The trunky call is when the secretaries call to ask what airport you´ll be landing in when you go home. They informed me I´ll be leaving with the rest of the missionaries this march, who started with me in April, When they said that, I had a bad feeling. I felt that it was just too soon. Just under two years, but they say it´s what normal for an American in another country. I just had a feeling that it was wrong, that I needed to stay longer. I began considering talking with President Lisonbee to extend my mission.
I got around to calling him this week. In my conversation with him, he assured me that on my call it says I am to stay another transfer until the end of April. He told me that there was not a mistake, I was called to serve just over the 2 years. :D I felt excited and a peace with it.
I love my companion elder Morgan so much! It has been a fantastic transfer. I learned a lot. He was teaching me so many things, that I wish I had a greater capacity to absorb it all. He taught me how to be better listener. How to become more humble. How to chose not take offense, regardless of what others say. I felt like we were making some great progress in our relationship and in our area. Elder Morgan has fulfilled specific parts of my patriarchal blessing about my mission. It got to the point that I didn´t want to be transferred.
For the first time I called the mission President to ask for him to consider me staying. I explained all the things that were happening. How I wanted to stay and help my companion and stay here in this area. I told him that I would go anywhere the Lord wants, but I personally would like to stay.
He heard me out. Told me that it was a righteous desire and that he would pray about it. He called me back later in the afternoon. He told me that I would not be able to stay, for he feels and has felt for a time that the Lord had a special assignment for me to do. He than called me to be his assistant.
I´ll still be in the same zone, and only an hour away from here. I feel anxious and excited and a little stressed. I´ll be working a lot in the office helping president prepare training's and such. I´m heading out tonight. Tomorrow we´ll go to the airport to get the new missionaries arriving. ( I´m also happy, from what I understand, we have a maid that is going to wash our clothes- She can sew some of my pants! Hehe)
We had a Christmas meeting with the mission. Our district put on a little skit of the birth of the savior. It went really well. I saw Elder Briggs (my trainer) there. He´s going home on Wednesday! I had an impression when I saw him, that we needed to go back to Alogoinhas, where I started my mission. I told him what I felt. He agreed. He spoke with president and he gave us permission to head there last Saturday.
It was really fun. I had a great time with Elder Briggs as we traveled and talked. I felt like we were in Paradise- leaned back in some comfy chairs on the bus eating some pastels and watching the green hills of jungle go by with one of my best friends conversing about the mission.
Walking those streets again was amazing. I felt like I was on holy ground. Everything looked so much different. So much more calm and small. The massive hills that I walked before, looked like small slants. They were nothing compared to the massive hills I´ve climbed since. The long streets, looked like little pathways. The intimating homes and people in the streets now looked harmless and non-threatening. My perception was entirely changed in this year. The area didn´t change, I did.
When I was there a year ago, I felt like a servant in the area. I was rushing a lot and felt worried. But now, I didn´t feel like a servant to the area- but rather a MASTER. I felt so calm and peaceful. So full of confidence. The large area seemed rather small and we moved around quickly, with a peaceful pace. I felt we had learned to walk as the Savior did.
As we got there, an impression came that we needed to go to Joline´s home. She was a girl I had baptized over a year ago. We stopped by a members home first to have someone take us there. They informed us that she had gone less-active. That her parents had discouraged her from going to church and she had given up a little.
We got to her home with a calmness and an assurance we were not showing up alone. I felt the presence of the Lord and His angels. We were confident we would help her.
We clapped our hands (which is normal for knocking). Joline appeared from her home, she was surprised to see us, but delighted. Her parents also greeted us with surprise looks of Joy. They had heard that the missionaries almost never come back. They asked why had we. With the spirit in our hearts we told them plainly- God has sent us. For you and your family, He will always send angels to help.
Joline began to cry. As we knelt in prayer with everyone. And we bore just simple testimony. Her mother was soon in tears from the spirit. It was the feeling of an open mind. A new heart. repentance. We spoke little-only what we felt to say, and we sat in the silent much and just listened. For the greatest Teacher taught us.
Uplifted and recommitted. Jonline and her family were at church yesterday having returned.
Eu amo todos vocês! Eu presto meu testemunho que essa é igreja verdadeira, a unica verdadeira. Eu testifico do Senhor Jesus Cristo, que eu sei que ele vive. Esse é Sua Igreja, Ele guia essa trabalho.Ele sempre mandar os Anjos dele. Muitas vezes ele nos chama a voltar e ser esses anjos. Nós podemos ajudar outros quando nós escutamos O espirito dele e oramos para a capacidade de chamar arrependimento com humildade. Digo, em nome Jesus Cristo, Ámen.
I love you all! I bear witness that this is the true church , the true unique . I testify of the Lord Jesus Christ , I know that he lives . This is His Church , He guides this work . He always send the Angels. He often calls us to come back and be these angels . We can help others when we listen to His spirit and pray for the ability to call repentance in humility. I say , on behalf of Jesus Christ , Amen .
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