the Standard of Truth has been erected

Dear Family,

Yesterday was a sunny day and a torrentially rainy day followed by a perfectly cloudless night. I went up on the "roof" in my pajamas just before bed and saw the Little Dipper hovering just over the north-eastern (I think) horizon. I didn't know how to say "Little Dipper" in Spanish to translate for my companion, so I think I called it a "little spoon." Orion's Belt is also a common sight this time of year, but the houses on either side have 4 stories each, so I couldn't find it from the roof. There were thousands of other dazzling stars out, every one of them testifying of their Creator's hand. It's a message forever engraven on my heart: God created those brilliant lights and this beautiful earth, and anyone who has seen those creations has seen His power.

In the middle of a busy street in Cajamarca, there lies a newly decorated park, with cars going opposite directions on either side. There, in front of a large monument of three bronze men giving an enthusiastic thumbs-up to all the passers-by, we set up a tent canopy and a few signs announcing General Conference the following two days. We also had a 2-meter, wooden Book of Mormon to draw attention. All fourteen of the missionaries in Cajamarca gathered there, and we began contacting everybody in sight. We handed out small invitations with President Monson's picture and the conference schedule on it, and we also gave pamphlets of The Family: A Proclamation to the World, the Restoration of the Gospel, the Plan of Salvation, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Testimony of Joseph Smith to those who appeared interested. A couple of us devoted a few minutes to playing the guitar and singing the hymns in harmony: it was fascinating to see how people were just drawn in by the Spirit. We were there all morning, and beyond just getting a little sunburn (and it was cloudy out!) I managed to lose any fear of what people think of me. As people passed by without talking to any missionaries, I literally ran after them to talk to them and at least give them an invitation.

As two of us were there singing, a man (rather enebriated) approached in a dirty black coat and said something that I didn't understand and was probably vulgar. Elder Merckley, who was playing the guitar, happily invited him to sing with us. We started another hymn, and the man burst out (shouting at the top of his lungs, I think) into what appeared to me a drinking song about a girl named Sheyla. Both of us decided it was a bad call to have invited him to sing, but we couldn't contain the laughter after we finished singing "Abide With Me" or whatever hymn we had attempted to sing.

I talked to one man who, after a little discussion, decided that we were worshipers of Satan, used the name of Christ to further our business and pocketed tithing money for our own benefit. I suppose every missionary, in time, will have his Alma vs. Korihor moment, but this friend didn't want to linger long, so I just told him that I loved him and to have a great day. He made some kind of gesture of sticking his finger in his mouth and some other things that were easily construed as offensive, called me a liar, and walked away. I wished he would just listen for a moment, but I suppose it just wasn't his day.

In the afternoon, we followed the same procedure out in front of a shopping mall near our area (right across the street from the internet place I'm at right now). I didn't encounter any more people quite so opposed to living prophets, but there were more people who didn't have time to listen. It started to rain, so we pulled out umbrellas and continued talking to everyone until it got dark. It was cold and wet, but I loved it. I haven't had many more days in my mission when I've felt so content. I'm here to sound the everlasting Gospel in every ear: many are called and few are chosen, and we called nearly a thousand that day. The more people I talk to about the restored church of Jesus Christ, the happier I am.

General Conference was spectacular. The five American missionaries had our "salòn de los gringos" to watch the conference in English. It was the first time I remember participating in a solemn assembly to sustain a new church president, likewise for the other elders in the room (I guess we were only 7 years old the last time it happened). Afterward, we were only constrained to say that "the church is true." It bore testimony to all of us that Jesus Christ is guiding this church and has been ever since that spring day in 1830 when He restored it to the earth.

During yesterday's afternoon session, it started raining so hard that we could barely hear the conference from our little TV set. During Elder Christensen's talk, the satellite signal cut out and it all went black. We were all going crazy: waving our hands in the air, pressing buttons on the TV, opening and closing the windows trying to get it to come back. I suppose we thought our efforts in the English room would bring back the signal for the whole church building. Realizing the import of that fact, we tried a different approach. We said a prayer of thanks and asked the Lord to bring back our precious conference, motivated by Elder Bednar's recent talk about praying with faith. After a couple minutes, it came back on and we caught the last part of Elder Christensen's talk. I suppose we'll have to wait for the May Ensign for the rest of that talk (which will likely arrive here in June or July).

This morning, I finished reading a copy of the Book of Mormon (in English) that I started anew just three months ago, reading 15 minutes every morning and marking every reference to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I took some time to apply Moroni's promise once again, taking an hour or so to ponder on "how merciful the Lord hath been" to the world and to me ever since the world began up till today. Just pondering on that was a powerful witness that God really loves us. Then I knelt down on that same "roof" and asked Heavenly Father if the Book of Mormon is true. I testify that it's not only true, but it has also made the biggest impact in my life. When you think about all the thousands of things God has done to bless the world, the Book of Mormon fits right in and takes a high place.

I was impressed by the church's humanitarian aid report at the Priesthood session of conference. The Spirit whispered a special truth to my heart that I was able to share in a lesson with an investigator yesterday. Many people wonder if God exists, thinking on the suffering, hunger, sickness, war, and other peace-destroying evils in the world. They ask why He doesn't do anything to stop it. In seeing what the church is doing in the world, I was able to see exactly what the Lord is doing. The reason He allows all of the bad things to happen is so that we have a chance to serve others and thereby gain our own salvation by ministering to their needs. And He's doing so much through the service of His kingdom on the earth - how could we ever ask why He doesn't reach out to save? His hand has always been extended.

Well, time's up for this week. I hope you all enjoyed General Conference! You're in my prayers and I love you.

Love,
Elder Withers