OKAY. So this week we got our transfer calls. Miller is going to St. Lucia for the next six
weeks at least. My man, Elder Platt, is also going to St. Lucia. I’m going to miss him a lot but that’s okay, I
will live. I am staying in the area and my
new companion is Elder Mykalowski. Ya so
he and I definitely going to screw up these Bajans with our names. It’s funny that probably twice a day a local
will look at my name and just smile and pat me on the chest like, "haha no
thank you". I just laugh with
them. I become the guy with the crazy last name but
with my new companion, that will be him now.
This week we had the Baptism of the girl named
Maria. It was so amazing. Elder Miller perform the baptism and I
confirm her a member of the church on Sunday.
That was my first ever blessing that I have ever given and it was a very
unique experience. It is something I
hope to do again and again to help people. After the confirmation was done, she looked at
me and Elder Miller and then booked it back to her sea. I was like, well the burning power of the Holy
Ghost shot her back to the seat.
A funny story.
Elder Miller and I were watching a Mormon message video in our apartment
and we have a chandelier that has a bulb that hasn’t worked for a couple
weeks. We were watching and the speaker
said the words “Jesus Christ” and the bulb just out of nowhere turned on. We both look at each other and said, “The
church is true!” and just started laughing, oh but it really is though.
As I have tried to really immerse myself in this culture,
there are few things that I will never do in this culture. While I have been here, we have probably lost
about three investigators because of me. In this culture, it is acceptable to beat your
wife or slap her and be very disrespectful. The first time I saw it during one of our
lessons, I didn’t do anything because I was scared. But after that, I couldn’t watch it anymore.
I yelled at one man to stop it. Another time I said something that made the
guy feel stupid but I just can’t watch it anymore. Over these 6 weeks, I have gained such a
greater appreciation for my sisters, my mother, and every single woman that I come
in contact with. This place is just so
disrespectful to woman and it is just so hard for me to see it. I love my mom and my sisters so much. I wouldn’t
want anything like that to happen to them and I know nothing like that is
happening to them so I have to do something here to help the women here. It just makes me so sad.
Here is something that helps me. The scripture of 1
timothy 4 12-16 helped me come on a mission but the reason that I have stayed
on a mission are because of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John and the scriptures
within those books that share the experience that Jesus had while Atoning for
our sins. He cried out to his Father and
said that he didn’t want to do it but he knew he needed to because it was Heavenly
Fathers will. He wanted to do it for us and for his Father. I know that he knows what I feel every day
while I am on my mission and I know that he felt the pains of the people and of
the women here that get beat and demoralized every single day of their
lives. I know that as I become closer to
Christ and follow his example, I can help these people. I will be able to show them where to go when
things get hard. I love these people way
too much to let them go through this suffering. I am on a mission and I will do what Heavenly
Father asks of me. BE NOT AFRAID ONLY
BELIEVE!
This week coming up will be an interesting week with everything
that will be going on. I miss baseball
more than ever and I’m sure Elder Miller has gotten tired of me telling him all
these stories about me and my second family and the many great memories I have
with them. I hope I get a chance to play
or at least be around baseball when I get home.
I am safe and I haven’t even come close to pooping my
pants so I think I might be okay. I LOVE
you all so very much. I pray for you
every single day. I am so excited for Christmas
and can’t wait to see my family.
Love Elder Fokken
P.S. Elder Miller got a mini ping pong set for Christmas...
Watch Out Forest Gump!!!
This is our Gospel Principles/Bible Study Class
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