Three cheers for BYU: hip hip hooray!!! Dang I am happy to see that they´re not walking around cross eyed anymore, but they did play two crappy teams in a row but I’ll take it. That sounds way fun that you guys are all decorating and cutting snowflakes, those kinds of the things are my favorite part about Christmas. You all know how much I love that time of year, the hot chocolate, the fireplace, the snow, the music (I love the music), the food, the family and friends, and then there´s just a big bonus at the end - the presents, but I definitely don´t find that to be the best part. I also feel that when I get home I’m going to make more of an effort to focus on the real reason for the season, that is Jesus Christ. I´m super excited for that package, and don´t worry I’ll follow all instructions and won´t cheat and open them early!
This week was one of the hardest I feel that we´ve worked. We visited so many people and tried so many different things to find, teach, and get people to church. Unfortunately we didn´t see the fruits of our efforts on Sunday, but I felt satisfied knowing that we worked hard and that the lessons we had were powerful and full of the spirit. I really am loving working with Elder Balkman, he is a good guy. He has an energy for working and a great attitude, and even if the people can´t always understand him, they can feel his love for them, and feel the power of his testimony. He´s a great missionary and a great friend. Many times I get lost in the lesson trying to explain every detail, but I’m learning more everyday that it´s not important what we teach, but how we teach it, so that the spirit may be there. That´s the most important thing, the spirit. It is 100% true when Christ says in Doctrine and Covenants that if you don´t have the spirit you shall not teach. We had an experience with that yesterday. We were walking around a ton yesterday and not being able to find the people we had planned to teach, and the sun, the week, and church had just taken out all our energy. We finally found some people that we had previously taught, but I found it soooo hard to focus. We taught a lesson on the Restoration, but the spirit was just not there. I felt like I was just hitting my head on a brick wall haha. We both walked out and said, ¨what just happened? ¨ We had been on kind of a spiritual high all week and this lesson was lame, we realized that because of being unfocused and tired we hadn´t focused on them and their needs. Instead we were teaching just to teach, and that really does show a lack of care for the people. We repented and ended the day well teaching one of our favorite investigators named Juan.
We only had two people attend church with us on Sunday, Danitza and Luis. Danitza told us this week that she just doesn´t have the desire to be baptized and that she´s not prepared. We agreed, but told her that she needs to continue, and take out that ugly lip ring! So ugly....Nacho Oyarce told her that she looks like she ate a cake and that part of the decoration, remember those silver candies that mom puts on our gingerbread houses, got stuck on her lip. I laughed at that. Luis is doing well. He has a sincere desire to progress and stop smoking so that he can be baptized. He has his baptismal date for this Saturday, but he doesn´t feel confidant that he will be prepared by that day. We gave him a priesthood blessing and I felt the spirit while giving it. We also told him that we´re going to pass by him every day this week to help him feel prepared and help him with his addiction. I know that if he does his part and prays everyday, he will be able to stop, because God is a God of miracles like Mormon says.
On Tuesday Elder Balkman is going to go down to Concepcion to receive some training from the President and the Assistants along with the other Elders that came in his group. For two days I’ll be up here working and still don´t know who my comp will be. It kind of has us nervous, because this is an important week, but we´ll find a way to get things done.
I´m really happy working, that´s the key ingredient, work. And like Elder Balkman said, we are working harder than ever, but I know that the Lord will bless the people we are serving and help them change their lives for the better.
I hope you guys have a great week, and that BYU kills New Mexico!! Love you all tons and tons!
Tanner