Hey Everyone!
This week was pretty good. we had lots of freetime this week because of the 6pm rule, which was lifted on Tuesday but put in place again on Friday so I am pretty relaxed and not that tired at all. Today is supposedly the last day so tommorow its back to the 11-9 grind. The problem is that in our area there is almost nothing to do
from 1-5 the most productive hours are form 6-9 so we weren´t getting much done at all. Hopfully this week with be a little bit more productive. First of all crongradulations to Anna for graduating.. HORRAY! High school is awesome but its one of those things that is sweeter as a memory than as reality. Also thank you day for sending me more pictures of the wedding I really ejoyed the picture of everyone in front of the temple, I don´t recognize some of the people but thats okay.
This morning was super good, I woke up around 5:30 to the sound of heavy rain on the roof, and laid in bed listening to the rain for another hour until 6:30 but I wasn´t tired at all because I had slept so well, It was one of those moments when for no particular reason at all I thought, I am so glad that I am a missionary, I love life. and I
really do! There are struggles and difficulties but there is so much to be happy about! I listened to President Uchtdorf´t talk on gratitude, and It really changed my perspective, he talks about how gratitude doesn´t come from circumstance, but is an attitude. and that it is an act of faith being grateful when times are tough. Knowing that someday we will have all the answers.
I focused my study this week in the Plan of Salvation, because a less active member passed away the other week, and the mom is somewhat (read very) unconsolable. She has kept repeating me ¨she abandoned me she abandoned me.¨ It was really sad. Her daughter suffered from Kidney failure, and was super swollen with water, and confined to her bed. The times that we had visited her I could tell that she didn´t really want to live. Its hard to describe to her mom that death is not a forever thing, that it is a necessary, but temporary separation from her daughter, and that she is much happier now that she ever was. I was reading in the Principles of the Gospel manual about the Spirit world and said that it is the world around us, and that our loved ones are not far, I think that helped her out a lot. We will keep working with her but it made me think about how grateful I am for the knowledge about the plan of salvation and knowing that our existence is eternal. It makes everything just make sense. There are still many things I don´t understand, but one day I will know and understand everything. For now it is enough to know that God loves and cares for all of his children.
We have right now a few investigators that are looking really positive, one is E T, who didn´t make it to church because of work but hopefully will have read. when we invited her to get baptized is she receives an answer to her prayers she said yes. We are super excited to teach her so we will keep working with her. another is E who lives in the other mission but comes to our ward with the rest of his cousins. We got permission to teach him in our chapel so we are working with him and shooting for a baptismal date on the 21st of June. he is going to let us know what he decides this next weekend. I we also have F who we are just waiting for some legal stuff to go through, hopefully she will get baptized in june or july. This week we brought back a few inactive members to church and that always feels good as well. Knowing that they are renewing their covenants and learning more. Overall I am super happy with how things are going and am finally getting used to this new area. I expect to be here until Mid august so I hope to build a good relation with the members. There are some really good people here and I hope to get to know them more.
This past week was changes and I had a few good friends leave, Elder A being on of them. He is my old companion from Argentina, I don´t know if I will ever get to see him again. But I am super glad I got to meet and know him. Super great guy. A bunch of other people left like Elder L, Elder R, our zone is going to be pretty boring without them. We need to liven things up a little bit. It also got me thinking that Elder McGregor is almost done! Elder Stark (V 1.0) as well! they are both probably super baggy. Well thats about all that is going on here in El Salvador Hope you are all doing great from your emails it sounds like you are. Love you all and can´t wait to hear from you soon!
Elder Schriever
