He's Halfway There!

4 Aug 2009

Dear Family,

Yep, I´ve hit a milestone in the mission now. I´ve been away from home for than a year and will be returning in a year. The 30th of July was made even more special because we had a Gira Misional (A Mission Gyro or Jamboree or no sé?) when Elder Zivic, the Area President, came to talk with us. We had the Gira instead of our zone conference. Elder Zivic is Argentine and was a mission president in Spain. I loved what he had to say. What probably impacted me the most was when he spoke about the difference between being proactive and reactive. That we as missionaries need to be proactive—in front of the problems instead of behind. This is something that I will try to improve this year. I am reactive. I don´t make bad reactions. Most of my companions say that I´m extremely patient and calm. But, I´m not a “beast” or a “machine” to work through everything (those are words that E´Rivas always used. Everytime we had a bit of success, like set a baptismal date he would say afterwards “¡Somos bestias!” or “¡Somos máquinas!”). So, I have the goal that in the next year, I´ll become more proactive. To be able to make decisions well and follow through with them.

This past year has been the hardest, yet most rewarding year of my life. I´ve noted many changes in myself. I think the main one has to do with what I spoke of in the above paragraph. I´ve become more confident in interacting with other people. I´ve always been able to get along with people well. I rarely have problems with others (which is the reason the President has and will put me with companions that have sharp personalities, such as E´Nieres and E´Rivas). But, during this year I´ve gained a better ability of working with others. I´ve become more bold. I´ve gained simple abilities such as talk with people who are strangers and making phone calls. I´m also glad to say that I´m fluent in Spanish. I feel just as comfortable listening to and speaking in Spanish as I do in English. There have been many times when people speak to me in the two languages and I don´t realize at all that they switched. Last week, I did a contact with a man. Afterwards, my companion said, “He was speaking in English.” I didn´t realize it at all. I was speaking to him in Spanish the entire time. Me siento incomado hablando en inglés la mayoría del tiempo.

This week went fairly well. We lost a lot of working time because many people asked us for service. We were going to paint a wall in the house of a member family, but they basically have a bakery inside. We spent two hours trying to scrape away all of the dough and oil that had plastered itself to the wall over the years. We didn´t even get close to start painting. We also helped tranport dirt so that a member with his wife Nora (who is planning to be baptized the 23rd of this month) can extend his house. We also helped with homework of some investigators and I´ve also begun to give piano classes on Saturday when half the world is sleeping (the siesta).

Thank you for the photo. There hasn´t been too many changes over the past year. Jessica and Jonathan look slightly older, but Jonathan has yet to hit his growth spurt and change a lot. Mom looks more like a Relief Society President in her hair and dress style.

And Mom, I agree with you completely. I don´t understand how we have had such a good family. I see broken families everywhere here. A family with all of its basic units is extremely rare now. I often wonder why and how I was blessed so much. Did we prove ourselves well in the Pre-Existance or did we show we needed more help? But, the main answer is that we have all strived to be obedient to the commandments of God, especially with regards to the law of Chastity. Breaking that law ensures sadness and affliction. There is no way to avoid the consequences. I am so grateful for the love we have for one another and our desire to follow the ways of the Lord. I often wonder what trials I will have to pass through in my life. I don´t feel like I´ve had to pass through many if any big trials. But, I know they will come. I just hope that I´ll be able to have a family as good as the one I grew up in. One in which there is love and union. I will pray and work for that righteous desire.

I know that this work is true and brings consolance. That sometimes we pass through difficulties to help us improve and learn. Yesterday, we had an appointment with an inactive family and they told us that that day passed away a family member, without warning. We were able to teach the plan of salvation and they want to return to church. They commited to pray and to read the scriptures. Two of them are 18 yr. old boy who I hope to help prepare to go on missions. I know that we were put in the path of this family in just the right moment. I know I´ll have many more such experiences this year.

With love,
Elder Drake Ranquist