Week 22 in the field!

Man, these weeks are getting shorter and shorter, aren't they?

This time on the Elder Goofball Channel, we focus a lot on service and have to leave behind lots of investigators who don't want to go to church, but we do it with the hope and unshaken faith that the Lord will guide us to the chosen ones.

LECCIÓN DE LA SEMANA: FOCUS and COMMITTMENT are the keys to success in the mission. This week, we had trouble with investigators not progressing (not showing their ganas) and it was tough to keep going, step by step, hour by hour. While studying a Liahona, though, I read an analogy that made a lot of sense and that I found to be the answer to the problem.

Imagine that we have two fisherman. Both leave their houses to go fishing, and they spend 12 hours outside. One of the fishermen spends ten of the 12 hours with his line in the water, patiently anticipating his catch. The other, distracted fisherman spends only two of his 12 hours with the line in the water, choosing instead to eat and joke around with his buddies. Which will have more success?

Likewise, every missionary chooses to leave his or her family for an extended period of time, but THAT is not what makes him a missionary. It's the time he spends with the line in the water, FOCUSED. After reading that analogy, I began to notice all the little things that can distract a missionary, even in the field. There are LOTS of tiny temptations that deviate us from our course and, though they only cost us five minutes, cause us to lose focus and productivity.

It's the same in life, isn't it? We all have things that we know we have to do, and we can do them about a thousand times better if we weed out the little distractions that plague us. This applies whether we're parenting, working, or serving in a calling. God wants servants who are all-in, and He knows our true potencial when we do so.

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We spent one morning this week cleaning the water tank on top of Hna. Librada's house! It was AWESOME! I got to go inside the thing and wash it down with a scrubber and some soap. We had to take turns going in, though, because it was pretty hot inside.

We spent ANOTHER morning teaching the youth about missionary work! They all got up at 5:00 am to go to a mini-EFY activity in the church building, where we instructed them in the ways of exercising, studying, ironing, contacting, and teaching! Afterwards, they made us breakfast in the kitchen. :D

We went to visit one of Elder MELENA's investigators who was visiting the city from Valladolid. It was a special moment to be able to help out my papi with his work. The lady was really nice and her daughter was super intelligent, answering all our questions with brief philosophical analyses.

We forgot to pay the light bill... candlelit dinners, friends.

LET IT BE KNOWN THAT THIS WEEK I ATE MY FIRST HABANERO PEPPER STRAIGHT-UP RAW. Those things are of the devil, but I CONQUERED THE DEVIL!!! It was awesome. I turned red and the other missionaries thought I was gonna die, but afterwards they all congratulated me and gave me Mexican citizenship (they can do that, right?). The Gringo who Lived.

Hno. Rolando, our ward mission leader, went digital! He said he wants to receive messages regarding the progress of our investigators DURING the week instead of just during Coordination Meeting. It's awesome to have a Mission Leader who works hard. I call him Hermano Batman, and he calls me Elder Robin.

We found a new investigator who can get baptized next week! It's the little-girl cousin of another investigator, and she has already gone to church a bunch! She just moved here from Tabasco, where she had attended with her mom. Her name is Caroline, and she´s a timid little one, but very sincere. HAPPY FEELS :D 

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Communicating with the chamaquitos: Felipe, Manuel, Angel, and Darwin.

Again with the little goofs. These are the sons of Victor Hugo, and he doesn't let them go outside because he can hardly round them up again afterwards. Energetic, fo sho.

Street food is a rare treat - we're only allowed to eat it if a member takes us with them. This time, the member was the OWNER of the food stand, and they made us special tortas cubanas. That little sandwich tastes like a dream.