Week 51

So this past week, I went on exchanges.  While we were on exchanges, the lesson was perfect. Like honestly when you have a lesson like that I would call it perfect. That was the first time in my mission that I had a lesson like that. So much happened I really don't have time to describe it all.   But this day on exchanges I noticed that I do my best to try and teach by the spirit without any memorized things.

So this last Sunday, I got to participate in the blessing of a baby. That was a cool experience.

Oooooo!

This week one of our investigator finally got permission from her mom to be baptized. Her dad was the Branch Pres until he died. But she could not be baptized because her mom, who is a member, who her dad divorced, would not allow it. She has been investigating for years. Her mom’s heart was finally softened just enough to give her written permission to be baptized. So now I am going to have my 2nd baptism, Aug 18.

Week 50

 So, just the other day, we ate dinner with this family, and their son looked really familiar. We eventually figured out that I knew him from the MTC. I guess he got sent home for health issues.

So, there was a fire around here the other day and there was a lot of smoke.... and some ashes. But all of the smoke turned the sunlight this weird yellowish color, almost like when you are using sunglasses.

I don't think I ever explained the new rules about wearing suits. Now you are supposed to simply discuss it as a companionship and decide if it is too hot to wear a suit that day.  No more stuff like general conference to general conference rules or above 90-degree rules.

I think it is good because people always call us weird/crazy for using suits when it is over 80 degrees. keep in mind that guys here in Idaho start going shirtless when it gets to 75 because they are sooo hot.

There was once a person that was giving advice to a college aged girl who was looking for a husband. He said, "do you want to know how to tell the guys that just went through the motions as a missionary from the ones that actually let the mission change who they are. Look at how they do their home teaching."  The story goes on to explain that this girl was dating this guy, and one day she was with him in his car and all of the sudden he says, "hey, look It is so and so who I home teach." He pulls over and goes over to talk to them. The girls recognized that as the guy who let the mission change who he is. There is your spiritual thought for the day.

 

Week 49

 So now in the mission it is official. The Mission President changed the rules... well sort of. He changed it to the way it was intended to be, however there is a slight problem. I think some missionaries might start doing things they should not. We are now supposed to call through our leaders anytime we have a question on rules, or the way we are supposed to do things. I actually love this because then it will optimize how many missionaries actually know things. For example, if I have a question on if we are allowed to do sports as activities to find investigators, first we call the District Leader (DL). If he does not know he calls the Zone Leaders (ZL). If the zone leaders do not know, then they call the Assistants. And the answer gets passed down the line.

Now any person calls their superior they are to check the white handbook and Preach My Gospel first, and then pray about it. This is the way all this was intended to be. However, that means that certain missionaries or leaders might start doing things they are not supposed to, which is why President Colton stopped doing it that way. He had the same idea but the missionaries could not handle having that kind of freedom.



This last week we went to go help someone move, and Ricky Whyman was there helping. I was his home teacher at BYU Campus Plaza apartments second floor. I once helped him remove a virus from his computer. Talk about a small world.

Elder Calderon's family is planning on coming to pick him up. That is what most missionaries do when their parents live near by. I have even heard parents coming all the way from the east side of the United States to pick up their missionary.

Anyway. That is all the crazy stories I have this week. Oh, and enjoy the pictures. (^_^)

Love you all,

(^_^)

Bye

Week 48

So last Saturday we ate at a Chinese restaurant. one of the fortune cookies said "If you focus too much on learning the tricks of the trade, you may never learn the trade." they then said, "does anyone understand this." I said that I did. They asked me to explain, and I told them that the reason those things sound the way they do is because it is very hard to put it into words. This morning I did. I even made a huge comparison with missionary work.

If a missionary focuses so much on being able to respond to any question, or knowing exactly how to explain something so it is impossible to understand, or just having all these different things to say that are magically able to help them, then ultimately, the missionary will forget about the whole reason he is there teaching that person: to help them be baptized and endure to the end.

So in the mission we become accustomed to coincidences. It happens all the time. In reality, what is happening is that God is placing these people right in our path. Everything seems to happen just perfect. Well, on certain days they do. Then on other days, everything just does not work, not a single person is home. But just yesterday, while we were planning, a certain person came to mind. Nothing out of the ordinary. but then I thought, "he is actually going to be home tomorrow at that time." Sure enough, when we stopped by he was home and we set up an appointment. Now this person is a less active, but the fact of the matter is that these coincidences happen almost every day. We know where to go, and what to do. Now, that does not mean we get baptisms all the time, but it does mean we are doing the Lord’s work.



On Saturday, about 3 or 4 zones helped out in doing service for a triathlon. There were around 60-70 missionaries. We had to be there at 5 so that meant we had to wake up at 3:30 to get ready and pick up other elders. It was a ton of fun. We helped set up. We helped show the runners and bikers where their route was, and then we helped clean up. While we were standing at every intersection making sure they went the right way, we were cheering them all on. My companion was leaning against the car just whistling. I was jumping up and down, screaming, whistling, and doing other things. I was practically hyperventilating myself for 3 hours straight. After all that, we were pooped. We both got less than 3 hours of sleep because we could not manage to fall asleep the night before.

So apparently, the Chinese people in Panama are about as bad as the Mexicans in Arizona. The Chinese people all cram into tight spaces to smuggle themselves into Panama.

So on Sunday, our car was perfectly clean. We went home for lunch and at the end of lunch we came out to find that a squad of birds bombed our car. There was bird poo all over it.

Week 47

 Recently we have given several blessings of health.

The first one the member could not so much as say a word. He could barely lift his arm to scratch his head. His wife was the one that asked for the blessing. 5 hours later he wanted to mow the lawn, but his wife would not let him.

The next one was that same Sister member's sister. She had fallen down the stairs and was in a lot of pain. She had gone to the hospital. 5 hours later she was feeling just fine.

The last one was a member that we ate dinner with. He did not tell us very much but that he was going to get an MRI. I gave that blessing. When I finished he told me that I did not know him at all, but yet he could feel the spirit and several things that were said gave him a lot of comfort. A few days later, after he had the MRI, and the results came back, he called us and informed us that he did NOT have cancer.

The Priesthood is real, and even though none may seem extremely miraculous, they are still miracles to me.

Guess what. I now weigh 170. I have lost an inch or more off my belly (I know that because that is how much extra space my suit has, as well as I have had to punch more holes in my belt so I can tighten it further.)



So I am going to be the one that gets to kill (be Elder Calderon’s companion when he leaves the mission) Elder Calderon. He is so trunky. EVERY morning he tells me that he had a dream  of home again. Anyway he is so trunky and he is not counting down the days. So I am doing that for him. I figured out how to easily calculate how many days any missionary has left.

I think that is everything I have today.

I love you all.

bye.