The missionaries who live in Munhava have been many
days without water..... but not anymore, because this week they moved to
a new apartment!
The longest period without water was for eight (8) days at the beginning of the year, but there have been numerous times of three (3) days at a time. Normally, when this occurs we bring them and their water containers to our apartment. For water storage the common practice is to use a 20 liter yellow container (which was previously used for cooking oil). These empty containers can be purchased for $2 on the street. Every home (including ours) has some.
The missionaries have smaller containers used to store purified water. Additionally, upon occasion, they use our guards showers and we do their laundry.
Finally, enough was enough and even though the Rental Contract goes until the end of May and the rent for the month of March had already been paid, the mission wrote a termination letter to the Landlord. Therefore, on Tuesday, March 4th the missionaries were sleeping in a new and much nicer apartment!
The longest period without water was for eight (8) days at the beginning of the year, but there have been numerous times of three (3) days at a time. Normally, when this occurs we bring them and their water containers to our apartment. For water storage the common practice is to use a 20 liter yellow container (which was previously used for cooking oil). These empty containers can be purchased for $2 on the street. Every home (including ours) has some.
The missionaries have smaller containers used to store purified water. Additionally, upon occasion, they use our guards showers and we do their laundry.
Finally, enough was enough and even though the Rental Contract goes until the end of May and the rent for the month of March had already been paid, the mission wrote a termination letter to the Landlord. Therefore, on Tuesday, March 4th the missionaries were sleeping in a new and much nicer apartment!
Here is a photo of the new kitchen, complete with granite countertop!!
The
young man with the suit coat is humble and always happy Elder Jose
Caetano Antonio from Manga 2. He was somewhat nervous as this was his
first time flying. Previously, on August 22, 2013, Mom and I conducted a
type of English proficiency test for him. He was then called to
Londrina, Brazil which is within my old mission.
While Mom selects the best avocado the woman in the red top sells various slices of goat!
On Friday, March 7th, Elder Anderson starts his return home to New Zealand having completed his mission.
Elder Sip from St. George took this photo of us today....
Elder Anderson with his arm around Elder Ensaldo from the Pheonix area,
who has also completed his mission. The other elders are from Manga 1.
Here are some notes I made regarding the blood that maketh an Atonement.
Just before offering the great intercessory prayer and entering the garden of Gethsemane to endure “ the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God.” (D & C 76:107; 88:106) Jesus gathered his eleven faithful apostles and said unto them: “Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.”
(John 16: 32)
Earlier Jesus had taught: “...I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me....And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.”(John 8:16, 29)
The apostle John testified of Jesus by stating: “... for God giveth him not the Spirit by measure,for he dwelleth in him, even the fullness.” (JST John 3:34)
The
Prophet Joseph Smith said: “None ever were perfect but Jesus: and why
was He perfect ? Because He was the Son of God, and had the fullness of the Spirit,” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pages 187-188).
Once in the garden of Gethsemane “he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy.” (Mark
14:33) the footnote for ‘sore amazed’ states: “amazed, awestruck,
astonished.” This has also been described as “terrified, surprised”
Elder James E. Talmage said that Jesus “was soon enveloped by deep sorrow, which appears to have been, in a measure, surprising to Himself ”(Jesus the Christ, page 611)
Now
in the garden of Gethsemane as Jesus took the combined sins of all
mankind, Jesus experienced for the first time in His life the loss of
the Spirit as the Holy Ghost can not dwell where there is sin and Jesus
was temporarily experiencing the effects of becoming the greatest sinner
of all time.
Satan
was of course present. The word ‘agony’ comes from the Greek word
‘agon’ which means: contest, struggle, fight, facing an opponent. At one
point “.. there
appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in
an agony he prayed more earnestly: and he sweat as it were great drops of blood..” (JST Luke 22: 43-44)
Luke the physician, records: “great drops of blood.”
(JST Luke 22:44)
Why is this important ? The Old Testament records: “..the life of the flesh is in the blood...for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” (Lev. 17:11)
President
Brigham Young explained: " the Father withdrew Himself, withdrew His
Spirit, ...This is what made him sweat blood. If he had had the power of
God upon him, he would not have sweat blood;" (Brigham Young, in
Journal of Discourses vol. 3 page 206.)
Elder
James E. Talmage wrote: "It was not physical pain, nor mental anguish
alone, that caused him to suffer such torture as to produce an extrusion
of blood from every pore; but a spiritual agony of soul such as only
God was capable of experiencing." (Talmage, ‘Jesus the Christ’; pp.
613-614)
The
Sacrament prayer for the water states: "that they may do it in
remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them" (D & C
20:79)
"for
behold, blood cometh from every pore" (Mosiah 3:7) "his blood atoneth"
(Mosiah 3:11) "the atonement of his blood" (Mosiah 3: 15) "the blood of
Christ atoneth for their sins" (Mosiah 3: 16)
In the Old Testament times, blood was literally sprinkled upon the believers.
"And
he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the
people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be
obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant.." (Exodus 24: 7-8)
King
Benjamin's people prayed: "O have mercy and apply the atoning blood of
Christ that we may receive forgiveness for our sins" (Mosiah 4: 2).
During the time of total darkness in which “there could be no light” (3 Ne. 8:21) a voice was heard by the more righteous part that had been spared saying: “Behold,
I am Jesus Christ the Son of God..ye shall offer up unto me no more the
shedding of blood;...ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken
heart and contrite spirit” (3 Ne. 9: 15, 19-20).
“To
have a broken heart and a contrite spirit is to be humble and receptive
to the will of God and to the counsel of those He has called to lead
His Church. It also means to feel deep sorrow for sin and a sincere
desire to repent.”
(True to the Faith, Sacrifice, pages 149-150).
Oh,
that this Sunday and every Sunday, we may attend Church and offer the
sacrifice of a broken heart and contrite spirit in remembrance of the
blood of Christ, which was shed for us.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: "So
it is that real, personal sacrifice never was placing an animal on the
altar. Instead, it is a willingness to put the animal in us upon the
altar and letting it be consumed! Such is the 'sacrifice unto the Lord
... of a broken heart and a contrite spirit,' (D&C 59:8), a
prerequisite to taking up the cross, while giving 'away all [our] sins'
in order to 'know God' (Alma 22:18) for the denial of self precedes the
full acceptance of Him." ("Deny Yourselves of All Ungodliness," Ensign, May 1995, 68)
I love you!
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