So this week was really interesting in a lot of different ways. Well we got called in to work on Pday
a couple of hours early because our numbers were low, so they brought
the whole zone in and an assistant talked to all of us, it was honestly a
really interesting experience, but it made the week super hard to end Pday early because I felt just absolutely exhausted and stressed the whole week, because the weeks ended up kind of just blending together. Anyways, the next day we had Zone Conference, which was super valuable, Presidente Cordova
is honestly just a master teacher, and has a talent in that area that I
really just want to develop more than anything right now. He stressed
more than anything the importance of teaching with questions and with
scriptures. He could teach any principle from Preach my Gospel with
just a single scripture and questions, honestly amazing. We have had
really low assistance at church recently, and between going to the
devotional and a bunch of other things, we had not a single investigator
at church, which really made for a disappointing Sunday. Here in Mexico that is especially bad because before
someone can get baptized they have to go to church 5 times, meaning
that we are nearly guaranteed to have multiple weeks without baptisms.
That being said, it really taught me the importance of stressing Church
assistance to help people move forward. I was thinking about if I were
to look at 1 number to tell me how I am doing that Church assistance
would be it, because those are the investigators that are really
progressing (assistance, reading, and praying). So I am really going to
focus on that this week. I also really learned how important it is to
just talk to people, you never know who is receptive and how isn't,
and I have honestly found that the Lord prepares people in our paths
that if we are willing to take 2 minutes to talk to, might be receptive
to this message. With that in mind, I really realized this week that
most of what I do as a missionary should be something that I do for the
rest of my life. Every man who is given the Melchezideck Priesthood has
the same rights and duties to preach exhort and correct. Once I finish
as a missionary, I still have the same duty to talk with everyone and
try and find someone that the missionaries can teach, that is part of my
Priesthood responsibilities. In fact, as a missionary, I do receive the
calling to dd this full time, and have all the rules and all that, but
at any time I can go and teach a lesson about the Gospel to any person,
and could at any time go contacting and try meeting people for the
missionaries to teach, in fact to do so is part of the covenant of
baptism to be a witness at all times and in all places (that is not to
say that if I do not go contacting every Sunday we are breaking our
baptismal covenant, but if there is free time Sunday, maybe talking to a
neighbor about the gospel is a good idea). I honestly have really grown
to appreciate and respect this work, we are like little honeybees, no
one does very much on their own. If you add up all that I will do on my
mission as an individual it wont be very much, but if you add up all
90,000 missionaries and all the work of all the members, that is a lot
of good.
With
that said, I really have grown to love the sisters here in the ward,
they honestly take such good care of us, and are so sweet and kind, it
is honestly amazing to me, I wish that I could find some way to repay
them for all that they do.
Oh,
by the way, this week is transfers, so I will be getting a white guy
for the first time in a long time!!!! Finally some English (its honestly
the same at this point for most things, I cannot speak either language
without mixing them together sometimes, and dream in a weird mix of the
two). His name is Elder Bennet, and Elder Quille (the poderoso peruano) will be leaving for home tomorrow, so that's exciting. I will be staying here another transfer, and that's all for now.
I love you all lots, really enjoy Christmas, its honestly a beautiful time that we have to remember the birth
of the savior. So many times I have failed to recognize what a gift
that Jesus Christ is for all of us, but the longer I am out here, and
the more I study and ponder about him, the more my admiration grows, and
my love for him grows. I hope you all enjoy a wonderful Christmas,
Elder Standridge
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