Lincoln Mission November 5-11 2024

 Go Cougs. 9-0.

The Work

This week went well and we're seeing a lot of progress with our friends. We have 4 people right now that are working towards baptism, so we're praying that they can make it. We also have an adult that wants to get baptized! He's the husband of a strong member of our branch, but deals with a lot of problems with smoking and drinking. If we can help him overcome that then he'll be able to get baptized. It'll be a hard process, but miracles do occasionally happen.

Chicha Fuerte

Unlike BYU, here in Ukupa we did not win our holy war. In Guna Yala they have a tradition they believe came from God called "chicha fuerte." One of the devil's greatest successes was establishing this tradition among the guna people. They basically crush the juice out of sugar cane into big containers, prepare it, and let it ferment until it's super strong. They then drink it all day until it runs out, getting black out drunk. They usually do it for a ceremony when a girl "becomes a woman." They believe if you drink it it'll help you go to heaven. The chiefs here teach it at every opportune moment, meaning a lot of people do it. This past week they did chicha fuerte in the village next to us and a ton of people went and came back wasted. Super sad to see. And in a few days they're going to do it here, so it'll be a hard day to say the least.

Service

This week we were able to get some good services in. We went with a member named Arturo to the jungle and helped him plant more platanos and cut down super tall trees. Super satisfying. Another day we helped all the women in the village clean their farm with machetes. I also volunteered myself to clean the well near our house. I had to scoop out massive amounts of sand and then clean the inside of the well with soap and bleach. Quality experience.

Other things

- internet went out

- the village aidirgandi has a lot of potential to get the church soon

- started the new "Saints" book

- I absolutely love Ukupa

- felt like Christimas morning when I woke up to BYU being 9-0

Elder Nali