I will have served here in Barrio 5 for as long as I served in Barrio 4, but it feels like b4 was a LOT longer. My time here has flown by!! But I'm so excited to continue to work here.
The bad news for the week is that Lolo was not baptized. He went to Malaga for work a couple weeks ago (like I said last week) and he was going to come back sometime last week. We called and passed by daily but he never answered or was there. Wednesday rolled around and we had to cancel the baptism, and we had no clue where he was. Thursday he gave us a call and explained to us what had happened. While there, trying to find a bus to get back, he was robbed of all his money and a lot of his things. (I don't know if he was beaten and robbed, but he was for sure robbed) and he has been stuck in Malaga for an extra week now. He still had his phone sim card and had put it into a phone that the red cross allowed him to use and he was able to call us from there. He still has desires to be baptized but he has been stuck down in Malaga so we will have to have the baptism another weekend. So it was really hard for me to wait till Saturday for transfers. If I would have been transferred, I would have missed Vilma and Vanesa's baptism, and Lolos. And although that made me sad thinking I could possibly miss all that, I was comforted, and was not afraid one bit because I was ready to accept whatever the Lord had for me. I have a testimony that President Pack has been called of God and that the Lord's hands are in the transfers. But it was very nice to know I will be staying.
We had the leadership council this week. It was amazing!! and I continued in my service as mission interpreter. (I think interpreter is the right term, because it's a live translation rather than written translation). I interpreted the meeting for the Spanish speakers for the parts that were in English. It was amazing. I have been blessed over and over again with the gifts of the spirit. Our God is a God of miracles! Have miracles ceased? I say unto you, nay! Neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of man. Because I've lived it. I saw so many miracles this week. Miracles I will share and miracles I cannot share over email. But when I'm home I can tell you about.
The funny part of the interpreting was there was a video we were watching and in a part of it someone was reciting the First Vision. I haven't heard it in English for ages and I have it memorized in Spanish but there are two lines that are swapped in their order in the translation from English to Spanish in Joseph Smith History (how I am supposed to remember that when I'm always saying it in Spanish? no idea..) So when I started to say the First Vision in the microphone I was lining it up to his words perfectly. I wasn't getting cocky nor showing off but it was pretty cool. But then he said the line that was switched around and I got thrown off. I was embarrassed! I sat there in silence and missed the next couple lines. Then got right back to it a couple lines later.
Learn from my mistakes! In the work of the Lord, never lean on your own knowledge and understanding. The moment you think you know better than the Lord, and begin to "show off" the spirit will not be able to guide you and your personal results will not turn out to well, and you´ll probably be really embarrassed. Trust the Lord, and never think you know better than Him. Trust His guidance even through the "parts" of your service to Him that you "have memorized" or that you "already know". Never relax on being guided by Him and doing His will.
It was embarrassing! We should have it memorized as missionaries and all the Spanish speakers heard me mess up on it! And I do have it memorized but I learned a very valuable lesson. It's amazing because I did not mess up at any other parts and I was doing it live, which is hard. Especially for Hermana Pack. She talks FAST. But, I could keep up, so long as I had a prayer in my heart. Amazing experience that taught me so much!
The Zone training went well. I feel like I learn more preparing for it then I do going to the ones where I'm not giving the training! I also have fallen in love with speaking in public. My public speaking and communication skills have bloomed while serving as a missionary. It's been an amazing blessing.
It's been a great week!!! Hard at times, but always rewarding. A week of miracles!!!! I love you all!! Have an amazing week!!
Love,
Elder Jarrett Anderson
¡el reino de dios o nada!
¡hurah por israel!
