Week 19

Hey Everyone!

This week has been a great week! We had transfers and I have a new compy! His names Elder Galindo, he's from Huancayo Peru. He's got 21 months in the mission so he's ending pretty soon. He's more obedient than my last comp which is really nice! And less weird, haha. Together we are trying to get our area back to where it should be and workin hard. He is a chatter box, haha he talks a ton! in lessons, in contacts, and when were at home. Haha, he's just like a funny, weird Latino guy. And his head is huuggge, hahah. One thing that is awesome is that he is a grubber and he looooves pop. We eat a ton and drink a ton of pop now. I'm gonna get fat...and broke, haha. 

As far as investigators...Vanessa isn't progressing super fast because we haven't been able to find her! Our appointments have fallen through and she didn't come to church yesterday. It's kinda discouraging but we haven't given up faith with her! I'll report good news next week I hope. We have a new investigator named Luis! Luis is kind of a miracle!  He was going to church in a different ward for the past few months because he had friends that invited him in that ward and was being taught by the Hermana Missionaries of that ward. Just this week he found out that he lives in our ward and we are gonna be teaching him from now on. He came to church yesterday and he is progressing really fast! He loves the church! He has a baptismal date for this Saturday and an interview with the Stake Pres. so we are crossing our fingers that all goes well!

Another cool thing happened this week...I was reading a talk called the 4th Missionary and I learned a lot and it changed my perspective. 1) It helped me to be more obedient. 2) It helped me actually WANT to be obedient instead of just being obedient because the Lord wants me to be obedient. Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths." Saying that if some rule or commandment doesn't make sense to us so we just trust in our own knowledge and continue in our own ways instead of trusting in the Lord's, we will be deprived promised blessings and guidance. We need to put our TRUST in Him, and have faith that He knows more than we do and things will be better His way. (Like the scripture in Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts; neither are your ways my ways.") It's like if a kid wanted to go to Disneyland and decides to ride his tricycle. And his dad is saying to the kid, "just hop on this jet, it is a lot easier and will only take like 2 hours". But the kid is afraid of air planes and he is accustomed to his tricycle, he feels safe with his trike. His way seems reasonable to him. The kid trying to go to Disneyland is like us trying to get to heaven and the tricycle is like our own knowledge and our own ways and, God and his ways are like the dad and the jet. I hope this silly analogy made sense, haha. But there are often commandments or mission rules where we think that our way is better and its hard to put our trust in the Lord and just give it up. But if we do and just do trust Him and just give up our will, we will be significantly blessed. Matthew 19:29 says that anyone who forsakes something for the Lord's name will receive 100 fold and shall have eternal life. When we understand the reward of trusting the Lord and doing his will, it becomes so much  easier. In the talk that I was reading, there's a paragraph that says, "For the missionary who understands the benefit of this bargain, there is nothing of equal or greater appeal than to do the Lord's will. Everything pales in comparison. There is no real sacrifice for him because he knows its the only intelligent thing to do."

This week that has helped me change my perspective on obedience and doing what the Lord wants and just giving up my will to His. I find myself still trying to "ride the tricycle" from time to time, but it's made a big difference in my attitude and actions.

I hope all of that made sense, hahaha. I love you guys and see ya later. 

-Elder Hale