El ejemplo de un hermano

8 Mar 2010

Dear Family,


Wow, that vacation that you are going to take sounds so fun. I find it quite interesting that we as a family aren´t typical when we go on vacation. We have to go on adventures to see new things, to have new experiences, and to learn. We get bored on a beach. So, I hope you have a great time during spring break. I´m glad you decided against going to Pennsylvania again because I would like to go there one day, Dad, to see your proselyting areas, even though I know that they have to have changed a ton since then. I´m wondering if I´ll be able to recognize everything in my first few areas when we go visit at the end of my mission.

It will be interesting to know what will be the changes in our stake as well. Such changes can be really exciting. Here in San Justo, they recently became a ward, and by changing the boundaries, they received some really strong families. So, the whole ward is excited to start doing to work, start the home and visiting teaching again, and missionary work. I hope such changes will provide renewed energy to our ward and all will roll forth. If our ward gets changed around again, it will be weird for me. I was only with the new ward boundaries for a few months before I left for school, so I won´t be used to anything.

The work here is progressing slowly, but it is progressing. We have some hope in some people who came yesterday. For the priesthood session (at 9) a man named Guillermo came, but he had to leave afterwards to pick up his children and take them to another church. It was a class instructing the elder´s quorum about home teaching. It was really well done and the Elder´s quorum president tried to help Guillermo as much as possible, but I still wonder what he thought. We´ll find out when we go back wednesday to his house.

We also had Raúl come in halfway through sacrament meeting. He is from Bolivia and his family is there. He works here and every Sunday morning he goes to put money in the bank to send home. That is why he got to church so late. But he really liked it and when we taught him in the church after Sacrament meeting, he accepted a baptismal date for the 20th, which is actually is birthday. But we messed up in our calculations and that would mean he would come only one more time to church before his baptism, so we are going to have to change it for the 27th. But, we´ll see what we have to do because he isn´t married to his wife in Bolivia. So, we will talk with our zone leaders about what he has to do to be baptized.

Right now we are feeling a little better, but the first part of the week we were really down. We weren´t working well and didn´t really have the desire to work well. It is true, depression is one of the strongest tools that Satan uses to obstruct the Lord´s work. Sometimes I feel that here on the mission, I´m facing for the first time in my life feelings of mediocrity. I´ve always felt beforehand that I was one of the best at doing things and here I´m not. I still have a really marked "German" accent (at least they don´t think it is North American) which is often difficult to understand. And I can´t get myself to do all of the contacts I should do every day and every week. I´ve been struggling with that my entire mission. But I know that this is to check my pride and to teach me what I desired at the beginning of my mission -- to teach me to work diligently even when I´m tired. I still haven´t gotten it down. I´m glad that, unlike the way the mission was before President Benton got here, the mission leaders are loving and patient with me.

During my mission, I´ve thought several times that Jonathan, you are going to be an amazing missionary compared to me. First of all, you don´t seek the laud and honor of the world as I tend to do. I don´t do so directly, but I´ve noticed that I often do it subtily. Second, you are much more unselfish than me. You are so loving and kind to everyone. You just make people feel good about themselves. Third, you already know how to work hard and diligently even when the going gets rough. And fourth, you have always been known in our family as a man of great faith. With those attributes of Christ, you will make for a missionary that will see miracles in every footstep. I have a lot to learn from you brother.

I know that this work is true and faithful. I know that blessings come as we rely on the Lord in all that we do. I know He loves us and will always help us in our times of need and let us pass through what we need to strengthen us. I love Him for that.

With love,
Elder Drake Ranquist