So, it was nice to see an email from him in our inboxes. There were no pictures as expected, blah. I shall be patient - once he gets out of the MTC the real fun and correspondence can begin. I sent him a package on Saturday with the AlphaSmart 3000 that should be delivered to the mission office tomorrow, although he won't get it until he's done a the MTC, so hopefully he'll get it with that first assignment, fingers crossed, and then we'll get more detailed letters the week after that.
As for this weeks letter, he shares a good story, I've done the google researching and added pictures, links, and some editorial comments, etc. So here's this week's report from Elder Wride:
Subject: Placentero nos es trabajar
Well it was a great week!! I want to share more here than just the normal routine stuff but I'll still put some of that. First thing
Placentero nos es trabajar. (Translation: How Pleasing It Is To Work") It's a song in the spanish hymnbook that's not in the English hymnbook. Yet. President Hill is sure it will be added in the standard hymnbook they're accepting contributions for because it's the most beloved hymn in all of Latin America. And for good reason.
Here's the story about it but I might not have all the details right and I can't remember a lot of stuff so try and research the history about it yourself on google because I'm just going off of memory about the story.
Andrés C. Gonzáles was one of the first missionaries in Mexico and I don't know where he was from (I think Mexico) and I don't know what year. It was like earlier in the church though. (He was born in 1887 at Nadadores, Coahuila, Mexico, served his mission from Aug 1910 -1912) He was sent as a missionary there and like I said he was one of the first missionaries there in Mexico but they weren't being received very well.
Andrés C. Gonzáles was one of the first missionaries in Mexico and I don't know where he was from (I think Mexico) and I don't know what year. It was like earlier in the church though. (He was born in 1887 at Nadadores, Coahuila, Mexico, served his mission from Aug 1910 -1912) He was sent as a missionary there and like I said he was one of the first missionaries there in Mexico but they weren't being received very well.
The music to the song in the title was the music to like a methodist hymn that he liked and so one day on the street him and his companion were singing it and the methodist people or whoever were like hey that's our song you can't sing it so they got him thrown in jail. He didn't actually think he was going to make it to see his wife and kids again and that he would be shot. So that night in jail he couldn't sleep and decided to rewrite the words to the song. So now they were his lyrics. They were released basically told to not sing the song again because it wasn't their song. After a few blocks he started singing his lyrics to the song though and they were like "hey that's our song" but he was like "nope they're my lyrics" and so they couldn't put him in jail again.
I think it was a little while later something happened where some police like had him against a wall and were going to shoot him. Yeah I know that escalated quickly but that's one of the parts I can't remember. (See my notes at the end of this post for correct details) Point is somehow he ended up against a wall and they were about to shoot him and you know what came to his head? Abinadai! He was likening the scriptures! He said "Wait you can't shoot me! I have a message for your president!" Well the cops were like oh no what if he really does have a message for our president so they took him to the president of Mexico! The President of the Whole COUNTRY!(Francisco L. Madero) When they started talking the president was just asking them questions and stuff and found out that Andrés' dad was the presidents teacher in high school. Not only that he was his favorite teacher ever. The dad wasn't a member at the time I think but still made a really good impression of the president so the president is like okay let me hear your message and they ended up talking for like 2 hours! I'm not sure if the president kept taking the discussions or not but it was because of that that he made a law so that no one could persecute the missionaries anymore and it really opened up missionary work in mexico. Now there are like over 10 I think Temples in Mexico and it all started with Andrés C. Gonzáles who likened the scriptures and kept going with faith even when he though he was going to die. Super cool story and sorry for any details I messed up and whatnot but hopefully it was uplifting. That song is in my top 5 right now with come thou fount (obviously), Amor de ti, Called to Serve, and I Believe in Christ. I'm not listening to music here because I didn't bring a speaker or a usb with music (some other guys did tho) but mostly it's just hymns for meetings or singing in my head haha but so if you're about to head out bring a little speaker and a usb or something to hold the music.
In other news today was the day all the latinos left because they're only here for 3 weeks. Except for the ones learning kekchi. I really don't think that's how you spell it but it's some native dialect that 4 latino elders are learning and they're here for 3 more weeks after us nortes leave in 3 weeks. We would sit with latinos at lunch to talk in spanish to them and funny side note, and I can send you pictures of them when I'm out in the field, but a bunch of the latino elders started calling me steve rogers or elder rogers. They called me that because they thought I looked like steve rogers. I was like oh sweet captain america ya I'll take the compliment but then they said that I looked like him before the injection. So apparently I look like scrawny steve rogers from brookyn who can't do much but has a really good heart.
I think it was a little while later something happened where some police like had him against a wall and were going to shoot him. Yeah I know that escalated quickly but that's one of the parts I can't remember. (See my notes at the end of this post for correct details) Point is somehow he ended up against a wall and they were about to shoot him and you know what came to his head? Abinadai! He was likening the scriptures! He said "Wait you can't shoot me! I have a message for your president!" Well the cops were like oh no what if he really does have a message for our president so they took him to the president of Mexico! The President of the Whole COUNTRY!(Francisco L. Madero) When they started talking the president was just asking them questions and stuff and found out that Andrés' dad was the presidents teacher in high school. Not only that he was his favorite teacher ever. The dad wasn't a member at the time I think but still made a really good impression of the president so the president is like okay let me hear your message and they ended up talking for like 2 hours! I'm not sure if the president kept taking the discussions or not but it was because of that that he made a law so that no one could persecute the missionaries anymore and it really opened up missionary work in mexico. Now there are like over 10 I think Temples in Mexico and it all started with Andrés C. Gonzáles who likened the scriptures and kept going with faith even when he though he was going to die. Super cool story and sorry for any details I messed up and whatnot but hopefully it was uplifting. That song is in my top 5 right now with come thou fount (obviously), Amor de ti, Called to Serve, and I Believe in Christ. I'm not listening to music here because I didn't bring a speaker or a usb with music (some other guys did tho) but mostly it's just hymns for meetings or singing in my head haha but so if you're about to head out bring a little speaker and a usb or something to hold the music.
In other news today was the day all the latinos left because they're only here for 3 weeks. Except for the ones learning kekchi. I really don't think that's how you spell it but it's some native dialect that 4 latino elders are learning and they're here for 3 more weeks after us nortes leave in 3 weeks. We would sit with latinos at lunch to talk in spanish to them and funny side note, and I can send you pictures of them when I'm out in the field, but a bunch of the latino elders started calling me steve rogers or elder rogers. They called me that because they thought I looked like steve rogers. I was like oh sweet captain america ya I'll take the compliment but then they said that I looked like him before the injection. So apparently I look like scrawny steve rogers from brookyn who can't do much but has a really good heart.
Haha it was kinda funny. Also i told this to my district and then one of the Elders was like "oh my I was thinking the same exact thing!"
By the mouth of two or three witnesses shall everything be brought to pass (something like that) so I guess I really do look like Steve. But Chris Evans is a good looking guy so I think I'll still take the compliment.
Today was also a bulk cleaning day for the CCM so they had to get all the elders out of here for a cleaning company to come. So we went to the Zoo and then Wendy's. Best Wendy's I've ever been to and the Zoo was really cool too. I'll talk about that with pictures in a few weeks. Here it's not a 4 for 4 though, it's a 4 por 32 Quetz. Not quite the same ring to it. Especially when you say the numbers in Spanish.
Sunday night we watched a devontional with elder Rasband which was SSOOO good. It was a video of a devotional from the provo MTC like 2 months ago and I saw Jeff Soulier in the choir!! So if someone can tell Sarah Soulier that for me that's be great. Review President Nelsons talks from this past conference! Seriously do it. Kk I gotta go now. Love y'alls!
So - lucky for me I have the internet and time to look this stuff up, and I'll send this to Joseph. This link tells more about Andres C. Gonzalez's family history with more pics and stories. And here's how they met the Pres of Mexico (source is the link above) - The Madero Revolution began in 1910, and in the mission field Andres had many faith promoting experiences. At one time while laboring between Mexico City and the State of Morelos, he and a companion were captured by the Zapata rebels and were released. Later the same day, they were seized by some of Madero's troops on the same charge. The missionaries were then taken to Mexico City to await their fate at the hands of Francisco L. Madero himself, President of Mexico. The Revolutionists expected the President to deal harshly with these spies, but when he learned that Andres was from Coahuila, Madero's own home state, (known in Mexican history as the Queen State of Mexico) and further discovered that Andres was the son of Professor Juan Francisco Gonzalez, whom he knew personally, President Madero embraced him and bade the accusers to leave.
Matt says "I can totally see it!" (Joe looking like pre-injection Rogers.)
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