So, this week honestly was mostly a learning week. I feel like we haven´t made any huge progress, but the work goes on. What I did really feel this week was that I am now learning what needs to happen so that things really do change. And what changes need to occur in our work so that it really does happen. For that reason, I´m excited to write you all next week to see what really occurs here in la Zona Miramar in the next few days. I have a lot of faith that if we all put these things in practice, things are going to explode.
In the multi zone conference Elder Moreno (AP) explained how we can improve our relationships with the members. There are three types of confidence that we can have with them. We can have the gossipy latina confidence, the Friendship confidence, and the worker confidence. The first is destructive. All you accomplish is that they tell you all the bad things everyone in the ward has ever done. The second is good, but not sufficient. It just accomplishes a good relationship, but doesn´t really get anything done. Then he explained that respect is most important in the end, and that´s what comes from having worker confidence in the mission with the members. They know that you´re there to share the Gospel, to baptize, and to get work done.
Elder Buffat explained how to work with each organization to baptize more people and increase activity in the church, which in the end was an excellent capitation. I think I´ll spare the details, but it was awesome. We´re going to put that one enthusiastically into practice this month, and hopefully in the whole zone.
President Veirs talked about something called the four missionaries, that blew me away. I had to reevaluate my whole mission. It was great. I think that it was based off of a longer talk from somewhere that I had seen. If I find it, I´ll send it. Really great stuff.
America is progressing, and she made a cool comment last night. She went to church on her own yesterday, and really loved the stake conference (which was awesome). Then in the lesson we talked about the Sabbath Day observance and how you don´t shop on Sunday. There were here grand kids making a ruckus there (really funny kids) and she was trying to help them understand. She said that George (her son who is a member) had explained to her that stuff about Sundays and that she wasn´t going to shop anymore on Sundays after she is baptized. Those are little things that are cool to hear out of the mouths of your investigators. I think that she´s for sure going to get baptized.
Oscar and Jessica did a small sale making hamburgers to pay for their wedding, which went really well. Now they have all the money that they need to get married, and they are a "for sure family this month of June!" We´re both pumped for them, because they´re not just a good receptive family, but they have all their sights set on making it to the temple and being sealed in exactly one year! Way awesome.
I love this mission. Things will move forward! The gospel with move forward independently! It really doesn´t matter what we do. It honestly is more about how much do we want to participate. God lets us participate and He shares in His divine power to save. Nothing that I´ve done in the mission is on behalf of myself or my worthiness. In other words, I don´t deserve anything from God. He has given it to me. And if we thrust our plow in and reap with all our might, we reap salvation.
I love this work. I love these people.
Elder Thalman
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