Buen dia - Week 25 - Elder Jake Hollingsworth

Buen dia - Week 25

1/23/2017

Buen dia from my permanent home, Pico Truncado Santa Cruz Argentina haha.

So I am staying another transfer. My companion headed up to Comodoro to work in the office so he wouldn´t have to walk as much, and Elder Popa came here from the office. That means when I leave here, almost certainly at the end of February, I will have almost 7 months in the mission. Am I mad? No the truth is I am really comfortable here in this desert pueblo. I have made some really good friends like Julio, Ricardo, and Milton and really the only thing that matters is the people.

It makes me mad when missionaries say ¨my baptisms¨ or ¨my converts¨ or when people are ignorant and stupid enough to ask an Elder or Sister how many baptisms he or she has had in the mission. This is not important. If we only bring one person to the font, if only one person accepts the gospel because of our efforts, we are successful. I am tired of the pride that some people have and I know for a fact that is not the Lord´s way to serve. These are His children, His baptisms, and His converts. If I could have only one thing in my mission it would be to be completely protected from the stain of pride that affects us as people so easily, and through that maintain the true spirit of my calling.

Well after that rant, the week was pretty good.

I had to wait a couple of days the first of the week in Caleta, I don´t know why because my companion was only an hour a way, but it had it´s fun moments visiting people nonetheless. Wednesday we had a half day of work, due to the fact that we had to go back to Comodoro in the evening for my companion to be in a meeting the next day in the office. Got to eat some good chicken and hangout with Hernandez and one of my other buddies named Racua. Super funny dude from Bolivia, he was up for training so I walked around Comodoro with him and the new kid from Ecuador making a few contacts and chilling.

The weekend was pretty good as far as numbers go, and we had a few killer lessons. We are working a ton with this really old lady named Clara, and she is trying to quit smoking. We took one of my good friends, a member named Mercedes she is like 60 something and super funny, and had a freaking bomb lesson in Clara´s house. Also went to visit a less-active kid of 18 years who really needs lots of help. After talking with him for a pretty long time, he decided he wanted to make some changes and some goals to get ready to serve a mission. We made some short and long-term goals with him, one of which was to take out his earring. As soon as he read the paper he just took that baby right out. It was so sick honestly.

Sunday was good because the Hileni family came to church again. I taught the principles of the gospel class with them and the sisters and it was legit. The gift of tongues is so real I am speaking castellano like a firehose no joke. I think I am gonna write some raps in spanish and see how they turn out haha.

Anyway thats pretty much it. Just doing the best that I can and trying to stay humble and ready to be an instrument in the Lord´s hands. I really depend on Him every second of every day and I feel it such a privilege to be able to represent his son here in Patagonia.
Our Savior lives. This is His church and His Gospel. There is no other way to eternal life. There never has been and there never will be. He is the way, and how grateful I am to know He lives and loves us.

¨O then, my beloved brethren, repent ye, and enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is narrow, until ye shall obtain eternal life.¨ Jacob 6:11

¨But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, He will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.¨ Mosiah 7:33

with love,

Elder Hollingsworth