Pack It Up

So this blog update will likely be a little different, but that´s alright. I also don´t have photos for this week haha, so I apologize. But we´re headed out hiking today, so this next week for sure!

Pack It Up: We got transfers. Yeah, it was a short, 4-week transfer due to the new mission president who is coming in these next couple weeks. Annnd the Lord has decided to ship me out of here! ): I´m headed to San Rafael with Hermana Crawford! Who finishes up this next transfer, so I´ll be "killing her" (her last comp), and I will likely be "dying" (finishing up the mission) in San Rafael, too! It´s a little crazy, but it´ll be a blast. I´m way stoked. SO, it´s time for me to pack it all up again and head out on Wednesday morning.

So this week I´m still a little sick, mostly just a nasty cough, but I´m feeling better. It´s crazy cold out, so I´m bundling up every morning haha. Annnd the World Cup has officially started. :D So the Argentines are all going nuts, because they won last night haha. Along with that, we´ve had LOADS of meetings, conferences, and studies. I´ve loved it. I´ll share my favorite part at the end of my update.

We are teaching loads of people, and they´re INCREDIBLE. Most of these families need to get married, but that´s alright. They´re all coming to church and really loving it all. (: We´re teaching a Colombian family, and there´s an hermano here who served in Colombia! So they all hit it off really well after stake conference yesterday. (: I´m a little sad to leave San Luis just as it´s getting really big, BUT I do feel accomplished. Yesterday, all of our recent converts came to church, we had 4 investigators love the meetings, and President and Sister Ávila all came to the conference. (: It was incredible. I love this place. But I also know I´ll love San Rafael! Why?? Because I was "born" (my first area in the mission) was San Rafael South Zone in California! And now I´ll likely be dying there. (: So fun.

Alright, I´m running out of time, so here it goes...Pack It Up.

I feel like I´m FINALLY learning how to not just love the mission but to take advantage of the mission and change MYSELF--not just the people I´m teaching. Sure, I´ve already seen lots of changes in myself, but me and Hermana Lawrence have started a couple things to finish up our missions ON FIRE. If any other missionaries have heard about the 40 Day Purification deal, I urge you to try it. AND, if you´ve got a copy of "The Fourth Missionary" talk, read it and study it as you start this 40 Day "Fast". You will be amazed.

The Fourth Missionary. In the middle of the talk, it starts talking about our desires, wants, wishes, and dreams...Learning how to give our whole self to the Lord. I can´t just work hard with diligence, that´s not enough. The Lord has asked for my HEART, MIGHT, MIND, and STRENGTH. All four. Not just a couple.

C.S. Lewis says that the Lord says this to us, "Give me all. I don´t want so much of your time so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work: I want You. All of you. I have not come to torment or frustrate the natural man, but to kill it."

Biggest excuse of my life: "This is my nature. That´s just how I am. I can´t change." False. This life IS change. The purpose is to learn how to change, grow, and become better. The natural man is an enemy to God. Change it. Become more like God.

I loved where the talk starts about desires, wants, wishes, and dreams. How we have to drop some of those for 18-24 months. Our goals before the mission are GOOD goals. GREAT goals, even. The goals to study, get a good profession going, finding an eternal companion...Those are all the goals we must have. "But not now." Here comes my favorite part..."(The Fourth Missionary) boxes up all of those plans, wishes, wants and desires and puts them on a shelf in his closet at home with all of his clothes and other things. When he returns he will unpack all of the boxes. He will find that some of the clothes he doesn´t want anymore, and he will give them away. When he unpacks the box of his wants, wishes, dreams, and desires he may find that there are also some of those he doesn´t want anymore either."

I really got to thinking about that this morning. Of course, I´ve got lots of goals for after the mish. But if I keep taking down that box and peeking inside, I´m not completely focused here on the mission. I haven´t lost myself in this work 100% as I should be. I´ve got good goals. But they aren´t for this time in the mission.

If you´ve got that talk, go read it. It´s bomb. I´d share a bajillion other things, since we´ve had stake conference and a specialized conference with President yesterday. BUT, that´s the main thing I wanted to share. Pack it up. Don´t even peek inside that box. I´m excited for after the mission, of COURSE I am. It´s hard to not think about classes, school, family, friends, etc. I´m stoked for what´s to come next. For my goals and dreams and future. But not yet. Not now. Pack it all up.