So crazy busy week this week. My companion is one of the Zone Leaders and I'm the District Leaders. As a part of our responsibilities, we do tradeoffs with the missionaries in our zone/districts. So, between the 2 of us, we have done 6 tradeoffs within the past 2 weeks and it's been crazy busy. During tradeoffs, my companion met a lady while working in our area. This older lady is Maria, and she is from Nicaragua! So yes, we became temporary Spanish speaking missionaries using our high school Spanish to talk with her. She is loca, in a good way, haha. Just a typical abuelita and really made me miss Mexican food (P.S. we've actually had to explain what a taco or burrito is to some people. I know, crazy). We did a lot A LOT of service in her backyard. We're going back tomorrow to finish up, and she also came to church! I think she had a good experience as we sat with her throughout and translated some stuff or explained other stuff. It was awesome!
So the miracle I mentioned last week. It's really more something that meant a lot to me than the miracle that many of you think of. Anyways, I was on tradeoffs last week with Elder Lewis (from New Zealand, Samoan speaking) in his area. We were visiting some people when all of sudden I needed to use the toilet. Yup, I know. So I ask Elder Lewis where the nearest Maccas (McDonalds) is so I can go. So we drive over to Maccas, when we get there we happen to run into the other missionaries (my companion with Elder Lewis' companion, and our flat mates). They were just finishing up with lunch and were heading out. So we go in, I go in and do my business and come out to my Elder Lewis having just ordered a meal. I was surprised b/c we planned to just skip lunch so we could have more time to visit members. Little did I know, Elder Lewis' companion's Aunt is the manager at this Maccas! So every time missionaries come in, she always feeds them. So we sit down, eat, and the aunt comes over and sits with us. We start talking, she starts guessing who I am (add Nepalese to the list) and I tell who my ethnicity. After saying, American Indian, her eyes go wide and just starts tearing up! She didn't know why she was, but she talked about the connection she feels she has since she Maori (native islander to New Zealand). She asked me what it was like being American Indian in America, and she started going off on the history of white people throughout the world and the typical stuff you hear from colored people.
It was at this time that I shared my thoughts regarding this. Yes, a lot of bad things have happened in the past. People still hate people like Columbus, Custer, Andrew Jackson, etc, for the things they did. Unfortunately this hate still exists among Native Americans. I'll admit, I used to have some of this animosity in my youth. It wasn't until I was investigating this church and I was trying to understand the Book of Mormon that my views changed and animosity disappeared. One day, I was reading in 1 Nephi 15 and it spoke about my people:
"After my seed and the seed of my brethren shall have dwindled in unbelief... been smitten by the Gentiles... after the Lord God shall have camped against them... have laid siege against them... raised forts against them... after they shall have been brought down low in the dust... (1 Ne. 26:15)
"... then shall the fulness of the Gospel of the Messiah come unto the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles unto the remnant of our seed... And at that day shall the remnant of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel, and that they are a covenant people of the Lord; and then shall they come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved.
"And then at that day will they not rejoice and give praise unto their everlasting God, their rock and salvation? Yea, at that day, willl they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine? Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God? (1 Ne. 15:14-15)"
After reading this, everything went away. These horrible events had to take place among my people and people throughout the world in order for them to eventually receive the thing of greatest value to me - the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It needed to take place in order for me and my family to come "to the knowledge of [our] Redeemer... that [we] may know how to come unto him and be saved..."
So I shared these things with her. I shared her my gratitude for the the Plan of Salvation. Because of my knowledge of this, I am comforted from the loss of my Uncle and Grandpa this past year, and I know where they are. I know they are learning and free from worldly pressures, physical limitations, and pain. I testified and shared my gratitude for this Gospel. As I spoke, it was powerful, it came from my heart and was carried by the Spirit to me and the others. So far in my mission, I feel that this has been the most power I've felt testifying. It was... Incredible. (Afterwards, Elder Lewis would say the same things. That it was powerful, I was full of the Spirit and I said everything he tried to say but couldn't as if I read his mind. He was so blown away that he started going crazy and saying crazy stuff like "I wouldn't be surprised if you were the next Zone Leader or AP" "You are so full of the Spirit!" He's a funny guy and is too kind and really crazy saying this. So after this, she was moved. You could see it. Then, we continued talking, and she made a small comment saying that she wasn't a member....... My stomach dropped at this point.... I was testifying and talking to her as if she was a member and I had absolutely no idea... We continued our conversation and ended on good terms. While driving away, Elder Lewis kept asking how I knew we should go to Maccas, to "teach" this Aunt. I said it was my bowels... my bowels told me I needed to go to Maccas and use the toilet. We were just both shocked with how everything worked out and the opportunity we had to powerfully testify to this Aunt who was also touched (and how I probably wouldn't have testified or said what I said had I known she wasn't a member. Elder Lewis knew though, but never told me and was probably why he wasn't able to say the things he wanted to say. He said that I said everything he would've said anyways though). Then the greatest miracle of how my "bowels were full of mercy" that day. Have a great week!
Elder Brandon Escamilla
에스카미야 장로
Australia Sydney Mission
호주 스다니 선교부
I'm basically in Vietnam, so gotta play the part with the Vietnamese hat! Next language to learn, Vietnamese!
Zone conference, Elder Li and I (one of my old companion's, Elder Neas, favorite missionaries
Us walking down the street with Maria
Tradeoffs with Elder Kapa (from Vanuatu), biking all over for the day