Today was a super relaxed p-day. We didn't really do anything other than buy our stuff, sleep, and exercise. That and clean the house. Actually, Elder Diaz and I cleaned. The whole day was pretty dull actually.
Miracle #669 We ended up being able to find and internet cafe. The other real miracle was learning that my trainer met my son in the MTC in Provo on E. Huaiqinirs last day there.
The funny part of the day was quite possibly working out with Elder Diaz tonight. He can;t take its ll so he was collapsing the entire time., This last Sunday, the bishop gave an assignment to one of our less active members to speak in church. Tonight we learned that he has been so nervous that he hasn’t been able to eat. We were able to calm him down and help him write his talk.
June 9. 2016
Today was a pretty different day. this morning I did my insanity for and hour and a half, followed by some yoga. I barely made it to my personal studies on time, but I did. I don’t think that my legs have hurt this badly for a very long time. We had morning contacting wth the posters in the Feria, an that wasn’t very good.
Miracle #670 We had a division with a member who I used to got on divisions with in the beginning of my mission. We had a great lesson.
There were a few funny parts of the day today. One was the results of the lunch we ate today. We were given lentils and they had a very harsh effect on my intestinal tract. My comp. definitely suffered. The other funny part of the day was when we bought sushi which came with wasabi. No one realyliked the wasabi so we played rock paper scissors to see who would eat ALL of it. I lost. It was not good.
June 10, 2016
Today was a day. This morning we came to the conclusion that we needed some help from the zone leaders with our “companionship.” We ended up having a very long conversation with was full of lots of good suggestions. Elder M. is a good kids and he tries so hard, but everything is really hard for him. Work was hard because Chile played in a major soccer game today. The streets looked like a zombie apocalypse hit. The only real productive thing that we did before the game was offer and ask permission to put up flyers about an English class.
Miracle #671 The conversation we had as a house made today a lot more enjoyable. Also we found a person to visit with during and after the big soccer game.
The funny part of the day today was probably running home at the end because we were short on time. For probably the first time in my entire life, it was easy for me to run. Not so easy for my comp. though. I told hi to tell me when he got tired so that we could take a break, but he waited until the breaking point where he was wheezing and puffing.
June 11, 2016
Today we spent a lot of our day putting up invitations to our English class that we are starting. It was kind funny because we made the invitations in the time that we are supposed to be doing our missionary correlation meeting. Our ward mission leader never showed up to the meeting, so we made use of our time to make the flyers. We wanted to put an American flag and a Chilean Flag on our posters, but the internet is so perverse that we couldn't even look those things up without garbage coming up online. I am not ready to face that when I get home.
Miracle #672 To me, it has been an absolute miracle to live in the same house as Elder Diaz again. Talking to a friend really helps in good times and bad.
The funny part of the day was probably being in a lesson and not being able to keep my eyes open. For a solid 15 minutes my comp tried to control the direction of the lesson and it was rough. We made it through. Tonight was the priesthood session and President Cook’s counselor gave a really good talk at lightening paced Spanish. It was super engaging and powerful. Right after that, the stake president spoke and it was the complete opposite. He spoke very slowly with long pauses for dramatic effect. It was a snoozer.
June 12, 2016
Today was a better day. Elder M. and I talked a bit more about how to improve in everything that we are doing,. He made lots of straight up excuses for why he was doing things he shouldn’t be, or not doing things that he should be. Now I understand why it would tick my Dad off so much when we would make excuses or lie to him. Trust is such an important part of a working relationship. The good thing about my comp is that he was able to express himself and his doubts and concerns. He has the desire to to the right things and that is super important. I realized that I have learned a ton today when I surprised myself at not reacting, over reacting, or correcting. I just listen and took it all in.
Miracle #673 We had some really good contacts while we were chatting. Not only do we have good futures, but I understand my comp a whole lot better now.
The funny part of the day for me was during a family home evening lesson that we had. We used a really cool example with a match, a wet piece of bread, and water. If you put the piece of bread in a dish of water, then put the match in the bread like a candle, and cover it all with a glass, the vacuum created by the burning match sucks up all the water. Using Matthew 6:33, you can compare this to centering your life on the light of Christ and all the rest just comes together. The funny part of the activity was when the object lesson almost failed due to the staleness of the bread. In the end it worked out.
June 13, 2016
Today was a pretty dang good day. This morning we left before 7:00 to do morning contacts and miraculously I took out 3 referrals in an hour. One was for our mission, one for our sector, and one in another mission. We came back to the house and did our studies.
Miracle #674 In every single lesson today we had a member present! For the first time almost a month, I felt the strong presence of the spirit while teaching a lesson.
The funny part of the day was playing the game in family home evening we held today. It was the game where you fill a bottle cap with water and then pick a topic. One person gets the cap and walks around to he other people in the circle who try to say a different thing that fits the subject. If someone repeats or guesses the thing that the person with the water guessed, then they get a face full of water. Everyone got wet and seemed to have fun.
Today was the longest conference of my entire mission. It went from 10 AM until 7 PM. It was evident that this was the President’s final address to us. His message was based on what WE needed to do when we got home. (REALLY!) I think that he wanted to leave his last words of advice with all of us. Not going to lie, I got more than a little bit trunk from listening to him. The other trunk part was listening to the elders give their final testimonies who are only one transfer ahead of me! I must admit that between this conference and the online orientation for the U of U, I am not exactly focused on the work.
Miracle #675 Today was the first zone conference that I didn’t fall asleep in. That and I was super spiritual and emotional.
Today was more spiritual than funny. I am extremely grateful for the time I have been able to serve with President and Sister Cook. Today they were asked a question and the answer sent tingles through me. The question was, “How do you measure your success out here on the mission. The response was, “We will measure our success in 20 years when we can see your activity and service in the church.” I cannot even imagine who I would be or how I could have made it without President and Sister Cook.
There were a few things that really stuck out to me from the conference. 1. When President Cook talked about arrogance, he made a few comments that impressed me. One was that arrogance and pride do not approve of diversity: in race, in opinion, in abilities, and in work ethic. An arrogant person does not value what others have or can do, only what they have and can do. To illustrate this principle, President Cook said that only men plant lawns, God plants meadows with all the implied natural beauty. If I can internalize that, I think it will really help me in my life. 2. The second thing that I learned was that repentance only redeems us from the eternal consequences of our actions not from the temporal ones. 3. The third thing that I learned was that everyone in their lives will have a crisis of their faith…kindof scary.
When President talked about doubts and how they can challenge our faith, I started thinking about my own faith and doubts. I have never and never want to let them influence the firm belief I have that this is the church of Jesus Christ and that HE is at the head. I know that because of Christ’s atonement, I have been forgiven of my errors and strengthened in my weaknesses. I am a little bit nervous for then next stage in my life because it really is intimidating. But I have a great family to help me out and God wants my success more than anyone.
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