December 10, 2007

Querida Familia Irvine:

That's Steven for sure...slow and steady and misses the ride to church. That is really funny! I got left behind before, because I didn't want to go or I was sick...but not because of miscommunication (I'm about 90% sure...but you never know with my memory). As for the overcoat, depends on how much it costs to send the coat. If it's a lot, I'll just endure the cold because it's not worth a fortune. And, P-days are too short to get everything done including shopping for coats. As for packages, it'd be great! Talks on CD's, music, and whatever you feel like sending. I still haven't finished the food you sent me way back when, like the instant rice and stuff since the members feed us A LOT! Please don't send me too much this time!

Pres. Goodrich probably said I'll stay with my comp, who is amazing. I'm excited. But it's frustrating going through every week. Start the week off great, I love my investigators and I love teaching them with the Spirit. Then Sunday comes, and I get to church. The bishopric doesn't help us, they put our progress records (which are to be used to coordinate rides and visits with missionaries) aside in the clerk's office. The bishop is 'me me me' all the time. He went up in sacrament meeting and thanked everyone for coming to church. We doubled attendance this week because Neira and I visited almost every single person in the chapel yesterday. Never thanks us for the work that we do. He has no idea how tired we are and how the missionary work goes. I hate personal recognition, but the bishop just is up in the clouds with missionary work and loves to put us aside. I did this, I did that. I'm frustrated every week. Starts great, then ends with frustration. Every single week. It's getting annoying. I have the attitude, just get to work, Just Do It, like Nike says. But it's frustrating every week when we have to go visit every single member of the ward that covers 2 English stakes (9 wards) to get them to church. The Elder's Quorum President, I saw him for the first time yesterday this entire 6 weeks, because we stopped by his home. That goes for a lot of our less actives too. We don't have the manpower, we don't have the strength to do that every week. I am ticked, I can't say it any other way. I want to stay here, but something has to change here. Golden investigators, and a wooden bishop that doesn't help us. It's been a really tiring week on top of that.

So we're a missionary down since a sister missionary had to go home early due to sickness and one of ours got moved to cover her spot. 3 sister missionaries to cover 2 English wards and help us out, it's a lot of work to go bilingual. Saturday, we decided, we're going to cover part of their area- Canyon Country. We drove 70 miles that day. Back and forth between appointments, two blessings, finding referrals, trying to find some recent converts and teach them, went contacting in the local park, then back to our area to eat dinner. Honestly, that was the most tiring day of my life. After dinner, we went to another appointment and got home really late (10 pm, half an hour late) and just crashed. We worked 10 am to 10 pm non-stop. I was so tired that when we got back from church yesterday, I took an hour and a half nap. And I was still tired, such is the work! Elder Neira is getting really frustrated with the 'support' of the bishop as well as the huge area we cover, so he suggested to Pres. Goodrich that I train this coming transfer and cover half of our area to cut down on miles he has to drive. That'd be sweet! But, it's the Lord's will, not mine.

Saturday was, by far, the best day even though it was the busiest ever! We went to an investigator's home, she wasn't home so we're dropping her. We ended up going to a less active's house, the Santillan's, whose Christian daughter called us blasphemers not too long ago. I didn't want to go, but Neira was like 'c'mon Elder Irvine' so we did. We get there and knock on the door, the daughter opens the door and had us come in. We found out that her mom, the member, nearly died half and hour ago with severe drops in sugar level. And, her mom prayed for the missionaries to come. Her daughter knew it was an answer to her mother's prayer. We helped her move some things around the home, and sat down to talk. They gave us tamales and then, the bombshell. The daughter said that her trials are overwhelming, and that she wants to read the Bible and gain comfort from it. She asked us *gasp* to teach her from the scriptures. What a change! The first time I went there I nearly cried because she called us blasphemers, and now she wants us to teach her? Wow! So that was a pleasant surprise (understatement). We went to another investigator's home, not home, so we went to give a blessing to a member in Canyon Country and took a 15 minute nap. It was good, because we needed it later. Zipped in, blessed her son with a blessing of comfort. The mother is a perfectionist, poor kid, she was mad he wasn't being the #1 student and was just being pretty mean in my opinion. So we zipped over to another member, who is really sick. We gave her a blessing and left to find a referral. We got lost a bit, and finally found it. Not home. Along the way, we stopped the car when we saw two black hoodlums walking. We asked them directions, 'Hey, do you know where West Ness is?' and the kid closest to us shook and freaked out. Then they said, 'Naw, man' and we finally found it. It was hilarious! If you saw his reaction, oh my goodness! That made my day. So the referral wasn't home, and we ended up getting stood up by a recent convert (he forgot about the lesson he told us later). Quick lunch then off to contact in the park IN THE COLD. It was at least 40 plus wind chill. But, we found an elect family. This entire week, we've had some trouble finding the elect. We set an hour apart in a specific place to find an elect, and we finally got one on Saturday! We're going to teach them in the next few days. Frozen, but excited, we found another recent convert and cleared up some of his doubts about priesthood, then finally went back to Newhall, 30 minutes away. Less active wasn't home, so we went to eat dinner...which was just fantastic! Eating dinner at the Umana's is like going to a buffett, he gives us a LOT of food! And, he's an RM so he knows what's up with the ward. He's our ear, our inside man. We finished the ward mission plan on his comp and gave it to him. We got to the Jaimes' home 30 minutes late, but our member fellowshippers were there! I love familia Ceja! We taught and testified about the Holy Ghost, and the Spirit was strong. We got home, planned, and crashed really fast. I have never been so tired than I was Saturday. And guess what, the mother, daughter, and son came to church yesterday! The oldest son is in Mexico with the soccer team and the dad was busy. But, they are progressing! I was so happy to see them yesterday. The Lord is blessing us with the elect, two days in a row, and we are still going to go out there and do His work. Regardless of what happens, I'm going to be His representative and going to do His work and His will.

Something my comp pointed out to me was that we are literally God's representatives, that people reject us, they reject God. We can't disobey the rules, because we are in His stead. It's as if we are Him when we are in the mission field. It's motivated me to be a better missionary, to actually make good contacts, teaching moments, whatever you call them, on the streets. My brothers and sisters are waiting for this Gospel, I just have to testify and teach. What a great message, what a marvelous work!

I am sad to say, I am hitting my 6 month mark. I am sad, I don't want time to fly so fast! I want to go back to the beginning and do it over again! I don't want to look back and say...if I only had done this...or that...if I only had the knowledge I have now.

I love this mission, I love this work, I, most of all, love my Savior Jesus Christ. He has blessed me with the gift of tongues, He has picked me up from the lowest points of the mission so far, and He has blessed me immensely. How I love my Lord, my God! As Alma says, if I were an angel of God and go about with the trump of God!

I love you all, and I'll talk to you soon.

Love,
Elder Irvine