Familia, I'll be honest, things have been super crazy these last couple weeks. So to start off Elder Zenteno had changes this last week. He only has two transfers left (3 months) so he got changed to go and train a new missionary in Acambaro Guanajuato... which is awesome. Elder Zenteno has been in 5 different states in his mission. Pretty cool huh? What happened is that a part of the México Cuernavaca mission changed over to this mission... so Elder Zenteno will be ending his mission having served in 5 states. Kind of a difference with me only being in one state my whole mission ;) I love Elder Zenteno and really helped me out a lot. The thing that he helped me with the most is Faith. As we all know there is something called Agency. It's really tough at times when we see people reject the gospel over and over again. We get discouraged, we get down on ourselves because we feel like we do our hardest but they don't accept our message. |
What happens? Well, we blame it on agency and are content with our efforts. That's a great excuse... and at times it really is true. But the key thing is that we need to do all that we can to help them... if they reject us... that isn't a excuse to stop trying. Maybe it's a good to give them a break... but what we need to do is go look for the chosen people out there. I feel like I have been pretty content with being rejected, blaming my "unsuccess" in agency. But what I have learned is that if someone rejects our message we just need to move on and find the people that are prepared to accept our message. Agency is hard sometimes, but get over it, and have faith that God has prepared people and they are waiting to hear our message. This is what Elder Zenteno has taught me... to have faith and to do what you can to complete with the Lord's standards. If you really have faith in something, you are going to achieve it. I have been kind of stuck in my thought process that I have faith that things will happen if God wants them to... and have been content with blaming it on people's agency. Well, things have changed. If you think you are going to baptize, you will do it... maybe not with the person you might think at first... but you will do it. Piensas en bautismo y bautizaras. I know have faith, and I will achieve what the Lord wants us to do. La norma es que estemos bautizando cada semana, si ésto es lo que el Señor quiera, ésto es lo que pueda lograr. Esto es fé. [The rule is that we baptize every week. If this is what the Lord wants, then this is what can be achieved. This is faith]
So it's sad that Elder Zenteno left but I feel like I learned what I needed from him and maybe he learned a couple things from me as well.
Every month the zone leaders, sister training leaders, assistants to the president, and the president have a meeting called Los Consejos. In this meeting we talk about the progress in the mission and the progress in each zone. This last week we had this meeting but it was way different. For about 2 hours we talked about obedience. In our mission there has been a lot of disobedience... weird right? Missionaries being disobedient.. guess what we are people too and we make mistakes. Anyways... there has been so much disobedience going on that there have been a handfull of missionaries that have had to go home early... a couple of them being very close to me. It's sad. Afterwards everyone of us had an interview with the president to confess the problems of disobedience we have had in the mission. Wow. It was pretty crazy but so needed.
A few days later the zone leaders direct another similar meeting for their zone. This week we had a surprise guest at ours. The president definitely came to our zone meeting. It was pretty awesome. My new companion, Elder Hernandez, was just barely asigned to serve as zone leader so he was pretty nervous. We didn't have all the materials ready... but it turned out pretty well. It was a really good meeting but everyone was kind of on there toes with the president there. I really admire President Camarillo. He is a really great leader and really cares for each and everyone of us. I may not agree with him at times, but I know he has been called of God to serve as our President of the Mission and to receive revelation for each and everyone of us.
This week is awesome and I really do like my new companion Elder Hernandez as well. We are going to work hard but have a fun time as well. :)
Love you all,
Elder Summers
So it's sad that Elder Zenteno left but I feel like I learned what I needed from him and maybe he learned a couple things from me as well.
Every month the zone leaders, sister training leaders, assistants to the president, and the president have a meeting called Los Consejos. In this meeting we talk about the progress in the mission and the progress in each zone. This last week we had this meeting but it was way different. For about 2 hours we talked about obedience. In our mission there has been a lot of disobedience... weird right? Missionaries being disobedient.. guess what we are people too and we make mistakes. Anyways... there has been so much disobedience going on that there have been a handfull of missionaries that have had to go home early... a couple of them being very close to me. It's sad. Afterwards everyone of us had an interview with the president to confess the problems of disobedience we have had in the mission. Wow. It was pretty crazy but so needed.
A few days later the zone leaders direct another similar meeting for their zone. This week we had a surprise guest at ours. The president definitely came to our zone meeting. It was pretty awesome. My new companion, Elder Hernandez, was just barely asigned to serve as zone leader so he was pretty nervous. We didn't have all the materials ready... but it turned out pretty well. It was a really good meeting but everyone was kind of on there toes with the president there. I really admire President Camarillo. He is a really great leader and really cares for each and everyone of us. I may not agree with him at times, but I know he has been called of God to serve as our President of the Mission and to receive revelation for each and everyone of us.
This week is awesome and I really do like my new companion Elder Hernandez as well. We are going to work hard but have a fun time as well. :)
Love you all,
Elder Summers