This week was good. Not super duper but good!
we acheived our goals but several little arguements with my companion. We came home early on friday because of elections here and we were able to clean the apartment deep clean finally. =) It is much nicer now. I bet its much nicer than josh's apartment at school. =)
We taught many lessons. Many new investigators. 15 actually but i think we are going to be a little stricter on who we count as new investigators. Here in Curacao the people are very willing to set up a cita. But are never there. Its kind of frustrating some times. But i also learned a lot this week gospel wise.
one of the coolest moments this week was this morning i was studying the gift of tongues. I have definitely seen it here in my mission. Being able to learn spanish and papiamento so well and so quickly. Has been a huge blessing. so this morning i got the strongest impression that i need to learn dutch. so my language studies are going to be focues on dutch.
Today the other missionaries want to go to the sea aquarium. =\ i want to go but dont want to spend the money. I have gotten much better with money on my mission. i'm still not good but better. =)
Well not a whole lot on my mind right now other than this week thats coming. I'm excited to teach a few people.
January 18, 2010
This week was much better. I have loved being here in this area. and have learned a lot from Adrian(a return missionary here). He doesn't talk if he doesn't feel the spirit. I have been striving to have the spirit guiding us lately. and there was a lady we went to teach who had invited a friend and all the friend seemed to want to do was argue. We began the lesson and started teaching the plan of salvation and she keept going off on how we were teaching doctrine that wasn't found in the bible. Earlier in my mission i would have tried to prove her wrong. Instead i respectfully listened to her point of view and tried to help her see ours from what she had said. Honestly the whole time i felt the spirit. She was frustrated becuase we weren't teaching from the bible but no matter what she said i didn't allow my thoughts of love and respect change for her. I was striving for the spirit. I am not perfect but sure feel like i am progressing.
Something president said in zone conference really struck me. It is more important that i am unified with my companion than him teaching exactly how he should or the perfect doctrine. It kind of goes back to faith in the Lord. Wonderful things happen when you listen. I feel like these last few weeks have been some of the biggest growth weeks on my mission. What a wonderful feeling it is.
We also had Elder Galloway who is an AP he was in my district back in aguada. He helped us a lot. This week i have strived to just accept the things my companion says and not try to argue with other people. or my companion. ANother thing i mentioned to president in my interview was how i feel like many missionaries talk to members and investigators in a demeaning manner. Like we are big guys and they are little kids. Many of them have many more years studying the scriptures than i do. Many of the members have more years in the church than i have alive. and the only difference between me and them is God has called me to share certain things with them. I don't know more than them nor am i a better person than them but i have been called by a prophet of God invite them "to come unto Christ by recieving the Restored Gospel through faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the end." I am also trying to learn something from each person we teach. see a Christlike attribute in them or a good quality that i can work from.
My companion seems to work in his own little circle. Uses the same examples every time the same scriptures every time. but as long as i support him and don't hinder the spirit we are good.
Good week. My other roommates. (we have 4 missionaries in our house) are doing great! Them have several baptismal dates and keep finding more. I am so excited for them. This morning they started to clean and change things. Not me... my companion didn't get as mad this time. It was good! I Like it better how it is now. We taught some good lessons this last week. WOohoo!
I Love You! Thanks for all!
Something president said in zone conference really struck me. It is more important that i am unified with my companion than him teaching exactly how he should or the perfect doctrine. It kind of goes back to faith in the Lord. Wonderful things happen when you listen. I feel like these last few weeks have been some of the biggest growth weeks on my mission. What a wonderful feeling it is.
We also had Elder Galloway who is an AP he was in my district back in aguada. He helped us a lot. This week i have strived to just accept the things my companion says and not try to argue with other people. or my companion. ANother thing i mentioned to president in my interview was how i feel like many missionaries talk to members and investigators in a demeaning manner. Like we are big guys and they are little kids. Many of them have many more years studying the scriptures than i do. Many of the members have more years in the church than i have alive. and the only difference between me and them is God has called me to share certain things with them. I don't know more than them nor am i a better person than them but i have been called by a prophet of God invite them "to come unto Christ by recieving the Restored Gospel through faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the end." I am also trying to learn something from each person we teach. see a Christlike attribute in them or a good quality that i can work from.
My companion seems to work in his own little circle. Uses the same examples every time the same scriptures every time. but as long as i support him and don't hinder the spirit we are good.
Good week. My other roommates. (we have 4 missionaries in our house) are doing great! Them have several baptismal dates and keep finding more. I am so excited for them. This morning they started to clean and change things. Not me... my companion didn't get as mad this time. It was good! I Like it better how it is now. We taught some good lessons this last week. WOohoo!
I Love You! Thanks for all!
January 11, 2010
Things are going great! We are working. Like most companionships we have our differences, we need to work out solutions to them.
The mission has helped me see that there are differences in everyone. The challenge is trying to work through them. My companion does some things that i dont agree with, and i do things that he doesn't agree with. One of the main things was the organization of the apartment. or better said lack there of. I have been trying to clean up the apartment and papers that we have. I can tell my companion doesn't like it very much. He had his routine set and i have changed a lot of things 1 materials 2 kitchen 3 paperwork and and for me it works very well now. A system that is fairly organized and everything now has its place. But now to my companion everything is out of place. Funny how life works some times.
I think that is the biggest struggle we have for now. Working as a companionship instead of both trying to go our own way. our own system. hmmm...
As for being here in curacao. The members were excited to see me again. Some. Most… The ones from barber were excited and both invited me to eat. =) This week should be a good one because we have our zone conference. We get to talk with president. Woohoo! Yesterday we were talking to a man that was drinking. He was a very nice guy. We asked us to tell him about our church. My companion started to explain a little bit and he mentioned that god has called a prophet again. The man quickly said that revelation has ceased and there will not be anymore prophets. My companion quickly took offense and told him that he needed to read the scriptures again. Then my companion just stopped talking to him. A situation I have put myself in many too many times. I took it much gentler and talked to him a little bit more and asked him to show me where it said that. And then the man said he wanted me to come back and explain more not my companion. It really made me start thinking. Of course every person is different. I can’t tell someone to do something or believe in my way of belief without understanding theirs why they believe that way. Elder Bednar had us read an article that he will be talking about when he comes to the mission. I LOVE IT. I read it and have been trying to apply it. Its hard when your companion hasn’t read the same thing and doesn’t teach the same way. He keeps answering hard questions I make to the investigators. I know it’s a hard question but I want them to learn not regurgitate. The talk is called Learning By Faith David Bednar. Read it!!! Its great. I am trying to apply it because I want the investigators to learn not just understand.
As far as leadership stuff. I have the leadership skills and techniques I learned before the mission. In marching band and scouts and stuff. My companion has his leadership skills he learned before the mission as well. They really clash. He likes to use our working time to run errands I would much rather wait on certain things till PDAY. But I am trying to communicate better with him. SO things will work out. The work is great I am learning tons. I got to visit one of the recent converts I did an interview for. She was happy to see me and I was very happy to see her strong and faithful in the gospel. It was great!
Well I Love You! Thanks for all. Talk to you next week.
The mission has helped me see that there are differences in everyone. The challenge is trying to work through them. My companion does some things that i dont agree with, and i do things that he doesn't agree with. One of the main things was the organization of the apartment. or better said lack there of. I have been trying to clean up the apartment and papers that we have. I can tell my companion doesn't like it very much. He had his routine set and i have changed a lot of things 1 materials 2 kitchen 3 paperwork and and for me it works very well now. A system that is fairly organized and everything now has its place. But now to my companion everything is out of place. Funny how life works some times.
I think that is the biggest struggle we have for now. Working as a companionship instead of both trying to go our own way. our own system. hmmm...
As for being here in curacao. The members were excited to see me again. Some. Most… The ones from barber were excited and both invited me to eat. =) This week should be a good one because we have our zone conference. We get to talk with president. Woohoo! Yesterday we were talking to a man that was drinking. He was a very nice guy. We asked us to tell him about our church. My companion started to explain a little bit and he mentioned that god has called a prophet again. The man quickly said that revelation has ceased and there will not be anymore prophets. My companion quickly took offense and told him that he needed to read the scriptures again. Then my companion just stopped talking to him. A situation I have put myself in many too many times. I took it much gentler and talked to him a little bit more and asked him to show me where it said that. And then the man said he wanted me to come back and explain more not my companion. It really made me start thinking. Of course every person is different. I can’t tell someone to do something or believe in my way of belief without understanding theirs why they believe that way. Elder Bednar had us read an article that he will be talking about when he comes to the mission. I LOVE IT. I read it and have been trying to apply it. Its hard when your companion hasn’t read the same thing and doesn’t teach the same way. He keeps answering hard questions I make to the investigators. I know it’s a hard question but I want them to learn not regurgitate. The talk is called Learning By Faith David Bednar. Read it!!! Its great. I am trying to apply it because I want the investigators to learn not just understand.
As far as leadership stuff. I have the leadership skills and techniques I learned before the mission. In marching band and scouts and stuff. My companion has his leadership skills he learned before the mission as well. They really clash. He likes to use our working time to run errands I would much rather wait on certain things till PDAY. But I am trying to communicate better with him. SO things will work out. The work is great I am learning tons. I got to visit one of the recent converts I did an interview for. She was happy to see me and I was very happy to see her strong and faithful in the gospel. It was great!
Well I Love You! Thanks for all. Talk to you next week.
January 4, 2010
SO this week was kind of crazy! We talked with our investigator on monday and he said he was excited to keep learning. We brought out my Helicopter...(christmas Present from you guys =) ) and played with it and his kids (it was P-day) Then played frisbee. Then found out one of our other investigators was in jail because her ex-husband came to her house and she told him to leave and he wouldn't so she slapped him and he called the police so she spent the night in jail. Then we went to the Arce family and he said he wanted to get baptized after having his dream. We had a Family home evening planned with a member and he was excited to come and eat and enjoy and we were going to do the interview with president that night. We got there and called him and he told us that he was in the hospital. he had gone in for a checkup and the doctor told him he couldn't leave the hospital. That he had to stay to clean his blood and had some clogged arteries or something. So he wasn't able to get baptized last weekend. But he gets out today and the baptism is planned for this weekend. But president that night anounced to the members that i was leaving and instead of saying Aruba he said Curacao. and i was a bit confused. He Said that i was giong to curacao and that ......... then he said that my companion was going to train. My companion is on his last trasnfer and he is training. =)
We kept working and working. New years eve couldn't sleep because it was so loud. Then i got to use a lawn mower for the first time in my mission. My lines weren't very straight at first but towards the end i pick it up again. =) I Love mowing lawns. Then on sunday i got up to bear my testimony and bore my simple heart felt testimony then thanked the members for all they have done and mentioned i was leaving today. as soon as i said that there was an audible sigh. That hasn't happened before...ever. All the other wards were just normal...ok bye... but here they all got up and bore their testimonies about missionary work. One sister said. "The missionaries come and go and have never affected us but these two are the hardest working humblest missioanries we have seen" She finished her testimony and another got up. Then after church they really made it hard. They all wanted to write their address' in my book and it was just a nice experience to see that the members i learned to love had learned to love me back. Thats a great feeling. One other sister. Sister Linares My puerto rican mom wrote in my journal Elder ellis tu robaste nuestros corazones, cuando regreses nuestro hogar es el tuyo (Dad's own attempt at translation here: "You stole our hearts, when you return our home is yours). They are a great family. I feel like they really are part of my family! I cant explain it. They are just like sisters and my aunt and uncle.
Then the less active we have been working with hasn't been to church in 25 years. She got baptized and went to church for a little while then stopped. She came to church this week. I almost started crying. SO HAPPY! The best part is there were 3 or 4 members that she knew. She was surprised and felt welcome with them still there. She talked to me after and said that she felt like she had missed out for a long time and thanked us for coming over and helping her come back. It made me feel so good.
Then today found out David A Bednar is coming to our mission the 23 of January. But he's not coming down to the islands. So today i am going to bring it up in zone leader council tonight, that maybe president can fly the Zone leaders of the islands up to puerto rico for that wonderful experience.
oh that too i am now zone leader of the islands of Bonaire and curacao
I Love you! Have a wonderful day Night week! Tlka to you later.
We kept working and working. New years eve couldn't sleep because it was so loud. Then i got to use a lawn mower for the first time in my mission. My lines weren't very straight at first but towards the end i pick it up again. =) I Love mowing lawns. Then on sunday i got up to bear my testimony and bore my simple heart felt testimony then thanked the members for all they have done and mentioned i was leaving today. as soon as i said that there was an audible sigh. That hasn't happened before...ever. All the other wards were just normal...ok bye... but here they all got up and bore their testimonies about missionary work. One sister said. "The missionaries come and go and have never affected us but these two are the hardest working humblest missioanries we have seen" She finished her testimony and another got up. Then after church they really made it hard. They all wanted to write their address' in my book and it was just a nice experience to see that the members i learned to love had learned to love me back. Thats a great feeling. One other sister. Sister Linares My puerto rican mom wrote in my journal Elder ellis tu robaste nuestros corazones, cuando regreses nuestro hogar es el tuyo (Dad's own attempt at translation here: "You stole our hearts, when you return our home is yours). They are a great family. I feel like they really are part of my family! I cant explain it. They are just like sisters and my aunt and uncle.
Then the less active we have been working with hasn't been to church in 25 years. She got baptized and went to church for a little while then stopped. She came to church this week. I almost started crying. SO HAPPY! The best part is there were 3 or 4 members that she knew. She was surprised and felt welcome with them still there. She talked to me after and said that she felt like she had missed out for a long time and thanked us for coming over and helping her come back. It made me feel so good.
Then today found out David A Bednar is coming to our mission the 23 of January. But he's not coming down to the islands. So today i am going to bring it up in zone leader council tonight, that maybe president can fly the Zone leaders of the islands up to puerto rico for that wonderful experience.
oh that too i am now zone leader of the islands of Bonaire and curacao
I Love you! Have a wonderful day Night week! Tlka to you later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)