Pretty humbling the one about The Lord sees weaknesses differently than rebellion. I've gotten those two confused for a long time. I was taught and always raised up that when you serve a mission, you serve your hardest. You give everything and you obey everything. It's been hard to see missionaries not do that. It stinks being around missionaries and to not feel the Spirit from them. It really stinks that consecrated missionaries that follow God's will more than their own will can be rare. I can quickly jump to the conclusion that they're rebelling and instead I need to really work on loving and seeing it as a temporary set back. My calling isn't Abiniadi's. These are still some amazing young men and women and they deserve a lot more love.
Yes I'm outtie. I'm getting transferred out. Our guess is to Centennial which I think is the Stutz's stake so that'll be interesting.
Elder Rhoades has amazing leadership and efficiency skills. He's one of the best zone leaders in the mission with how easily he gets along with missionaries and gains their trust and how prepared he is for everything as a zone leader. He's like a Gadianton Robber infiltrator. He can make friends with the most disobedient missionaries and gain their trust and find out everything thats going on in the mission that needs to get reported. In my bye bye book (a journal that missionaries have other missionaries and investigators and members sign) he wrote, "Your probably the most christlike missionary I've met and served with. You stand up and live exact obedience under every circumstance, I have mad respect for you" It meant a ton for me to hear that for him. I testify that facing with the Savior is always worth it despite the trials and pressure we may be under! This transfer was tough but I've learned a ton and have grown a lot. I've been brought to my knees and humbled and because of that I've realized the need for improvement and am working on it. I could have been a lot more Christlike in my correction. I'm working on my patience still haha.
I got to go on exchanges with an Elder Jensen! My 5th exchange with him! I was his zone leader back in Grand Junction and he has grown a TON since the first time we served with each other. He was so afraid and timid and has grown to be so much more confident and capable and social able. It's so great to see his improvement. Together we taught 6 lessons, found 3 new investigators and set 2 of those new investigators on date. We make a great team!!
We set a 17 year old girl Mikayla on date for March 22. She's been struggling a lot in her youth to find happiness and has been trying different churches out and trying to be closer to God. She said "yes" before I could finish the baptismal invite haha. I'm so bummed I won't be able to teach her. Edthnie is a 28 year old with a 6 year old that wants to find the truth. She asked if it was alright if her sister came to church with her because she wants to find the truth too. HECK YA!!! The day before that I called a new investigator that my companions had found on exchanges while I was gone a woman in her 30's. I called to set up an appointment but she said she's not sure with a lot of things going on her life. So I kept talking to her and asked what was going on and she said a lot of emotional struggles that she's been dealing with for the past 10 years. I asked if she wouldn't mind sharing and then suddenly someone I've never met told me in tears how she's been lesbian and dating a girl for the past 10 years and just recently broke up with her because she feels God wants her to start a family with a husband and she wants to follow God. She said she's afraid of what people would say if they knew she was meeting with us but she agreed that this phone call was definitely a sign from God that she needed to. Ever since she's loved reading the Book of Mormon and so I told her I'd be at her baptism and finally meet her since I'm being transferred haha.
I got to see the Medalens one last time before I get transferred. We had dinner with them and it was so great to see that family. I've loved my time here. I've loved my trials here and the refiners fire. It's taught me to be more confident and stand up to lead. It's taught me be definitely be more charitable and to see the best in my companions and in missionaries no matter what they say about me or what decisions they make.
In our Zone Leader Conference Call we have on Tuesdays to report upcoming baptisms, our mission president counselor quoted Elder Rhoades, their area 70 who said "Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will always make sure that there will always be an abundance of low hanging fruit". I definitely know it's true where ever you are! I've grown in so much more faith in miracles on my mission! If you hold out faithful God will bless you with that low hanging fruit. If we hold out through our trials, stay faithful to God and not to man and see the blessings of our hardships and trials from even other people's faults, God will send us to the promised land!
I love you all!
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