La Entrevista Trunky

14 Jun 2010

Dear Family,

I´m glad that the week went well for you guys and congragulations in finding a job Jonathan! It isn´t nearly as easy as I thought it was. When I first went looking for a job, I had the idea that I could just walk in the place where I wanted to work and that I would be hired there. It doesn´t quite work that way. And it was a good thing that you said a prayer. There have been several times on my mission that we taught our investigator to pray to find a job and they would find one (but the sad part is that many times we didn´t teach them about the sabbath day soon enough and found a job where they work every sunday and can´t go to church).

Yesterday, we had our interviews with the President. This was one of the more "trunky" interviews because from now I have to start thinking about several things for after the mission. I have to set a bunch of goals. I´ve been avoiding thinking too much about the future, but I think that now is the moment when I need to give a bit more attention to that business. But, I´m not going to let it interfere with my work.

I have to think and set goals about 4 things in particular. What am I going to do, specifically, over this next year so that I can just start life shooting off? What are my goals and dreams for my life? What are some attributes I want my future wife to have? And how am I going to maintain this same level of spirituality? They are very important questions that will take some thought. I already have a lot of the answers (and on many of them I can just quote my patriarcal blessing). I want to put into practice a lot of thins that we do here on the mission. I´ll probably be made fun o for that, but I think the idea of excercising, studying, planning daily and weekly, adequate sleep, and other things could really help me in my life. So, I´ll have to think how to apply those things in daily life. And probably the thing I most dread about going home is getting back into the dating pool. I´m excited to get back to studying and learning and working and serving in the church, but I don´t really want to go courting. Hopefully that desire will return when I get back home. For the moment I think it is alright that I don´t have that desire. But I´ll do what the Lord desires me to do, even in that regard.

The president also said that I should be studying spanish well enough to be able to take a test when I get back to school and take the class Spanish 321. He says I can get a lot of college credits doing that (up to 16), but I´m not really worried about the credits (I already have all of the elective credits I need). But maybe it would be good to change one of my classes to study more spanish. I have a good a grasp of the language, but I want to be able to have the ability to give scientific forums and workshops in spanish in the future. I don´t know if there are some upper-level classes to help me with that or not. So, maybe I´ll drop one of my 3-4 credit classes (maybe the Science and Civilizations class and I can do that later on) to take that Spanish class as the President says. I think I´ll worry abotu that when I get back home too.

This next week we have transfers, so I had my companion (because there wasn´t time in my interview to ask) ask if he thinks we´ll be together or not next transfer. I wanted to know if I´d have more time to help out my companion or if I needed to get him to know the area really well to prepare for a new companion. Usually the President will tell us what will probably happen. After the interview he pulled me in with my companion to ask if my thoughts were and I told him what my thoughts were. He told me that he wasn´t sure, which kind of surprised me because he usually has in mind what will happen. But I feel that I will stay here. My companion still needs me a lot. He´s great, but I´m not sure he´s quite ready for the shock of having a new companion and having to teach him the area. It is very common for the missionaries coming to this area to get very discouraged at the beginning, especially when you come here to be an "uncle." So, I feel that for this last transfer, the Lord needs me here with my companion. I´ve always had thoughts and dreams of finishing my mission as a zone leader or opening an area and training at the same time or doing something like that, but I think the most important thing for me is to "take care of this little plot of land" (as the poem you sent me a while back said Dad).

Another reason why I think I need to be here is because of something that happened yesterday. I don´t know if I wrote about José Cosentino a few months ago. He was a member that had several mental problems and we started teaching his wife. But we felt that she lost control of him when we would go because he would start talking about how they need to be more spiritual and we decided not to go back for a while. This morning we found his wife in the supermarket and she said that José had commited suicide yesterday. I know it wasn´t coincidence that we found her today, for the first time in 2 months. She had received a lot of help from the Bishop yesterday and we were there to help console her. There isn´t much we can do for the moment, but I feel that I will stay here to do some good for that family. I just hope that her son takes this well. Her son has a few mental problems as well and I don´t know what this shock will do to him. I am so glad that we have the knowledge of the gospel for such moments.

This week was a bit tough in that I felt that my energy level was falling again, but I am determined to give my all in this work until the end of my mission, until the end of my life, and afterwards. As President Eyering states, we shouldn´t ever feel that we deserve a rest from gospel service. When our body begs for a rest, we should remember the example of the Savior and we will find strength. And we will have perfect bodies one day that won´t impede us from giving our all contantly. I love him for that and I feel joy in his service--for what I have done, for what I do, and for what I yet have to do. I love you all and hope the best.

With love,
Elder Drake Ranquist