"I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine"
There were parts of my time as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that seem too small or insignificant to stand alone, except these simple pleasures are what helps cement the fact that these adventures I've thus shared are as real as any other historical event. These are chapters of my life's story for what they're worth. My time of Bugambilias felt like a lifetime, probably because it was the wind down to the end. And for that, I present to you some meaningful, albeit, unextraordinary events that transpired during this time.
**NOTE: If you wish to get in contact with missionaries of the Church to learn more, you can do so at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/missionary-visit
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MEXICAN ON THE INSIDE
Over a year and a half in a foreign country, I felt at home. No dissemblance physically, emotionally, or otherwise between myself and those whom I’d come to love and admire so richly. We could have been relatives. A complete cultural synthesis. As I reflect on friends over the years, I am reminded that the intimacies of such crossroad relationships unforeseen are some of the ones I treasure most. In the words of Irish poet William Butler Yeats, "There are no strangers here; only friends you haven't yet met".
I recall a particular Mother's Day activity at the Bugambilias chapel in which the men and children prepared musical performances for their wives and mothers. It was a big deal. Celebration is an innate part of Mexican culture; not only is there a Mother's Day and Father's Day, but they even celebrate Día del Niño (Day of the Child) in Mexico, not to mention Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) and so forth. This event was no less grand than any other celebration. Each woman was treated like a queen with a delicious hot meal and a show. After the acts and the meal, everyone got to their feet and danced. I'd become so acclimatized to their trumpet-rich music and the guitars and the accordions, and even the trending Latin pop songs of the time that I almost knew all the words by now. The music was loud and everyone was on their feet, moving together in upbeat synchronized motion almost like you do in a square dance. The dances of the Mexicans were more than entertainment, though they were. They built unity. Differences didn’t matter, old and young, single or married, short or tall, they all moved as one organism. I stood off to the side and watched them enjoying themselves, just trying to stretch the moment out in my memory. I felt so close to them. I always felt like part of the local congregation no matter where I went. Family loves unconditionally. In a short time, I would return home to be with my biological family, but a part of me never wanted to leave. I had some deep discussions with others in my position, as you do, that I treasure, simply reflecting on the Mission experiences that I'd already had in the last 21 months and life itself. It was bittersweet to near the end.
SHARE
The 7-Elevens were as good as a drive-thru restaurant. It helped that we had one so close to home. Most nights, I’d grab a cold slushy to quench the deep thirst of a hard day’s work in the sun. My favorite combination was to mix the pineapple, and lime together. Both were incredibly sugary but fruity. There were three specific locations that I remember us buying from on a regular basis. One of them was 150 yards west of our chapel which was good if we had meetings or baptisms and wanted a snack to hold us over. However, when we had Ward Councils, our Ward Mission Leader would bring his sons. The youngest one must have only been six years old. He was hilarious! Apart from Sunday, he almost always dressed up in his Iron Man pajamas. He’d see me enjoying my chilling wet Slurpee with condensation from the humidity in the air dripping off of it and he'd inevitably come over and try to steal it from me with his big puppy dog eyes and adorable little kid Spanish voice. Without fail, this must have happened every other week. He’d only ask for a sip and then proceed to drink the whole thing so I changed my method. I didn’t have to share but the puppy dog look on his face got the best of me. I’d tell him, “Your half is on the bottom. I have to get to it before you can have it. I’m almost done. Wait a little longer.” In retrospect, it was good practice for my nephews and niece. That seemed to work a little except that he’d watch me at about arm’s length, almost without blinking an eye, until he decided it was his turn. He was very vocal about it. At length, I’d give him the last half of the sugary Slurpee. I made sure his dad knew, “I gave him my Slurpee. Is that okay with you?”. I didn’t want this energetic boy hyped up on more sugar than he should have and I was careful to word it as I “gave” him the Slurpee instead of saying he “took” my Slurpee, even if that was a white lie.
Now that I've had the privilege of watching my nephews and niece grow up, seeing as I don't yet have children of my own, I can attest that sharing is the hardest lesson for kids to learn. But I think that sometimes adults forget that lesson too. How much grief has selfishness caused? How often do we put our own wants above another? How much conflict the world over do we suffer because people can’t agree to give a little and take a little and to combine our resources?
ZION
There is a term that is often used in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and that term is, "Zion". Sometimes in scripture, including the Bible, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, Zion or Sion refers to a geographical location; for example, King Solomon built his temple on Mount Zion (1 Kgs. 8:1; 2 Sam. 5:6–7) and Jackson County, Missouri is often called Zion in the Doctrine and Covenants (58:49–50; 62:4; 63:48; 72:13; 84:76; 104:47). The city of New Jerusalem is to be called Zion (D&C 45:66–67). But what is the significance of the name? Well, according to the scriptures we call, "The Pearl of Great Price", the same prophet Enoch of the Old Testament (Gen. 5:18-22) built a city that was so righteous that the Lord dwelt among them:
"And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them." (Moses 7:18)
So great was their faith and righteousness that Enoch and the entire city were taken up into heaven (vs. 24; Moses 7:69); and are prophesied to return in the last days. Today, we are commanded to "Build Zion" wherever we are by being examples of righteousness. We are not presently required to gather to just one physical location like those of old, but I can't help but see many similarities between this account and that which will occur during the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. There is a reason why there will be a thousand years of peace (See "Return of the King -- Part 6"). It will be because the righteous will be of one heart and one mind that there will be no poor among them, neither will there be any kind of social "-isms" that plague our fallen world today. Just as the Savior petitioned in His Intercessory Prayer in His concluding hours of mortality:
"That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one" (John 17:21-22)
Let me give you these two succinct verses given to Joseph Smith found in the Doctrine and Covenants and invite you to reflect on their meaning to us even today:
"Let every man esteem his brother as himself...
...I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine..." (D&C 38:24-27)
OH, CANADA!
There were 3 Canadians in our Mission in Reynosa, Mexico. I already mentioned that Elder Depeel was one of them when I arrived at Bugambilias. At one point, a different one was transferred to our Area and his name was Elder Ockey. For whatever reason, his family sent a package of matching ties of the Canadian flag to wear. For no other reason than for laughs, I suggested we all wear them to church that Sunday and see how the other Church members reacted. I even gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting that day (See "Sabbath Day Observance" and "Be Ready Always") and joked that in case there were any visitors, it's "easy to tell who the missionaries are because we're all wearing Canadian ties". We offered no explanation. Some of the Church members asked us if it was a Canadian holiday, which it wasn't. And to make it funnier, one of the other Elders from the Ward before us was there, Elder Peters, wearing an American flag tie. I don't think I ever wore that tie again but at least we found an excuse for it, to make people happy and to make a lasting memory.
FELLOW TRAVELLERS
It always seemed like we spent a lot of time at the chapel, but more so in Bugambilias, besides attending church either attending Ward Councils, District meetings, or baptisms. It wasn’t an impossibly long walk from where we lived (about a mile and a half equaling roughly a half an hour walk) but whenever possible, and especially when we were not in the North, the pecera was worth the eight pesos.
I recall one trip Elder Ramirez and I took to the chapel to attend Elder Ockey and Elder Roja's baptism of a 9-year-old named José Angel. It was Saturday, May 7, 2016. We were running late, the sun was starting to set, we were on the far west edge of Bugambilias and no peceras were passing by, or at least none that were heading in our desired direction. After a ridiculously long wait, we boarded the last straggler that we'd all but lost hope in showing up and took our seat in the very back row. Sitting on those hard-plastic seats, I was on the far left, Elder Ramirez was opposite me on the far right so we both had window seats. Soon, multitudes of people start boarding. We wiggled to make room for a family of three to sit between us. We were separated a little bit. It wasn’t a big deal. I just watched out the window for what felt like a long ride to the chapel, hypnotized by the blur of the desert land and the rocking of the speeding vehicle over the terrible Bugambilias roads. (See "Off Road") It didn’t take all too long for me to notice but something seemed off. Something wasn’t the same. I’d been on hundreds of pecera rides before but this one seemed different. I looked around and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. But then I realized what it was. It was quiet. For what might have been the first time in almost 2 years, the radio was off. There was no blasting of regatón music! Furthermore, all the passengers were silent. The only sound was that of the bus engine and the humming wheels rolling over rocky road. It was so strange! It was as if nobody dared speak lest they disturb the unnatural rare gift of silence. I thought for a moment, “This is the perfect opportunity to talk to the people next to me.” I looked over to see what Elder Ramirez was doing and he was out like a light, asleep up against the window. I don't blame him considering how hard we worked in the heat. Seeing as it was up to me to talk to this beautiful family of three in-between us --- a husband and wife and their approximately 12-year-old son ---, I figured that the best approach would be to give them a copy of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Particularly, there was something about the father that I found familiar, and for a moment I saw potential in him and had a crystal clear thought, "This man could be a Bishop" (See" Bishops and Shepherds"). If he were somehow already a Bishop, I figured he would have said something sooner to us. I always tried to see people as they could become with the gospel in their lives but this "vision" was more automatic than usual. From the time they sat next to us for almost the whole duration of the ride, I had the feeling to give them a Book of Mormon. As we approached our stop, I quickly unzipped by backpack and took out a copy, scribbled our names and phone number on the back page, our Church schedule in the front, and slipped a pamphlet of the Restoration in its pages. I was running out of time. We were almost to our destination. After I finished writing, I turned to the family and told them, “Excuse me, I don't know why exactly but I feel like I’m supposed to give you this." She asked me the name of the Church. I responded, "We’re missionaries of the church that is right over there (as I pointed), and I pointed out that the name was on the back cover of the book too, 'the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints'. I said, "We’d like to invite you to come on Sunday and to learn more about our message of eternal families. I wrote all the information you need in this book, including our phone number if you're interested in learning more. Here you go, it’s a gift”. They took it without argument. With that, I woke up Elder Ramirez, we tapped our peso to the metal roof to signal the bus to stop, pushed through the now packed aisle and we jumped off the bus and attended the baptism.
I don’t know whatever happened to that family. We never saw them again, but that doesn’t bother me in the least. I'm glad that I did my part, to share the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, and I do not doubt that another missionary will pick up where we left off. It just goes to show that it doesn’t have to take long to share the gospel, but people are placed in our path, if only for a few moments, but those small interactions can change lives. We need to open our mouths when the spirit tells us to do so and not waste time looking for excuses to obey at a later time. We won’t always have second chances.
SIMPLE PLEASURES
Speaking of always being at the chapel, there was a Little Caesars about 450 yards down and across the stretch of highway. One way or another, if we wanted a ride back home in the night, we needed to be on the other side of the highway anyway. Most of the time we scheduled baptismal services near the evening so we could have the morning to get everything ready, such as preparing the baptismal font. That meant that by the time the service was over, it was about time to call it a day. On some occasions, we'd go over and I'd buy the six of us roommates some pizza. Well, on the evening of Saturday, May 14, 2016, after a baptism that Elder Barrera and his companion had of a girl named Anahi, a heavy rainstorm again caught us off guard. As I watched it hose down from the shelter of the chapel foyer and having been in this situation MANY times by now (See "It Shall Be Opened"), I didn't want to get my tie wet because I could never get the wrinkles out after the fact and it was one of my nicest ties --- a purple one that Elder Phelps had gifted me just before he went home when I arrived in San José. So I went into the janitorial closet which we used to get the font ready and I took out a small white trash liner and wrapped it around my tie and tied it off at the neck. The other Elders thought it was pretty funny but it worked. We ran across the overpass and took shelter in the pizza place as we celebrated the baptismal service together. Elder Barrera thought it was so funny, he insisted on getting a picture with me.
I've said this before, that the Mission is meant to be enjoyed just as much as it is meant to be rigorous. I think the same could be said of life itself. A popular scripture from the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ which summarizes the purpose of Heavenly Father's Plan of Happiness says it succinctly, "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25). We don't have to be engaged in costly or busy activities to have fun with life. We can find joy in the small and simple pleasures of day-to-day living.
ATONEMENT
Jesus Christ is at the Center of Heavenly Father's Plan of Happiness. He teaches us how to find joy in this life and the life to come. Because of His atoning sacrifice, any wrong in this life will be made right (See "Christ's Ministry"). He invites all to come unto Him and partake of His goodness:
"And he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile." (2 Nephi 26:33)
The word "Atonement" literally means, "At-ONE-ment". This means that Jesus Christ performed the last and great sacrifice, that we may all be one, even one with Him. There is so much that could and should be said of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, without which, nothing else would matter, but it's too much to write in this blog post. It's for that reason that I'd tried to spread it out on this blog, particularly in the following: "Great Sacrifice", "Christ's Ministry", "Knowest Thou the Condenscension of God?", "An Infinite Finite Solution", "Repentance", "More Than Good" and so many more. This best that I can do here to summarize it succintly is that the Atonement of Jesus Christ both redeems mankind from the Fall of Adam and Eve but also enables us to progress towards eternal life. (See "Eternal Life: As God Is")
Although we may look different, think differently, or even worship differently, we can find common ground and be as one, even as we are --- children of the same Heavenly Father --- brothers and sisters (See "One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism"). We are not required to believe alike on all things. In fact, I believe that diversity can be a great blessing purposefully included in God's plan. We can and should work and learn to coexist with those with whom we disagree on things. But when we strip ourselves down to the spirit, we are all alike and are all destined to the same eternal experience of presenting ourselves to the Lord come Judgment Day. If we'd learn to see one another as God sees us, I think we'd treat each other more kindly, and with more mercy.
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