Sector: Alberdì
Comp: Elder Cagle
Wow this week was probably on of the hardest weeks in my mission! So I only have had 6 weeks in this sector before my last companion Elder Cooper returned home -6 weeks is not enough to learn this sector!! So my companion Elder Cagle and I have been walking around everywhere with a map trying to remember where everyone lives. Thursday and Sunday last week were some of the hardest days because we had absolutely no lessons and we have very few lessons from the days before. The people were just ocupied or on vacation an we only had a few investigatores but we had visited them all. It was really hard litteraly walking 5 straight hours in the heat trying to find someone to teach!! Geez! But just yesterday we began to see blessings because of our diligence.
Friday- we recieved the news that in the family Elder Cooper and I had helped get reactivated there was a girl with the age of 21 who had lost her baptism records. The mission, the stake and the family have tried to look everywhere or for some evidences but nothing has been found. She has a baptism date for the 20th of march.
Saturday- we went to one of the houses that we had recently found. In this house there is a convert who was baptized last year. He stopped going to church and got involved with a girl and they are now living together. He called us and told us to go and visit him. He told us that he wanted to do things right. His girlfriend wants to become involved in the church and do the same. We found out that the girl has to get divorced from her husband that she had separated from so that they could get married and go to church. So friend told us that he is planning to move out and be friends with his girlfriend so that they both can progress and so that his girlfriend can be baptized with her 3 kids. She has a baptizm date for the 20th of March.
Sunday- we had ward counsel and our bishop told us that there was a sister from columbia and that she had been recieving the lessons from the missionares there and she had just barely moved here and she wants to be baptized. She has a baptism date for the 20th of March.
Monday- we had lunch with an active family. They had told us that in our ward there was an hermana that was an investigator and had been an investigator for almost 7 years. She told us that missionaries had always passed by but she coudnt progress because she needed to get a divorce and get married with the guy she had been living with. The active family told us that she always pays her tithing and that she is super strong and that this last sunday she had told the relief society that she went to the registo civil and became legally married to the guy she is living with right now. And she also told the sisters that now she can become a member of the church. She has a baptism date for the 20th of march.
Monday- we also visited a house of a youth that was recently baptized. He is the only member of his family. They live in very poor conditions but they are a great family. The converts mom had always participated in the visits we had with her son. But she was firm in her decision not to be baptized and join the church. Well this last monday we visited them. Her son went to the kitchen to make juice and we sat with her in the living. I kindof jokingly asked the sister when she was planning to be baptized. She gave me a big SHHHHHHHHH -and then said quietly that she had talked with a returned sister missionary. That she bore her testimony to her and that she had felt the spirit to hear this returned missionary. She told me and my companion that she wants to keep the news a suprize to her 17 year old son. She accepted to be batptized the 20th of march.
Well we are working with a family and they are becoming reactivated. They have a son who is not a member. This family has a goal to be sealed in the temple. We have been working hard with this family and their son has a baptism date for the 20th of March.
My companion Elder Cagle and I have been seening lots of miracles. I know that our Heavenly Father has touched the hearts of these people. Even if these families dont make the baptism convant they will still have that seed and hopefully it will bloom in the future. We have started asking references. We have learned that the members are timid. Its hard to ask them to join us in a lesson with somene they dont know. So - we are working around that. We are asking the members for references in very specific ways and still the members are to shy to introduce us to them so we go and contact the house and if they accept us we tell the members that they had recieved us and they sooon become very excited to go to the lessons and share their testimonies. When these members see the success from their efforts they will want to participate more because thats what brings joy and happiness. Other members will see the examples and want to follow.
The field is white, and it is ready to harvest. I have learned from my mission president that it is like lookig for easter eggs. There are many many easter eggs but they are all hidden and we have to look diligently. Sometimes we give up to easy. As Elder Holland has said "Salvation is not a cheap experience." Even when we have been looking and searching and never find those eggs we still leave behind the hints and clues or seeds. We are all on the same team.
Well thats my week!! Love you guys!!
Elder Brady
