My first full week in Canada! This area really has no problems. It's easy to get discouraged and I've got to be honest, this is the hardest thing that I've ever done, but this area as I said really has no problems.
I can feel your prayers working miracles here in Dieppe. Just this past week we met some very interesting people and plenty of potentials. I don't think many Americans have a clue how Canada really is. At least in Moncton it's a very hard life here for many people. Drugs are everywhere and a lot of people I've spoken with are involved with the selling and consumption of drugs. This former drug lord was very nice however, and he told us that in case we're ever in trouble he could call us. When he told me that I was like uhhhh am I in the right country? There was another man with a shotgun threatening people in an apartment we'd usually knock, and the whole area was taped off so we're not going back there for a while. Dieppe is weird because it has very nice homes in some places, but just terrible things going on around the other houses. The ARP meetings here are a huge faith builder. Repentance has nothing to do with just saying we're sorry. Repentance is changing ourselves to become more like Christ. It is making small and simple covenants with God so that we can continue to become converted. Conversion is not an event, it is a process.
The economy here is poor and many people are moving out to Alberta to work in the oil industry. So although we're moving out a lot of nice non-member families. They don't have any time to meet with us. Our teaching pool doesn't really exist and the days are hard, but when you count your blessings you realize how much The Lord has blessed you.
Something that has been on my mind this past week is the thought that popped into my head during Zone Conference: Revelation teaches Sacrifice. We don't obey the commandments for the blessings that come from them, we keep them to come closer the Jesus Christ. By doing so we begin to understand the atonement more fully. The atonement can be explained mechanically, but it can only be understood through experience. For example, we sacrifice the natural man when we obey the words of the prophets. When we sacrifice those carnal desires we begin to understand Christ's sacrifice. We don't keep the Word of Wisdom or the Law of Chastity for the health benefits. We keep them because they teach us sacrifice-they are revelation. This entire life is about becoming converted to Christ, that is why we have families just as God does and that is why we keep the commandments-to understand the atonement more fully. Mothers understand the atonement the most.
Our days are filled with finding! I have spoken with some very interesting people haha. We spoke with a Belgian Buddhist, some pagan lesbians-there was a large pride parade here the other day, and the coolest freaking black man in the world-Shaik Elijah from Jamaica! He is so motivated to understand the gospel! We're going to be meeting up with him later in the week and man ahhhh I'm so happy! Lessons here are few and far between, but Shaik (Shake) is the hugest tender mercy I've seen on my mission so far.
We also street contacted into this one young family-Kyle and Jackie. Kyle has lots of tattoos of bible verses and he's recovering with some mental issues but they really want to raise their son Noah in a faith centered home. The most important learning that occurs in this life is in between the walls of homes. We have increased our potentials list from 2 to 10! If we could get a lesson that would be grand because that's like literally all we learnt in the MTC haha. I love talking to people and getting to know where their walk of life. It's amazing how many people will just tell you their life story. Played some frisbee with three 70 year old men and they told me to write home that they whooped the missionaries.
Contacting is fun but often at times we get really rude people. It probably wasn't the best idea to chastise this one woman who cussed me out after I introduced myself. I told her it's simple human respect to speak kindly with others, religion aside. In the end all missionaries do is invite. We don't shove religion down people's throats-we invite. Which is what the Saviour did in the end of Matthew 11. He invites us to take his yoke upon us and learn of him. Life is hard, it's harder when you don't keep the commandments.
I love you all and thank you so much for writing me!!!
Elder McGuire
We found this creepy doll in the apartment that we hide in random places to scare eachother.
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