Every week, I try as diligently as I can to write a weekly letter to my Mission President. He has asked us as missionaries to write to him about two things: the highlight experience of the week along with our personal progress. This time was a little different from the usual for on 31 Oct. 2015, I have accomplished my official "one year mark" in the mission. The following paragraph is what I wrote:
"This mission has been one of the most difficult, yet most rewarding experiences that I've had in my entire life. I'm so very grateful for the opportunity that the Lord has granted unto me to have one more year to serve Him and to make difference in the lives of His children here in Togo. I've become a better man since I've been here and I see myself becoming an even more effective missionary in the Lord's hands with every passing day. I've developed so many qualities, talents, and abilities that I know I would not have otherwise received unless I went on this mission. Despite the many difficulties and trials that I have to overcome every single day, I've genuinely love this mission for it has brought unto me along with all those with whom I've interacted many wonderful blessings and life changes. There are three things for which I'm particularly grateful which consist of the new-found doctrinal knowledge and reinforced testimony that I've obtained, the many people whom I've been able to meet and render service to, along with the many friendships that I've been able to make since I've been here."
"This mission has been one of the most difficult, yet most rewarding experiences that I've had in my entire life. I'm so very grateful for the opportunity that the Lord has granted unto me to have one more year to serve Him and to make difference in the lives of His children here in Togo. I've become a better man since I've been here and I see myself becoming an even more effective missionary in the Lord's hands with every passing day. I've developed so many qualities, talents, and abilities that I know I would not have otherwise received unless I went on this mission. Despite the many difficulties and trials that I have to overcome every single day, I've genuinely love this mission for it has brought unto me along with all those with whom I've interacted many wonderful blessings and life changes. There are three things for which I'm particularly grateful which consist of the new-found doctrinal knowledge and reinforced testimony that I've obtained, the many people whom I've been able to meet and render service to, along with the many friendships that I've been able to make since I've been here."
As for my new companion, he's really great and we've been working very well
since we've been together. He's extremely tired (only having one more month to
go before he goes home), but he's really patient, super kind, considerate,
respectful, and is always willing to serve and help others. It's crazy to think
that my guy is getting ready to go home.
The start of the first week was really rough due to trying to get
comfortable with the way of which my companion teaches along with getting to
know all our investigators, recent converts and members. I had a hard time
having charity towards the people in my secteur because I'm not always treated
with a lot of respect, but thanks to a lot of prayer I've been able to develop
a stronger love for all those who are around me. The secteur that we work in is
filled with members along with a ton of non-active members, all of which we see
on a day to day basis. There is a vast multitude of people here, a
lot more numerous than that of the other secteurs that I've worked in. I
particularly appreciate the members in my ward (yes, I'm in a ward) because
there are very kind, they love the missionaries, they interact with us a lot,
for the most part they are making a great effort to magnify their callings, and
we receive a lot of help from their part which has been a fantastic change from
Kégué. The new calling has been quite a neat experience thus far and has put me
in a position to be an example, which has helped me to become a better person and
leader, which has made me more courageous and bold, and to have more
opportunities to serve others which has been really great.
Even though it
takes thirty minutes to walk there and then thrity minutes to walk back every
day, our secteur is filled with members who live amongst one another and
interact and colaborate with each other far better than any other ward that I've
seen since I've been on the mission. The members are superb in that they get
along and they do everything they can
to get us contacts and they work with us very frequently and whenever they are
avaible. This is by far the best ward I've ever been in and I thoroughly
enjoy interacting and working with the members.
Great news!!! Bro. Frank and his entire family have been baptized!!!!
The baptism of this Nigerian family was an excellent experience and I'm
grateful to have been able to attend. I actually almost was not able to go. I
asked the assistant, who acutally happens to be Elder Dioulo (my trainer), if I
could attend and he said no because it wasn't in my zone. However, I sent a text
to our Mission President, asking if I could attend and he authorized me to go to
the baptism the day the service took place. I won't lie, it was quite the
scramble.
Well, Elder Tapusoa told me that I should be the one to baptize the family because he was going to confirm them as members the next day. Although their baptisms weren't by any means the most graceful due to their fear of water and seeing that they don't know how to swim, it was a great experiece nonetheless. By the looks on the faces of Bro. Frank and his wife Sr. Carol, I could tell that they looked slightly concerned due to what I felt to be doubt, but the fact of the matter is that no one is perfectly ready to be baptized (particularly those who are baptized into a church whose members only speak Evé and French).
Fortuneately, the family will be moving to Ghana where the members speak English sometime next month and so they'll finally be able to hear what the Church is all about with their own ears and comprehension.
They've made what I felt to be a courageous decission due to their current situation; however, I know that they will be blessed for the great amount of trust and faith that they had demonstrated unto the Lord. I sincerelly hope that they will remain faithful, strong and active in the Church so that they may one day be able to go to the temple so as to be sealed as a family for time and all eternity. Please do me big a favor and remember this family in your prayers.
Well, Elder Tapusoa told me that I should be the one to baptize the family because he was going to confirm them as members the next day. Although their baptisms weren't by any means the most graceful due to their fear of water and seeing that they don't know how to swim, it was a great experiece nonetheless. By the looks on the faces of Bro. Frank and his wife Sr. Carol, I could tell that they looked slightly concerned due to what I felt to be doubt, but the fact of the matter is that no one is perfectly ready to be baptized (particularly those who are baptized into a church whose members only speak Evé and French).
Fortuneately, the family will be moving to Ghana where the members speak English sometime next month and so they'll finally be able to hear what the Church is all about with their own ears and comprehension.
They've made what I felt to be a courageous decission due to their current situation; however, I know that they will be blessed for the great amount of trust and faith that they had demonstrated unto the Lord. I sincerelly hope that they will remain faithful, strong and active in the Church so that they may one day be able to go to the temple so as to be sealed as a family for time and all eternity. Please do me big a favor and remember this family in your prayers.
At times I dream of home, perhaps more often than
I should, but my mind is steadily becoming more fixed on my missionary purpose.
I have one more year left of this and it will all be said and done sooner than
we think. My prayer is that I will be able to conquer my weakness and consecrate
the remaining half of my mission in rendering diligent and dedicated service
with a genuine desire to teach, invite and encourage others to come unto Christ
with more enthusiame and out of the goodness of my heart. Charity has been a
difficult attribute that I've been constantly trying to improve due to the way
that I'm frequently treated; however, I've become a lot more patient and loving
than I've ever been in my entire life since I've been here and I have the Lord
to thank for that.
Though my course has not yet been accomplished, I
feel as if I've had a mighty change of mind and heart since I've been in the
mission.
I know that our Heavenly Father lives and that He loves and knows each and every one of us. He's given us weakness so that we may learn from our mistakes and then rely on and turn to Him so that we can become strong (Alma 38:5, Ether 12:27). Because of Heavenly Father loves us, he sent to us a Savoir through which, thanks to His infinate Atonement, we may receive the forgiveness of our sins through sinere repentance, the strength we need to overcome our weakness, and a way by which we all may return to live in His presence (John 3:16-17, 1 John 4:9-10, Alma 7:11-13,14-16, Moroni 10:32-33).
I know that our Heavenly Father lives and that He loves and knows each and every one of us. He's given us weakness so that we may learn from our mistakes and then rely on and turn to Him so that we can become strong (Alma 38:5, Ether 12:27). Because of Heavenly Father loves us, he sent to us a Savoir through which, thanks to His infinate Atonement, we may receive the forgiveness of our sins through sinere repentance, the strength we need to overcome our weakness, and a way by which we all may return to live in His presence (John 3:16-17, 1 John 4:9-10, Alma 7:11-13,14-16, Moroni 10:32-33).
I sincerely appreciate the many wonderful compliments and counsel that you've given to me along with the news feed on what has been happening back at home. I truly apprecaite the heed and diligence that you've made in following the words of the prophet, apostles, the seventy along with the other auxillaries leaders of the church. I know that if you continue to do so, you will be sincerelly blessed and you will be able to improve yourself in every aspect of your life more than you've ever been able to do so before (Mosiah 2:41).
I'm afraid it's time for me to go. I love you all so very much and I hope that you've had a wonderful week! Take good care of each other, keep making good choices and keep on doing that which is right.
Sincerely,
Elder Gonzales
P.S. No joke though, I'm living on prayers over here.
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