The Refining Fire

Goof ball!

 25 March

         Okay, today was a little bit weird.  We went on splits, but I was showing Elder P.(our zone leader) my old area because of the new division of our area.  I was a little bit bummed because we had appointments to teach with a TON of members and with a TON of investigators.  Not going to lie, that was disappointing to had over all of those people to other missionaries.  The split went well and we taught  plenty of people.  It was hard to say goodbye to our investigators.  One of them cried because I wouldn’t be coming back to teach.  By far the coolest thing was our lesson with R. She is the mom of a missionary who returns on May 29.  She wants to be prepared so that he can baptize her as his last baptism of his mission. Meaning that he would baptize her before he gets released and then go straight to the stake center to be released.  I think it will be a super cool baptism and I hope that I am still here to see it.

         Our lunch was amazing today.  It was with Flavia who is the best cook in the entire mission.  She made lasagna and pastries.  So good.

26 March,

         So, President Souza called me and said that my parents would call me and that it was about something delicate.  He didn’t specify what time they would call, so I am sitting here thinking of a million different things that could have gone wrong…They still haven’t called and I am nervous.  President Souza called again and said that they would call me tomorrow.  I have no clue how I am going to sleep tonight.

27 March

         Well, President Souza and Sister Souza came today to our house.  I used President Souza’s phone to call my parents.  Dad has cancer.  That is the reason why his back has been hurting him for such a long time.  I kindof thought it was going to be something like that.  I did not understand much of what my parents were telling me about the cancer, it was just such a shock.  I think that it is going to be a long term treatment, and the they hope for a long remission (like 10 years).  Thoughts that ran through my head included, "What if none of my children ever get to know him?"  My thoughts were calm, but my body betrayed me.  I could barely talk and I was shaking. 

         As soon as I finished the phone call. President Souza let me explain what happened , and then he immediately gave me a blessing.  He did not hesitate to offer what help he could give me, and I am grateful for that blessing.  I was able to work really well the rest of the day and our lessons were really spiritual, especially with T. and E.  They are getting really close to being baptized and I just know that they know these things are true.  Anyways, I’m just going to keep on going, because there is not a whole lot that I can do other than that!

28 March

         Well, today was very dull, or maybe I was just numb to everything.  Basically all of our appointments fell through, we walked a lot, and I think that we taught only a few mediocre lessons.  I wasn’t too worried about Dad through the day, but it just seemed to drag on with little success.  We’re doing well with our “number game”, but it doesn’t really correlate with the progress of the work. I just keep on working.

29 March

         We visited P. and C. this morning. They are only home in the mornings because they both work afternoons and nighs.  The hardest part with teaching them has been getting them to church because they work.  Now they have switched to the afternoons, they can come to morning church.  Elder B. and I work well together and we are getting to be friends.  He still doesn’t talk a whole lot on the streets, but he is starting to open up.

30 March

         We had 8 investigators at church today!  One of our investigoators has a date set for her baptism on the 29 May.  It is so long because we think that it would be cool for her missionary son to baptize her when he gets back.  Also, she needs to be well prepared.  I have decided that I am starting to really love this ward….which means that I will probably be trqnsfered this next transfer.  This is sad to me because I like this area!

Week summary:

         So we all have our problems. If you don't have a problem, then you've got to find out where the problem in your life is. Sometimes our problems are thrust upon us and sometimes we bring them on ourselves, but either way we often find ourselves asking: Why? Why me? Why now? At least, I've found myself asking that question a fair bit in the past week. I really like one of the scriptures in the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 2:11 when Lehi is giving his parting words to his son Jacob:

“For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.”

God knows what we need. Sometimes we need to feel the rain to really appreciate the sun. Our experiences shape who we are and I really like what my dad told me today. He said: “The refining fire can reduce us to useless ash or purge the dross of spiritual impurities, creating a gift worth giving.” We need to work for that gift that is worth giving. Maybe we will have to work our entire lives to make it, but it's all worth it in the long run. 

~Elder Colvin

Just like his Mom taught him....