{5.31.16} Deeeeeeeeeep Side

Crappy pic, but the tail end of a dirt bang/quad gang of
50 that was rollin through shallowside on Memorial Day.
They do wheelies and all kinds of stuff down the main
roads. They're great guys too. Bike gangs
are always great people :)

It was a great week in Deep Side! We were able to keep finding tons of people this week, but we were able to find more who were willing to act and come to church! The Sad thing about the area I'm working right now is there are SO many humble people, both humble in heart and those humbled by circumstance, that truly WANT to do the right thing, and want to do good. But growing up in this part of Fort Lauderdale and living here, there's absolutely zero positive influence around. They have no support and their about as surrounded by sin and temptation as you can get. Most don't have cars or transporation. Some have put themselves their, others are scrambling to get out. The only metaphor I can think of for it is walking into a Coal Mine and trying to find Diamonds. There's a lot rocks made of Diamond Stuff, but they can't (or won't) put themselves in the right environment to be pressurized and become diamonds.

One of the "diamonds" who's been found in the past
year in this area. She's not goin anywhere!
(also, she took 3 bullets in Iraq and beat up a
man who broke into her work lol)

I'll keep working on my metaphors.

One of the highlights of this week was John and Jeremiah. We found their mom Anelia last week, and then came back and taught the whole fam. Anelia started off cool but started to fizzle out and lack commitment, but John and Jeremiah just couldn't get over "how different" we were. We saw them a lot this week, and they came to church Sunday. John is a homie, he's like 18 and he's in that really important phase where he may or may not drop out of school, may or may not stick with the right crowd, may or may not become gang affiliated, may or may not move out or move in with the wrong crowd. Right now, he's just a good kid. Really want to see him pick the straight and narrow. His little brother Jeremiah is 16, and he's super sharp. reads everything and retains it. He will follow John. They both loved Church, which has bumped up Anelia's desire and she says she's for sure gonna be at church. Last night we taught the word of wisdom, to help them have the spirit morea and to help them see if they really do have strong desires and are growing strong testimonies. They Understood it, they accepted it--but John understands the commitment it means to live it, and when everyone around him is smoking the green every he knows that he's gonna have to change everything in his life. He wants to do it, but he's scared to do it right now. We left them reading and we're going to be keeping contact over the phone and stopping by once this week to solidify them for church, but he followed us out the truck after our lesson to talk to us about it in private outside of the hearing range of his mom, and told us about how much he wants to change but just doesn't believe he can do it right now with the situation he's in. I got to bear testimony of my personal conversation and how much I had to change to go on a mission (like all of us do), and Elder Christensen showed him the picture of a member up in Boynton Beach who ran with gangs in Chicago for a long time and is tattooed from the top of his head to the tip of his toes, who has been a faithful, active, elder in the Church for 2 &1/2 years. God is no respecter of persons. The elect hear his voice, and he can help anyone change.

One of the sweeter G-Whips I've seen--this was 

parked outside the mission office!

In stark contrast, we knocked into this guy yesterday who tried to argue with us for 20 mins about how because we are white, and because of what happened in th past, we are damned. That the real Israelites are black and that white people are Edomites and are fore ordained to be destroyed from the earth. Never mind that faith in christ, repentance, and baptism stuff. God has chosen people, and it doesn't matter your desires! hahaha I never knew people could take Jesus and turn it into racism.

My point being, i'm grateful for the knowledge I have, and the perspective it gives me. I'm not perfect, and never will be, and I will never know that much in the grand scheme of eternities. Not in this life anyways! But I want everyone to know I have a firm testimony that anyone, anywhere, can change.

Elder Juanes

Elder Jace Johns

5310 NW 14th Pl

Ft Lauderdale, FL