Transfer

Well transfers happened and I did get transferred! I am now in a ward called Gaithersburg Second with Elder Sanchez, un mexicano! It'll be sweet, he seems like an amazing missionary, especially since he doesn't even quite have a year as a missionary and he is now a new zone leader! It was a real bummer to get transferred though... I'm really going to miss all those people that I was able to work with in Silver Spring. It was honestly one of my favorite areas, and the converts there are son incredible. It was especially hard to say goodbye to Juan and Victor and Jorge, especially since I may never return to that ward.... Still, they're incredibly solid, and I'm just glad that hopefully one day I'll see them in the Celestial Kingdom, not to mention after the mission :). Oh, other cool news, Jorge was called as a second councilor in the Young Men's Presidency! Super incredible! Other incredible things continue to happen, Roberto is amazingly solid, man the man has made so many changes in his life, and he continues to make them. He's seen the hope and happiness that has come into his life, and it's just going to keep coming! Man, every time we talk to him it's amazing at how much he understands and the insights he receives as he reads the scriptures with us. Oh, that was another thing I really focused on this week was the power of the scriptures. We were falling into a pattern of teaching with fewer and fewer scriptures each lesson it seems, thinking that we can explain things more easily than the scriptures, or perhaps more simply. Haha man was that dumb. The scriptures, although the language may at times be hard to understand, has the power of the spirit, something our words don't always have, and that brings a greater understanding than anything else. Another cool thing that happened is that when we were with Juan last night he spoke by the power of the spirit and really helped Elder Lee and I learn something we've needed to learn. Unfortunately there's a disturbing trend in the mission in that other missionaries don't always respect their missionary leaders. It's something we've been struggling with, once again with correcting, and really rising to our callings... It's sometimes so much easier to just "be one of the group" and it's easy to forget that we are their leaders. I don't know it was just really interesting, because I still can't see myself as a Zone Leader, or as a missionary that other missionaries are supposed to look up to or anything like that, it's just doesn't feel like I should be here. But, Juan said some things that really nailed me, he said that the Lord knows our talents and abilities, and despite seniority or anything, he will place us where we will do the most good, and where we need to be. It's something we hear a lot, but this time it really helped me. I'm still struggling to really rise to my calling and see myself as the Lord sees me, the good and the bad. Hopefully this transfer I can better fulfill my potential as a Zone Leader and really help lead this Zone to where the Lord would have it be. In short it was another week of miracles and a lot of inner reflection as I've tried to determine what it is the Lord wants me to do and become. Hopefully I can do it!
Oh a cool thing to study is reverence in true to the faith. It's been a goal I set with my companion at the beginning of this transfer, and I do believe reverence is one of the coolest things ever!