Just because my brother is starting college in Utah and I am currently on a yearlong mission trip doing door-to-door evangelism does not mean that my family is Mormon.
Ok, I know that those are all telltale signs that my family is Mormon. But here are some reasons that we’re not actually Mormon:
-My brother is going at the University of Utah, not BYU.
-I’m on the World Race of my own accord, not forced on a mission by my church.
-Would Mormons let their missionaries dress like this when going door-to-door?
That’s right, I’m pretty sure I’m not wearing a tie or a bike helmet, so my family is in the clear.
In other news, I’m currently in Chao, Peru! We all made it safely and easily from Ecuador to Peru, and it was actually quite an enjoyable travel day(s). We even had our own bus for the 12-hour trip from the border to Trujillo, so we could relax and sleep soundly knowing our stuff was safe onboard.
I don’t know what I was expecting in Peru, but I wasn’t expecting this. Chao, the city we’re living in, is in a desert climate with lots of mountains around it. The buildings are built with dirt bricks, so the city looks like the Middle East. We’re living in a hostel, and eating at a family’s house.
If you actually read my rant against my family being Mormon, you would know that ministry this month involved lots of door-to-door evangelism. And by lots, I mean that and preaching are our sole ministries for the month. They are quite enjoyable, but it also means that I get the privilege of speaking in Spanish for about 4 hours a day during evangelism followed by translating sermons for my teammates in front of the congregation. Thankfully, Google created this little thing called an online translator where I can get a translated copy of their sermons and merely read them up front with them.
So far, it has been fun talking and sharing with some of the members of the church. There’s Pedro, who owns a local tienda and is kind of secretary for the Church. He’s hooked us up with snacks and helped us barter a good price for our hostel. Then there’s Rueben, a local youth who helps lead the youth group here and goes out sharing with us sometimes. On Saturday, he came with Angela and I, and we got to practice English with him and hear about his life while we walked between houses and waited for people to answer their doors.
Door-to-door evangelism has its ups and downs. It’s a good way to tell many people about the love of God, but when I’m trying to stumble through it in Spanish, I can’t help but think that I’m not quite doing justice to the truly awesome gift of Jesus Christ. Thankfully God asks us to do what we can for Him and He’ll take care of the rest. He’s legit like that.
I’m excited for what God will not only do in this city, but for what He will do in my heart this month.
