It really is amazing at how many memories and experiences you can have on the mission. Every day is a new page and it can so easily become filled with beautiful moments, experiences, new friends. I can´t really explain how much I´ve learned and grown here so far, but it´s been an enormous increase. We had stake conference on Sunday, and since i´ve been technically in the same stake for the past year I´ve got to see so many people that I was with before. The camera came at perfect timing because I was able to take lots of pictures with those people I´ve come to love so much. I didn´t really know how to hold those feelings in, seeing these people again. One of the most exciting ones was seeing Jessica, the Peruvian lady from Barrio 9 who we taught for a while and then got baptized after I left. She was there on the temple grounds and started yelling my name before I even saw her, and it took me by surprise. It was an amazing time being with them.
We were able to do a temple session early on Wednesday morning (we get to do them usually every transfer). I was on an exchange though and those elders are a bit too relaxed and chill, resulting in us leaving late and getting to the temple about 10 min. before the session was suppossed to start. We barely made it in time, but I quickly got changed and everything turned out well. I think I will enjoy being able to better prepare me on those days that I do temple sessions back home. Being in a rush to the temple didn´t help me spiritually prepare myself too much. But it all turned out well, and felt quite peaceful in the temple.
Our investigator Justo is just doing fantastic, he amazes me with his willingness to sacrifice time and energy to truly learn more. He´s truly searching for the answers that fill the hole in him. He came with his friend (the member) to stake conference and from what we saw, he loved it. They had to leave right afterward though, so we didn´t get a chance to do a temple tour like we had hoped, but that´s OK. We´ll be meeting him on Tuesday, I´m sure he´ll have lots of questions for us then.
The Lord really does work in mysterious ways, like the other day we, at 4:00 had an appointment with a new guy we had met in the street, but we found out his phone number was false. Great. We went to the supposed street to find his apartment and as we got closer we noticed a cute little couple from Ecuador that seemed to be struggling a bit with carrying super heavy bags up to their apartment (4th floor. no elevator). We jumped in to help them, lots of times people refuse help here (I´ve very rarely had real service opportunities), and made mulitple trips up and down, making their job much easier. It felt so great to be able to help them, and see their relieved faces as we all finished. They invited us over to come again and talk more. We´ve been praying hard for them, that all goes well and that we´ll be able to help them more, but this time with spiritual strength and relief.
We saw Charlie again!!! We decided to pass by his house one day and try, and he was home!! We ended up talking for a bit and catching up. He was that really amazing investigator back from December, who was just about to get baptized and then he got a contruction job, prohibiting him from coming to church. I´m not worried about him though, he will be baptized, it´s just a matter of time when his job will let him come again.
Everything has just been going so great, I thank you all for your support and love towards me and other missionaries serving throughout the world. I have received so many blessings while being here on the mission, that have helped me not only become a great missionary, but also a better son of my Father in Heaven and a better brother and son to my family. I love you all so much, thank you for everything.
Love Elder Franson
In front of the royal palace.
No comments:
Post a Comment