Dear Family and Friends!!
Wow, this week was another great one! And it was jammed packed with things to do again! Ha ha, I honestly don't know where the time is going with everything! This transfer has been the best!! I love my companions so much! They are such studs! And we are just taking out the trash this transfer! I have never had so many logros in one transfer before! It's a miracle!
The beginning of this week started off a little slow for us! I think at the beginning of the week we were a little too contento of our achievements from the week before that we were as diligent as we should have been. We saw that in our results the first couple days of the week of barely getting anything done with our time. Monday through Thursday there was just a lot of small little things that would waste our time, but in the end we were able to pull it all off!
After the first three slows days of the week, Thursday came around and we had a special meeting with Walter F. Gonzalez. He had advised us early that he was going to come and talk to the whole mission Friday. But he threw in a little surprise and just wanted a special meeting, Thursday, with all the zone leaders! It was at a little bad timing because it took the whole afternoon and we got back really late but it was awesome being able to be in that special meeting with him! Walter F. Gonzalez is in the presidency of the 70 and the president of the South America South regions! The meeting was incredible! There were about 20 of us leaders and he was able to teach us the importance of being a leader! And how to be a true leader in this true Church! He gave us all his tips on how to motivate missionaries and how to keep their excitement up! I love that part! He talked about motivation and how it doesn't really exist in the gospel language. But he went on to tell us that motivation comes from the understanding of pure doctrine!
Then Friday we were as a whole mission together when he gave a new capacitacion with us on how to focus more on better goals! He went on to tell us that a lot of times missionaries get confused and only focus on "middle" goals and not "final" goals! He went on to talk about how missionaries just need to fulfill the things that President asked them to do (for example, 30 lessons a week, 4 fechas, etc.), but they never focus on the final goals which in the end of everything is: to baptize! He also used a lot of examples on how we can use the Book of Mormon in EVERY situation! He and his wife did a few role plays to show us! And it was incredible! Even in super awkward or hard situations Elder Gonzalez was able to relate EVERYTHING to the Book of Mormon! It was so cool!!
As they started to do more role plays as examples for us, they started to show us examples of ministering to less actives and how we have to use the Book of Mormon to guide us to the needs of them. But before he started he turned to President and asked for a companionship of zone leaders to come up. President thought for a moment and then called our names out! Aww!! IT was pretty scary having to do a role play demonstration in front of the whole mission and let alone to a member of the 70! But we did it pretty good and Elder Gonzalez was really pleased with our efforts! Woo! Our hearts were beating like crazy! Ha ha, but it was fun!
Then we were able to teach Ibet who I don't know if I have written about much. Her husband is inactive and we have been teaching her and her two kids, Kelly and Max and they are progressing really well. Then we were able to pass by Mary and Scarlett and teach the Plan of Salvation and they are so ready!! They just know it's all true! So that was a lot of blessings on its own just to see so many of our investigators progressing! But there's even more!!!
Friday night we got a reference from a member in our branch of a part member family. We got this reference a while back but we haven't been able to find them, but Saturday in the morning we passed by and found the mom, Isabel! She has been inactive for a few years now and within the first two minutes of us sitting in her house she just started to cry. She went on to tell us the problems she has had in her family and how she married someone outside of the Church and how he didn't support her in her beliefs at all. They had two kids Reanatta and Francisca. The husband never wanted his daughters to participate in the Church. She told us that a lot of times while he would sleep in the morning or if he had to work then they would sneak out and go attend sacrament meeting because they used to live around the corner of the church. But then they moved farther away and they were never able to attend again.
Luckily, they were able to resolve their problems and were able to separate as a couple and now Isabel lives in a different house (now in our sector) with her two daughters. Right when she finished telling us that story, her daughter Francisca came in! She just about exploded with happiness to see us! She went on to tell the same story of how her dad wouldn't let her participate in the church, but that she always wanted to go to church and be a member. She said that her dad made a contract that when she turned 18 she can decide for herself. And luckily in December she just turned 18! And she told us that she wants to get baptized! Woo hoo!! Such a miracle!!
Then the next day Francisca and her mom both came to church! And, as well, Ibet, Kelly, Max, Mary, Scarlet, and Scarlett's friends Javiera all came to church!! It was amazing!! We were able to bring 7 investigators to church yesterday! We took up a whole bench! It was incredible! And Rodolfo, Loreto, and Benjamin got confirmed in church yesterday as well!!!
Even though the beginning of this week was a little slow the Lord still blessed us with so many miracles! Francisca is such a huge miracle! We will be able to pull of that baptism really soon! And as well with all the other investigators that came to church! Such an incredible blessing to see so many people progressing in this wonderful Gospel!
Love you!
Love,
Elder Cowan
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