ELDER LOGAN CHASE VAN KATWYK
|
WEEK #102
6/5/16
Greetings from the California! :p
Well, I'm writing this while I'm at home since I wasn't able to email last week. So I have quite a wee-bit to write about. So first and for most, Kayla, unfortunately was not baptized. *Bummer* The story goes that when the member, Sister Magallan, mentioned to Kayla about her speaking to the caseworker so the request of baptism can be passed onto the judge. Unfortunately, Kayla said she didn't want to be baptized.... Don't know why. But I do however, have high hopes that she'll be baptized in the distant future. She's definitely been prepared but it just wasn't her time to make the commitment I guess. But it's ok. It's better that she's not be pushed and forced. Especially since the ward has been having big problems with that in the past.
So I went on the exchange in Weslaco with E. McIntosh and it went very well. The things I was focusing on with that exchange was helping to take care of problems and situations in his district instead of waiting it out until the end (a problem I myself had when I first became DL) so I was able to relate to him and use personal experiences to help him out as a District Leader. During the exchange, McIntosh's companion accidentally kept their area phone, so we were stuck without a phone. For a couple hours we were stuck in the apartment until we received our phone, so I decided to use that as an opportunity to talk about his District and help him out. I figured out that he, as well, has a problem of worrying about what someone else thinks and so he didn't want to call a comp study with this one companionship that was having super bad unity problems just because it wasn't convenient for them. I was trying to explain to him that because this is going on, it's ruining the effectiveness of their work and that if it doesn't get taken care of, then we would be letting time be wasted because they wont have unity. Long story short, after we got our phone back a couple hours later, he called a comp study with the struggling companionship and we had a really nice talk to just sort things out, find the root of the problem, and then make a plan and fix it.
To finish off the transfer (when I was leaving), we hit our zone goal of 14/14!!! Woop woop!! I definitely felt pretty good; really felt like I contributed a good amount by being the District Leader or the Zone District Leader haha But we did very well as a zone and I'm very proud of all my district leaders and their diligence. Oh! I forgot to mention that during the exchange in Weslaco, I did a baptismal interview with one of the investigators of the OTHER DL in Weslaco. It went very well, and it was honestly, the first/last/only interview that I ever did to where I cried. The lady (Monica) I interviewed had a very rocky past life and I just felt bad for her. It was interesting because I honestly felt like I could sense her spirit. I felt like she really had good desires and good intentions to do good. She brought up to me that she's scared of herself joining to "the church of the devil" as it says in the scriptures. And I promised her and reassured her that as long as she is doing the right things and trying her very best, that without even thinking or seeing it, she will be guided by the hand of the Lord. As well, during the interview, she brought to my attention things of her past life that I'm almost sure she doesn't normally tell anyone. Like me, as she was telling me her story and sobbing, I was crying with her too a little bit. I tried to help her out with all of the doubts she had about the Book Of Mormon and just taking that leap of faith. I even used this little object lesson with a mouse trap and it's about the principle of faith to where you kind of have to push down on the mechanism that sets it off. Once I told her to push down on it, she was very hesitant and kind of scared to. But as she just was about to extend her arm to reach for the trap I told her to stop, and think of her relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Once she did that, she did not fear and she was able to push down with ease. It was pretty cool to see that happen. I asked her what changed when she had in mind her relationship, and she told me "I didn't have to fear because I knew that everything was going to be ok", and then we began to talk about how that can compare to life. It was a very good interview and she was able to baptized that upcoming Sunday!
On Monday, I did my exit interview with President and he expressed how I served a really really really good mission and that I changed and learned a lot. He counseled me to always remember the things I learned and apply them to normal life. To never forget them. Then he gave me a blessing. It was a great experience. It was interesting because it sounded like he had a different voice. He blessed me with many gifts of the spirit (humility, love, service, diligence) and he blessed me that I will always have a stable job to support my family. At the very end, it almost sounded like he was sniffing from crying a little bit.
Well now come the present time (post mission)... almost. Last week Tuesday, I went down to the mission office and that's when we ate dinner with President and Sister Maluenda and then we had an FHE. That night, we slept at the APs house to wake up in the morning and go back to Presidents house again to eat breakfast. Then from there we had a little testimony meeting and then it was off to the airport. Right before security, we all said our good byes to the APs and the Maluendas. Presidente gave me a big hug and told me that I served a "very great mission" and that I learned a lot and changed a lot. Very comforting words to part with. Then..... now I'm here at home! And the rest of it is history...
~~Logan
6/5/16
Greetings from the California! :p
Well, I'm writing this while I'm at home since I wasn't able to email last week. So I have quite a wee-bit to write about. So first and for most, Kayla, unfortunately was not baptized. *Bummer* The story goes that when the member, Sister Magallan, mentioned to Kayla about her speaking to the caseworker so the request of baptism can be passed onto the judge. Unfortunately, Kayla said she didn't want to be baptized.... Don't know why. But I do however, have high hopes that she'll be baptized in the distant future. She's definitely been prepared but it just wasn't her time to make the commitment I guess. But it's ok. It's better that she's not be pushed and forced. Especially since the ward has been having big problems with that in the past.
So I went on the exchange in Weslaco with E. McIntosh and it went very well. The things I was focusing on with that exchange was helping to take care of problems and situations in his district instead of waiting it out until the end (a problem I myself had when I first became DL) so I was able to relate to him and use personal experiences to help him out as a District Leader. During the exchange, McIntosh's companion accidentally kept their area phone, so we were stuck without a phone. For a couple hours we were stuck in the apartment until we received our phone, so I decided to use that as an opportunity to talk about his District and help him out. I figured out that he, as well, has a problem of worrying about what someone else thinks and so he didn't want to call a comp study with this one companionship that was having super bad unity problems just because it wasn't convenient for them. I was trying to explain to him that because this is going on, it's ruining the effectiveness of their work and that if it doesn't get taken care of, then we would be letting time be wasted because they wont have unity. Long story short, after we got our phone back a couple hours later, he called a comp study with the struggling companionship and we had a really nice talk to just sort things out, find the root of the problem, and then make a plan and fix it.
To finish off the transfer (when I was leaving), we hit our zone goal of 14/14!!! Woop woop!! I definitely felt pretty good; really felt like I contributed a good amount by being the District Leader or the Zone District Leader haha But we did very well as a zone and I'm very proud of all my district leaders and their diligence. Oh! I forgot to mention that during the exchange in Weslaco, I did a baptismal interview with one of the investigators of the OTHER DL in Weslaco. It went very well, and it was honestly, the first/last/only interview that I ever did to where I cried. The lady (Monica) I interviewed had a very rocky past life and I just felt bad for her. It was interesting because I honestly felt like I could sense her spirit. I felt like she really had good desires and good intentions to do good. She brought up to me that she's scared of herself joining to "the church of the devil" as it says in the scriptures. And I promised her and reassured her that as long as she is doing the right things and trying her very best, that without even thinking or seeing it, she will be guided by the hand of the Lord. As well, during the interview, she brought to my attention things of her past life that I'm almost sure she doesn't normally tell anyone. Like me, as she was telling me her story and sobbing, I was crying with her too a little bit. I tried to help her out with all of the doubts she had about the Book Of Mormon and just taking that leap of faith. I even used this little object lesson with a mouse trap and it's about the principle of faith to where you kind of have to push down on the mechanism that sets it off. Once I told her to push down on it, she was very hesitant and kind of scared to. But as she just was about to extend her arm to reach for the trap I told her to stop, and think of her relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Once she did that, she did not fear and she was able to push down with ease. It was pretty cool to see that happen. I asked her what changed when she had in mind her relationship, and she told me "I didn't have to fear because I knew that everything was going to be ok", and then we began to talk about how that can compare to life. It was a very good interview and she was able to baptized that upcoming Sunday!
On Monday, I did my exit interview with President and he expressed how I served a really really really good mission and that I changed and learned a lot. He counseled me to always remember the things I learned and apply them to normal life. To never forget them. Then he gave me a blessing. It was a great experience. It was interesting because it sounded like he had a different voice. He blessed me with many gifts of the spirit (humility, love, service, diligence) and he blessed me that I will always have a stable job to support my family. At the very end, it almost sounded like he was sniffing from crying a little bit.
Well now come the present time (post mission)... almost. Last week Tuesday, I went down to the mission office and that's when we ate dinner with President and Sister Maluenda and then we had an FHE. That night, we slept at the APs house to wake up in the morning and go back to Presidents house again to eat breakfast. Then from there we had a little testimony meeting and then it was off to the airport. Right before security, we all said our good byes to the APs and the Maluendas. Presidente gave me a big hug and told me that I served a "very great mission" and that I learned a lot and changed a lot. Very comforting words to part with. Then..... now I'm here at home! And the rest of it is history...
~~Logan
|
|
|