"O that I were an angel"

Sorry I didn´t send a blog email home last week. I tried giving good responses to everyone who emailed me for once but it left me with no time in the end. 

 

Opening an area has really been a challenge for Elder Rich and I. Starting from zero is quite the task but we have built up quite a selection of people that are willing to listen. When we first got here we were meeting with lots of members of the church to find out who they know, talking with people in the streets, and knocking on doors... but I am happy to say that most of our time now is involved in talking to the people we have met (as well, of course, finding new people). 

 

The people here are a different breed and come from very different backgrounds than the people in my last area. Adjusting was hard at first but now I have a better hang on things. 

 

We have some investigators that are very excited to listen to us and have a true interest and hope that what we have to share will better their lives. And it is true, what we teach does change lives. 

 

One thought that I have reflected on a lot lately is the fact that we, as humans, all sin. And all of these sins, now matter who you are, place a burden upon you. That´s just how it is... and most people don't know that or understand it. But what we teach, the gospel of Jesus Christ, contains what we need to healed, to feel clean, to feel relief from these burdens. As a missionary I have the knoweldge of what heals and it would be selfish not to give everyone the opportunity to listen. Through this thought method I have changed my whole approach of who I talk to. I have gone for picking out families or people that look like they would be receptive to talking to everyone. I know I could have came to this conclusion by looking at the example of Christ as he was no respecter of persons... but this is what helped me. 

 

About a week and a half ago a member of the area seventy from Chile, Elder Nuñez, came and spoke to our mission. I took notes on what he shared but the notes are back in our house. One big thing that I got from it, however, is a story he shared about about his mission. He said that he wasted 22 months of his mission just being good and obedient... at 22 months he read the scripture in Alma that says, "O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!"

He said after reading this scripture he got on his knees and began praying to have this desire... a true desire to serve God and help people and it made a remarkable difference in his succes as a misionary. I have been applying this principle in my prayers as well. Though I have a long ways to go I am growing every day in my desire to teach with great power not just to have success but because I want people to receive salvation. 

 

Hope all is well back home and I am sending my prayers to you all. 

 

Elder Rainock

From Villa del Parque - "Truly amazing"

I said my goodbyes to everyone there in Tup-town and made me way up to Godoy Cruz on Wednesday to meet my new companion and to go to my new area.

We got about 25 new missionaries this transfer and 17 are straight from the MTC. My companion is from Pleasant Grove, Utah and is coming fresh from the MTC in provo. His name is Elder Rich and I can already tell he is going to be a great missionary. He is working hard and has desires to be out and about even with the barrier he has with the language. The people love to hear him talk and always listen very intently when he speaks so we are trying to take as much advantage of that as possible. 

The new area is great and we are finding lots of people to teach very quickly. We have been speaking to everyone in the streets and working with lots of members to find people that we can teach with them. The ward is not very big here but the members are very strong. There are lots of returned missionaries in our ward so that means great things for the work here. We are excited to be here and have the opportunity to gets things started again here in Villa del Parque. 

The area here is very different from my last. This is more like a city area and it is a lot smaller but with a lot more people. There are some nice neighborhoods and some not so nice ones that we have to be careful in. We have already been told many times by the people here where we shouldn´t go at night (or some even during the day) so everyone is looking out for us. The people here are really nice and many speak a bit of english so my companion can find some relief with that sometimes.

I have to admit I was a bit nervous to come to a new area, escpecially a big city, to train a new missionary and have to take the lead in everything. Because when I left Tupungato on tuesday my spanish was still not quite there. When I got here on Wednesday with my new companion we sat down and prayed for help with the great responsibilty that we had in front of us. I felt comfort that everything would be okay and that the work we are meant to do here would get done despite our lack of experience or handle of the language. That evening we went out into the streets and since that moment I have never faulted words to speak and I have understood everything... it is truly amazing.

I don´t have much more time but I´d like to send a picture so I´ll end it here. Hope all is well back home and my prayers for all. 

- Elder Rainock

"[A] time of rapid growth for me and I hope to be of great help"

Man... I just took out my camera to see if I had pictures to send home this week and realized that I did the thinking in spanish... I don´t know if I always think in spanish or not but I just realized it in that moment. Also, sometimes people have shirts or there are signs that have english and I don´t even realize it is in english.. everything just registers the same to me now. And when we sing hymns in the morning it takes me about 10 seconds to figure out which hymnal is in english and which is spanish. My english is a mess... 

Anyways, on to the news of the week!! We got transfers this week and I am super excited! 

I will be heading up to Godoy Cruz which is right next to the city of Mendoza. I will be near the mission offices and in a very populated area. My area will cover part of the city and some villas (villas are areas of people of more humble means and all the houses are small and close together). I will be opening this area as it was closed from the lack of missionaries we have had in the mission. On top of that... I will be training a new missionary!! I don´t have any idea who it will be or where he will be from so I will update you on the next monday. 

I feel very excited right now to have the opportunity to train a new missionary after just finishing my training one transfer ago... it´ll be a time of rapid growth for me and I hope to be of great help to my hijo (means son, what we call the missionaries we train in this mission). On top of that.. the responsibility of opening a new area seems pretty daunting but I know the Lord will help me do what He wants me to do. 

From vineyards and a small town to the big city. A country boy in the concrete jungle... it´ll be interesting. 

This saturday there will be two baptisms here in Tup-town that I will miss since I am leaving on Wednesday. However, I am very excited for this couple and they are already very happy with the blessings they are seeing from living in accordance with the gospel. They will be getting married on Friday and getting baptized on Saturday. They say that their relationship has bettered tremendously and they are truly happy together now. The husband has also quit smoking.. he went from 40+ cigarattes every day down to zero! 

Last night I said goodbye to the woman who got baptized a few weeks ago and her family. They have been very faithful with coming to church and participating in the classes. They are very exciting about sharing what has brought them such great joy. It was great seeing her in church today helping the investigators that we had there feel welcomed and comfortable. On top of that... they are preparing to go to the temple in a year to be sealed together for time and all eternity. Just the thought of that makes me stir with happiness inside. 

It is truly a blessing to be a part of this work today. Thank you for your prayers that help keep me going every day. 

- Elder Rainock

"So grateful to be here"

Last p-day we went on a small hike to a giant statue of Christ that stands on some hills (we´d call them mountains in virginia) looking over Valle de Uco. The view from up there was beautiful and the statue was pretty impressive. I have only seen it from a distance as you can see it from Tupungato.

 

This week I went up to Mendoza for a special training that everyone gets from the mission president while they are being trained. I finished my training 5 weeks ago but I was still invited because President Ávila didn´t do the training then (everyone who came in at the same time as me already had their training in the states while waiting for their visas). It was very inspiring.. just the basics but President Ávila has a way of inspiring and getting us all motivated. Elder Quadros and I left rejuvinated and firing on all cylinders.

 

While I was there I saw Elder Hurley. He was there because right now he is training a missionary from Chile. Wow!! He has lost a ton of weight! 40 pounds!! I´ll attach a photo of us together and you will hardly recognize him as the missionary that I was in the MTC with. He was the only missionary from my MTC group that I hadn´t seen yet and it was a very special day for me. When I was home from my mission I dreamed of the day I´d see those Elders again.. we became so close but by returning home I did not get to enter the mission field with them. Tears filled my eyes many times that day and as I type just because I am so grateful to be here.. to be worthy... to be ready. It is hard to think that I´d be going home with them in April of next year and when they leave I will still have 10 more months but that´s okay.. I have had so many experiences so far that have spoken to me that this is where I need to be right now.

 

The work here in Tupungato is going well. I will find out on Sunday what happens to me since this is the last week of the transfer. Hope all is going well, my prayers and gratitude goes to all of you.

 

- Elder Rainock