Jesus is the Way

 Phew. Today's the first p-day I can really catch my breath, so I'd love to share a little more about the mission life. Things are going just great out here. Despite the insane heat, I am loving it.

First, a couple of highlights:
- I bought a guitar! And I am now teaching Nicole how to play Andaré con Cristo (I Will Walk With Jesus)
- I had two exchanges this week
-Everyone celebrates Holy Week here, and so everyone was gone at the beach and nobody was in the streets
- Only a high of 40C (104F) this week 
- General Conference was amazing. What would you give to hear the words of a living prophet?

Anyways, a little about the work:

Some things are as I expected:
Wake up, study, work, sleep. If that is not what a mission is advertised to you, I apologize. That is what it is. Sure, the work changes day by day, with zone conference and exchanges breaking up the standard weeks, but we work. And I love it. Or rather, I love the idea of loving the work and am patiently working to change the desire of my heart to love it. As Elder Christofferson explained in conference yesterday, we shouldn't solely seek Christlike attributes, but we work to align our desires and hearts with His.

The spiritual growth and doctrinal understanding that accompanies daily study, prayer, and pondering is remarkably evident. The prophet Nephi, taking the words of Isaiah into account, explains the Lord "will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept...for unto him that receiveth [He] will give more" (2 Nephi 28:30). His counsel helps me to understand that if we seek understanding through the word of the Lord, we will find it.

Some things are very different than expected:

The joy that comes from deeply caring for the children of the Lord and watching them accept the gospel is accompanied, and often preceded by, the sadness, frustration, and discouragement of those same sheep choosing not to return to the fold. I wish I could say I have witnessed great numbers of people embracing the gospel with open arms, but I cannot. But I have seen the tender mercies of the Lord as people take small steps of faith towards the Savior. 

I want to share an example:

On Wednesday of this week, my companion had an exchange with our district leader, so I was with his companion, Elder Barrios. Elder Barrios is in his second transfer and speaks no English. We spent the day in my area, and I was tasked with leading. We worked hard throughout the day but faced many missed appointments due to the holidays. We had a stretch of an hour where our plans fell through, so we didn't know what was best. First, we turned to prayer, asking to be guided in working effectively. After that, we started to knock on doors near the church. After only about 3 doors, we got a phone call from the 1st counselor of the Bishopric, telling us to come to the church (this was shortly after mutual ended). We ran over there, and he explained that one of the boys, who had been invited to mutual by a friend, was interested in baptism and in the church. Sadly, he had just left. But we got his number and that night gave him a call. During the call, we asked him, "We heard you are interested in learning more about our church. Do you have any questions or interests you would like us to address?" He responded that he wanted to learn what it took to grow his own testimony of these things and come to know that they are true. Afterward, we asked him if he would close with a prayer. He said he would try, began speaking, then stopped. After a short pause he finished the prayer and apologized, explaining he was nervous. I know that he felt the Spirit as he prayed to the Father, because I felt it too. It was such a joyful experience knowing that one of God's children, with a desire to come to know the Father, was seeking Him. We continue now to teach him and help grow his faith. I know the Lord leads us to those ready to receive.

Although there are difficulties throughout our lives, and the mission is a type and symbol of our lives, we press on. We make it through the hard days, remembering the good ones. Ultimately, we seek to become like our Savior, who had so much pure love that He suffered all of our afflictions and died, that we might be resurrected like He was. If we pray for a portion of that charity, to love as He did, a greater love, we cannot be deterred from sharing the joy that we have received: giving others the choice to come follow Him.

It really is a marvelous work and a wonder that we are privileged to be a part of. Not only full-time missionaries, but everyone who has been blessed by His light.

- Elder South






















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