes with dulce de leche) and sleep. If there is one thing that Uruguayans like more than (anything to do with) fútbol, it is sleeping. At any time of the day (but especially after lunch, when they take their siesta, which is the optional nap that most of them enjoy after a nice meal). So what do we do as missionaries in these circumstances that don't seem in our favor? We have faith and keep working! Don't think that there is ever an excuse not to work (unless it's too dangerous, but that rarely ever happens). We need to find, teach, and baptize! This week was incredibly fast and we worked harder than ever, bringing us a lot of success. People came to church and the branch is growing. We are working to help the members get jazzed about firstly, going out with us to teach, and next, find people for us to teach. We need more faith right now so we can see greater miracles.
We're teaching several people right now, but they are still having trouble progressing. We want them to progress, but we cannot force them. Our job is to carry the Spirit unto their hearts; they have their decision let it into their hearts. We find with faith, we teach with testimony, and we baptize with water. That's the way to do it. We are teaching an older lady named Olga (and she's not German--I had always been under the impression that women with the name of either Helga or Olga were born about eighty years old with muscles like a Roman soldier and a thick German accent; I was wrong). She is the grandma of a family of members and we're all trying to help her realize that religion is not a position of status. That's the reason that many people don't want to change. We'll keep praying about the way we can help her grow a testimony of the restoration. I love you all. Thanks for your support! I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.
LOVE,
Elder Plautz
Oren por mí y los hijos de Dios que sirvo. Precisamos las oraciones suyas.
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