Dear Mom,
How are you?? Things are going well here. I am really depressed right now because of Spencer´s mission call. Seriously. That is rough on me!! I will have so much stuff to do next P-day when I email. So I probably won´t have time to write a whole lot. Well I have sat on his letter for like two weeks. I feel bad about it but I am just so busy right now. The weeks just fly by. I don´t even know what to say. Haha. I think I am at the point where I would rather not take the effort and write everything that happened and all that. But I won´t do that to you Mom!! Let´s see...
We had another baptism on saturday. Maribel, a 30 year old bolivian lady. Her husband is antonio, and is spanish. He will need more time, but she wanted to do it. I honestly don´t know why we´ve been having so many baptisms lately. Three weeks in a row is really really unusual in Spain. Lots of people go six months or more without having any. The Lord really is just blessing us. We try to be obedient, and we work hard, but we definitely aren´t the best missionaries out there. Seriously. I still have so much to learn. The whole mission just thinks we are so great because we are "tearing it up in Jerez" and all that, but all that means is that they see our numbers. And numbers DON´T mean success. Elder Pardo told me that in his last area things were way harder and so he worked way harder, knocking doors every day for hours and contacting and all that. He was a successful missionary then too. A lot of people get caught up in numbers, and I am glad that I have been taught that they really don´t matter when it comes to measuring success. As long as I work as hard as I can and follow all of the rules and feel the spirit and all of that good stuff, I am successful. I know there will be times in my mission where I won´t have baptisms at all and the work will be hard and a little depressing. But that does not mean that I am not a successful missionary. That is one lesson that I am grateful to have learned.
Something else that I have come to understand is that success is also not meaured by positions. I have been the type to aspire to positions all my life. Of course I have always understood that that is not a good thing and I have tried hard to humble myself and focus on serving the Lord in whatever way he wants me too. But I still wanted the recognition of man. I have thought a lot about that in my mission. There are tons of people that aspire to different positions. Some missionaries think that if they don´t become AP their mission wasn´t successful. How sad is that?? I feel sorry for those missionaries that don´t understand their purpose here. I think I can honestly say that I have got to the point where it seriously doesn´t matter to me if I ever become DL, ZL, or AP. I know it´s easy to say that now at the beginning of my mission whereas at the end of my mission it may be more difficult if all of my leaders are younger than me and I have never had any leadership in the mission, but really, the real triumph for me would be to truly feel happy to serve Heavenly Father in whatever way he wants me to, and to not have the slightest care about the titles in the mission. That is my goal. And I think I am doing well so far. I know what success really is in the mission, and it´s important not to get wrapped in things that don´t matter.
The recent converts that we have make me so happy. That is the best part of my mission. Being able to see them grow in testimony and in the gospel. Emilio and Rosario are just doing great. We had a ward activity on Friday, and he was behind the grill the whole night just as happy as can be. And Victoriano is just on fire. He gave a talk in the baptism on saturday that he wrote completely by himself, which is super amazing having been a member for like two weeks. He bore his testimony on Fast Sunday about the difficulties he´s been having with his family and them always attacking his decision to join the church. It is really hard for him, but he said that he knows this is true. His faith can´t be changed, and he knows that God is pleased with his choice. He came back down from the pulpit and sat down next to me and just started balling. I have never seen him cry before. It only lasted for a minute, but wow. Talk about a testimony builder. I think about all of the people in the world that have sacrificed so much for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I haven´t had to sacrifice very much at all. It was just handed to me and my whole family is right there with me trying to live it. I don´t know. I don´t know why I have been so blessed. But I know that Victoriano was converted by the Spirit. We seriously did not do anything. We taught and all that, but we did not just convince him that this is true. The holy ghost is real. Victoriano was converted by all the times that he prayed to God to ask if this is true. When we weren´t even in his home. The Spirit testified to him, and that is why his faith is so strong. The Spirit is everything in this work. Missionaries just need to learn how to follow it. Victoriano should receive a calling next week. The bishop told us it is something that will take lots of time and all this stuff. We hope it´s something that he can put his whole heart and soul into.
My thoughts have been really occupied lately with the person I am becoming. I just want to study christ like attributes so desperately. I have so much great material on becoming better and all that but I can´t study it right now. It´s not time yet. I have to learn the lessons better and stuff. In the beginning you´re only supposed to study the missionary lessons and the book of mormon. But as soon as I have more experience and can teach well enough, I am going to spend lots of time studying that. Stacie gave me tons of great material, and I really want to read the gospels. Plus Ch. 6 of PMG is all about christ like attributes. I am super excited. Maybe towards the end of this year. I need a favor por favor. Will you go to youtube and type in ¨The Butterfly Circus¨ and watch it and tell me the name of the circus leader?? I can´t remember his name. It would be awesome if you could do that for me. The circus leader is a foreign looking man and his name starts with an m or something. His character is a good example of some christ like attributes.
I am super proud of spencer for doing that. It sounds even worse than Cafe Rio. Which really wasn´t that bad after all. Dad is totally right about him learning the lesson of the importance of an education. I have certainly learned that over the last year of my life. Seeing people here makes me realize how blessed I am to have the opportunity for education. There is a big crisis here in spain right now. If you didn´t know. I think the unemployment rate is 60 percent in Jerez. That is what it was when I first got here anyway. It is hard. There are so many beggars, and I wish I could help them but I am having a hard time as it is without spending my personal money in order to live. 140 euros is not a lot. And I definitely don´t live extravagantly here. I don´t have much money to give away. I was thinking yesterday about how, even though it is the hardest thing I´ve ever done, there has not been one day in the mission where I haven´t learned something of great value. Heavenly Father really does give us the experiences that will help us learn exactly what we need to learn. The mission is SO completely worth it. Every second. Every penny. Every drop of sweat (and there are many). Someone said the mission is sweat and tears because the Atonement was sweat and tears. I think in a way it´s true. We learn so much more about what the Savior did for us while we dedicate our lives to him for these two years. I can´t wait to progress more. There is so much to learn!! I am so excited for Spencer. He´ll learn so much.
Well I am happy about your computer. That is a relief!! And I hope Brigham understands the opportunity he has to help Clayton this week. I would love to do what Brigham gets to do!! Spend a week at Scout camp with my little brother. Seriously that would be so incredibly wonderful. Don´t waste it Brig!! Clayton needs the help of all of us. Brigham is awesome for doing that though. Really. All of you guys are awesome. I love my family so much. Sounds like you guys had a good anniversary. Me alegra mucho :)
Well things are great here. Just normal missionary life. I almost have four months!! Crazy. The time is going by so quickly. Well transfers are in a week. One week left with my beloved elder pardo!! Hahaha. We actually get along really well now. It´s been awesome lately. I am totally fine with whatever happens. If I stay here, I will be so happy. If not, awesome. I just want to learn whatever the Lord has in store for me. Well I love you so much mom!! And everyone else!! Thanks for your support!! Happy Birthday on Friday mom!!! 37 years old!! Fetch. My parents are getting so old :( Dad will turn 40!!!! about six seven months after I get home!! That is so crazy. You are too young to be 37. Oh well. I am glad I have a super long time with you guys. Like I said, you will get sick of me!!!
Love you so much
Elder Sharp
No comments:
Post a Comment