Dear Family and Friends,
I think my emails home have turned into a stress reliever for me where I just kind of unload my stresses on everyone. I’m really sorry if it has but you don’t have to read this if that’s the case haha.
My new companionship!
New Companions
My new companionship!
Anyway let me start off by telling y’all that my new companions are Elder Tatom from Sacramento California and Elder Stryker from Murray, Utah. Elder Stryker is the missionary that I am currently training. I didn’t realize this last week, but I guess the training call was only meant for me. So it has been pretty interesting. I’m trying to find the balance between knowing when to handle zone issues myself as opposed to training Elder Tatom who is a new zone leader and delegating to him and teaching him the ins and outs. As well as finding the balance between working in our area (contacting and teaching) and giving Elder Stryker (and Elder Tatom, who is also new to the area) the opportunity to learn and grow for themselves. I’ve never dealt with anything like this.
Stressed
I have never felt so much stress before in my life. And it’s different kinds of stress. Before it was … school stress … girl stress … sports stress … now it’s zone stress … area stress … the stress of training a new missionary and helping a new zone leader learn what his job is.
So this week I felt like I wasn’t accomplishing anything. I feel like we need to find new people but at the same time I feel like we need to work with the less active members. And I can’t ever set my heart on one so I find myself stuck somewhere in between in an unhappy medium. The thing is, I’ve never really worked TOO MUCH with less actives in an area … I guess in my mind that’s just been taboo (just “hanging around” with members) but I think I need to open my mind and realize that they can help us and that they are just as important as new members. This ward really needs some help. Maybe my missionary work for this last while isn’t meant to involve so many baptisms as it is reactivations. I don’t know.. just the thought makes me feel like a lazy missionary. But maybe I’m just crazy.
Mariluz
So quick update. We have kind of given Mariluz some time. I think this week we are going to try to contact her again.
Hugo
Hugo Garcia has been working like a dog. We were calling him every night and he was doing good with his plan to quit smoking but he has started working so much and being so stressed that we haven’t had time to meet him so we haven’t been able to teach him what we need to and his stress has caused him to smoke even more. So we are going to keep working with him.
Hermana Mercedes and Maria Alvarado
There is a recent convert here named Hermana Mercedes who is a bomb missionary! She pulled over one day to give a lady and her two young kids a ride and started telling her about the gospel and next thing you know we are teaching her! She came to the activities on Thursday and then a lesson on Friday. Her name is Maria Alvarado. She was so solid when we taught her. Her understanding level isn’t great but she agreed to be baptized! She is from Guatemala. Spanish was her second language, she originally grew up speaking “ahuuxi.” It’s some crazy native dialect. It’s so cool because when she refers to God or prays to Him she will only pray in her native tongue. It’s so cool teaching her about the Book of Mormon. She was REALLY interested by it. Then on Saturday she came to a baptism and loved it! But I guess on Sunday morning some people from her old church came and talked bad about the church and now she is confused. So we will see what happens.
Elder Cope Went Home
Aside from that I can’t really think of much else. Things are going good. Busy, but that’s the way it’s supposed to be. I was really bummed to see Elder Cope go home this week. He is one of my closest friends. He has changed and grown so much on his mission. But I know we will meet again!
The Aguilera Family took my companions and I out to eat for an early birthday present. They are a family from my second area. Man I love them so much. They are so great.
Anyway, it’s time to ball and I ball hard. So… love y’all!
Elder Viitanen
