Week #24 (November 23, 2015)

Quotes of the week:
1) Tony, relatively toothless investigator we found this week,
speaking on the topic of his lizard:
"Yah sometimes he dudn't move fer 2 or three days and I think he's DEAD!"
*hysterical toothless laugh*

2) Tony, now speaking on the topic of a guy he rents a room in his
apartment to:
"Yeh he's got a pretty big scar on his face, someone tried to cut him
in half with a machete."

Scene of the week:
Freezing night (below 40 deg), we tap on a door, walk away, and 5
minutes later when we pass back by, the man we had met there the other
day- named Calendario ("Calendar" in Spanish)- is outside shirtless
smoking a cigarette. Dude, seriously?

This week is absolutely a tragedy- I'm getting transferred out of G6 Spanish.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years are all gonna be spent
somewhere else now. Where? And with whom? That will all be found out in
transfer meeting tomorrow.

Spiritual thought:
I've had multiple lessons, contacts, and discussions this week
centered around the same idea->

The difference between an evidential and a spiritual witness.

Whether it was someone who asked to see the Gold Plates, someone
curious about locations of Book of Mormon battles, or just someone who
plainly challenged my belief that JosephSmith was a prophet - many
instances this week lead me to the same truth.

A witness of spiritual truths (i.e. Truths that are intertwined with
God and religion) will be a spiritual witness, not a physical or
evidential one.

Of course I find comfort and happiness knowing that the evidence of
Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon's truthfulness is plentiful and
convincing, but I don't rely on that.

If an Apostle went apostate today and started his own church, if my
mission president fell away, or even if some "new evidence" emerges,
my spiritual witness of the truth of this gospel and church remains
untouched.

Have a great week!
-Elder Cox