Time is gone! I realized the other day that I just passed the 7 month
mark...really??? That´s really hard for me to believe...I still feel like I´m
one of the new missionaries just trying to get through it and help people in the
little ways that I can. Time just really flies here on the mission. Before I
think too much about it, I´ll be coming home! That honestly scares me a little!
So much to do! So little time! Ahh!!
But really, this week has been pretty good for me. I do feel more confident
with a lot of things, and I´m learning a lot. This week Elder Ramirez had a
training meeting in Piura because he´s our District Leader, so I got left here
for a day with another missionary, Elder Martinez. He has one change less than I
do, so I was the older one for once! It was really a great opportunity, I felt,
to see what it would be like. I prayed really hard the night before so that God
could help me know where to go and what to do, because obviously he doesn´t know
this area at all! I ended up having a great day with him, and felt the spirit
guiding me and helping me a lot. Although we didn´t have a ton of success in
finding new people to teach, I felt that it was a success in that I learned more
from him and what it´s like to be Senior Companion.
One amazing thing about Elder Martinez is what he´s gone through in his
mission. I´ve only known him for this exchange, and when I´ve seen him I´ve
thought he´s been a little down. Well, come to find out, his father died two
months ago. While he was here in the mission. What makes it really hard for him
is that him and his mom are super close and they´re the only members in their
family. I guess it´s been super hard for him, as I´m sure you can imagine.
However, he was still able to have a great spirit with him knocking doors and
teaching lessons! It really is an amazing testimony to me of how Christ can
strengthen us during the rough times of our lives. He´s going through a lot, but
because of what Christ did, he´s strengthened each and every day, and can share
his amazing testimony with all that want to hear. I know that Christ live and
supports us through all of our difficulties, and this is just another example of
that!
The rest of the week was pretty tough for us. We had one investigator that
we thought was really promising last week, Mirian. She accepted a baptismal date
and just seemed SO EXCITED to receive the gospel. I really was seeing a change
in her in two lessons! However, a week ago she wasn´t at home when we went to
take her to church. She had told us she was going to Piura so we didn´t stress.
On Tuesday, we passed by and her sister said she had gone to Piura but would
come back Wednesday morning. We passed Wednesday and no one answered...we ended
up going to her house every single day, but we were met by her cousin and he
lied and said she was still in Piura. Also, one of the times we passed, both of
us saw the arm of a woman retracted rapidly as we were walking up to the door.
When we got there, her brother claimed he was the only one there. An obvious
lie.
It´s really tough to leave her, but if she doesn´t want to talk, that´s her
decision to make. We think she may have heard something about the church that
was false and is now having problems believing what we shared. Everyone has to
go through a test of faith before they can receive the blessing. Maybe she´s
just not ready to make the leap.
The rest of the week also seemed to pass with just a lot of opposition. It
wasn´t the best, but my companion and I really seemed to grow closer together
through it, I think. I´m so grateful to have him. I know that Satan is also
going to work in the same way that we are. We have to work hard in order to
fight him, and we will face some difficult times. Honestly, I know that I
haven´t seen hardly anything yet. Satan has a lot more forces out that people
just saying they´re not interested. A lot more than a mother saying that the
tall gringo is going to steal her child (honestly made me laugh a little when I
heard that. How ridiculous can you get??). I know there´s opposition, and the
world is just going to get worse. I also know that this mission is one of the
relatively ´easy´ missions. Derek and Dad had to have gone through a tougher
time with opposition in Europe. However, it really was incredible to me and a
great testimony builder this week that it doesn´t matter what opposition I face,
I have the spirit with me and I can support it all and still be happy. THAT is
the power of God in my life. That is the support that I hope to receive from
here on!
I hope that all is well in Utah! Tell the primary thanks for their efforts
to raise the pennies for a Book of Mormon! I will look for someone really
special to give it to!
Have fun in all that you´re doing! Please keep up the letters and
communication! They really are a great moral booster!!!
Love you all so much!!
Elder Schofield
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