This week went much better for prostelyting. Much better. The zone of Miraflores has been struggling a bit this month. We had our weekly zone meeting on Tuesday, and it went very well. I really like the zone leaders. We have zone leaders that try really hard to help the zone and be successful. It's not showing so much through the numbers, but they are working hard and I greatly appreciate it. I'm sure they are probably frustrated and at a loss of what to do, but they are good guys. We had a good zone meeting where the spirit was very strong. I decided something I need to do better is write spiritual experiences. I realized that when I can go back and read about a time when I felt the spirit, it helps me remember how much the Lord really does help me and how often I am blessed by the spirit. On the contrary, if I don't write experiences down, I tend to forget about them and then get down in the dumps during difficult times and wonder if I ever feel the spirit. Point is, writing things down so we can remember spiritual experiences.
A few elders from our zone are from outside of Piura and have to travel by bus to get there. Just so happens that they came for the meeting and the same day, a nation wide transportation strike started. Buses and vans, all kinds of stuff, no one was working. It makes traveling really dangerous, because the people that decide to work that day, with all kinds of demand, will be violently attacked by those on strike. It's nuts. So it wasn't safe to send the missionaries back to their areas with the chance that their bus or car get rocks and stones thrown at it by protestors lining the highways. Instead of leaving, the four missionaries came and helped work in the office area. I went out with Elder Ross, cool guy from Oregon who is going home in a couple months. We had a really good day together and got a lot done. The office is really started to step up now. We have a few progressing investigators with baptismal dates in the next couple weeks, and tonight we are doing a big showing of "The Testaments" for the youth and their non member friends. Gonna be sweet!!
It's been a relatively chill week in the office because the president and assistants are out visiting the rest of the mission. And they aren't returning until Tuesday. Which is fine, only that I can't process any money when the president is gone and people are starting to get upset. Oh, and I FINALLY got my license here. I was lazy about getting it back home too, haha. So, I will no longer be driving around Piura illegally. (Not that I…ever…did that.) I don't really have any funny stories from this week. Oh yeah, here's one. Elder Ross and I had some funny times working together. He is all about throwing rocks at dogs – so we had fun doing that, and he totally chucked a rock at a dog as hard as he could and it went too high and hit the side of a house. It was so loud! So I started walking away and as he is leaning down to get another rock, the family in the house comes outside to see what it was, and he kind of played it off like he didn't know what was going on. Haha. It was so funny. (I know, Dad, you would probably not like your Mission Prep class to hear that one.) About an hour Elder Ross, not learning his lesson, threw another rock at the same moment a guy came out of his house (different house) and it bounced and almost hit the guy. Some people never learn.
Dad, thanks for your letter and detailed report about the Encampment. That's awesome. Sounds like it was a great camp. Wish I coulda been there. I woulda done 16 pull ups on the COPE high wire thingy. Haha. It's so great to see the work of the leaders. It seems like there are so many who just kinda sluff off their calling, and it doesn't help the young men. But when real effort is put forth, young men learn to grow into great men. That is just so awesome that the young men enjoyed it so much. I remember signing the plates before, in fact, I think I signed once in 2002 and a second time in 2004. But, I never signed them again before going on my mission. At least... I don't remember doing it. I guess that was probably a part of getting my papers and everything ready up at BYU. Anyway, it's great to see so many young men committing to serve the Lord on a mission. This work is just amazing. I love it!!
I continue to have lots of experiences – good or bad, there are a lot. And I am always able to learn something from them, usually the bad are hard lessons learned, but either way I am learning a lot. I am learning to be more patient, kinder, and slower to judge. The mission is a great thing. It changes people for the better. I'm glad to be here. True happiness comes from obedience. The Church is true. Love it. Live it.
Elder I'm Just Not Feeling Clever Right Now Royal
P.S. Happy birthday Whitney! The 29th right? Pretty sure that's right. If it's not, well, then it's Mommy's fault, because that's what she told me. haha. So, I sent off a little thing for you this week. I promise you're gonna laugh so hard or if you don't, Brad will. :] And if he doesn't, well then, that was just a waste of 45 soles to send. haha.
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