October
6, 2014
Dear
Family,
We
watched conference live! I am glad to
hear that you guys were able to watch it too. I watched Saturday morning
in Spanish, then afternoon session and priesthood session in English. Sunday morning
in Spanish, and afternoon in English. I am definitely going to go through
these talks again in the Liahona (Spanish Ensign). I loved what President
Monson said about the Bismarck Ship, that was a great talk.
Well,
it is good to hear that you are all doing well. This Sunday we are
really really fingers very crossed hoping to have 2 baptisms. There is a
nine year old daughter of a less active lady who is coming back to church,
thanks to an awesome example set by the girl’s grandma who they live
with. Daniela`s uncle will come down from Santiago to baptize her, and in
a few months the mother will move with her 2 kids to of all places ONTARIO
CANADA. She told us about going to Tim Horton’s donuts while visiting
Canada. She is getting married to an active Canadian man who served a
mission in Chile 20 years ago, who later got divorced. We hope the family
can really stay active with her new father, because her last father went to the
airport and took a plane to who knows where, never came back. We are
going to put the mom in the preparation for the temple class.
Also,
we are teaching Daniel. We had been teaching him for a while, and
actually took our focus off him since he was going to church with his wife who
got baptized about 6 months ago, but he didn’t seem interested in really
progressing in the near future. He had expressed that he wanted to be
baptized, but always wants to learn more and more and didn’t want to accept a
specific date. However, we had invited him several weeks ago to be
baptized on the 4th of October. We have invited him several times and he
has never accepted a date. An active returned
missionary who works with him took him home from work, and as they drove Daniel
said that he wanted to be baptized on the 4th. We found that out, and
were shocked. The next visit we found out that he had been reading a lot
from the Book of Mormon and the pamphlets and he wants to do it now. We
put a fecha (made a date) for the 12th because there wasn’t time to organize an
interview, or to finish teaching him. We are going to pass by today to
teach the commandments. Please pray that he can be accepting of
tithing. He has a car, motorcycle, a home in a nice neighborhood and a
nice home in the country with land, and has 2 kids going to college. Please
pray that Daniel and Daniela can be baptized on the 12th.
I
have to go! I love you all
9999999999999999999999 times 9999999999999999999999!
Elder
Withers
Dear
Family,
I
am entering into the last 12 weeks of my mission........and I am getting transferred!
These last two transfers I will spend training a new missionary and
whitewashing in Santa Fe, in a city called Galvez. Whitewashing means that both missionaries who
were previously there are going somewhere else, and they are sending me and my
new companion who won’t know anything to an area where I don’t know anything
either. I will go pick up my new companion from the mission office tomorrow,
we will get on a bus headed for Galvez (once I figure out the bus that takes us
there, I will have to learn that first) and then once we get there we are going
to call a taxi to take us to our apartment because I don’t know where it is... and
then we get started! The only thing I am going to be given are the keys
to the apartment and the address of the place, and I am hoping and praying that
there is a nicely organized and beautiful area book waiting for us with updated
phone numbers and the address of the chapel and so on. And if there isn’t,
well then let the excitement begin! We are going to buy some maps and
learn our way around together.
I
know absolutely nothing about my new area....I don’t even know where it is on
the map. All I know is how to get on the bus that can take me
there. I don’t know if there is a ward or a branch or if it’s big or
little, safe or dangerous, I have no idea. It would be one thing to do a
whitewash with another missionary who has been in the field for a few months,
still hard but we would manage just fine. But whitewashing and training
is going to be a nice adventure. I am going to put to work all that I
have learned about using maps and learning my way around, because I don’t have
any time in this area with another missionary to show me the ropes of the
place. And also practice lots of patience as I help my new companion
adjust to Argentina. (You would be pleased to know Dad that I know north
and east and so on!) We are going to take lots of deep breaths and do our
very best, getting to know the people and the area, but also remain calm.
When we get lost (because it’s probably going to happen) we are going to be
fine, look at the map again...and keep going.
I
really am excited for these next two transfers, the first few weeks are going
to be nice and long, but the time seems to fly by quickly anyway. The
transfers always go by fast.
This
last week was terrific. We have seen lots of miracles in the people we
are teaching and lots of progress has been made. And the treat for the
week, was of course General Conference. And for the first time in my
whole mission.....I was able to watch it in English! Thank goodness that
there is another American sister in the zone so that we could be in the room
together with the Elders watching it on the TV in English. I watched 2 of
the sessions in Spanish anyway just because I could and the screen was lots
bigger, but I have to say......listening to conference in your native language
is incredible. There is something about it that lets the spirit testify
to you very powerfully. Not that I didn’t understand it in Spanish,
because I did.....but listening to it in your native language is awesome and
incredibly powerful. Which explains why they have started making some of
the talks be spoken in other languages....so that all can have the opportunity
to hear it in their native language! It was a cool. I thought of
you guys while you were watching conference, and it always makes the world seem
so much smaller. I know that we were listening to the exact same messages
at the exact same time, and I loved that. I loved all the messages....I
really loved all of them. But 2 of my favorites were from Elder Ballard
and Elder Bednar. All we have to do is stay in the boat, and the reason
we share the gospel isn’t because we are trying to increase our numbers... it’s
because it really has a healing effect, and people need the truth. I am
excited to re-read all of the talks in the coming months. (I love the
talks....I listen to the pen drive you sent me with all the talks every
morning, about 2 talks per day...it’s awesome!)
The
week really was a great one and another one is coming with lots of new things
waiting. Thanks for your letters, I love them all lots. I wish I
could respond to each one more personally with more time and a more thought out
response, but time doesn’t permit it........so the best I can do is say thanks
a million gabajillion! I look forward to writing you each week.
Today we are going to spend in Rosario, eating lunch at a cool downtown city
restaurant, and then going to the flag monument with Hermana Gonzalez before I
go (she was so adamant in going today, that I gave in....ha I started packing 2
days ago to be able to make it all work!) Today we play, I am all packed
and ready to go.....and tomorrow I begin a new adventure!
Have
a great week! I love you more than number tootsie rolls you would have to
line up to make a tunnel connecting Argentina and Chile and Boise!
Hermana
Withers
No comments:
Post a Comment