This week we had two work visits! It was kinda fun because I got to go back to Sullana with Elder Vargas again! Honestly, I felt much more at home there. :) We visited all the same investigators, and a few more that they had found. I`m super excited because two of the families that we visited are getting even closer to their baptisms! Gloria and Fernando are getting everything together for their marriage and seem super excited. Sara, Julio, and Piero are also progressing. Sara still hasn`t attended church, but I feel confident that they will be baptised soon as well. Another suprise was Walter! We didn`t get the chance to visit him a lot, but he also has a baptismal date.
Although I did feel right at home, it`s a bit different visiting when your Assistant. I felt super responsable and did my best to try to help Elder Vargas. He is an amazing missionary so I really don`t worry about him much at all. I basically just told him to keep it up and to train the missionaries in his zone because pretty soon 64 of us will be going home! That`s a lot of us all at once!!!
The other work visit that we did was with Talara. I had the opportunity to work with Elder Cabrera here in Piura. It was my first time without my companion in our area, and it was a bit difficult, but we managed. Our area is really different. The people here are really closed off. They don`t accept us nearly as much as the other areas of Piura and Tumbes. We`re having to get creative, and are using the members a lot!! I`d imagine that the states are very similar, so for you members out there...go to work!!! The missionaries need a LOT of help finding people to teach! Pray for inspiration, and then open up your mouth to teach!
We did have two SUPER great lessons this week! One was with the friend of our Ward mission leader. He invited her to his house and we taught the restoration. It was a super spiritual lesson and she paid a lot of attention! I really hope things turn out well for Teresa.
The second great lesson was on Sunday with Ingrid and the Gonoza family. We went over for lunch, and were able to talk a lot with them. After lunch, we went to their family room and shard the message of the restoration. The spirit was so strong there, it was awesome!!! It was really cool because while we were eating lunch, Ingrid was all smiley and happy and everything, but when we taught her...you could see deep into her eyes, it was a new type of joy and happiness, something that can only come from the spirit. She`s been confused for a long time by the catholic church. She mentioned the fact that they recite prayers, they have saints, and they don`t seem to follow what they teach. It was really awesome when I was able to teach the first vision...the spirit was just SO STRONG!
I have a great feeling that Ingrid is going to progress. The only problem is that it will be kind of hard to get in contact with her. She`s 22 and is studying and working. That suprises me because most of the young adults here are pretty lazy!
The other thing that was really a great experience this week was a planning session we had with President Rowley. This week we are going to have the Multi Zone Conferences, and we`re planning what we`re going to do. President is talking about changing up our Normas de Excelencia (sorry, can`t remember how to translate it). I felt the spirit very strong with us as we discussed the challenges and strengths of the mission. We also discussed the vision that we have here in the mission, and I`d like to share some of that with you.
Here in the Peru Piura mission, we are going to baptize real converts in every area every month. In order to do that, we are going to work with the ward council to find, teach, and fellowship each and every investigator. We will also work to strenghten the new converts and rescue those that have fallen away. All of this will be done with the help of members, because we know that without them, this work cannot progress the same way. We will train them, strengthen their testimonies, and follow them as we work to furthur the work of salvation here in Piura and Tumbes.
Doesn`t that sound so exciting?? Honestly, I can`t think of any other work in the entire universe that can bring as much joy as this work has brought to my life.
On Saturday, we had the opportunity to visit the Young Single Adults with President Rowley. They were supposed to give us an hour to talk to them about serving a mission and how to prepare themselves. However, one lady ended up giving a half hour lecture about Mission Preparation class, and then another man talked for about 15 minutes about having good health on the mission. BORING. They didn`t have any class participation, and I could tell that they were bored to tears.
Then we had the opportunity to share. I felt the spirit super strong, honestly. We were able to have class participation, and I shared my testimony using Alma 26 talking about the joy of being an instrument in God`s hands. That scripture has come to be one of my favorites of all times. Is there anything else more wonderful in the world? I love being His servant, and hope to be able to continue serving Him all of my life, not just these two years.
Well, I have to go now...but I want you all to know that I love you! I`m working hard here in Piura, and hope that each of us can do our part to help further God`s work. All we really need to do is open up our mouths and He will fill them!! Trust in God.
Love,
Elder Schofield
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