This week has been crazy. On Tuesday of this week I had special changes and was sent to another area within an hour. I had special changes because my first area was not safe for me. Tuesday was super hard, I am not going to lie. Within an hour I left Arboleda and didn´t get to say goodbye to anyone which was difficult because I was finally settling in there and was really close with the investigators and members. Yes, it was difficult but I know that it was necessary. My new area is Polanco in Estaca Neza. Leaving my zone La Perla was hard too. My new companion is Elder Peña, he is from Bolivia. When I arrived here in Polanco, Elder Peña and his companion before only had one investigator and one appointment for the whole week. That was hard to see especially because Elder Ayala and I were having so much success in Arboleda. We had 10 dates for baptism there in Arboleda which was hard to leave. But when I got here I was just shocked at how much of a difference it is here. But instead of getting down and just giving up, I asked for help from the Lord and told Elder Peña that we can bring this ward back up. I know that it will not be easy but I have slowly seen progress in this week.
Wednesday was my first full day here and it was tough because Elder Peña and I went through the area book and pulled out names of investigators and direccions of Inactive Members to visit. We made a list and had spent the whole day Wednesday walking and findind people but no one would recieve us. It was that way for most of the week because they had no appointments so we walked around searching and contacting. Something that has kept me going though is knowing that the Lord has someone prepared for us and we need to find them. Yesterday and my birthday Saturday we had more and more success. We found a family that is interested in our lesson and we already put a baptismal date with a girl that we found. This work is impossible without the help of the Lord. We have another investigator that we found that was so glad to see us because the previous missionaries stopped visiting him for some reason. We have a baptism this Saturday that was set before I got here which I am excited for! Yes the change was hard especially because I felt so close to the members and loved the area there in Arboleda but I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for us and there was a reason for it.
I would like to share an experience I had this week. This week as we were walking down the street in my new area we heard someone yelling "Elder.....Elder!" As we looked to see who was saying our name it was a homeless man that was sitting on the sidewalk with only a blanket and nothing else. We went up to him and he asked for help multiple times and said that he needed Dios. As we listened to him, we wanted to help him and gave him a folleto and the next day we passed by in the same spot where we found him to teach him. We had told him that we wanted to help him, but only if he stopped drinking. When we showed up the next day he had the same bottle of alcohol but none of it had been dranken. He asked us for help again and was in tears and asked for food. As he was crying and seeing the conditions that he was in all that I could think of was how much love and desire I had to help him. I did not like seeing him sleeping on the sidewalk in the cold and I saw him as a brother not as a homeless person on the street. If only we could see people as the potential they have to become instead of how they are in that moment, that is how the Savior sees us. We are all children of God and he cares for each and everyone of us. This man was sleeping on the sidewalk we tried everything for him, we called his family that lived far away but they didn´t want anything to do with him, we brought food to him everyday this week, and just showed the love that the Savior has for us. As we passed by yesterday to see him, he was gone and Elder Peña and I thought that he had left but no this morning we saw him inside the house of a family that had accepted him and let him shower and lend him a place to sleep. This morning we talked to him and he told us that he is the happiest he has ever been and wants to come to church with us and be a part of our church. He even tried to kiss me on the cheek he was so happy haha. Something that I have learned here on the mission so far is to see people as children as my family. That is charity and is an attribute that could make the world a better place!
Yes the changes have been hard this week but the work is still the same and I know that I am being watched over. On my birthday on Saturday no one knew since I don´t know anyone very well here yet but the family that we had comida with found out and went and bought me a tiny cake and sang to me. The members here have been so welcoming and loving. I love the people here, they are so humble and loving. Saturday night Elder Peña and I went to KFC haha and had my "birthday dinner" you could say. This next week will be same just getting the area back up and meeting the members. We have a baptism this Saturday too which I am pretty stoked for! Hope you guys have a good week and it is close to Christmas!
Elder McCain
Pictures are of the cake on my birthday, KFC with Peña, and Elder Peña and I at the capilla
No comments:
Post a Comment