Transfer Week Again

September 21, 2009
Hooola familia,
It’s been another great week. I got to travel and do swaps with some missionaries, things keep going great in the area and we are about to start another infamous transfer week.

Tuesday thru Friday I spent in the Yopal District. Yopal is a city here in the mission of about 60,000 people. It is a little isolated from the other main parts of the mission and the highway going there isn’t safe so everyone goes by plane. I spent the first 2 days in Yopal which has a very strong branch of the church and 2 companionships. We had a great day and we set goals to serve more in the companionship.

The next day I left with a great missionary who was a Zone Leader for a long time and is now training for the first time. His comp. is an American (Elder Naumu) who is very new and is still learning the language, but they are both very excited and working great.
Aaaaand the last day I traveled about an hour outside of Yopal to "Aguazul," It’s the newest branch in the mission. It’s in a little town of a few thousand and was officially organized just a few months ago. Working there is Elder Torres and Elder Huanio. First of all Aguazul was awesome. After so long in bustling cities it was nice to see calm, quiet streets and things like big fields and cows (made me remember home a little). It was great because both Elders were veery excited about their area and they have people preparing for baptismal dates every week for the next month. It was cool to meet the members of the new little branch and see how excited they were about the church. They are pioneers there and almost all new converts, so the missionaries play a big part in running the branch. It is growing quickly and gaining momentum. Overall it was a great trip.

The purpose of working with all the other missionaries is to be an example of what should be done and all the things we are implementing in the mission so I always focus on that and try to get the missionaries excited and serve them haha. I think I end up learning probably more than they do, so I love getting out and working with them.

Saturday was also a great day. We had the baptisms of Lily, Bridgette and Angie. A little American girl from the ward also got baptized so we coordinated the baptism with the family and did it about half English and half Spanish. It turned out great and they were all very very happy. I baptized Lily (the mom) Elder Zari baptized Angie (The older sister) and brother Barrero (the ward member that helped befriend them) baptized Bridgette (the youngest daughter). The baptism was very spiritual. Lots of members came and Sunday after being confirmed, Bridgette wanted to share her testimony in sacrament meeting and she talked about how happy she was that God guided the missionaries to them and that they could enter into the true church. It really was a miracle how we found them like I told you. We were just walking down the street and Elder Zari said something like "I've always wanted to knock on doors in there, let’s go try". From there they invited us in and we taught part of the first lesson and about a month later they are now members of the church.... awesome.


After church yesterday we had 2 more people receive their baptism interview and they will be baptized next Sunday morning. They have accepted and kept every commitment we have left and their only doubt about baptism was if we could still visit them after :). It is a mom and her daughter named Noralba and Natalia. Elder Amador found them a long time ago and they showed much interest but we just couldn’t get them to go to church. Just as we were about to stop visiting them something happened, they felt the spirit and made the sacrifice to go to church. Since then they have progressed slowly but surely and they are now ready so we are very happy for them and excited about it.

Saturday and Sunday we spent with President Hacking helping him a little to decide all the transfers. When we got there he had already done most all of them and then we just gave a few suggestions and explained a little about some missionaries he didn’t know well yet. There were a lot of transfers again (not as many as last time but a bunch). Last night we made the calls to all the Zone Leaders for them to announce everything to the mission. Many were very happy, others called today complaining, but that’s life.

We really got to see President Hacking receive revelation about certain transfers as we were talking and moving faces around on the projector and I know the way they turned out was the way the Lord wants them to be. We have an internet program from the church that has all the missionaries pictures organized into their areas and zones with info. etc, so we set up a projector in his office and use that. So this week we will be busy organizing all that business like every transfer week but it’s all good and I think it will go great.

So that means ANOTHER transfer is starting. Time is flying, I now have over 13 months! I have 3 transfers as Assistant or approximately 4 months. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the last transfer I am here but I also wouldn’t be surprised if I stay here longer. It just depends on President and The Lord. The Church recommends that you be an Assistant for no longer than 6 months. I have thought about it a little and I will be very happy whatever happens. I love what I am doing now and getting a chance to learn about leadership but if he sent me tomorrow to be junior companion anywhere in the mission I would be just as happy and keep enjoying the mission just as much. I have so much joy in being a missionary and I will be grateful to go and serve wherever he wants me to.

I have set new goals to make this transfer better and keep progressing. The church version of the Spanish Bible just barely got released so I am putting some serious study time into the Gospels and learning a lot.

Today we played soccer which was fun, everything is going great and I hope everything goes well with all the travel, with Ben’s health etc. and all the business that life has. You will stay in my prayers and thanks for everything, Much Love Elder B