Elder Ware is from Spanish Fork, he has 8 months in his mission and has 5 transfers. This is his 2nd change in the Polochik and is really pushing to learn Q'eqchi'. I know that I am here for a reason. More than just teach him all I can in 4 weeks. Rather I have a lot to learn from him, I know many other reasons why I am here. I love Elder Ware, I truly do. He is a spiritual giant and I just love being around him. I haven't seen anyone who has 8 months have such a great heart, and is so spiritually tuned. We get along just great we are such great friends and love getting up at 5:30 and studying. He wants to take advantage of learning the language too. We truly are pushing to the end. We are striving to baptize!!! Our goals are these: To baptize in 3 weeks remaining. To leave behind 4 baptisms in K'anlun by the time I leave, to make members more involved in the missionary work, to have members give talks in church, to make visiting teaching assignments and to create a mission plan for the branch. My goal for Elder Ware is to make him feel like the greatest missionary ever. I want him to excel and just work miracles. I want him to feel confident in teaching by himself in Q'eqchi'. I will show so much love toward him.
Some funny news…..some members invited us to eat alligator with them. So they served it on a plate and put sauce on it, I loved it!!!! It tasted like a muscly fish, like a salmon mixed with a cow. I loved the meat!!!
We taught many people this week, we got 14 new investigators and well, we taught, taught and worked. However none of them showed up..... :(((( I do want to mention the great thing about the week, we found Rojelio who is a wonderful person, he is pretty sad though, because his wife is sick, and he has trouble drinking. We taught him about the healing power of Christ, and promised him wonderful blessings. We asked him if he would like to follow Christ, and he said he would love too. Then we asked him, ''Will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone who holds his proper authority??'' He agreed with a great smile. He was crying during the lesson I assume do to the fact that he felt bad for his past transgressions. We showed him the hope and the promise and he accepted. We also found a wonderful person who is a brother of a recent convert of my good friend Elder Lusty. The convert named Ipòlito and the investigator M. M split from his wife due to some problems and he used to belong to another church. He was in search for the true church and I strongly feel that God sent us there to bring him the wonderful news. He heard us teach the restoration and understood it really well so we asked him to pray about it, he accepted it. The next time we asked how his prayer was and he mentions that it was great he felt great and even had a dream, he dreamt that someone was inviting him to a church and saying ''Come on in.'' So we talked more and he asked about being rebaptized. We than reviewed how Joseph received the authority as other churches don't have. He understood perfectly and said, ''I will pray about it''. We are very excited to see what happens!!!
About the branch, right now this branch is fairly new, they used to have meetings in the homes of members because there was not a chapel, or a building, years later they built one but really small, now they tore that one down and are building a bigger one. We are currently having our church meetings in the house of a citizen in K'anlun, it is pretty tight and hot!!! Haha The branch doesn't have structure, the meetings are just the counselor speaking and the president giving everyone a happy heart (as said in Q'eqchi') However as Elder Ware told me that, I knew changes had to be made, so we had our mission coordination with the President Juan of the branch and his counselor and created goals and assignments. We offered to give talks Sunday (yesterday) and to give that example to the members so they will be able to do so in the future, more like next week hahah. We also talked about making a list where the members will do visiting teaching. Well during the meetings in church the relief society president goes to the branch president and says, ''I don't want to teach, all the sisters make fun of me and don't want to listen to me.'' So the president just turns and looks at me, and comes walking and says,''Could you teach the class''. I happily accepted and took it as a chance to teach the RS President how to teach the class. So I just talked to the sisters and asked them, ''Well what does relief mean??'' They just started talking and giving their thoughts, and we talked about helping others and helping their needs, in the meeting I created a list of widows and sick people, less actives in actives, members wives, and even investigators, whom these women will visit this Thursday. We made this list so that the branch gets involved in the work of the Lord instead of just listening and sitting and doing nothing else. We missionaries really run this branch. As I have mentioned before there is no structure. However the Lord is creating something great out of it. I can see it, I see the vision and we will bring it to pass. I have great goals, I am just all about goals. I love the mission. If you want to know if I am doing my best. I truly feel it. I am glad that my last companion is one to push and strive even further so we can find the elect. We want to baptize!! I know that the Lord is everything in this work. I am nothing, truly nothing, I just know that our Father in heaven possess all that we have, our time our money, our belongings I learned something great, that is that He already has everything that we have, and everything we possess has its origin in Him, except ONE thing he doesn’t have, and it is up to us to either give it or withhold it. The only thing that He doesn't have is our Heart, our will. That truly does impact me. I see that as the thing that makes or breaks the mission or our personal progression. We must submit our heart and will to his. In and only by that can he make us what he wants us to become. I have learned that throughout these 2 beautiful and indescribable years, I get choked up thinking about how great a debt I owe Him. Each mission is meant for that specific person. I know why I was located in each area, at those times and with those people.
Family you all sound so great. How great is that…finally there is snow!!! Well I will go from the oven to the freezer soon!!
Love you all!! I will talk to you all soon! Have the greatest week ever!!! Lindsey, thank you so much for the blog you have been doing. You have blessed the lives of many who are in the field who want to know how the mission is. That is a thank you from my companion.
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