Know. Live. Love.: It's more important to BECOME!

Hola!!

This passed week was a big week. I learned a lot. Like I told you last week, I have a new companion. She may be one of my favorite companions yet. Think of Rochelle Price + Kusco (on The Emperor's New Groove). Yeah, absolutely hilarious. She keeps me laughing, that's for sure!

Me and Hermana Jensen

It's been an interesting week because since I've already been here in Puerto for a transfer, I'm kind of expected to be the "senior companion"...and it's absolutely terrifying. I still feel so "baby" in my mission. I have SO much to learn! And then to be put in charge all of a sudden? Well..it's pushed me in many ways, we can say that.

Earlier this week we had our usual meeting with the ward missionaries and the ward mission leader. This is when we talk about all of our investigators, the lessons we've taught with them, their needs, the needs of other members/less actives, etc. Since my companion was new to the area she didn't know what had happened the previous week, so I had to do all of the talking for almost 30-40 minutes straight! En Castellano! It was so hard! And so scary! I felt like I was speaking like two words a minute. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but really, it was hard. But I did it! I can't tell you how relieved I was when that was over! But I did it! Even now when I think about it, I talked for 30-40 minutes straight! I carried a full conversation all by myself! Of course, it wasn't perfect by any means, but the language is finally really starting to stick.

Hermana Jensen and I thought a lot about the ups and the downs about being a missionary. We're here because we have a desire to serve. We want to invite others to come unto Christ and be baptized! We want to help people be happy! We live a higher level of obedience, because when we do so we receive a higher level of blessings. Because of this, as missionaries we are hard on ourselves. There are always days when you feel like you fall short or you feel like your best isn't good enough. We all get that way. We're human! We strive to be perfect, but it's just not possible! Yet what I have really been learning is that we get frustrated because our weaknesses don't just change over night. We get frustrated because it takes time. We're not patient enough! Yet our best is our best, and the Lord is proud of us for every little good thing we do to improve ourselves, no matter how small that is. I've learned that it's not important just to change, it's more important to become. And as long as we're becoming better each and every day...then we really are changing!

I've been able to watch one of our investigators this past week becoming a better, and a newer person. (Is that even a word? My English is leaving me. I now use my dictionary to check how to spell English words...) I told you a little bit about him last week. His name is "O". And he's going to get baptized this week!!! We have been meeting with him almost every day to teach him a little bit more and he is so awesome! He is hungry to learn about the gospel. We taught him the Word of Wisdom a few days ago and he told us that he smokes a little bit. We asked him if he thought he would have a hard time quitting smoking and he said "No! I'll stop right now! I'll never smoke a cigarette again. I want to be better. I want to do what God wants me to do because he knows better that I do, and if he says I need to stop smoking then I'll do it!" YEAH!! We were pumped.

We have several other investigators that have a lot of potential to also get baptized this week or possibly next! The Lord is really blessing us. He's really blessing this people and I feel so priviledged to be able to teach them and learn from their faith.