Cameron!!

GUESS WHAT DAD!?? I was walking in from gym yesterday when I saw a kid
with a jew fro, 5 oclock shadow and a friend he was talking to,
thought to myself "that looks a lot like the kid I've been best
friends with for 17 years," and then realized shortly after that it
was exactly that. Yup, cameron is staying in literally the same
building as us. The MTC is also a hospitality center for those that
are visiting the temple since it's the temple for the entire
carribean. So I got to talk to him for a few minutes. Today during gym
he's going to play basketball with us, but I think what it's going to
turn into is a nice hour conversation and a good opportunity to relay
hugs to people I care about. That was infinitely better than a letter.
It turns out he isn't going to go through the temple while he's here
because he doesn't have his mission call, but the fact that I get to
see him is pretty mind blowing, in a
not-at-all-distracting-from-the-work kind of way. ;)


But yeah, so I'm still kind of in shock over that. I was suddenly, for
a few seconds, back at home just Rufus again. But then I remembered I
was on a mission. You could say it was a little bit of a let down
right at first, and you'd be right, but then again I'm on a mission.
How awesome is that? That was rhetorical, of coures it's awesome. The
only thing that could make it better right now is if I was in the
field. Yup. But I'm not, and I am trying to take advantage of every
day here, and I am learning espanol, but it's really hard to focus at
times. I'm getting antsy, as would anyone trapped in this place for 5
weeks. I'm glad you get to hang out with the family today. Oh, that
reminds me,


HAPPY DIA DE ACCION DE GRACIAS

they are having a turkey dinner for us tonight. My MTC mission pres is
so awesome. He and his wife have our backs, even when we have diarrea.

As far as Spanish goes, I am learning to put more complex sentences
together. I am slowly forgetting my english grammar, which is ideal.
Words is hard. Spanish are hard. But I'm trying to focus on the
language a lot these last few weeks because that's what I'm going to
discouraged with in the field right at first.


Again, I am taking it one day at a time. There isn't really a day that
feels any different that any others, even though in America today
would feel like a GOOD day. Since it's thanksgiving, i'm going to give
a list of things I'm grateful for:


I'm grateful for my family. I'm convinced their prayers and support
get me through the week

I'm grateful for my mission call. It's really hard sometimes, but it's
only as hard as I make it. It's actually a really joyful and rewarding
experience.

I'm grateful for the Gospel. I can never deny it, I know it's true.

I'm grateful for air conditioning.

I'm grateful for a patient companion.

I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father.

I'm grateful for letters

I'm grateful for surprise visits

I'm grateful for my life


I could go on and on. I want to tell a story though. For the first
time at the university this monday we made a contact that I believe is
sincerely interested. He was, it looked like to me, in his mid 40's.
He was sitting on a park bench and staring at us when we walked by,
which we took as an opportunity to start conversation. We told him why
we were there, who we were, asked him a few questions and he asked us
a few of his own. One of them was why we had another book other than
the bible, or a substitute. We told him it went hand in hand with the
bible, it's another testament of Jesus christ, not a substitute, and
that together with the bible it was the fulness of the gospel. He also
asked, since he lived so close to the temple, why he couldn't visit.
The question seemed sincere, so I told him it was a very sacred
building, and that we invite all to go inside, but that there were
pasos, or steps, which he had to take to prepare himself to enter. He
took us very seriously and when we walked by him again we noticed that
he was almost all the way through the pamphlet and had a look of
sincere desire to know more on his face.


I KNOW there are people in my mission who are the same as him, looking
for answers to sincere questions. I've been called here for just that
purpose. I have to answer those questions of the soul. I hope and pray
that that man's heart will be opened and receive our message.


I love you all. Give all the nieces and nephews a hug for me, and of
course the bro's and sisters too. And the uncles and aunts. OH AND
grandmas and grampas.


Till next week, not a second wasted in the dominican

Elder C. Rufus Sweeney