Are we less actives? Or are we investigators?
That is a question I thought I would never ask in my mission. But you guys, the craziest thing has happened! Haha I`ll get to that in a second.
So first of all, I hope everybody is doing great! Thank you all so much for your love and support. Don`t be afraid to throw an email or letter my way....cough cough. But seriously, thank you. I have the best fam and friends ever.
Second of all, I LOVE RIVERA. I seriously do. My companion and I this week one night were walking down one of the gazillion big hills in our area, and she said "why is it that it`s so much easier to go back down the hill than it is to climb up?" and we talked about how it`s the reward for the hard work going up the hill, and how it`s also made easier because it`s getting to the top of the hill and walking down the other side that you get to enjoy the view (our area is BEAUTIFUL and has great views of all or Rivera). And I just kind of had a thought that I shared with her: Artigas was my walk up the hill. It was hard work. Sometimes I wanted to slow down, sometimes I wanted to stop. But the best way to finish the ascension of a hill is to just DO it. And now, Rivera is the beautiful view on the other side! I am not trying to say that Artigas wasn`t beautiful sometimes, it was just more that the views were to my back, and I had to turn around to see them. Here, they`re right in front of me. And I can`t even fathom why in the world the Lord loves me so much that he is giving me so many blessings.
We had FORTY lessons this week! It was amazing! Toward the middle of the week, I noticed that maybe we could make it to 40 and so I told my comp that that should be our goal. In order to make it after Friday, we knew we for sure needed 6 on Saturday to make our goal. Well, it rained cats and dogs, and the activity for relief society that the bishop invited us to took longer than expected, and we had to go home early for the storm, at like 8:00...with only 5 lessons. But as we were getting home, we saw a cute little less active lady who lives right in front of us, sitting alone in her house by the fire. So, my comp had the great idea of going to see her! So then we had 2 more on Sunday, and made our goal. It`s so fulfilling to be able to see us meeting and even surpassing a lot of the goals we have made!
We have this old guy, Raul. He had baptismal date back in May, and the DAY of his baptism, his daughter in law chased away the missionaries when they went by to get him. Crazy! and then after that, they had a hard time helping him understand the difference between the restored priesthood authory and the authority of other churches to baptize. Well I don`t know what happened on Tuesday, but it was my first time meeting him, and I so was expecting an argument like apparently had always happened. But the two of us taught really clearly, and he accepted right away that he needed to be baptized! So he had a date for the 23 of August, but he didn`t go to church yesterday, so we`ll have to push it back. But he gets it now, that`s the important thing! So pray for Raul!
Marcos and Lucas are still the most capo kids ever! They are progressing really well.
So as for the crazy thing that happened.....so yesterday, my comp and I were a little disappointed because we had gone to go by our investigators houses to help them go to sacrament meeting, and nobody could go. So we were a little bummed that we weren`t going to have any investigators in church. But walking back to the church, I still said "somebody that we don`t know is going to show up or something, I just know it." So we get there, and the 1st and 2nd counselors of the bishopric come up to talk to us. We had this less active member, Margot, who we visit, who goes to church on her own. But....turns out her member record isn`t found ANYWHERE. And she`s an older lady who "supposedly" got baptized a century ago in the campo, and she doesn`t remember anything about it: not even the missionaries who taught her. Weird, because she doesn`t have a memory problem. But anyway, the point is, the second counselors told us that she`s going to need to get baptized again! CRAZY! And they already talked to her to explain it to her, and she said "yeah, of course I want to be baptized." MIRACLE. So pray for Margot, she`s getting baptized on the 23! haha oh man. I love the mission. Less active, or investigator? Hahaha never thought that would happen.
We have a lot of really great investigators, and a bunch of our less actives came to church yesterday! It was so amazing! It is the best to see people make those decisions that will literally save them. As a missionary, I have come to understand a little bit of how Heavenly Father must feel when we obey. And, how sad he must feel when I disobey. And when I give an excuse. Like, when people here say "oh, i didn`t have time to read." OF COURSE YOU HAD TIME. And then I remember how many times I did that before the mission. But what joy He must feel when we DO do those things, because He knows how much happier it will make us! Just like how i know how much happier it will make the people here.
My comp is seriously so rad! She was BORN to be a missionary, she is just so good at it. It absolutely is not noted at all that she is such a new missionary. She`s just a pro! I have been really blessed with companions and every single one of them has taught me something different.
I seriously love the mission. One of the Elders from my MTC group is in my zone, and this morning during soccer he and I were talking about how different we are from when we got the MTC in Argentina, terrified new little missionaries. And we talked about why: and it`s because the mission is just so special. It is so hard that we know the Atonement now. It is so joyful that we recognize how blessed we are. I am so blessed to be here and to be able to have a loving Father in Heaven who has let it change me and make me a better person!
I am ultra happy! I was telling Hermana Barrios that this isn`t my "mission" anymore. It`s become my life. And I am so in love with it.
I love you, I love you, I love you!
Hermana Dolan
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