Aug 31, 2015

This week I had changes

I hope you are doing well. This week I had changes. I went from an area that is really hot that rains a lot but is beautiful to an area that is of in the dirt again. My area is in the zone Pomalca it is called La Cria because the people raise so many animals here. The area is the smallest of tied for the smallest area in the mission. This will be challenge , there are no names for the streets so directions are lijke this 3 houses down to the left of Paul something like this. I was made senior companion and I am training a missionary named elder Torrez. I am finishing his training because his companion Elder Anderson had transfers. Elder Anderson is the boyfriend of Whitney Bitner dad´s cousin. The thing that is interesting is my companion came to the mission with knowing only a little spanish, he is from Cochabomba bolivia. He grew up in a city where they only spoke quechaua. 

Oh ya we had a baptism- Jorge Torres

 The area, I am getting to know the cria little by little.  One thing that shocked me was that there are not streets or numbers, so learning and putting directions down will be a whole new experience. This ward is the first ward I have been in where the ward counsel has a every organization present and the counselors too.  It is a loving ward.  The next goal we have is to establish more of a friendship and a schedule so that the members can leave with us. There are some members that will leave with us like the ward mission leader and a guy named Guillemermo but besides them there is a lack of support in this aspect.  The thing I love though is the first day here the ward mission leader handed us a stack of references both investigators and less actives.   It is amazing how a ward with a small boundary can have so many less actives.  This week my companion had the pleasure of baptizing hno. Jorge Torres.  Elder Torrez baptized hermano Torres it just seemed sight.  It was my first baptism as a senior companion and I made the mistake of not telling Jorge Torrs to bring a towel and a change of underwear.  Well its is a learning process.

My old campanion (Elder Flores) and I at the meeting with President Bednar

Saying goodbye hermana or Sister Deydi, my old penscionista.  I am leaving Jaen.  I was in tears when I left and so was she. She really has a sincere love for the missionaries

Elder Bednar

IT was amazing to have the opportunity to have elder Bednar come and speak to the mission. He came with his wife. the presiding bishop with his wife, an area president and his wife, and the 1st counselor of the north east south america area and his wife came. Elder Bednar promised us that we never have a opportunity to have basically a general conference like this again.

I learned so much and wow the spirit in the room was so strong. 

The most important things that I learned

1.   I have been taking notes wrong my whole life. Elder Bednar stood up an said this. People in the church have a horrible tradition of writing down everything the speaker says... He told us that we would probably never use or look at the notes we take again. He also said that it cuts us off from hearing the things which are not spoken which are the things that of most value. He encouraged us the listen carefully to the things that the speaker did not say, the holy ghost, and write on small plates. Like in the Book of Mormon is divided in to the large set of plates and the small set which has all the things that pertain to spiritually important aspects. It was a more spiritually fulfilling experience when I focused on my impression. It is hard but the things that did come really were of great value. It will take a lot of work to develop the gift of always having and ear for the things that are not said. It is a gift that is only given from god. The important part from this Is l need to learn how to teach the people I am teaching to listen to the things I don´t say. This means as missionaries teaching in a way where we are only the connection for the true teacher to teach. Sometimes this would be talking less and allowing pauses to let the spirit take his role in the teaching. The is a power in pauses and silence that i am learning. I am also learned that we have no reason to fear that we have all the answers when the third member of the companion ship is present.

2.  We talked a lot about learning in faith like the Savior. Faith is not a muscle that we can wor kand gain more but doing certain numbers of things or reading for a certain amount of time but a god given characteristic that comes only to us in gods time when he has trust with us to bless another one of his children. God will not just bless us with spiritual gifts especially if we wont them he will bless according to his will and after are trial of faith. The thing is a trial of faith is not a giant trial like contracting a terrible disease or a death it a just seeing if we are willing to put off are desires that natural man and obey and work and do the thing s that we know we should. It is also being diligent. This gifts all come through the atonement.

3.  Our prayers start when we stay amen. Going along with faith as a principle of power and of action. The whole process begins with our agency or the opportunity to act and not be acted upon. Ya There is a need to learn the language, or there aren't investigators, what are you going to do about it. God will work though us and bless us as we work. It is the whole 17 But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound.

i LEARNED SO MUCH i PUT MORE IN MY NEXT LETTER