Hello all my wonderfuls!
This day finds me exactly 9 weeks away from boarding an airplane and heading towards home. I've decided that mission life is basically comparable to normal earth life in a few aspects: we come from one place and pass through a veil in which we forget what we knew before, we're born in another (in the mission a missionary is born in the first sector in which he starts), we learn, make mistakes, and progress, we may or may not have children (I have three!! plus grandkids and a great-grandkid!), and then we die (in the mission we die when we end the mission). The whole time we learn about what our purpose in life is, and we also hear tell of a celestial home (which, for missionaries, is our own home...yeah, you probably already caught that), which we're not actually sure if it exists or not, but we have faith and act on that faith. What we do during our lives determines the rewards that we receive after we have left the earth, so we try hard up until the end (or others don't). And now I am nearing the end of this journey and getting ready to go to my celestial mansion. It's quite an interesting feeling, that's for sure. I am doing my best to focus on the mission, and I actually am doing so, but thoughts of that celestial home keep creeping in there with greater and greater frequency. 9 weeks. 62 days. Some uncalculated amount of hours. :) But I'm determined to go out kicking and fighting against the forces of evil, and so I shall do.
This week had some unforeseen difficulties in store for me. I found out that one of the missionaries in our zone had a personal cell phone, which is something that is not allowed among missionaries. That made me feel very sad, especially because he's a fellow Coloradan. But then I found out that my companion (Elder Rosales, who actually was in the CCM Perú with me) knew about and had communicated frequently with the other missionary using our cell phone (we have one because as zone leaders we need to be in contact with the other missionaries and such, and our phone is authorized by President Ghent). Furthermore, my companion lied to me several times about knowing anything about the phone and even when I confronted him about it, he tried to act as if he didn't know anything. I was left feeling very hurt and very stabbed-in-the-back. I expect obedience from all missionaries, and then to find out that my own companion has been not only continuing in disobedience but instigating it left me very disappointed. Also, I feel like the trust which I had with him has been broken a bit. It is truthfully a bit difficult for me to trust in him right now, but I am grateful for this situation. I have learned a lot about myself and also what I should look for in a spouse. I have learned that I have become strong and will not tolerate disobedience, but instead of only criticizing or anything like that I look to help others start the repentance process. I tried to help him see that what he was doing was wrong and that he needed to repent, and I also helped him know that the reason I had brought the situation to his attention was because I loved him and wanted the best for him. I feel like it was good for our relationship, but I still have forgiving to do which may only come with time and prayer, but I shall try. Also, I learned that I need to choose a spouse that I can trust completely. With a spouse I will be selecting my eternal companion, and eternity is longer than 1.5-3 months. They were good lessons that I learned.
For Thanksgiving not much was done, but an ice cream sandwich was eaten, and blessings were counted. I am so very grateful for this mission which I have been able to serve. That thought keeps echoing in my head and making my heart swell with happiness. I know that I have been converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that I will never again leave His path. I have found eternal happiness in this path, and I have been able to help many others find the same, and for that I will never leave. And I still have two months left! That's still plenty of time to work miracles.
So I set myself a goal Tuesday night that I am really excited about. At first glance it doesn't have a lot to do with missionary work, but it actually does help me in my studies and to be more obedient in my days. I was reflecting on my time as a track athlete and realized that I really do love track. I love running and jumping and working myself to death. I love the feeling of jumping a lot. I just love track. So I'm going to do something about that. I will be preparing myself to compete in the 2016 summer Olympics in the triple jump. I kinda have to start now, so I spent some time today making a workout chart and everything. I'm going to be waking up at 6 AM every day except Sunday to work out, and I'm also going to be eating a lot healthier (more fruits, vegetables, etc. [which are actually not the easiest to find, which is weird, seeing as we are in the middle of big fruit farms and such]). I'm really excited about this goal, and I even feel that it's something that Heavenly Father wants me to do, so I shall do it. It'll be hard and require time, but I figure with 3.75 years I should be able to properly prepare myself. Olympics, here we come!
Just to answer some curiosities: I am in the city but only 15 minutes from the ocean. The food here is delicious and is more seafood based (I did eat snail once here, but even that is remotely seafood-based; it tastes like shrimp). The streets are horribly dusty and it never rains. Also, due to the hotter climate, modesty is quite an issue, but I'm trying to keep my head up and my eyes forward (literally, because being tall has its disadvantages when there's rampant immodesty about), always choosing the right and continuing in Christ's path. So that's where I am!
Well, I must go now. I love you all and am grateful for all that you have given me by way of prayers, letters, packages, etc. Thank you for everything. I hope you have a wonderful week, and I'll hear from you and talk to you next week! ¡Chao!
Love,
Elder Schomburg
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