I'm so extremely happy right now I can't even describe it. I've got so much to say about it but I can't really say it because none of that matters.
I SAW THE TEMPLE! In person! It's pink! (Seriously. I don't understand why it's pink, but it's pink) and working it's way up. I'm so excited to see it starting to take shape! Many members are starting to realize that the Temple is a reality and that it can bring blessings. There have been many talks on the Temple here in my ward, and I've been able to bear my testimony and promise many blessings to people in our priesthood group.
This week was really quite bad. We had probably 20-25 lessons planned with members present, and we ended up with 8 total.
Yeah. It was awful.
We had cita (appointment. Cita is faster to type.) after cita after cita fall through, and eventually, we ran out of stuff to do. This happened about 3 times this week.
It was really rough for us. I don't know why, but I know that the Lord wanted me to learn something.
Also this week, we had Agustin's baptismal date fall through. In order for a person to be baptized, they need to go at least 5 times to church, and 4 if it's reasonable that they couldn't go one time. He has gone 3 times, and he missed 1, so we had the chance to baptize him still if he only had 4. He didn't come this week. We have to visit him again. If he slept in, we can't baptize him. If he actually had something come up that's reasonable, we can still do it. We're praying hardcore for this man. I have seen his life change before my very eyes.
When I first met this man, I'll be honest, I was kinda scared. He has a tattoo of a ring on his hand, and he is pretty buff. I was actually pretty intimidated the first time I met him.
During the lessons, he seemed interested, and he was honestly trying to do whatever we asked him. He is one of the kindest people I've met, and I started to grow to love him.
Eventually, he agreed to be baptized. (There was a problem that he had to fix with something I don't exactly remember, and he fixed it). I remember when I saw him after that. I was on exchanges with the Zone Leaders, so he agreed to be baptized when I was on that exchange. I was a little mad.
I saw him two days after that, and he was a completely different person. He laughed more, he was more open, and he was completely and totally changed. The Atonement of Jesus Christ has saved this man, and I will never be able to comprehend what must have taken place.
He is my investigator that I am most happy to see baptized. We have worked with him, read with him, and talked with him about almost everything in the Church that there is, and he's finally going to be able to make this covenant with God and show his faith. I'm so happy I can't stand it.
Also, Elder Ponce and I are about done as companions. This is our last week together, and to be honest, I've got mixed feelings.
Elder Ponce has speech impediments that really drive me insane. I've prayed a lot these 3 months to have patience and charity with him, and I've actually had quite a bit of it. I've been able to grow to love him just like everyone else.
He's got a certain way of doing things, and anything different is just dumb in his eyes, so everything we've done so far is basically his ideas. I've been also praying for humility, so that I can accept that he knows more than I do and be willing to follow what he tells me.
He is also very aware of others. He knows a lot about other people, especially our investigators. He can tell you where everyone works, what time they leave to go to work, and when they return. He can tell you where they live, what they do for fun, and pretty much he could live their lives. It's pretty nuts.
Anyway, he's got a lot of problems, but I've got a lot too. I really don't need to go on more.
When we switch, I'm going to have to be the Senior companion, maybe. Dunno yet. But, if I am the senior companion, I'm really scared. I honestly don't know much Spanish. I'm finding that sure, I can understnad about everything, and I can pretty much talk to people just fine, but MAN, I don't know any Spanish. I'm using the same phrases all the time, and I'm constantly lost when there's stuff I'm unfamiliar with.
Anyway, yeah. He's been a good companion, and to be honest, it's going to be hard to just leave 3 months behind me like that.
I really don't want to talk about it right now. This is the last week. Gotta finish strong.
EXITO.
Elder Carter
