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July 8, 2013
Well, I finally got
to fly out to see Iquitos! I'll be honest, it was a slight disappointment. Not
that Iquitos was the disappointment, but that I was in the central, city part
and I didn't get to see a single river or straw house.
The biggest
disappointment was Wednesday when the assistants were assigning who would work
with who while the Sister Leaders were in the conference and Elder Uribe said
that Hermana Simonson would be working with Hermana Price. I was SO excited...until
her companion shot a dirty look and asked him if he was sure. So, they changed
us and I went to work with other sisters. Oh well, I'm sure we'll gain some
trust soon enough.
All the pain and
stress from my numbers disappeared in Zone Council this week. We were being
eaten alive because we weren't getting the most references or teaching the most
lessons, but guess what. Out of the 16 people in the zone, my companion and I
made up almost one third of the total Baptisms this month. What? The majority
had either 0 or 1. I finally decided that so what if the other numbers aren't
as good as everyone’s, we had the most of the numbers that are most important.
The Elders were all
dumbfounded and did not understand what had happened. They complained that it
made no sense because their numbers were so great so naturally their Baptisms
should be great. For the first time, I finally opened my mouth and explained
what my companion and I had learned. The problem is that as a zone, we were
focusing on the numbers of that day. We
were thinking "Wow, this person needs help, but our numbers for new
investigators are low so we're going to go knock on some doors." Then,
that person decides not to be baptized because they didn't receive help when
they needed it. As a zone, we made a goal to focus on the people more than the
numbers, and in one week, we've already seen a difference.
I had to teach Relief
Society this week, and it actually went pretty well. I just love to talk about
the Gospel. It doesn't matter if it's in English or Spanish, in church or in
someone's home, I just LOVE to share my Testimony.
My biggest Testimony
builder this week is the way that the Gospel literally changes lives. It is so
amazing to watch. I love watching Alex and the way that he has changed. When we
first met, he just came off as some punk kid. His girlfriend dragged him to
church in his jeans and baseball cap and he didn't say a word to anyone. When
we first started teaching, he didn't understand a thing.
Now, I swear that kid
is a different person. In the month or so that we've worked with him, he's
gotten married, started loving church, understands everything, and is excited
for his Baptism. He now shows up to church every week in his shirt and tie and
sits holding his wife’s hand. I don't know how to describe it, but his face is
LITERALLY different. He looks different. It's insane. He is not the same boy
that we found a month or two ago. I hope that after his interview with the
Mission President everything will be okay for him to be baptized.
THIS is why I am
here. I'm not here to get people to come to church. I am here to help CHANGE people
and change their lives. This work is so special, so amazing. God can take some
punk kid and turn him into a Gospel Man. He can even take some spoiled little
girl from Utah, and somehow turn her into a Jungle-dwelling Missionary. I am
just so incredibly happy.
I miss you, but I
know I'm where I belong for 15 more months.
Love Always,
Hermana Simonson
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