I decided this week to put the jump-start back into my journal writing, and breathe some life into it. I came to the conclusion that I was putting a lot more thought and time into these weekly emails than I was to my own personal journal; only writing about once a week in it as well. Journals are so much better though because it's a day to day thing, and I can include a lot more details than I can do for the blog, and more personal or funny things that happen. For the first like 5 months of the mission, I was a very diligent journal writer, writing every day including good details and commentary, but after that I got super lazy and stopped writing so frequently. Elder Clarke has written in his every single day for all of his mission and I really admire that. So, that can be included for the last 10 months of the mission, a firm conviction to write every day in my journal, and I've done it well the last 4 days in a row. It's a lot better, because I don't have to think back too far at what I did in the past few days. A lot of funny things happen on a daily basis during the mission, or in the life of any person. Funny things and spiritual experiences just HAPPEN, and if we don't "grabar" them in some way, it makes it really difficult to remember them. I've lost many many pictures on the mission, broken a camera, lost memory cards, but I have all 3 of my journals with me still, and from what I've written, it really allows me to create the experience again and relive it. I'm excited to keep a more accurate journal, including more details and revelations that the Lord gives me.
I passed up 15 months in the mission this past week, woah! I am in single digits. I can count how many months I have left on my hands. That's a scary thought. Another scary thought; after this change, I'm only going to have 6 left, which most likely means 2 more areas of 3 changes a piece. That's nuts.
On another note, I'm reading and studying el Libro de Mormón now in my personal studies, and I write that in Spanish because I'm actually reading it in Spanish from start to end for the first time. I don't know why it's taken me so long to do it, but I'm really glad that I decided to, because it's already been a really powerful addition to the study. I've marked up the scriptures a lot more this time. Stories find new meaning being read in a different language. It's funny reading things and going "Woah, it really says that in Spanish? or English" and I look it up in English and the word is a bit different or takes on a different meaning in Spanish. I like it. I even firmly established my scripture marking system, which I always had in my head, like I knew by seeing a color why I marked it in that color, but never wrote it down. Red is for what I call "machetes y cosas fuertes para regañar y machetear", haha.
My testimony of the Book of Mormon literally grows and grows every day. We did service this week helping a lady move houses, to a different part of our area that we haven't explored very much because it's farther away. I think we're going to try and work with her though, see if we can take her with us to go visit her new neighbors and get some new investigators there.
After the move we played baseball a bit in this random dirt road. It was really fun, I hadn't thrown a baseball for a really long time. I knocked a few home runs off this 11 year old kid pitching to me...soo...pretty proud of that, haha!
Yesterday, the 2nd counselor had no one to give a talk so he just goes "Elder, you can give a talk right? Thanks, you're great..." haha. So I shared this amazing story in Jacob 7 of another anti-Christ named Sherem that I didn't know about. It's an amazing story, I invite you all to read it. No one messes with the Lord's prophets.
The highlight of the week coming up is that the mission is having the pleasure of hosting Elder D.Todd Christofferson!!! OH YEAH! Same exact day as last year when Elder Nelson came, January 19th. We're all really excited for that, ready to take tons of notes.
I'm having a lot of fun with my kid, Elder Carrillo, teaching him English. He had a pretty good hold on it before, but I've taught him a lot, all about homophones like need/knead, there/they're/their, etc. He's understanding pretty well and a lot of the time I just speak to him in English. We already made it that from 9:30 pm. to sleep, we only speak in English in the house, pretty cool. It's funny how I can love English and hate it so much at the same time. What an unbelievably confusing, wonderful and beautiful language. I taught him and those in our English class how to offer prayers in English, so in the house at the end of the day in nightly planning, he prays in English.
By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sister Sarah last week, I hope you had a wonderful birthday :) Also, Happy Birthday to my cousin Daniel; he'd be turning 31 this week, wow.
This week we have Jacob 7:10-11 which is Jacob's machete to Sherem, telling him that he doesn't understand the scriptures, amazing. Also 2 Nephi 33:14-15 which are the last words we hear from Nephi, see you all at the judgment bar for those who reject the message of the gospel, haha.
HAVE A WONDEFUL WEEK! I LOVE YOU ALL!
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