Well, this week was transfers, and as usual it was a crazy week, full of
stress, lots of crazy last minute changes, meeting the new
missionaries, and now, getting released as an Assistant... Man, it was a
week just full of emotions but a lot of learning as well. I've now
finished being an Assistant and these last three transfers have probably
been some of the most intense months of my life, spiritually,
physically, emotionally, everything! I have learned so much serving in
this capacity and I'm going to miss it, but I'm more than willing to be
released as well. It reminded me of what Dad said about being released
as Bishop, he mentioned a leadership training where they said our time
serving is limited and that one day it will be over. Well, my service as
a missionary thankfully continues but I will miss the close association
I've had with the Matsumoris and the opportunity I've had to work and
care for so many missionaries. It has been a lesson on love,
understanding, seeing people with God's eyes, and a ton more. Not to
mention the organizational and time management and leadership skills
I've been blessed to have the opportunity to develop. It really was the
craziest ride. Still, the work continues even if we serve in different
capacities, and that brings me to these transfers.
Transfers brought no surprises for me, haha since I've known for quite
awhile what was going to happen, but I'm pretty sure it shocked the rest
of the mission. I will be staying in the English program and I will
once again be a Zone Leader back with Elder Sanchez but this time in a
different zone where there are only English Elders. Feelings and
thoughts on the matter, well, it's going to be very different.... When I
found out a few weeks ago that I wouldn't be returning to the Spanish
program I was definitely saddened... I've loved the Spanish program, the
people, the culture, the love, and everything about it, and now the
Lord has called me another way... Being an Assistant and serving a
mission has taught me the lesson of "the Lord gave, and the Lord hath
taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." It's super sad to think
that I'll probably never serve in a spanish ward again, or teach
hispanic people... I honestly consider myself half hispanic! Still, I
know the Lord has a work for me to do and it's been humbling to see Him
direct my path. It's going to be a fun time!
This week also brought some other experiences, meeting with the new
missionaries was of course incredible as usual. It's fun to be able to
feel of their spirits and it's been interesting to see myself change
with each testimony meeting. Each time we meet with them I've had the
chance to bear testimony and it's been cool to see how my testimony and
understanding of the Gospel has developed. I wish I could be where these
missionaries are now, at least in some ways. I wish I had as much time
left as them, but I am definitely grateful for the growth that I've been
able to experience and I wouldn't trade that growth for anything in the
world! Then I also got to teach with President and go on splits with
him for an hour and a half. It was a cool opportunity to be able to
receive counsel from him and just talk. He is an inspired man and I am
so grateful that I've been able to serve so closely with him and learn
from him.
Then there was also General Conference.... Man, that was a crazy
experience as usual. I don't think I have ever received so much
revelation, both for myself and for those under my stewardship, as I
have in these two last conferences. I also particularly enjoyed the talk
by Elder Holland, as I'm sure everyone did, because it was the same
talk that he gave when I was in the MTC, two weeks into my mission. I
felt it was directed very personally to me, that the Lord had given me
that talk as a direction at the beginning of my mission and that this
was the interview near the end to see what I've done with it. There's
still a lot left to ponder on that one...
I'm really not sure what more to say. It's weird, being released from an
Assistant feels like the end of a major part of the mission, a huge
learning experience, and it's made me change so much... My depth of
gratitude for the mission just gets deeper everyday. It is such a gift
to be able to serve the Lord full time, I always knew that it was never
much of a sacrifice and more of a blessing, but that understanding has
been deepened and amplified in the last few months. I am just grateful
that the Lord decided to let me serve Him as a missionary. Each day is,
has been, and will be a gift straight from Heaven. I'm excited to serve
more closely with all of these Elders and to be able to grow in my love
for them even more. It's amazing how much you can come to care for all
of these missionaries... Just as God lets us feel His love for the
people He teach, He has definitely let me feel His love for all of these
missionaries. It's honestly pretty overwhelming, 126 missionaries.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Time flies by too fast!
Man, time is just moving by faster every single day... It's
ridiculous how much stuff we do, how quickly it goes, and that it is
once again P-Day. So this last week was spent doing the finals on
transfers. Unfortunately it had a couple of bumps along the way, like
Elder Brown and I totally messing up all of transfers, but in the end it
turned at alright. Let's just say that it was probably one of the most
difficult times of the mission up until this point. It's silly too,
because it ended up not being too bad, but it's amazing how the mission
seems to amplify both your strengths and weaknesses. We strive so much
for perfection as missionaries, perhaps more than at any other time in
our lives, and because of that any little thing seems like a huge
problem. It's taught me a lot about myself, as well as about the things
that I need to work on with the remainder of the mission.
However, we have had a few pretty awesome experiences. The church
recently constructed a huge new chapel on 16th street and Emerson NW in
Washington DC. It's a street that is just lined with tons of churches
and the church had to fight a huge legal battle in order to get a hold
of the property and then get the zoning permits to build a chapel on it,
but in the end it is probably the most impressive chapel I have ever
seen. To kind of kick off the opening of the building the church
spearheaded a service day here in the DC area and hosted it at the 16th
street chapel. It was so big that the city and the state jumped on board
and made it a public event. The church even sent 6 semi trucks with
$40,000 of food to the chapel and surrounding food banks as well as
$1,000 deposits to the bishop's storehouse to various food banks. Then a
bunch of members as well as non-members of other faiths got together
and we packed tons of boxes of food at the chapel. It was an incredible
experience to see so many people there serving, many of different
faiths, and to feel the spirit of service that prevailed in the area. It
was an awesome experience and it was the epitomy of deseret, haha it
just felt like a beehive in there!
This week we've also had a number of meetings where unfortunately
we've had to "drop some cane" or "lay down the law" as they say in
English. Haha yeah, we had to clarify some issues that have been going
on in the mission, nothing major, but some little things, I've got to
say that that is still my least favorite part of being in leadership,
though it is still a good thing, it means we get to help people reach
their potential, which is what really matters. We also went to the
temple again today which is always an enjoyable and enlightening
experience. Other than that, not too much out of the ordinary has
happened, but I'm sure that this next week of transfers will bring a
number of surprises that I can't quite tell you yet ;) Let's just say
that it is going to be completely unexpected for anybody in the entire
mission...
Meanwhile, Conference is coming!!! I've got some questions prepared, it's going to be sweet!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Another Week
Well, I cannot believe how much has happened in this last week! It's
been insane! We finished off zone conferences which was good, we were a
little bit worried about this one since one of the zones had been
struggling, but there was a good spirit there and the missionaries were
able to learn quite a bit. There was a new Senior Couple there that has
served 4 missions and they said it was one of the most uplifting Zone
Conferences they've been to, so we were pleased that everything went
smoothly and that the spirit was able to be there for everyone to learn
from. After that the week just picked up, we had another meeting on
Monday, Zone Leader Council yet again, which was held in a new chapel
that the church has built in DC. It's a super awesome chapel! It's huge,
new, and really nice. Hopefully the wards that attend it will be able
to take care of it well. We've also been on two exchanges with different
areas, and I got to be back on bike for at least a few hours! Haha it
was sweet to be back and to be able to talk to a bunch of people at
metros, in neighborhoods, etc. We had some cool experiences with some
people that were intially very cold and even almost hostile, but once we
were able to be a little bit persistent most of them opened up! It was
really cool to see. We spoke to a less active who is now Catholic, and a
Jew on the street that both started out talking to us completely not
wanting to hear anything, but by the end of it it ended as an extremely
positive contact and they were able to get some things off of their
chest that were clearly bothering them. Though they didn't accept return
appointments it was just fun to be able to be the Lord's messenger to
them in that moment.
Then this week there were also two incredible experiences. We went to visit a less-active man who was in some desperate need. His mother called us and informed us that he had been in a car accident that morning, that he'd recently been diagnosed with pneumonia, and that a good friend of his had recently died. As soon as she called us we felt impressed to obviously call the Bishop and we were able to immediately go and visit him with the bishop and give him a blessing. It was yet again another experience of just being clearly on the Lord's errand. However, what was even more incredible was to be able to see the mantle of a Bishop at work. We said very little, since John is under the Bishop's stewardship rather than ours, and so the Bishop just spoke and it was incredible to see him say things that were clearly coming directly from the spirit. It was literally as if he were saying exactly the words that the Savior would have said had he been there. It was a lesson on leadership and ministering that I will definitely never forget.
Then, even more incredible, I was able to attend the sealing of the Del Orbe family this past Friday!!! This is the family that was baptized at the beginning of my mission when I was with Elder Shinost, and it was one of the most incredible experiences... It was just amazing to think back to the first day we met them, and then to think of all the lessons, all the worry, all the prayers, and all the progress that has happened for them to be able to come to the temple to be sealed. The only way I can honestly describe it was that it was so real. It was as if I were no longer a missionary, I was just there as me, not their missionary, just their friend, who was so grateful that they had been able to reach this point. It makes you think of the day when we'll all be gathered together in heaven, we'll all just be brothers and sisters, grateful that we were all able to make it there together. It was a good reminder on the purpose of everything, of life, of missionary work, of the Gospel, of everything. The purpose is eternal families, it is returning to the presence of God, it's the happiness that comes as we live according to Gospel principles. It was just a sweet moment to see them all in the sealing room, and to see Valentin and Austri in the Celestial Room, I honestly cannot describe all the feelings that I experienced, or how incredible and sacred of an experience it was. It strengthened and amplified my testimony of the Restored Gospel and it strengthened my resolve to ensure that I one day reach that point, and that I help as many people as I possibly can reach it as well. There really is no greater joy than this... I'm just grateful that God has allowed me the opportunity to serve a mission, it's such a gift of time and experiences. There really is nothing that can compare, no amount of schooling, dating, sports games, whatever it may be, God has allowed us the gift of 18 months to two years of getting to know Him. Of understanding His purposes, and of allowing us to become more like Him as we serve Him and our brothers and sisters. The Church is true and that truth is wonderful!
Then this week there were also two incredible experiences. We went to visit a less-active man who was in some desperate need. His mother called us and informed us that he had been in a car accident that morning, that he'd recently been diagnosed with pneumonia, and that a good friend of his had recently died. As soon as she called us we felt impressed to obviously call the Bishop and we were able to immediately go and visit him with the bishop and give him a blessing. It was yet again another experience of just being clearly on the Lord's errand. However, what was even more incredible was to be able to see the mantle of a Bishop at work. We said very little, since John is under the Bishop's stewardship rather than ours, and so the Bishop just spoke and it was incredible to see him say things that were clearly coming directly from the spirit. It was literally as if he were saying exactly the words that the Savior would have said had he been there. It was a lesson on leadership and ministering that I will definitely never forget.
Then, even more incredible, I was able to attend the sealing of the Del Orbe family this past Friday!!! This is the family that was baptized at the beginning of my mission when I was with Elder Shinost, and it was one of the most incredible experiences... It was just amazing to think back to the first day we met them, and then to think of all the lessons, all the worry, all the prayers, and all the progress that has happened for them to be able to come to the temple to be sealed. The only way I can honestly describe it was that it was so real. It was as if I were no longer a missionary, I was just there as me, not their missionary, just their friend, who was so grateful that they had been able to reach this point. It makes you think of the day when we'll all be gathered together in heaven, we'll all just be brothers and sisters, grateful that we were all able to make it there together. It was a good reminder on the purpose of everything, of life, of missionary work, of the Gospel, of everything. The purpose is eternal families, it is returning to the presence of God, it's the happiness that comes as we live according to Gospel principles. It was just a sweet moment to see them all in the sealing room, and to see Valentin and Austri in the Celestial Room, I honestly cannot describe all the feelings that I experienced, or how incredible and sacred of an experience it was. It strengthened and amplified my testimony of the Restored Gospel and it strengthened my resolve to ensure that I one day reach that point, and that I help as many people as I possibly can reach it as well. There really is no greater joy than this... I'm just grateful that God has allowed me the opportunity to serve a mission, it's such a gift of time and experiences. There really is nothing that can compare, no amount of schooling, dating, sports games, whatever it may be, God has allowed us the gift of 18 months to two years of getting to know Him. Of understanding His purposes, and of allowing us to become more like Him as we serve Him and our brothers and sisters. The Church is true and that truth is wonderful!
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Another Week
I've also been thinking about some other things dealing with conversion. It was interesting, the other night we passed by a less active guy's house and started to speak to him. He was nice enough but had left the church when he left home and he wasn't too interested. We testified briefly and invited him to listen to us to try and rekindle the faith of his youth. He declined and then we politely walked away as if we'd just had a normal conversation with the man with no greater significance than just that. As I was thinking about it afterwards I realized that I'm not nearly as converted as I would like to be. It's sad how we can sometimes become so casual in things that are of an eternal nature. I left wishing that I would have been truly "devastated", as Elder Holland says, because this man had no interest in receiving the gospel. Obviously it's good to be polite and respectful of another person's beliefs and practices, but I just got to thinking, man, I know this stuff is true, and I know that without it he's really not going to make it to the Celestial Kingdom, why was I so casual? I notice a similar attitude in many of the missionaries and sometimes members as well, where we understand that the Gospel will help people be happier and help them have better lives, a better family, etc. All good and necessary things; however, in the process we forget to look a little deeper. We forget to remember that we don't do missionary work "just to grow the numbers of the church, or to help people have better lives." We do missionary work in order to "open the doors of the Celestial Kingdom". And we are the only people in the entire world that can do that. It's something I think I need to strive to remember and recognize a little more frequently. Imagine the difference it would make if every time we did home teaching, or invited a deacon back to church, or knocked someone's door, or talked to someone in the street, if we could just see them as God sees them, and realize that we have that thing that will be of greatest value to them. I think that if we could do that it would make a world of difference. We would be filled with love for the people, we'd realize that we have to keep striving to share the gospel despite rejection or if those who are unreceptive. I guess you could say it was kind of a wake up moment. I believe that will be my focus for the course of the next month or so, striving to see these people as they are and recognizing the eternal significance of what we're doing. It's incredible to think that God really has entrusted us with the souls of these people underneath our stewardship... Anyways, besides those moments of reflection it's just been a go go go week! It's crazy to think that the transfer is already halfway over... Man, time just disappears, and we're left just wondering how it all went by so quickly. Still, at least it's happening, right! There really is nothing better than the mission!
Monday, September 17, 2012
Another Week
Hm, well this week has been quite the busy one! We have a ton of stuff
that we've been working on in preparation for the Zone Conferences
that are coming up this next week, along with trying to balance our
time in our area as well as going on exchanges, so it's been pretty
insane recently! Now that it's my third transfer as an Assistant I
decided I better try and do a little more than we've been doing in the
past. I figured that now I know about how long it takes to get
everything done so I'm not quite as worried about just making sure it
gets done. It means that we've had time for more exchanges and more
time in our area, but it also means we are literally running around
every second of every day, haha which is a good thing! This past week
we had a lesson with a part member father named Carlos. His wife
recently reactivated herself and because of that he also became
curious about the church. We were able to go and teach him but it was
interesting to see the difference between him and his wife. His wife
returned because she felt a spiritual abyss in her life and Carlos is
on the other end where he's content and believes his life is pretty
set. It was once again a reminder of the importance of an eternal
perspective. His greatest desire in life is to have a good job in
order to provide for his family so that they have no physical worries,
which is definitely an honorable desire, we're just hoping we can
inspire him to gain a more eternal perspective.
There seems to be a similar temptation for all of us, whatever stage
of life we may be in, and whether or not we are members of the church.
We seem to see it constantly with the missionaries as well, that they
just lack a little bit of that eternal perspective in regards to the
work we're doing and the impact of their missions. We've been trying
to find a way to inspire them and remind them of their potential. The
vast majority of the missionaries are good, but there are always those
few that we worry about and try to find a way to help. Haha it means
we're already thinking about the next transfer and the next transfer
may result in some interesting changes in the mission leadership (but
I can't tell you too much about that yet, sorry! ;) )
This week I was also reflecting on some of the lessons I've been
learning in the mission and some of the themes the Lord seems to have
been teaching me. One of the ones that stuck out to me, especially
right now in the mission, has been the principle of submission. It's
such an interesting thing to think about. We have to ask ourselves if
we really are willing to submit to the Lord in everything we do,
including giving up our dreams and desires even though they may be
good ones, in order to submit ourselves to the will of the Lord.
Whether that's in a career choice, marriage, schooling, friends,
transfers, being faster, smarter, or whatever. It's been humbling to
see how much the Lord seems to have been teaching me the lesson of
submission throughout the mission/life. Granted it is one of those
vital eternal principles ;) Still, it's been good to reflect on my
level of submission and if I really am willing to give up all of my
dreams and desires in order to fulfill the will of the Lord, even if
it's completely different from every good desire I have. Something to
think about.
Random story, yesterday we went on exchange deep in the heart of the
mission and due to traffic and some random mishaps I spent a total of
5 hours of the day not driving, haha man it was crazy! Still, it was a
good time to meet with the missionaries in that part of the mission.
that we've been working on in preparation for the Zone Conferences
that are coming up this next week, along with trying to balance our
time in our area as well as going on exchanges, so it's been pretty
insane recently! Now that it's my third transfer as an Assistant I
decided I better try and do a little more than we've been doing in the
past. I figured that now I know about how long it takes to get
everything done so I'm not quite as worried about just making sure it
gets done. It means that we've had time for more exchanges and more
time in our area, but it also means we are literally running around
every second of every day, haha which is a good thing! This past week
we had a lesson with a part member father named Carlos. His wife
recently reactivated herself and because of that he also became
curious about the church. We were able to go and teach him but it was
interesting to see the difference between him and his wife. His wife
returned because she felt a spiritual abyss in her life and Carlos is
on the other end where he's content and believes his life is pretty
set. It was once again a reminder of the importance of an eternal
perspective. His greatest desire in life is to have a good job in
order to provide for his family so that they have no physical worries,
which is definitely an honorable desire, we're just hoping we can
inspire him to gain a more eternal perspective.
There seems to be a similar temptation for all of us, whatever stage
of life we may be in, and whether or not we are members of the church.
We seem to see it constantly with the missionaries as well, that they
just lack a little bit of that eternal perspective in regards to the
work we're doing and the impact of their missions. We've been trying
to find a way to inspire them and remind them of their potential. The
vast majority of the missionaries are good, but there are always those
few that we worry about and try to find a way to help. Haha it means
we're already thinking about the next transfer and the next transfer
may result in some interesting changes in the mission leadership (but
I can't tell you too much about that yet, sorry! ;) )
This week I was also reflecting on some of the lessons I've been
learning in the mission and some of the themes the Lord seems to have
been teaching me. One of the ones that stuck out to me, especially
right now in the mission, has been the principle of submission. It's
such an interesting thing to think about. We have to ask ourselves if
we really are willing to submit to the Lord in everything we do,
including giving up our dreams and desires even though they may be
good ones, in order to submit ourselves to the will of the Lord.
Whether that's in a career choice, marriage, schooling, friends,
transfers, being faster, smarter, or whatever. It's been humbling to
see how much the Lord seems to have been teaching me the lesson of
submission throughout the mission/life. Granted it is one of those
vital eternal principles ;) Still, it's been good to reflect on my
level of submission and if I really am willing to give up all of my
dreams and desires in order to fulfill the will of the Lord, even if
it's completely different from every good desire I have. Something to
think about.
Random story, yesterday we went on exchange deep in the heart of the
mission and due to traffic and some random mishaps I spent a total of
5 hours of the day not driving, haha man it was crazy! Still, it was a
good time to meet with the missionaries in that part of the mission.
not too much this time!
Haha so I pretty much just wrote you all on Saturday, so there's not too
much that has gone on since then, relatively anyways. However, we have
seen some sweet miracles. This Monday we had Zone Leader Council which
is always a fun meeting. It's fun to meet and council on things we can
do to better the mission. We've determined a few things we'll be doing
in the future with the mission. This upcoming transfer we'll be
implementing the process of purification again which I think I told you
all a little bit about last year. We' also determined our training for
the upcoming Zone Conference and Elder Brown and I gave a training that
the missionaries will be trained on in the upcoming week. We trained on
the power of bearing powerful testimony. We talked about how we need to
focus on what the lessons mean to us as we teach them, as well as the
difference between merely teaching the points of the lessons and
testifying of them. It's interesting to see the difference in lessons
when sometimes you can teach a lesson perfectly but it seems to do
literally nothing. On the other hand when you go in with the attitude of
sharing the truths that you've come to know are true it makes all the
difference. There is no replacement for the power of the spirit that
comes when we testify of the truthfulness of the Restoration, Plan of
Salvation, and The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Brown and I also got a
bunch of things ready for a mission wide activity that we had to day
called "Fall Sports Day". Haha I won't write too much about this but
we'll just say that it's pretty legit. To be simple and brief we play a
game called "Hero Ball" which is a combination of three games in one.
This year we decided to make the three sports Soccer, Capture the Flag,
and (drum roll please) QUIDDITCH! Haha that's right, think back to those
days of playing quidditch in the backyard, it was pretty awesome, all
the games go on at the same time on the field with soccer balls,
quaffles, and bludgers flying through the air with 52 missionaries on
the field at any one time. It ends up being something of a barely
organized chaos but it turned out really well. Only one person got mad,
and only one person got hit in the face so we considered it a success.
Not to mention the fact that it was good to be able to spend time with
all of the missionaries and provide an opportunity for them to get to
know one another.
We also had some sweet miracles with finding. We had literally probably about 1 minute in our area one evening and we decided to use it to go check on a lady we'd never met. We were walking to her house and there was a lady getting home with her little daughter. We stopped and talked to her and she instantly opened up to us about some of the tragedies that had gone on in her life. Her husband was in the military and had cheated on her and left her and her three year old daughter all alone. She talked about how intelectually she knew she shouldn't be mad at God because everyone has agency but that she was obviously still struggling. While she didn't accept a return appointment then we're hoping that she'll receive the sisters when they go by in a week or so. It was just cool to see how the Lord could use our limited time to put us in the path of someone that clearly needed a message about his love and awareness of her. It was a blessing to be able to testify to her of the reality of God's love and the fact that we meet no one by coincidence.
Haha it's also been a humbling week as a new sisters was recently transferred into the area. She is on fire and has reminded us of the fire we need to perhaps rebuild and then maintain. It was a good reminder of the faith we need to have in our areas and the faith we need to have despite how little time we may have. The Lord continues to teach us little lessons each day and hopefully we're becoming better each time. It's just weird to think that one week of the transfer has already gone by... Crazy stuff!
We also had some sweet miracles with finding. We had literally probably about 1 minute in our area one evening and we decided to use it to go check on a lady we'd never met. We were walking to her house and there was a lady getting home with her little daughter. We stopped and talked to her and she instantly opened up to us about some of the tragedies that had gone on in her life. Her husband was in the military and had cheated on her and left her and her three year old daughter all alone. She talked about how intelectually she knew she shouldn't be mad at God because everyone has agency but that she was obviously still struggling. While she didn't accept a return appointment then we're hoping that she'll receive the sisters when they go by in a week or so. It was just cool to see how the Lord could use our limited time to put us in the path of someone that clearly needed a message about his love and awareness of her. It was a blessing to be able to testify to her of the reality of God's love and the fact that we meet no one by coincidence.
Haha it's also been a humbling week as a new sisters was recently transferred into the area. She is on fire and has reminded us of the fire we need to perhaps rebuild and then maintain. It was a good reminder of the faith we need to have in our areas and the faith we need to have despite how little time we may have. The Lord continues to teach us little lessons each day and hopefully we're becoming better each time. It's just weird to think that one week of the transfer has already gone by... Crazy stuff!
Another week, this one a bit longer than the last
Wow, it's been such a crazy week! The week before and after transfers is
always super crazy, so sorry I didn't get to write to you guys any
earlier, we've just been running around like crazy from early in the
morning to late at night! So to give a brief run down of what we've been
doing for the past week or so is that we've just been crazy with
transfers and setting up for meetings. With transfers we were changing
things around until the Sunday before transfers trying to get things
right for what needs to happen not only this transfer but also the next,
so that's been a bit of stress, but luckily everything seems to have
worked out alright and that with only a few hiccups, hopefully
everything will go smoothly for this transfer! We've also had a few
tough days of trying to figure out what we need to train on for the
mission. Leadership meeting, which was yesterday, was an incredible
meeting, I honestly don't know if we've ever had one quite so spiritual.
It was all thanks to a workshop by one of the VC trainers on the
purpose of baptism and the joy of missionary work, mixed in with the
theme of reverence. It was super powerful. Reverence has become one of
the things I love to study and try to develop on the mission. It
honestly makes the biggest difference and sets the tone for our day,
lessons, meetings, etc. It's definitely an interesting topic to study
and apply. We've also been scrambling to get things ready for a mission
wide activity for this next Wednesday, Sports Day! We have a huge game
of sports called "Hero Ball". It's a combination of three sports on the
same field, we'll be playing soccer, capture the flag, and quidditch all
at once! Haha yeah it's going to be insane, hopefully it works out
alright.
Amidst all the craziness of planning transfers and other activities and meetings there have been a few extremely powerful spiritual experiences. It's been incredible to see once again the Lord's awareness of who I am and what it is that I need to hear. This last Saturday was an extremely difficult day for us. For some reason we were just exhausted, we had to do a bunch of stuff that we don't normally enjoy doing on a Saturday but that we had to get done, and then it just felt as if Satan was attacking us from all sides. Temptations, distractions, negativity, frustration, we could not figure out what was going on! We just kept praying for strength and that we would be able to accomplish all that was needed. Eventually everything did work out but it was probably one of the most difficult days of the mission. It felt as if the Lord had decided to withdraw His spirit and leave us on our own for a little while just so we would know what it felt like. It really was a fulfillment of Ether 12:27 where the Lord showed us once again our weakness so that we would come closer to Him and He could strengthen us. Still, that day we still saw some incredible miracles, tender mercies that kept us going through the day. There was a random guy that came up to us trying to fundraise that eventually turned out to be super interested in the Book of Mormon. We gave him a book and he immediately asked us what our favorite chapter was so that he could read it that evening! Incredible right! Unfortunately he lives in a van and was only here for a few more days, but hopefully wherever he goes he'll be able to get ahold of the missionaries. Then we also met this one guy that looked like just a punk riding his mo-ped, haha but we talked to him and he was an awesome guy. It honestly reminded me of Elder Schwitzer's experience as a doctor because this guy is working over here to try and get to California to be with his wife, he said they'd been married for 6 years and that the last four months away from her had been some of the hardest. It was cool to see him light up as we talked about the possibilities of eternal marriage thanks to the restoration, hopefully he also will find time to meet with the missionaries in his area. So the Lord continues to be able to work through us, despite our major weaknesses, our limited time, and our limited ability. It's always just incredibly humbling to realize that the Lord really does care about what we're doing, that He is really is guiding us even when we don't feel like it at all.
This week we also got to pick up the new missionaries, man, that is my favorite part of every transfer! It's just fun to see them come in and to think back to the beginning of the mission. I honestly wish I could have another two years... The testimony meetings were extremely powerful and it was especially incredible to see the inspiration that worked through President Matsumori. I've had questions recently about whether or not I'm doing what the Lord would have me do in this assignment, if I've been trying to use time effectively, if I've been diligent, if I'm really accomplishing what he needs me to, and the Lord spoke through President. He was able to give me the assurance, comfort, and guidance I needed without even knowing the questions I was struggling with. It was yet another testament to me that the Lord is incredibly aware of each of us. I don't know, it's hard to describe all the feelings and thoughts I've been having for the last week or so. This time of the transfer always seems to be the time of intense inner reflection, what with the coming and going of missionaries. All I can say is that I'm grateful for the mission... I'm grateful for all that the Lord has been teaching me, for the lessons, the struggles, the joys, the miracles, and the opportunity to serve. I feel that the mission really does lead us to conversion, it's just been crazy to think back to where I was before hand, and to see the change that the Lord has worked in me... There really is no greater blessing or miracle than the miracle of conversion. I feel that recently I have come to know our Father in Heaven in a way that I never have before. I feel that I can truly call Him Father and that He truly calls me son. I don't know, it's just been a crazy week, but I'm grateful for it!
Amidst all the craziness of planning transfers and other activities and meetings there have been a few extremely powerful spiritual experiences. It's been incredible to see once again the Lord's awareness of who I am and what it is that I need to hear. This last Saturday was an extremely difficult day for us. For some reason we were just exhausted, we had to do a bunch of stuff that we don't normally enjoy doing on a Saturday but that we had to get done, and then it just felt as if Satan was attacking us from all sides. Temptations, distractions, negativity, frustration, we could not figure out what was going on! We just kept praying for strength and that we would be able to accomplish all that was needed. Eventually everything did work out but it was probably one of the most difficult days of the mission. It felt as if the Lord had decided to withdraw His spirit and leave us on our own for a little while just so we would know what it felt like. It really was a fulfillment of Ether 12:27 where the Lord showed us once again our weakness so that we would come closer to Him and He could strengthen us. Still, that day we still saw some incredible miracles, tender mercies that kept us going through the day. There was a random guy that came up to us trying to fundraise that eventually turned out to be super interested in the Book of Mormon. We gave him a book and he immediately asked us what our favorite chapter was so that he could read it that evening! Incredible right! Unfortunately he lives in a van and was only here for a few more days, but hopefully wherever he goes he'll be able to get ahold of the missionaries. Then we also met this one guy that looked like just a punk riding his mo-ped, haha but we talked to him and he was an awesome guy. It honestly reminded me of Elder Schwitzer's experience as a doctor because this guy is working over here to try and get to California to be with his wife, he said they'd been married for 6 years and that the last four months away from her had been some of the hardest. It was cool to see him light up as we talked about the possibilities of eternal marriage thanks to the restoration, hopefully he also will find time to meet with the missionaries in his area. So the Lord continues to be able to work through us, despite our major weaknesses, our limited time, and our limited ability. It's always just incredibly humbling to realize that the Lord really does care about what we're doing, that He is really is guiding us even when we don't feel like it at all.
This week we also got to pick up the new missionaries, man, that is my favorite part of every transfer! It's just fun to see them come in and to think back to the beginning of the mission. I honestly wish I could have another two years... The testimony meetings were extremely powerful and it was especially incredible to see the inspiration that worked through President Matsumori. I've had questions recently about whether or not I'm doing what the Lord would have me do in this assignment, if I've been trying to use time effectively, if I've been diligent, if I'm really accomplishing what he needs me to, and the Lord spoke through President. He was able to give me the assurance, comfort, and guidance I needed without even knowing the questions I was struggling with. It was yet another testament to me that the Lord is incredibly aware of each of us. I don't know, it's hard to describe all the feelings and thoughts I've been having for the last week or so. This time of the transfer always seems to be the time of intense inner reflection, what with the coming and going of missionaries. All I can say is that I'm grateful for the mission... I'm grateful for all that the Lord has been teaching me, for the lessons, the struggles, the joys, the miracles, and the opportunity to serve. I feel that the mission really does lead us to conversion, it's just been crazy to think back to where I was before hand, and to see the change that the Lord has worked in me... There really is no greater blessing or miracle than the miracle of conversion. I feel that recently I have come to know our Father in Heaven in a way that I never have before. I feel that I can truly call Him Father and that He truly calls me son. I don't know, it's just been a crazy week, but I'm grateful for it!
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