This week we did quite a bit of planning for the upcoming month. December is going to be a BIG one which also means it will fly by. We will have a zone conferences, two Christmas parties (half of the mission one day and the other half the next), a complicated transfer, and a training or two mixed in there.
Yesterday I was able
to go out with Elder Rich on an exchange. The stars aligned perfectly
for that to happen. Elder Rich is a zone leader in Godoy Cruz (the zone
where I trained him). If you remember, Villa del Parque is an area that
pertains to Godoy Cruz and is also the area where we were together. It
is also the ward that I am in currently (for the second time). When we
did exchanges yesterday we were able to work together again in Villa del
Parque. It was a really cool experience. We were able to reminisce a
little and visit some people that we worked with before. One of them is
the family we found together that has been coming to church since. They
are the ones I've written about before whose son just got baptized and
are waiting for the father's divorce papers to go through so they can
get married and baptized. They've already been together for over 20
years. They are so happy in the Gospel and have such strong
testimonies.
Unfortunately, they will be
moving out of the ward this weekend. They are going to a far, outskirt
part of the city. They were sad to find out a couple of weeks ago that
they would have to move wards but are now at peace with it. She told us
about a conversation she had with her son in regards to the situation.
When she told him that moving meant having to change wards he started to
cry because he loves the primary in our ward. Then she told us what she
shared with him to help him be strong about it.. which almost brought
me to tears!! She said, "one day you will be a missionary and will have
to form relationships with people in a short period of time. Those
relationships will be stopped temporarily as you have to move to other
areas but you will form great relationships in those areas as well..."
and she continued on from there. The part that really made me happy was
the thought of him going on a mission. I remember when Elder Rich and I
would go by there during the siesta hours, knock on the door, and he
would come to the door half-asleep after his parents would send him to
the door to tell us to come back the next day. Haha! She admits that
they would do that and we have a good laugh about it. It's so nice to
see the progress that they have made.
Some of
the most rewarding parts of my mission so far have been seeing (or
hearing about) the long-term progress of a number of individuals. When
one puts into practice the principles of the Gospel in their lives it
really works. And it works every time. That is a key part of the
testimony I have and that continues to grow.
There
are no regrets for those that decide to exercise faith unto repentance,
enter into covenants through holy ordinances, and endure to the end.
There are, and will only be, regrets for those that decide not to. There
is also lasting joy in this life that will multiply in the next as we
choose to be faithful followers of Christ. The path, to me, seems
clear.
Hope everyone is doing well back home
and that you have a great Thanksgiving! What a great time to remember
how we are so blessed.
Elder Rainock
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