Hi Mom!
So… I just got My Plan. Which for old missionaries, like me, is basically just a huge slap in the face. For those of you who don’t know. My Plan is the goal making program the church has for returned missionaries. It’s meant to help prepare you for your post-mission life.
Anyways, this week was the start of our Zone competition. Which means there was a lot of high energy for the work. This competition grades certain aspects of missionary work (lessons, baptisms, assistances to church, etc) and when you complete an aspect you get points. The district with the most points at the end of these 2 weeks will win a bunch of food. Really fun way to motivate the work. Not the best for working with the best intentions. Ni modo, we are winning. We have a pretty solid lead and if everything goes good thus week we will probably win the food.
Thus week we had exchanges with our Zone Leaders. Elder Nilsen (my ZL) came to our area and replaced my comp Elder Nelson for the day. This Elder was very determined to knock on member doors. We quickly learned that in Guanajuato Capital. It is impossible to find anyone by their addresses. You go down 1 street looking for house 15, you pass houses 12, 13, and 14 expecting to see 15. But nope the next logical house is 37 and turns out 15 is on the other side of the city on a street with the same name (literally happened) So we decided to work with the members. So now every Thursday we have a time scheduled to go out with a member or two and visit less active families. Just so we can at least know where people are jaja.
Also, one of the reasons we are winning the competition is because one of the bigger points hitters is to simply put people on baptismal date. This week we put 7 dates. 2 where grandparents of a youth we are trying to prepare for a mission. The other 5 are from Karla Gonzalez Rodríguez’s family. Siblings, Uncles, spouses, everybody wants to get baptized in this family.
Which reminds me of all the miracles that made setting 5 dates for them. The first is the miracle of a priesthood blessing. When we first met the boyfriend of Karla. He had a lot of mental health problems. So we gave him a blessing. Two weeks later we find out he hasn’t had those problems anymore or at least they were lessened. Next, in 1 day we met several of the family members, who couldn’t be in on the lessons every time, out in the streets. Where we taught a quick lesson and set the fechas.
Third, when it came down to inviting them to church and getting them there. We show up at the house before 9am and wait 45 minutes and only 2 people come with us. But, we gave them a link to the zoom and 3 more got on from that. As well as the 2 grand parents. We had 7 show up to church. But then, Brenda showed up. In total we had 8 assistances. It was milagroso. All of our baptisms are set for the 28th and probably the 29th of May. So we are pretty hyped. If all goes well we will break this area’s record of 4 baptisms in 1 month.
Now, I have something kinda interesting to share. My comp said I was wierd for doing it. But since March I have been planning my homecoming talk. It is based on the 5 main principles of the gospel. And since I started I have had very specific and very real impressions come to my mind about most of what I want to share in the talk. For example I’d be studying one day and then I’d read something and then my brain goes into full focus mode and I just write and research and write some more about a specific one of the principles. Then I would reference it for later. I have been having a lot of trouble rather lack of inspiration on one point in specific. The gift of the Holy Ghost.
I’m about to spoil a bit of my talk but friggin My Plan reminded me. And I feel like I should share. Essentially, it says in Galatians 5 that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” I only know of one thing in this list that goes above any law. In fact without it we are literally nothing. That is LOVE. But it is so much more than that because the real word is Charity. Without charity we are nothing. If you want anyone ti know anything about anything, love them first. I knew all of this before. Love is the most cliché go too fixer upper ever. What I learned this last week is that it’s 100% true. Love heals wounds in family relationships, love pushes people to be better, love literally saves us from sadness.
I’d just like to bear my simple testimony. Even if we take away all of the religious stuff and only look at it from a secular point of view. Love is still the strongest force in the physical universe. It’s what drives every one of us. It can take many different forms. But it is always there. I know there is a supreme being who loves us in ways our monkey brains can’t even understand. I also know these monkey brains have their moments. However brief, where it ceases being a monkey and actually reaches for God hood. It’s in these moments where bridges are built, bonds are formed, and hope thrives.
Till next time,
Elder Service.
