I dont have much time this week to email but I will try my best to get everything in!
Nothing too crazy happened this week, but Elder Campbell and I were able to talk to a lot of new people and teach a little about Christ and about what he did for us.
There are a lot of people who live in our area and we see new faces every day, it is so awesome.
On Thursday we went on exchanges and thats what I want to focus my email on this week!
I stayed in San Fernando with Elder Vilela and Elder Campbell went to San Juan. Elder Vilela is 21 and from the Philippines. He was baptized when he was 19 and since then, he prepared for a mission and now is a full time missionary for the Church!
I wanted to focus on how it was that he came into contact with the missionaries, and how he was able to change so fast that now he is teaching the Gospel that he learned about just 2 years ago.
Elder Vilela was a worker at a hotel since he was old enough to work, and one night while he was working late with two other workers, 4 men came into the hotel to rob them. All 4 men had guns and starting yelling at Elder Vilela and his co-workers. One of his co-workers tried to defend himself and started to fight with one of the 4 men. When they started to fight, the others started shooting him and all of the other workers.
The girl behind the desk was shot and killed, and the worker that was fighting with one of the men was also shot multiple times, and is now paralyzed from the waist down.
Elder Vilela tried to defend himself as well and was shot 7 times, 2 in the leg, 1 in the thigh, 2 in the stomach, 1 in the back, and the last bullet was a point black shot to his skull leaving his unconscious and on the ground bleeding.
All he remembers is waking up in the hospital after being in a coma for 1 full week, and having his entire body in bandages.
His skull is indented on the left side and they were able to extract the bullet from his brain! He still has the bullet in a little container that the doctors gave to him!
After a month and a half in the hospital he was released and was just sitting at his house recovering when he became very upset with God and for what had happened. He didn't understand why that would happen and why it was him that had to be in so much pain and still not be able to walk or eat.
His neighbors were actually being taught by missionaries when he got brought up in their conversation. His neighbors told the missionaries the story and they asked if they could visit him. When they first did, Elder Vilela did not want to talk to them, especially about God.
The missionaries were persistent and taught him about the Plan of Salvation. After the lesson Elder Vilela said that he couldnt focus and did not want to believe them, but couldnt help but think that what they said was true. So he invited them back and the rest was history, he was baptized after he was healed up and strong enough to walk, and now is teaching the exact thing that gave him the hope needed so desperately.
I am so grateful for this Gospel and for the testimony of the Restoration. I love you all and hope that you are all safe throughout this week. Mahal ko kayo! Next week ulit!
Elder Pitt
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