NOVEMBER 28, 2016 -- WEEK SIX

November 28, 2016

This week we had a special event at the Church at 6:00 pm to talk about happiness, and to have a bit of food. We also had Sacrament. Typical.

This week was a week where we had a lot happen. A lot of good, and one super bad. 

The investigator Gilbert attended the special event at the church at 6, and also for Sacrament. He said he loved it, and after wards we had a lesson with him on the Restoration.  He accepted a baptismal date for the 17th of December, if he feels that our message is true.  He also was pretty open with us and said he felt comfortable around me.  I think because I can speak English and he can ask questions he thinks are stupid to me without others being able to understand.  He knows a lot about the scriptures, so when we talked about Joseph Smith's first vision we also had to talk about Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration to be able to explain it.  It's crazy because you'd expect a gangster without religion to know nothing more or less about scripture.  Anyway, he is a golden investigator.

Marcello is progressing still.  He is working to break some addictions.  He is a guy who knows a lot about the scriptures, but it's Jewish belief, and his wife knows the catholic way, so we have a lot of talk during those lessons also.

My favorite family (I love this family) is the Family Garcia. Leonor, Lucy, Allisson, and Diego Andres. They are super cool.  They are super open and willing to believe, but the problem is attending church.  They are about 30 minutes walking from the church, and money is somewhat a problem, because she is paying for her kids to receive good education. We just need to keep visiting and talking with them, and they will start to see the blessings.

This week, we met a lady who can see spirits, and contacted her.  After about 30 minutes, we had probably nine new spirit investigators, and also her.  It was a little crazy, but now we just try to avoid her in the streets.

Another cool experience when we were walking down the street, and we started hearing this whistling.  Well, in Colombia, thieves whistle to call their friends to them.  The whistling was a dude behind us, so we started walking super fast and when we turned a corner, started running.  It sucks because I like whistling a lot, but if I whistle I'm going to get robbed!  This has happened about three times where we've been marked for robbing.  Edgy.

Anyway, my testimony this week is over Joseph Smith!  He is such an awesome person!  Almost everybody in the United States knows about him, whether they call him John Smith, or the gold digger, they all have had his name, for good or for bad. The first Prophet of the latter day, and final dispensation. I bear testimony that he was a prophet, and he did restore the Church of Jesus Christ back to the earth, that we might all come unto a knowledge of our Redeemer.  Just as all of the greatest prophets like Abraham, or Moses, he has something incredible he has done. A fruit, that we may know him by. For Abraham, he was willing to sacrifice his covenant son. For Moses, he led Israel out of Egypt, and performed some of the greatest miracles we can read about, along the way.  For Joseph Smith, we have the Book of Mormon, and other modern revelations, as well as The True Church, re-established on the earth!  I invite all men to hear his story, and to study the Book of Mormon.   Another Testament of Jesus Christ, and then for them to ponder it. It is so important for us to know about these things for ourselves, and we have been given a promise. 

In Moroni 10:4-5. 

 4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

If we hear of these things, or read the Book of Mormon, we should pray, not accepting any teachings of men as enough, but to go to God himself, and ask if these things are true. And if we do this with faith, real intent, and a sincere heart, we can know the truth of these things! 

Anyway, I am doing good in Colombia. It's awesome that Harrisonville won State.  Now we just have to do it next year. Best of luck also to all of the people in Elf.  I wish I was there to be able to watch it.

Love,

Elder Connor Tracy

Colombia Bogota North Mission

September 2016 - September 2018

NOVEMBER 21, 2016 -- WEEK FIVE

Elder Connor Ross Tracy
Colombia Bogota North Mission
September 2016 -- September 2018

November 21, 2016

This week we had Stake Conference, companion exchanges, and other stuff. It was a good week.

We received a reference from other Elders to teach a man named Gilberto. He lived in the United States 30 years and is in a humbling place in his life right now.  He is ready to be taught.  He also lives with a ton of Jehovah's Witnesses. We have visited once and tried to visit twice. The other two times the Jehovah's Witnesses have tried to Bible bash with us, but we don´t contend with them. 

We have been trying to visit the families that have inactive members and try to help. We are also starting to drop people who aren´t progressing, and try to work around areas which are easy for people to receive help or attend church.  For example, in a circle around the chapel is an area that is strong, because the people can't have the excuse the chapel is too far away, which is an excuse for others in the far parts of the area.

I am way better than I was when I left at football. And I am adjusting to Micro, which is football on a small court with a super small ball. 

]Also, my Spanish is getting way better.  I can speak 10x better than I could my first week in the field.  Also, there are tons of people who try to speak English in the street with me and invite me to smoke or drink or to help them build a factory or give them money.  There are also a lot of people who want to rob me! I wouldn't plan a trip for Bogotá.  It is safe from 5 am in the morning to about 7:45 pm at night. After that you need cuidado. 

I don't really have much else to write, but this week is my first where I've felt like Colombia was normal for me, and that I knew more or less the area. I haven't been having any super big struggles, so this is good also. The Lord has definitely been protecting me.

 

My testimony this week has been over the Lord's ways compared to our ways.  

Isaiah 55:8-9 is a good scripture over this topic. For me, I love my friends and want to be able to talk with them. But just as all of us, the first two years of freedom sometimes is too much for people. I am out serving the Lord while all the others I was acquainted with are making their first, and sometimes biggest mistakes. I am in a more humble place, and I can see a different way of life, and appreciate so much more the United States. We all need to think over our ways, and then his ways. Then, like Lamentations 3:40, we need to return to it if we have strayed. It is like in John 7:17. If we will live in his way, we will see the benefits and blessings. 

I am doing fine, and I'm starting to get a grasp on the language. It sucks being the last one to learn Spanish, but I will get there!

Good luck to Harrisonville in the State match.  If we can beat Webb City,  we can beat anybody.

Elder Connor Tracy

P.S.  Added from email to Connor's Mom.

Here in Bogota people would love to buy all of our stuff. The people here are willing to pay 100 pesos a minute to talk, and the phones are tied to windows or carts in the street, and also there is usually candy on the carts. There are also tons of people who live off of the trash of other people. With carts that they pull themselves that are probably super heavy.  Also, another legitimate job is bottle collectors. and the beer here that is most popular is called Poker. The streets have a few dogs, but not too much, and all of the parks have people in them until about 8 pm. After 8 pm, you are going to get robbed if you are walking in a street that doesn't have camera's, guards, or other people in it.  But we are working.

For me, I was just thinking how I have lived more of my life baptized than not. My next goal is more endowed than not, and my next more married than not. I have a lot to go until I am where you guys are. I will try to take more pictures. The problem is, if you stop to take them, the ladrones (robbers) will see us and want to steal our stuff. So we don't take many pictures in the streets. 

There are people who enter every single panaria, give people candy, and then ask for money. If you touch the candy they'll hurt you or make you pay 1 mil per piece of candy, which is crazy.  Or people that pretend or are blind, or have babies who get on the bus service, and get on and off of every bus they can and sing or beg, and hope that people will give them money.

I never give money. I only give the restoration pamphlet if they want something.

November 14, 2016 -- WEEK THREE IN THE FIELD

Elder Connor Ross Tracy

Colombia Bogota North Mission

September 2016 -- September 2018

November 14, 2016

Elder Tracy -- Granada Stake, El Cedros Ward

I started teaching my first gangster. We have been trying to do more in the day, and we have been getting a good amount of investigators to church every week!

So the gangster is from Los Angelos.  He lived there twenty-two years. He is from Argentina, and he prefers being taught in English (Yes!). He has an inactive wife, and she can understand English, so double whammy. He accepted Baptism Lesson Two, and he is progressing pretty quickly.  Pretty humble family. Has attended church two weeks in a row. Just gotta keep him coming.

We have another baptism (if he feels that it is true) on the same date as the gangsta which is December 17th. He is from around here, has lived in Venezuela for a long time, then came back. He also has a super good member friend who brought him to church and taught him about the restoration.   And he really wants to understand about a spirit world, because he feels there is one.

Another lady who we are going to invite to baptism, who we think will accept, is super humble named Rubiela. We have had one lesson with her, where we basically just answered questions about the temple and other things that are super typical in Missouri.  She was willing to offer the closing prayer and started crying when she asked God to bless us. Awesome!

We have a lot of others we teach, who aren´t progressing or who are solely curious.  If those change I will write about it, but for now, let it suffice that I am finding as much success as I expected, and we will start doing more as I learn the area!

Elder Collahua and Elder Connor Tracy

An experience I had this week that has helped me to try and attend all church meetings, is we were going to a lunch appointment on Sunday, and on the way (I have a rain jacket and umbrella, my companion has nothing because he lost his umbrella) it began to rain and hail so much that my head hurt through my hood!  The roads became rivers, but we kept going because food, right?  We arrived, and she wasn't there, which really stunk. But, we walked back in all of this rain, and got to our apartment, and had some food.  But I was hungry for the rest of the day though.

But, the next day (today) there was a special testimony meeting scheduled for 6 am.  My compánion didn't want to go, but I made him.  We arrived, Marcello (the gangster and inactive wife) attended, and it was a really good experience. But what made it good, was that afterwards, we got six slices of bread, three pieces of cheese, a lot of eggs, and hot chocolate . After this, I will attend a meeting even if it's at 2:00 in the morning. 

I testify this week of our godly nature. We are all formed in the belly, and before this, God has known us. 

Jeremiah 1:5-6. We have been sent here, to gain experience and to learn, so that we might receive all that the Father hath. If we are zealous, Christ will sup with us, and us with him, and we will have an opportunity to receive all the Father has. Revelations 3:19-21.

A scripture that I have been pondering all week is 

Psalms 82:6. 

I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

Obviously, we are not gods. But it is curious that it says this. I think that just as a caterpillar is a butterfly, so we are children of God, who have not yet progressed to that point. 

I hope everybody at home is doing well. Can't believe that we beat Webb City in football! I love you all! And I hope you are having success in whatever endeavor you put your hand to. 

Elder Connor Ross Tracy

Preparing the Baptismal Font Before The Baptism.

For 66 cents I can have a small dinner or lunch or breakfast at a panaria. (with my companion we each get two normal pieces of bread, two sweet ones). It's pretty good. 

I love you mom.   Thank you for emailing me! It is boring during the week. The first two weeks of the field were the only times I've felt homesick.  During the CCM I didn't, and I don't think I will from here on out. I just need to work harder, and the Lord will bless you guys so I won't have anything to worry about or be thinking about.  Also, I want to know when Willy is able to talk, and when Charlotte can walk. It's crazy to think that Willy is almost one year old right now, and Katie might have another baby before I get back. Same for Bep Bep.  And Lonnie or Wee Wee might be married!

Anyway, I write in my journal every day also so I have my large plates. Maybe my emails and other things can be my small plates. I also write a little tidbit in the email every week about important things in the week, either for me to remember or to use in my homecoming talk. I don't know. 

Anyway, I Love you guys! I gotta go!!

NOVEMBER 7, 2016 -- MY SECOND WEEK IN THE MISSION FIELD

Elder Connor R. Tracy
Colombia Bogota North Mission
September 2016 -- September 2018


November 7, 2016

We went to the Temple today. It's about 15 minutes away by taxi, so I'm pretty close. It was a cool experience!

Elder Connor Tracy at the Bogota Colombia Temple

Elder Connor Tracy at the Bogota, Colombia Temple

Elder Collahua and Elder Tracy at the Bogota, Colombia Temple

So I watched a guy get hit by a car, bleed like heck from his mouth and nose (probably 100 people in the street instantly after him getting hit). We just watched, and his motorcycle got destroyed. Bad day for him. Anyway.

I think my faith isn't sufficient. When the guy got hit by the car, I thought of what Paul would do. I bet he would have taken him by the hand, and healed him. Then he would have preached to all the people gathered, and through his faith, many would have been baptized. I find myself not believing things like this can happen. And also, it probably isn't needful for God, but still.  When Jesus said that greater works than these you will do, because I go unto my Father. I want to be able to do those greater works.  And I want to fast but I also am always kinda tired here. Oh well.

This week was pretty good. We had a Bogota North and South Mission meeting with a President of the Quorum of the Seventy, talking about baptisms, searching for new investigators, and the importance of the Book of Mormon.

Basically, he said that if an investigator isn't progressing, use your own good judgment as to when you should stop teaching them, and when they might still accept the gospel. Also, if we have lessons with investigators every hour of the day, just move some of them to a future day, and give ourselves two or so hours to search for new investigators. 
Assuming for a regular person, to change their life it takes about two months. So we should expect success today. But we need to work for in sixty-five days when the people will have done all the things they need to change! 

Pretty interesting insights.  And he talked about how the first investigator was Joseph Smith, and the first missionaries (of this dispensation) were God the Father, and His Son. The only difference is Joseph Smith had an even harder time with joining the church, because he had to establish it!

A story that reminds me of Joseph Smith and being a missionary in general is when I was a little boy on the bus. I would pick up rocks that had different colors in them in our driveway, and then sell them to some of the other kids on the bus. As children they didn't realize the value of a rock compared to a dollar.  So I was able to exchange rocks for dollars.  In the mission, I have the pearl of great price, worth two years of my life, and all I will ever own. Yet people here aren't willing to even listen for ten minutes. I guess it's just a little bit frustrating, because just like in the Book of Mormon, when people are learned, they think they are wise.  If only we could all forget our wisdom and submit to the Father of our spirits, and live!

One of my favorite scriptures is in Hebrews 5:8-9.  

Hebrews 5:8-9 (KJV)

8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

My testimony this week is on practicing what we preach. The principle of living the gospel without conflict is just like the idea of Adam not knowing joy, because he knew no misery. We know the joy of the gospel, because of the things which we suffer. And the Lord becomes the Author of Salvation to those that OBEY him. I don't know any other way that could be clearer. 

I am grateful for my time as a missionary. I have already learned a lot, and I will continue to learn. Thanks for all your prayers.  We are receiving a lot of investigators to the church, (Five this week, four of which we didn't even know, and many others that fell through), and we are finding many people to teach. 

Until next week.

Elder Connor Tracy
Colombia Bogota North Mission
September 2016 -- September 2018

OCTOBER 31, 2016

Elder Connor Ross Tracy
Colombia Bogota North Mission
September 2016 -- September 2018

10/31/16  5:54 pm

I'm here. An Elder left two blankets and a pillow at our house so we had to go three hours to take it to him. We left at 2 pm.
We took something called the Transmillenial. 



It's a bus that goes back and forth from everywhere in Bogota to Centro.  The middle of Bogota, from everywhere else in Bogota.  Our bus ride was an hour and a half, walk thirty minutes, bus ride back an hour and a half.

First week was an eye opener to what being a missionary is. I need to work harder.

So my area is called Granada.  I'm in Bogota, in District Cedros.  So the actual place I am serving now is Bogotá, in a smaller area of Bogota called Cedros.  My companion has been in this area a month and a half, but he's been out one year.  He's 27 years old, so he is an old bloke.

We live in an apartment meant for four missionaries, but right now there is just us, so it is nice.  My companion writes English but he doesn't understand or speak it.  It's really difficult for the Latinos to pronounce English for some reason. 

I should study Spanish but I haven´t been.  I read Book of Mormon or Bible for thirty minutes, memorize for thirty minutes, then companionship study a lesson, commandment, or chapter of Preach My Gospel. Everybody here is super Catholic, so they usually don´t want to hear about the gospel.

So my first Sunday was really interesting. We had a new investigator come and he stayed all three hours. His name is Diego Garcia. (lots of people here are Garcera, Garcia, Ramirez).  Anyways, he liked church, I think. 

I gave a talk in Spanish about missionary work.  It was probably five minutes like a youthie speaker.  But the special part about Sunday, it was missionary Sunday. There is only five young boys, about eleven, and four older guys 22-25 years old.  All of them pretended to be missionaries with us.  So we woke up an hour early, went to the chapel at 6:30 am, and had personal study, companion study, and other stuff with them. Then during Sacrament Meeting,we sang "We are all enlisted".  It was pretty bad. Also, there is nobody who can play piano, so a dude who plays violin accompanies everything.



  

After church, all the missionaries had lunch at different houses.  Then went and visited two in-actives, two investigators. We didn't get in any doors, but we found a new person to teach who lives near one of the in-actives. We went from 12 to 5 pm, and at 5 pm, we all regrouped and had a Testimony Meeting, and then went home.  We had dinner, then went to talk with an inactive of like twenty-five years. She runs a shoe shop. Anyway, we went there, I gave her a Book of Mormon, she said she might come to church next Sunday.   All good. 

At closing time, the guy next to her shop needed help reaching his little tarp to dangle in front of his shop to "close" it.  So I tried to help since I'm way taller.  I saw that the inactive lady had a footstool, so I went to grab it. But when I did, I bonked my head really hard on a glass shelf, and gave myself a 3 - 4 inch cut on my forehead. So now I look really stupid.  And I have a blister on one of my toes also.

 

I use the computer in Internet cafe's which are all over Bogota. I am not sure what part we are in.  But I think we're really close to the bottom half. I think we touch Bogota South Mission. But my Area is called Cedros. Few members, huge area.

I can communicate really well. I think I got the easiest South American Mission for white people, because they speak pretty clearly mostly and I can understand probably 70%, but I can't respond very good. 

Got $60 bucks in Bogotard money (200 mil pesos). That's enough for a lot of bread from the store, milk, and some meat.  Milk is pretty scarce here, and comes in a 450 ml bag. It´s super weird.  And they serve all drinks at room temperature. So it is also gross if you don't buy it from the store.  Anyway, my Spanish is coming along.  I can tell my problem is that I need to develop a vocabulary. I can kinda conjugate, but I don´t know any words.

Good news though.  We have four baptisms set for the 3rd of December.  But probably it won't happen because they didn't attend church this week, and they would need to attend all the rest of the weeks until then to be eligible for baptism.  It's my first family. It's a grandma, mom, and son and daughter. Leonor, Lucy, Diego and Allison. 

They fed us rice with milk, and it tastes a lot like oatmeal. It tasted really good.  Most of the food here is super bland. I miss the CCM, and the ability to have a lot of milk with frosted flakes for breakfast and dinner.  Here it's a little for breakfast, a lot a lot for lunch, and a bit of bread for dinner.  

I like the area, but I really wish we had bicycles.  It would make it really easy, although I´m not sure what we´d do with them once we arrive at an appointment.  But yeah, Colombia is very different from America, and I can´t believe that I've almost done two months. I also can´t believe that I have twenty-two more to go.

Also we blessed Leonor, and on the missionary Sunday.   I gave a blessing to the mom of a recent convert family. All good.

We teach this really old dude named Alfredo, and he doesn't remember any of the lessons we've given before. He's stuck in his house too, so he can't attend church.  But He did accept a baptismal date.  But he doesn't remember.  ha ha

Anyway, tonight there's a Halloween activity at the Capilla (Chapel). So I'm excited to go and have some dulces (sweets/candy).  

Anyway, we have been walking a lot, and teaching a little. My morning routine is wake up, take a freezing cold shower, and then study: one hour solo study, one hour companion study, 30 minutes Spanish, 30 for him to learn English.  I understand a lot, but I can't say what I want because I don't know the words.  Lots of stuff to do. 

My favorite food here is Arroz con Leche! It tastes like oatmeal. I also had cow stomach soup today, and other stuff. It was alright.

I am excited to be in Colombia. Not much more to say I think. 

I´ll talk to you next week. Expect me at 4:30 pm. I love all of you guys. Thanks for being good blokes.

The knot is pretty huge. I have a lot of Vergûenza because of it. (embarrassment).  Anyway I only have five minutes left. I like Colombia. The only thing I want right now is more food. 

I love you mom. 

I can't wait til I can see the end of my three months here (probably four and a half). I hope to reactive a lot of people and bring more souls to Christ.

The field is way different than the CCM. Because nobody speaks English, so I am now forced to speak Spanish. I really like Colombia. The food here is either mediocre or bad. But I am eating it all so the members will invite me back! We have either nothing, or eggs for breakfast. Then study, then we contact or teach a lesson, have lunch, and then work for another eight to nine hours contacting or teaching. A lot to do here. I know in three months this area will be totally different! 

So Colombians speak really easy to understand Spanish, So I am pretty well off in understanding. I can understand probably one out of three sentences. About the gospel probably three out of four.  

People here are either whitish, brown, or black. There aren't white people or Asians. So it's very different. 

Water is clean in Bogota, but nowhere else I think. So I am one of the places that is good for Gringos. In Mexico, a lot of words meant something, but don't mean anything here.  So a lot of my go-to phrases are now meaningless to the people here. Really common word is Chevere. It means lit, dank, or awesome. 

In the Mission there is a lot of opportunities llegar a ser humilde. (become humble). I am humbled because I don´t speak the language, somos rechazados por toda la gente, (rejected by everybody) and because I need to be a different person than at home or the CCM.  I want everybody to hear the gospel. I just need to work harder, just like we all do to become more like Christ.

I testify that in the mission, we need Charity. 

1st Cor. 13:1

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

describes what happens for missionaries who don´t have it. And likewise, we need to know the gospel. 

D&C 11:21

Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men.

I have learned His word, but I don't yet love all the people. We were teaching an old guy named Alfredo Pachón, and during that lesson I knew I needed to love the people more, because I didn't feel super compelled to share anything but doctrine of the lesson. If we all could have charity, it would be well with us in the last day. We all need to have this pure love of Christ.  Because without it, we are as tinkling brass. 

P.S.   Halloween is crazy here.  Everybody wears makeup three days in advance, and they say "quiero paz, quiero amor, quiero dulce por favor." (I want peace, I want love, I want sweets/candy please).  Funny.   And there are police everywhere.

Love you mom.

Elder Connor R. Tracy
Colombia Bogota North Mission
September 2016 -- September 2018