Hey everyone, sorry I didn't write last week, we were pretty busy for our P-Day and I just never had much of a chance. Anyways, an update from here is that we are working extremely hard and we have been seeing the best results I've seen in my entire mission. We had an awesome Zone Conference a couple weeks ago and we changed our focus a little bit and we're super narrowed down to certain things and it's really made a huge difference here in the work. This week we were able to achieve all of our goals and beyond. It's just been so cool to see what happens when truly everything that you do is try to complete your purpose as a missionary, when we focus like this, God literally begins to do the work and we're just his hands and witnesses of his miracles. \
Some stuff that's been going on is that it's been a very long, hot, and extremely dry summer here in Chile, so there have been some really bad wildfires, like super bad, people dying and missing and thousands of homes lost, it has been a really tough and sad past couple weeks here. Because of the fires, there has been so much smoke, like some days it's hard to see the trees 100 yards away. So as you can imagine, super smokey and dry 95 degrees every day walking miles on end is pretty tough physically. All of you at home are freezing, wanting some sun, and I want winter more than anything right now, this summer is absolutely killing me. Just so you all know, I love this country a lot, I love eating their food, learning all their weird phrases, and I'm addicted to mate. Chimbarongo, Chile is one wonderful place to live, I have certainly learned that. Even though sometimes it isn't super easy, I'm completely in love with the mission!!
At one point in this week I was writing in my journal and I was close to filling up a page with all sorts of information and stuff about the people we're teaching and their needs and all kinds of stuff about the work and I realized that I was truly getting lost in the work. My whole mission I've been doing my best to try and be "lost in the work" and I have done my best to work super hard, but the change recently is that I can truly say that my greatest desire in this very moment is to “invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." This is my calling as a missionary and in order to fulfill my calling, everything I do should help me achieve this purpose. Of course, I'm human and I'm weak, and sometimes I focus on things that don't help me fulfill this calling and because I am human this will be a challenge for the entire mission and for my entire life. However, the difference lately is that achieving this is the greatest desire that I have, and I have felt it help me be more consecrated in helping God in his great work.
I love when I hear from you all! So if you ever have a little time and can send me a message or update I would really love it. I hope all is well and I'll try and write next week.
Elder Micheli
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