Another week has passed, so let me catch you up on things.
Basically this week has been more of a learning week and a week where I had to break a bit to build a firmer foundation. That may sound strange, but I'll do my best to express what I am trying to get across. So let's start with Elder Jenkins because it started with him.
Elder Jenkins is a phenomenal missionary. He is always focused and always willing to help anyone, however, he isn't the most patient. Let me try to expand on this. When we are walking and talking with people he is so confident with conversations and really great at getting to know people. When we are helping people learn about the gospel he always knows the best way to show how they themselves can change their lives and how they can gain a better knowledge of Christ and his gospel and plan for them. It's actually been pretty incredible, but it also created this doubt in myself. Elder Jenkins and I talked about this and he said he noticed the same pattern in some of his past companions. He expressed that they all try to be like him and or they don't feel as adequately prepared or on the same level as him. I will not lie, it did happen. We talked about it off and on throughout the week and he kept on apologizing even though it's not his fault. This whole week I felt like I was back at the beginning of the mission where I felt like I had no knowledge of anything that I was doing, which is a very strange feeling. How did we overcome this problem you may be wondering...well we haven't yet, but we have a plan. Basically, Elder Jenkins plans on almost retraining me in a way where hopefully the whole situation never has to happen again, and together we can figure out how to not have the same thing occur with future companions. We are still formulating the whole thing but it is based on building a foundation of patience and trust between us.
Elder Jenkins has a lot of experience and knowledge and a firm foundation in the gospel. That stems from two points that he loves to refer to; The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-28), and Our Premortal Existence.
As many may know the Parable of the Talents is about 3 men who were given different amount of talents and the two that worked those talents gained double what they had, and the one who buried it gained nothing. The very simple message that anyone can pull from this is that we all have talents and we should use them. That's the basic, but let's go a bit deeper. You are a completely different person from anyone else, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. You have different gifts and talents that were given to you, in specifically you, and you have the responsibility to use those talents. The things that work for one person will not always work for you, and so don't try to be another person that you are not. Don't force something to try to get it to work or to be accepted or anything. We are given the talents that we have in this life for a reason, and if we want to become the best version of ourselves we must magnify our talents. We be who we are and we don't change because of what others may do or say, for the only judgement and criticism we should adhere to is from the Lord.
Our premortal lives is something not many people probably think about often. I know I never focused on it too much, but Elder Jenkins has changed that. Think about this. Everyone who has come to the earth was with us in heaven in our premortal life. We all lived together with our Heavenly Father. He laid out a plan that we could come to this earth and after we could return and live with him in heaven. He sent Christ, his beloved son, to provide a way where we can be purified to enter into the presence of the Lord again. We all were there and we asked to be sent here. We promised that in this life we would choose to follow him and we accepted the terms with a full knowledge of the trials and tribulations we would face. So you are here because before this life you asked to be sent here knowing all the difficulties that you would face, and you are placed where you are in this life because the Lord knows your capabilities. He knows your limits and your talents. He put us in the places and situations that we are in today because we have a purpose here and we have the ability to grow ourselves and influence the lives of many more.
Those two points are the basis of Trust. Trusting in the Lord and Trusting in Yourself. If you feel the lack of one of these two I would implore you to start strengthening them. Only you can figure out the way that works for you because I myself am still figuring out Trusting in myself.
The Patience aspect is because Elder Jenkins says I'm very patient and that he needs to be more patient. A couple days ago we started studying the attributes of Christ and of course patience is one of them. I'd like to steal a few sentences from a resource that we have called Preach my Gospel. {Patience is the capacity to trust God as you face delay, opposition, or suffering. Through your faith, you trust God’s timing for His promised blessings to be fulfilled. When you are patient, you look at life from an eternal perspective. You do not expect immediate blessings or outcomes. Patience is not idleness or passive resignation. It is “cheerfully doing all things that lie in your power” as you serve God. You work in partnership with God, trusting that when you have done your part, He will accomplish His work in His time and according to individual agency. "Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf)} So yeah, patience is something we both are working on.
Anyway, back to this week. One of our friends got baptized! His name is Alberjan and I have been working with him ever since I started here in Uvaranas. He had a lot of addictions and problems, but he had this pure desire to change his life around. He wants to get married to his girlfriend and live a more healthy and clean life. He is such a great person and has such a good heart for all the troubles he passed through. This past Saturday I had the opportunity to baptize him and the hug he gave me in the cold water filled my soul with joy. It's such a funny story because his car broke down 30 minutes away from the church and it just so happened that one of the members who was there to welcome him into the ward owns an automotive shop. We drove over to him and Irmão Rafael, with his knowledge and two zip ties, fixed his car so that he could drive to his house to drop off the car and then go to the church and be baptized. Its crazy how the Lord blessed us with irmão Rafael being there because if he wasn't I don't think it would have ended up happening at all.
Yeah that's basically my week. It doesn't seem like too much happened, but in reality a lot has happened and I just don't feel like writing more nor do I completely remember everything. Until next week!
Pictures:
1. Poncho with the German Pancake
2. The family of Amilton, Elida, e Beatriz giving us dinner
3. Division with Elder Ferraz
4. Irmão George Lucas bought us lunch after I got drenched from the rain
5. Eating pizza with the Marin family
6. Our friend Pedro
7. Alberjan's baptism
Elder Hyatt
