Another week

Wow, this week has been exhausting!! I honestly don't think I've ever been quite this tired on the mission. The weeks leading up to transfers are always super intense, so we've been working a lot on the transfer board trying to figure out where people are going and we met with President a few times this week in order to discuss various possibilities. It's always just so crazy to see how much thought and time goes into everything behind the scenes. We also had transfer recommendations where we talk with the VC trainers and the Zone Leaders about all the missionaries and we get their suggestions on where they should go and what type of companion they need. Then we compare those with the logistics of transfers and any other things we feel need to happen as well as what President feels should happen and then we come up with a scenario that we end up always changing around, haha it's super crazy! Still it's been cool to see, and the Sister missionaries have especially taught us a lot about transfers. At least for us cold and callous Elders when it's an Elder's last transfer we don't think too much about him... We'll put him in a good spot but we figure he's probably learned about all that he'll learn, the Sisters are much better and taught us a good lesson. Their transfer recommendations were centered around the two sisters going home to ensure that they got everything they needed in their missions. It was just a good reminder that we need to remember the individual in all we do, which is something that sometimes becomes difficult when you just look at the transfer board with other 100 missionaries.
We've also had a tougher week with a couple of difficult experiences... We had a missionary that had to go home and a companionship that had some difficulties. It's always an incredible experience to be around problems like those. You can feel so clearly the love that the Lord has for each of His missionaries, it's very much like teaching lessons and feeling His love for the investigators. The Lord is no respecter of persons, missionary or investigator.
I also have some really good news, the Mejia family from the city was apparently sealed two months ago!!!! I didn't find out about that until this week, but it was probably one of the happiest moments ever! Haha Jessica and I always seem to have such similar experiences. I called one of my recent converts this week who is now slightly less-active... It honestly does break your heart to hear about them making such destructive choices... It's strange because when you're at their baptism all you can think about is how incredible it will be in the Celestial Kingdom, and then when you hear about them making such wrong choices it just tears you apart... Like Jessica said it really is a small taste of what the Savior and Heavenly Father must feel about us as we stray from the path, so it was a very double edged week, as most weeks in missionary life are. The two extremes of fulness of joy and sorrow. I just hope some of those guys can pull back out and regain the direction they had beforehand. Jose Paz is also planning on going to the temple soon with his family!!! It's just cool to see people progress!
Oh we also had an awesome lesson with Phil where the spirit honestly just took over. He had been going through some pretty intense trials, the devil was nailing him at all of his weakest points, and we had no idea. Luckily he hadn't given in, but he was coming close. Anyways, we came to a lesson with what we had prepared for the week before not knowing at all what was going on. We shared it and then he opened up with everything that had been going on. The lesson was exactly what he needed to hear and it helped him make some major decisions. He's now firm in his decision to go to Utah to visit and to see if he can go out there for school. While he's there he's going to hopefully go through the temple open house and see temple square and a bunch of other things. It was honestly as if Satan had thrown a huge stumbling block in front of what was going to be a major opportunity for spiritual growth for Phil. He'll also be doing baptisms for the dead for the first time in Utah! Satan was clever, but luckily God was a step ahead as usual. It was just another humbling experience to see how much God can use us with out us even realizing it... It still amazes me that he can use these two 20 year old guys to do his work, it makes no sense at all... Still, I'm very grateful for the opportunity I have to let God use me, it's just incredible to see all the things that happen each day that are so beyond our control yet seem to turn out just perfectly... Haha though it is really exhausting! Luckily He also seems to give us extra energy!