What I've Learned

The Jaca fruit

Dear Family and Friends,

One more transfer until  I come back home. Everyone asks me if I´m super trunky. Well, now I am after everyone asking me! Being an old missionary has its pros and its cons. The pros are:

1. You´re experienced

2. You understand how the mission works

3. You feel comfortable in any teaching situation

4. You've overcome many obstacles

5. You can speak the language

the cons:

1. Everyone thinks you are rotting and slowly dying. Hey. I've seen worse. There is a difference between dead and mostly dead. I hope people back home get that movie quote.

2. Sometimes you think you perfectly understand what it means to be a missionary , but unfortunately you don´t.

3. You are physically tired.

4. Homesickness comes back.

So for the past two weeks we've been teaching a guy named Joaquim. I´d have to say he is one of our best investigators. He just gets the gospel. He´s never been a religious person and has never really been interested in this whole, OUR LADY OF "fill in the blank" Catholic tradition that everyone seems to be born into. I saw a baby with crucifix earrings the other day. He must have been 3 months old. Wow, side track. We found Joaquim through our Ward Mission Leader that was giving us a ride from Marlon´s place. He abruptly stopped in the middle of a neighborhood, started going in reverse and stopped in front of a old wooden gate with over grown weeds.He told us that one of his long lost drinking friends, from his non- member glory days, lived there. We taught him. We are currently helping him stop a lot of things that hurt his body and spirit and now he is on date. We watched the other elders´ baptism last Saturday and Joaquim loved it. He keeps telling us that the church is way better than any high that he´s had. The spiritual rush is lifting him up every day. Esse cara é bom mesmo. 

One of our roomates, Elder Vieira, finished him mission and is now waiting in the airport for his plane. Ah, it was cool to see him reminisce about his mission but the fact that I just have one transfer left hit me in the face when he starting talking about the things he´ll be doing when he gets back home.

I've leaned a lot this week abut who I am and what God is expecting me to do to endure to the end and prepare for my arrival back home. He´s been helping me a bunch in my personal prayers. I try to make each one count instead of falling into the missionary prayer routine.

Love, 

Elder Forsyth 

Elders in the Zone

Jaca face