Thanksgiving... I think
- Glynis Neves
- Nov 26, 2018
- 3 min read
Exchanges, investigators, and a lot of self-reflection
Glynis here: No pictures again this week. It's amazing how much I look forward to seeing his smiling face each week. Going 2 weeks without that, is wearing me down. Luckily, I was perusing my Peru missionary mom Facebook page, and was blessed to see a picture of him included with another missionary's letter. I'll attach that picture so you can all see he's no longer the lone gringo! Enjoy his letter!
Hola mis qeridos familiares y amigos! This week we worked hard and got a lot of new investigators. I am looking forward to seeing them progress. They seem to me to be prepared for the message of the Restoration, so I am very excited!
On Thursday we had exchanges. Elder Bustios, my zone leader, came here to my area to spend the day working with me. It was really cool to see how he works, especially in this area because he, like me, started his mission here about a year and a half ago. He showed me around to all of his old investigators, and to his converts, and to people who had baptismal dates that fell through. I got so many references from him! This weed Elder Quezada and I have gone to contact most of them, and most of them are very nice people. I know God has a time for everyone, where they will hear the message of the gospel. I just hope that NOW is the time for some of them.
I also realized that Thursday was Thanksgiving, so I guess I should give a list of what I am thankful for. I am very thankful for my family and the support they give me here in the mission. I am grateful for my friends and the positive messages of encouragement I get from them every week. I am grateful for the people who have shaped me into who I am. I'm grateful for music and the role it has played in my life. I am super grateful for my Heavenly Father and the love He has for me, and for His hand that I see in the work here in Iquitos. I am grateful for the Book of Mormon, and how much that book means to me. Last, I am so grateful for the chance I have to be here in the mission field right now, healthy and enjoying my time!
This week we got a lot of people to promise us they'd come to church this Sunday, and... well... none of them showed up at the church. Most of them had work, or they just couldn't get themselves out of bed. Keep this in your prayers: that the people here will be able to come to church. The thing is, we know how much the gospel will bless them and help them with everything else in their lives, but they have to exercise a little bit of faith before anything can happen.
I am starting to take the initiative more in the field, and I feel really good about that. My companion really likes to knock on doors and to tell the people we have a message for them about Jesus. But for me, I like to build a relationship with them first, by talking to people in the street and seeing if we can help them. I have found there is a lot more success when we are their friends. That way, they see that we are genuine, they see that we are so happy, and then they want to know why. After that... BAM... investigator! Really though, the Lord is preparing a lot of people here in Iquitos.
Here's something interesting: I was reading in Mosiah recently, the story of Abinadi, and I was thinking and comparing it to missionary work. Abinadi never saw the fruits of his labors as a messenger of God. He was killed before he could see anyone listening to his message. Sometimes I think a mission is like that. We work hard, and we preach and help people, but sometimes there isn't a lot of success. Alma was converted by the words of Abinadi and he started the church in ancient America, going on to baptize thousands of people. Sometimes we, as missionaries, plant the seeds and the next companionship will be the ones to make the harvest. I love that analogy so much! It gives me hope to keep working hard, even if we sometimes don't see much success.
That's about it for this week. Happy Thanksgiving! You can all officially start listening to your Christmas music. Sadly, I can't because I have none. Until next week, May the Force Be With You!
Elder Neves
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