Week 93: May the 4th be With You‏

May the 4th be with you!

May has finally come and with it a whole slue of things that Humanity needed: New investigators, a new Avengers move (or, so I hear), and a new focus in the Guatemala City South Mission. After everything that has happened I just feel wiped out.

On Tuesday, after a great district meeting with Elder Barker, I went to Monte Verde on divisions with Elder Mejia (from Honduras). He has been in the mission for about 3 months now and after the day I stressed to him the importance of dropping investigators that don't progress...I really hope he got the message...

The next day with Elder Taya, we worked really hard in the Verbena, a part of our area that is far a away and very different. It sits on a hill looking over a great ravine and the ever-growing waste pile of the Guatemala City National Dump (which is also right next to the National Cemetery.... coincidence?)... We didn’t have that much success during the day but it was still good!

On Thursday, we had interviews with President Caffaro and Sister Caffaro. They are such great people...I have grown to love them a lot. We talked a lot about if we are "Planning to Preach the Gospel, or Planning to Baptize" it really made me think a lot about how we can be more efficient as missionaries and use our time more wisely. I had been a little bit worried about finishing the mission, and how I could make my last 2 months really good...so I asked President Caffaro. He told me that I was doing great and that his biggest suggestion was that I could just have more confidence in myself!

...and he's right. I feel more confident in myself than before, but I still have a ways to go....so I decided to put that in practice in my area and in my zone...and so far it's been helping a lot.

Friday we had the Mission Council with all of the Zone Leaders, Sister Training Leaders and Assistants; it was really spiritual experience...

In April, we didn't baptize as much as a mission so, we set goals to be able to recover. I’m ready to go out and give it my all and these last two days really showed some serious progress.

By the end of the week we have found 25 new investigators and 5 new families (contacting 355 people really paid off) the majority were on Saturday and Sunday. May is "Family Month" here in Guat, and as a mission we have the goal to be able to find and baptize 2 families: One as a reference from the members and one from our own efforts as mission. We are on the right track as far as things go in Castillo Lara!

So...that’s the weekly update...not the most exciting week in the world. But it wasn't too bad either:

Spiritual thought:

I love the "Personal Interview" that Elder Ballard did during Priesthood session, it provides great insight for all of us:

"In other words, it’s time to raise the bar not only for missionaries but also for returned missionaries and for your entire generation. To that end, please ponder in your heart your answers to these questions:

1. Do you search the scriptures regularly?

2. Do you kneel in prayer to talk with your Heavenly Father each morning and each night?

3. Do you fast and donate a fast offering each month—even if you are a poor, struggling student who can’t afford to donate much?

4. Do you think deeply about the Savior and His atoning sacrifice for you when you are asked to prepare, bless, pass, or partake of the sacrament?

5. Do you attend your meetings and strive to keep the Sabbath day holy?

6. Are you honest at home, school, church, and work?

7. Are you mentally and spiritually clean? Do you avoid viewing pornography or looking at websites, magazines, movies, or apps, including Tinder and Snapchat photos, that would embarrass you if your parents, Church leaders, or the Savior Himself saw you?

8. Are you careful with your time—avoiding inappropriate technology and social media, including video games, which can dull your spiritual sensitivity?

9. Is there anything in your life you need to change and fix, beginning tonight?

Thank you for this short personal visit. I hope you answered each one of these questions honestly and thoughtfully. If you find yourself lacking in any of these simple principles, then I urge you to courageously repent and bring your life back in line with gospel standards of righteous discipleship."