Hello everyone!
I'm trying to decide how to start this letter because I'm trying to determine if what I say first might cause me to be judged as to whether my priorities are straight or not. I have to reassure all of you that they are perfectly straight, but there are some little things that seem to bring enormous joy to me. One of those little things would be REESE'S!! I may or may not have received every type of Reese's currently on the market from my most amazing and wonderful family, and my companion and I may or may not have already eaten most all of the individually wrapped mini Reese's cups. I don't think I'm communicating how excited I was to get Reese's very well, but I think to do so may be slightly unprofessional. I was pretty excited. Oh, and I got Grandma's package too! In one go I got Reese's, Nerds, Jack Links, and a Salted Nut Roll. You guys just made this missionary's day. Thank you!
I think I got more mail too, but someone from my zone got there first, and whoever gets to the offices first gets the pouch for everyone and hands it out during the district meetings. So I don't know if I got more pouch (there's a very good chance that I did though), so I'll let you know next week. Oh, and no letters were sent out again today. Having a "child" takes up a lot of time, and I haven't had time to write anything really. I'll try to get at least one letter out next week though.
Hmm, how are Sacrament meetings in Ecuador different than in the States.... A better question would be, "What are Sacrament meetings like in the States?" It's been a bit since I've been to an English Sacrament meeting in the States (8 months as of today!). No, I do remember a bit. They're pretty much the same here as in the States, but in Spanish. Also, it's a little bit less reverent, but Bishop Escobar addressed that yesterday, so that was really good. They're a bit smaller (about 100 in Comité), but there really aren't that many differences. The Church is the same all over the world, and the same goes for Ecuador.
Every day except Mondays we have a "mamita" who gives us lunch. A "mamita" is just a member (sometimes non member) family who gives us lunch. Here in Comité the mamitas switch every week (one group one week, the other group another week, then the first group, and so forth), and we generally always have lunch with the Bishop's family one day of the week. It's rather nice and amazing that everyone here is so willing to help us missionaries out. I'm always grateful for food. Always. Also, one of our mamitas here in Comité also does our laundry, which is nice too.
I'm sorry if anyone felt offended by my last letter involving not watching football on Sundays to better keep the Sabbath holy. It was not my intent to offend, rather to cause reflection. I'd love to quote a scripture from the Book of Mormon again, but I'm fairly certain that it'd be salt in the wound, so I'll refrain. [1 Nephi 16:2 - I'm posting it for him.] I don't issue challenges to offend people. I don't challenge people to live more in accordance to the commandments because I think everyone's sinning. No, I that's not my intention at all. I issue these challenges because I am prompted to by the Spirit. I issue challenges so that people will grow closer to their Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and so that they can develop a personal relationship with Heavenly Father. I can guarantee that the challenges that I issue will not cause someone to be condemned or anything of the sort. Everyone has their agency; everyone can choose to listen to me or not, to be offended or not. However, I have been called by a prophet of God to preach repentance and baptism by immersion to all people, and I intend to magnify my calling. If you chose to accept my challenges, you will be blessed. That's a promise. Also, if anyone feels offended by my words, there are two people to whom you should mention it; me and your Heavenly Father. Please don't take out your frustration on my madre. She's only a messenger, and my words do not reflect her opinion in any way. Write to me, and I'll do my best to get back to you within...several business days.
Oh! The other piece of exciting news! I got to perform my first confirmation yesterday! For those of you outside of the Church, the confirmation is when a recently baptized person is confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is given the gift of the Holy Ghost. It was the first time that I was asked to perform the confirmation, and it was a very spiritual experience. I've been learning to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost more and more lately, and at times it's tough because some bold things have come to me. However, I know that I am receiving the words from God through the Holy Ghost, and I need to trust that God knows what it is that He wants me to say. I am definitely feeling closer to my Father in Heaven, and I grow spiritually every time that I perform an ordinance or give a blessing.
Elder Papworth and I are getting along very well still, which is good because we'll be together for the next 10 weeks or so. I'm still learning from him and learning how to be a parent. It's difficult, but well worth all of the effort. I know that I will be blessed for my efforts.
Well, I don't have much more to say for this week. I hope everyone is doing well on this day. I hope everyone has had a wonderful week, and I hope everyone has a wonderful week until next Monday. Keep reading the scriptures (or start reading them!), keep praying, and keep trying to get closer to your Heavenly Father, and He will help you through all difficult times. I love you all very much, and I'll talk to you again Monday. ¡Hasta luego!
Love,
Elder Schomburg
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
¡Cuídense mucho!
Hello all!
So, I am doing pretty awesome as of right now. Also, my new companion, Elder Papworth, is pretty awesome too. He's from California and he already speaks Spanish pretty well. He took some classes in high school, so that helped a lot. He's also a really quick learner, and I've learned a ton from him. Something that I really like about him is how obedient he is. He's been helping me be even more obedient in ways that I didn't even know that I was being disobedient (even though I've read the Manual Misional several times, I seemed to have missed a few smaller things). But I'm being even more obedient now! We're working on something called exact obedience, and it's been really good so far. One of the things that I had kinda fallen behind on is speaking Spanish in every opportunity that I have. It's really easy to speak English when you're with a bunch of North Americans, but Elder Papworth only speaks English when he's asking for the meaning of a word. I'm rather blessed to have Elder Papworth as my "son". Also, I may or may not be just a little proud of him and how well he's doing so far. Another thing that I've realized in this time that I've had with Elder Papworth is that I can do this. I can be a trainer, and I can do a good job at it, too. I'm finding that teaching comes pretty naturally to me. Words just seem to come to my mouth, and they make sense and help him learn! That's quite a miracle, and I know that it's because Heavenly Father is helping me out.
I've been asked about what we do for service here in Ecuador. Well, here in Quito I really haven't had many opportunities for service, but in La Concordia or Santo Domingo we did a bit of grass cutting (with machetes), clearing paths that were a bit rundown, and we even helped a few people move houses. We haven't done much here in Quito, but we can always ask more.
I definitely was very happy to hear about all of the things that Elizabeth is doing right now in school. That part in the musical sounds pretty big indeed. Good job Elizabeth! I know you'll do excellently. And also yay for Stake callings! That's going to be a wonderful opportunity to be able to learn how to manage tasks and...stuff like that. Haha I don't exactly know what all is involved in being on the Stake Youth Committee (why are there so many unnecessary letters in the word "committee"? English is so weird.), but it probably involves managing many tasks and the like, and I'm sure Elizabeth will do a wonderful job at that.
I am also very proud of Jeffrey and all that he has become since I left. He really has grown into quite the young man (Madre, he's gonna be 18 in a month!), and I know that he'll grow to be even better. Keep on staying strong Jeffrey! Remember, the Lord blesses those who are obedient, and obedience really is the only commandment that we have. Like it says in Mosiah 2:22, all the Lord has asked of us is that we remain obedient, and we will be blessed by the Lord. And, in the words of Mad-Eye Moody, "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!"
Robby is basically a genius is sounds like. He really is rather smart, especially in...well, everything. Hopefully you can find a school program that's better suited to his needs and helps him learn even faster.
So, I have a challenge for you guys, and it's not one that you're going to like. I would challenge you to keep the Sabbath holy. You might be thinking, "But we do that already! We go to Church, we fulfill our ward and stake callings, we don't buy things on Sundays, and we even observe Fast Sundays! What can we do more?" Well, it turns out that something that just about every American likes happens on Sunday: football. The Sabbath isn't really a day to be watching football, or even to have the TV on for any reason. The Sabbath is the day to remember our Heavenly Father, to remember His Son, and to remember all that they have done for us. We have been commanded to keep the Sabbath holy by the Father and by His Son. It's one day of the week out of all of the other days in the week. Remember Doctrine and Covenants 59:9-13. To remain unspotted from the world the rest of the week, we must uphold this one day. True, football is pretty much the best thing to have ever graced television, but eternal life is a tad more important. I would challenge you all to keep the Sabbath holy and to remember on this day who it was that gave you this chance to live here on earth and who has given you everything. Also, you know who plays on Saturdays? BYU! Goooooo Cougars!!
Well, I don't have a lot more to say this time around. Oh, turns out that when you have a "child," you have almost no time to do anything else, so responses to letters might be a little bit late, as in no sending of a package next week. I'll do my best, but with 4 hours of required studying every day (if you don't finish in the morning, you do it later), it's gonna be tough. I'll do my best though, and I always appreciate hearing from anyone. I hope every continues to do well and to have a wonderful life. I love you all and am so very proud of all the good things that you're doing. Keep on doing your best to be obedient, and don't be afraid of repentence. Through repentence we grow even stronger and closer to our Savior and our Father. I love you all, and I wish you the best of weeks. ¡Cuídense mucho!
Love,
Elder Schomburg
So, I am doing pretty awesome as of right now. Also, my new companion, Elder Papworth, is pretty awesome too. He's from California and he already speaks Spanish pretty well. He took some classes in high school, so that helped a lot. He's also a really quick learner, and I've learned a ton from him. Something that I really like about him is how obedient he is. He's been helping me be even more obedient in ways that I didn't even know that I was being disobedient (even though I've read the Manual Misional several times, I seemed to have missed a few smaller things). But I'm being even more obedient now! We're working on something called exact obedience, and it's been really good so far. One of the things that I had kinda fallen behind on is speaking Spanish in every opportunity that I have. It's really easy to speak English when you're with a bunch of North Americans, but Elder Papworth only speaks English when he's asking for the meaning of a word. I'm rather blessed to have Elder Papworth as my "son". Also, I may or may not be just a little proud of him and how well he's doing so far. Another thing that I've realized in this time that I've had with Elder Papworth is that I can do this. I can be a trainer, and I can do a good job at it, too. I'm finding that teaching comes pretty naturally to me. Words just seem to come to my mouth, and they make sense and help him learn! That's quite a miracle, and I know that it's because Heavenly Father is helping me out.
I've been asked about what we do for service here in Ecuador. Well, here in Quito I really haven't had many opportunities for service, but in La Concordia or Santo Domingo we did a bit of grass cutting (with machetes), clearing paths that were a bit rundown, and we even helped a few people move houses. We haven't done much here in Quito, but we can always ask more.
I definitely was very happy to hear about all of the things that Elizabeth is doing right now in school. That part in the musical sounds pretty big indeed. Good job Elizabeth! I know you'll do excellently. And also yay for Stake callings! That's going to be a wonderful opportunity to be able to learn how to manage tasks and...stuff like that. Haha I don't exactly know what all is involved in being on the Stake Youth Committee (why are there so many unnecessary letters in the word "committee"? English is so weird.), but it probably involves managing many tasks and the like, and I'm sure Elizabeth will do a wonderful job at that.
I am also very proud of Jeffrey and all that he has become since I left. He really has grown into quite the young man (Madre, he's gonna be 18 in a month!), and I know that he'll grow to be even better. Keep on staying strong Jeffrey! Remember, the Lord blesses those who are obedient, and obedience really is the only commandment that we have. Like it says in Mosiah 2:22, all the Lord has asked of us is that we remain obedient, and we will be blessed by the Lord. And, in the words of Mad-Eye Moody, "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!"
Robby is basically a genius is sounds like. He really is rather smart, especially in...well, everything. Hopefully you can find a school program that's better suited to his needs and helps him learn even faster.
So, I have a challenge for you guys, and it's not one that you're going to like. I would challenge you to keep the Sabbath holy. You might be thinking, "But we do that already! We go to Church, we fulfill our ward and stake callings, we don't buy things on Sundays, and we even observe Fast Sundays! What can we do more?" Well, it turns out that something that just about every American likes happens on Sunday: football. The Sabbath isn't really a day to be watching football, or even to have the TV on for any reason. The Sabbath is the day to remember our Heavenly Father, to remember His Son, and to remember all that they have done for us. We have been commanded to keep the Sabbath holy by the Father and by His Son. It's one day of the week out of all of the other days in the week. Remember Doctrine and Covenants 59:9-13. To remain unspotted from the world the rest of the week, we must uphold this one day. True, football is pretty much the best thing to have ever graced television, but eternal life is a tad more important. I would challenge you all to keep the Sabbath holy and to remember on this day who it was that gave you this chance to live here on earth and who has given you everything. Also, you know who plays on Saturdays? BYU! Goooooo Cougars!!
Well, I don't have a lot more to say this time around. Oh, turns out that when you have a "child," you have almost no time to do anything else, so responses to letters might be a little bit late, as in no sending of a package next week. I'll do my best, but with 4 hours of required studying every day (if you don't finish in the morning, you do it later), it's gonna be tough. I'll do my best though, and I always appreciate hearing from anyone. I hope every continues to do well and to have a wonderful life. I love you all and am so very proud of all the good things that you're doing. Keep on doing your best to be obedient, and don't be afraid of repentence. Through repentence we grow even stronger and closer to our Savior and our Father. I love you all, and I wish you the best of weeks. ¡Cuídense mucho!
Love,
Elder Schomburg
Monday, September 12, 2011
Training and testimony
Good afternoon to all!
I am doing quite well on this day. I'm a bit scared and worried about the next few weeks, but I am doing well. Why am I a bit scared and worried? Well, I said goodbye to Elder Maridueña this morning as he left for Otavalo. I'm here without a companion (I'm currently with the elders of Colla Loma) because my companion will be arriving on Wednesday from the CCM...or the MTC, I don't know which yet. Yep, you guessed it, I'm going to be training a new missionary! So yeah, that has me a bit worried.
In the mission, trainers are called "dads", and it's for a good reason. I am now responsible for the helping my "son" to learn and grow in the mission, just like a real dad is in charge of making sure his children learn and grow well in real life. I am now responsable for providing the foundations for the rest of the mission of my trainee. His mission will be shaped by what happens in this first companionship of his, and his success in the mission largely depends on me right now. True, he has his free will, and if he chooses to just not do anything I cannot force him to do anything, but I sure can love him as much as possible so that he will in turn develop a strong love for his Heavenly Father, his Savior, and for his investigators. I will be preparing my "son" to help save many more souls later on in his mission. He has been sent here for a reason, and I have to help him realize this and magnify his calling. I have to be the absolute best example for him that is possible. If he doesn't know much Spanish, I also have to teach him how to speak.
The similarities between a real father and a trainer are terrifyingly similar. I'm going to learn so much these next weeks. I'll have to study harder than ever so that I know how to teach my "son" to teach others. I'll have to pray and fast often, because I'm going to be tried in every way possible. I'm sure there will be times when I will be pushed to the limits of my patience, but I just have to learn how to love more and have more patience. I will be humbled into the dust I am sure, but I will rise up stronger and more confident in my Lord than ever. I'm terrified of this responsibility, but as I have said before, I will go and do the things the Lord commands, for I know that the Lord always provides a way to accomplish His commandments, and He will never give me more than I am able to bear.
I was very excited to hear about Dad's new calling as First Counselor in the Elder's Quorum Presidency. That's rather amazing, and I'm sure that he'll magnify his calling to the best of his ability. Who knows, maybe someday the Lord really will call him to be a bishop? The Lord does work in mysterious ways, after all.
I have not yet received the package from Grandma. It's possible that it's trapped in mail jail, in which case I'll probably get it within the next couple of weeks.
Well, that's about all I have for now. I love you all so very much, and I am so grateful for all that you all do for me. Thank you.
I just want to close with my testimony of the Atonement. I know that it is real. Jesus Christ was chosen to suffer for us and take upon Himself our sins, and He was chosen because He volunteered to do the Father's will. I know that Jesus Christ chose to suffer all of our pains and afflictions so that He could better understand us, and He took upon Himself our sins so that we could be saved. He chose for Himself to do the Father's will, and through that grand display of perfect love we have the chance to live forever with our families and with our Father in Heaven. I know that if we will but trust in the Lord with all of our hearts and souls, He will guide us through all trials and difficulties and will make our weaknesses become our strengths. He will prepare us for eternal life and exhaltion if we will but trust in Him and have faith in Him. He is our Redeemer, our Saviour, our Brother. He will always be there for us because He has always been there for us, even before we first sinned and had a need to be saved. His Atonement is infinite and eternal, and only through Christ can we be saved. There is no other way nor name given by which man can be saved. I know that these things are true with all of my soul because I have received a testimony of them from God, our Eternal Father. I leave this testimony with you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Love,
Elder Schomburg
I am doing quite well on this day. I'm a bit scared and worried about the next few weeks, but I am doing well. Why am I a bit scared and worried? Well, I said goodbye to Elder Maridueña this morning as he left for Otavalo. I'm here without a companion (I'm currently with the elders of Colla Loma) because my companion will be arriving on Wednesday from the CCM...or the MTC, I don't know which yet. Yep, you guessed it, I'm going to be training a new missionary! So yeah, that has me a bit worried.
In the mission, trainers are called "dads", and it's for a good reason. I am now responsible for the helping my "son" to learn and grow in the mission, just like a real dad is in charge of making sure his children learn and grow well in real life. I am now responsable for providing the foundations for the rest of the mission of my trainee. His mission will be shaped by what happens in this first companionship of his, and his success in the mission largely depends on me right now. True, he has his free will, and if he chooses to just not do anything I cannot force him to do anything, but I sure can love him as much as possible so that he will in turn develop a strong love for his Heavenly Father, his Savior, and for his investigators. I will be preparing my "son" to help save many more souls later on in his mission. He has been sent here for a reason, and I have to help him realize this and magnify his calling. I have to be the absolute best example for him that is possible. If he doesn't know much Spanish, I also have to teach him how to speak.
The similarities between a real father and a trainer are terrifyingly similar. I'm going to learn so much these next weeks. I'll have to study harder than ever so that I know how to teach my "son" to teach others. I'll have to pray and fast often, because I'm going to be tried in every way possible. I'm sure there will be times when I will be pushed to the limits of my patience, but I just have to learn how to love more and have more patience. I will be humbled into the dust I am sure, but I will rise up stronger and more confident in my Lord than ever. I'm terrified of this responsibility, but as I have said before, I will go and do the things the Lord commands, for I know that the Lord always provides a way to accomplish His commandments, and He will never give me more than I am able to bear.
I was very excited to hear about Dad's new calling as First Counselor in the Elder's Quorum Presidency. That's rather amazing, and I'm sure that he'll magnify his calling to the best of his ability. Who knows, maybe someday the Lord really will call him to be a bishop? The Lord does work in mysterious ways, after all.
I have not yet received the package from Grandma. It's possible that it's trapped in mail jail, in which case I'll probably get it within the next couple of weeks.
Well, that's about all I have for now. I love you all so very much, and I am so grateful for all that you all do for me. Thank you.
I just want to close with my testimony of the Atonement. I know that it is real. Jesus Christ was chosen to suffer for us and take upon Himself our sins, and He was chosen because He volunteered to do the Father's will. I know that Jesus Christ chose to suffer all of our pains and afflictions so that He could better understand us, and He took upon Himself our sins so that we could be saved. He chose for Himself to do the Father's will, and through that grand display of perfect love we have the chance to live forever with our families and with our Father in Heaven. I know that if we will but trust in the Lord with all of our hearts and souls, He will guide us through all trials and difficulties and will make our weaknesses become our strengths. He will prepare us for eternal life and exhaltion if we will but trust in Him and have faith in Him. He is our Redeemer, our Saviour, our Brother. He will always be there for us because He has always been there for us, even before we first sinned and had a need to be saved. His Atonement is infinite and eternal, and only through Christ can we be saved. There is no other way nor name given by which man can be saved. I know that these things are true with all of my soul because I have received a testimony of them from God, our Eternal Father. I leave this testimony with you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Love,
Elder Schomburg
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Happy Labor Day!
Good afternoon everybody!
So I'm including some photos, but I'm not really sure which ones they are, so surprise! I think two are of me with some rather me-ish faces, and I think one is of Elder Maridueña with the sword of Laban. If not, then I hope the pictures speak for themselves.
This week has been pretty good. We've had several capacitaciónes [training], one by President Ghent and one by the zone leaders, and they were both very excellent. Something very important that I've learned from both is that repentance is an amazing gift that we have, and it's one that I am currently using as much as possible. For a long while I've had a rather bad mindset, and I'm not sure how it happened. I've been thinking that because I'm only senior companion and not a district leader or anything that I don't have as much responsibility as they do, and my work has suffered because of that mindset. I'm just recently recognizing that I've had that mindset, so I'm working hard to fix that. I also learned that I don't need to be a leader in the mission to be a successful missionary. I can be the most successful missionary ever without ever being called to be a district or zone leader. I must be more successful, and I must do so by committing myself to the work even more.
I was filled with a bunch of revelations of things that I'd been doing wrong in the mission during these two meetings, but I am so very grateful that I received those revelations. Anothing thing that I realized was that I had been a bit "trunky". One phrase that I hadn't realized was so prevelant in my everyday speech was "when I get back, I'll...", and this phrase is about as "trunky" as one can get. I am really trying to refocus my thoughts on what I am doing now, and not what I'll be doing "when I get back." I was rather saddened that I have lost so much time in my mission because of this mindset, but now I am even more resolved to show Heavenly Father how grateful I am for all that He has given me by helping bring His children back to Him. I have to work harder. How many people did I promise to bring the Gospel to before this life? How many people are counting on me to help them see what is missing in their life and to get them started on the journey to eternal life? There may be thousands, and I need to work harder in order to find them. I will work harder. I know that because Christ paid the price for my sins and knows the pains of my sins, He can help me become a better missionary. He can help me gain an even more intense desire to help those in need, to help those without Christ in their lives to find out who their Savior and Redeemer is, and He can help me help those who think they know who Christ is find out and gain a personal relationship with Him through His atoning sacrifice. I can be the light upon the hill to help others find Christ and find their Heavenly Father and to get on the right path to eternal life.
Christ taught that many will enter in the wide gate rather than the straight and narrow path simply because they don't know where to find all of the truth. It's true that many will strive to lead better lives through scripture study (or entering the wide gate), but unless they enter the straight and narrow path through baptism by one who holds the authority of God, the priesthood, to perform saving ordinances, they cannot receive eternal life. How many people have not received this opportunity because I've been content to work at a mediocre rate? Too many. I have to repent of this, and I am currently working on doing so, so that no more souls are lost. I testify that the Atonement is real. Everyone has the chance to accept the Atonement in their lives, but to do so, one must enter into a covenant with God to always follow His Son and to always follow the commandments, and one must make this covenant through baptism by one who holds the priesthood. There is no other way. I testify that these things are real in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
I have exciting news! The Calderón Stake recently had a youth temple trip, and at the temple they were able to do roughly 2800 baptisms for the dead! How incredible is that?? 2800 souls now have the ability to receive all of the saving ordinances and live as an eternal family. That is incredible. I am so glad that they were able to baptize so many people. I definitely almost cried for joy when I heard how many baptisms they accomplished, and I may or may not have almost cried again when I wrote that. It's just so incredible, and it makes me so happy that it's hard not to cry.
I was rather saddened to hear about the Porsche breaking down. It's never been very good when it rains a bunch. I do hope that it gets to running again. If not, it's had a rough life, and now is its time to rest.
I am doing well. Healthy, happy, and still with Elder Maridueña, at least until the 13th. Maybe. It turns out that his visa was accepted, but the acceptance note failed to reach the offices in Quito, so he has to wait till they accept it again or send the acceptance note again. Or something like that. It's all a tad confusing, and not just for me.
I love you all so very much, and I'm glad to hear that you're all doing well. Thank you for supporting me always, and for all of your prayers. They are very much appreciated. I love you, and I'll talk to you all in another week. Chao!
Love,
Elder Schomburg
So I'm including some photos, but I'm not really sure which ones they are, so surprise! I think two are of me with some rather me-ish faces, and I think one is of Elder Maridueña with the sword of Laban. If not, then I hope the pictures speak for themselves.
This week has been pretty good. We've had several capacitaciónes [training], one by President Ghent and one by the zone leaders, and they were both very excellent. Something very important that I've learned from both is that repentance is an amazing gift that we have, and it's one that I am currently using as much as possible. For a long while I've had a rather bad mindset, and I'm not sure how it happened. I've been thinking that because I'm only senior companion and not a district leader or anything that I don't have as much responsibility as they do, and my work has suffered because of that mindset. I'm just recently recognizing that I've had that mindset, so I'm working hard to fix that. I also learned that I don't need to be a leader in the mission to be a successful missionary. I can be the most successful missionary ever without ever being called to be a district or zone leader. I must be more successful, and I must do so by committing myself to the work even more.
I was filled with a bunch of revelations of things that I'd been doing wrong in the mission during these two meetings, but I am so very grateful that I received those revelations. Anothing thing that I realized was that I had been a bit "trunky". One phrase that I hadn't realized was so prevelant in my everyday speech was "when I get back, I'll...", and this phrase is about as "trunky" as one can get. I am really trying to refocus my thoughts on what I am doing now, and not what I'll be doing "when I get back." I was rather saddened that I have lost so much time in my mission because of this mindset, but now I am even more resolved to show Heavenly Father how grateful I am for all that He has given me by helping bring His children back to Him. I have to work harder. How many people did I promise to bring the Gospel to before this life? How many people are counting on me to help them see what is missing in their life and to get them started on the journey to eternal life? There may be thousands, and I need to work harder in order to find them. I will work harder. I know that because Christ paid the price for my sins and knows the pains of my sins, He can help me become a better missionary. He can help me gain an even more intense desire to help those in need, to help those without Christ in their lives to find out who their Savior and Redeemer is, and He can help me help those who think they know who Christ is find out and gain a personal relationship with Him through His atoning sacrifice. I can be the light upon the hill to help others find Christ and find their Heavenly Father and to get on the right path to eternal life.
Christ taught that many will enter in the wide gate rather than the straight and narrow path simply because they don't know where to find all of the truth. It's true that many will strive to lead better lives through scripture study (or entering the wide gate), but unless they enter the straight and narrow path through baptism by one who holds the authority of God, the priesthood, to perform saving ordinances, they cannot receive eternal life. How many people have not received this opportunity because I've been content to work at a mediocre rate? Too many. I have to repent of this, and I am currently working on doing so, so that no more souls are lost. I testify that the Atonement is real. Everyone has the chance to accept the Atonement in their lives, but to do so, one must enter into a covenant with God to always follow His Son and to always follow the commandments, and one must make this covenant through baptism by one who holds the priesthood. There is no other way. I testify that these things are real in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
I have exciting news! The Calderón Stake recently had a youth temple trip, and at the temple they were able to do roughly 2800 baptisms for the dead! How incredible is that?? 2800 souls now have the ability to receive all of the saving ordinances and live as an eternal family. That is incredible. I am so glad that they were able to baptize so many people. I definitely almost cried for joy when I heard how many baptisms they accomplished, and I may or may not have almost cried again when I wrote that. It's just so incredible, and it makes me so happy that it's hard not to cry.
I was rather saddened to hear about the Porsche breaking down. It's never been very good when it rains a bunch. I do hope that it gets to running again. If not, it's had a rough life, and now is its time to rest.
I am doing well. Healthy, happy, and still with Elder Maridueña, at least until the 13th. Maybe. It turns out that his visa was accepted, but the acceptance note failed to reach the offices in Quito, so he has to wait till they accept it again or send the acceptance note again. Or something like that. It's all a tad confusing, and not just for me.
I love you all so very much, and I'm glad to hear that you're all doing well. Thank you for supporting me always, and for all of your prayers. They are very much appreciated. I love you, and I'll talk to you all in another week. Chao!
Love,
Elder Schomburg
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