La ultima visita al templo

22 Sep 2009

Dear Family,

Thank you very much for your letters. I am very grateful that I receive them on a weekly basis. E´Callejas often complains that his family isn´t very constant and he never knows if he will have an e-mail in his inbox or not. So, I´m very grateful for your consistancy and thorougness (I can´t spell in english anymore. Spanish makes much more sense.).

This saturday, we had the baptism of Hernán. His uncle, the bishop of Jardines and who helped us so much convince his mom that this would be a good experience for him, came to do the baptism. He is an excellent man. I wish I had photos, but I forgot to bring my adaptor to transfer it to the computer. It went really well and he was really happy. I was also able to play one of the Goldstein arrangements of “The Army of Helaman” on the piano during the baptismal service. He participates in my piano classes, so I told him if he practices, he´ll be able to play that song for one of his converts when he goes on his mission in a decade. I find baptismal services to be one of the best reunions that we have in the church.

Today was bitter sweet because it was the last trip to the temple that I´ll have in almost a year. I will have to wait, like so many others in the world, to be able to experience such peace again. The president told us to go with a question or a doubt that we have to be answered. That we should go and think about our mission and what we want with the rest of our missions. I couldn´t think of a question I wanted answered, so I decided to go with the spirit of gratitude-to think about all of the miracles I have seen thus far in my mission and give thanks for them. The greatest desire I have for the rest of my mission is to continue with the joy that I have received at the hands of our Savior on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. I know that I have been the witness of a lot of success and miracles thus far in my mission, and as you reminded me in your letter Dad, I constantly remind myself that (just as Ammon did while rejoicing in the success of his mission) every person that accepts us, every person that comes to church, and every baptism is not the result of my own efforts, for I am nothing. They are the result of the miraculous power of God and His Spirit.

Dad, you also wrote about another part that I need to improve. I really need to find time to write more in my journal. I´m glad you are keeping the letters that I send (they´re on the blog) because this is a little of the time that I have to write in my journal. At the beginning of my mission, I was really good at writing every day, but as I take on more and more responsibilities, I lose more and more time. I´m trying to make sure that I write at least every time that someone is baptized to recount their story of conversion. But it is really difficult when we get back between 9-9:30, plan for 30 min., make phone calls to verify our appointments, call to have daily contact with the investigators with a baptismal date, talk with Moreno 1 and General Rodriguez about their days, and try to eat my three fruits (which often I don´t even have time for that now), it is hard to squeeze in time to write in my journal. Time has never been my ally. Every day I wish that I could have three timelines to do everything I want and should do. But, I´ll put more effort to find time to write in my journal for you all and my posterity. I know it will be useful.

I think I´m glad as well Mom that you decided to change your mind about the couches. I was trying to image leather couches in the family room and they just don´t fit in my mind. I know, it is probably that I hate such changes, but I think you made a good decision going for something a little closer to our preferred style. But, I think when I get back it will be just as bad as when Dad got home from his mission to live in a different house. I won´t recognize anything.

Oh, before I forget, which card did you want me to use again? The debit or the credit card? And if it is the credit card, can you send the pin number? I don´t remember it at all.

I hope that your recovery goes well and that you won´t have to be too patient Dad. I love you all and love hearing from you.

Love,
Elder Drake Ranquist