August 6th 2018 Letter #39

We know what areas are opening. The zone leaders are in charge of finding housing in each new area. We need to get every material that is typical of a mission apartment (bed frames, mattresses, cooking stuff, tables, chairs, shower curtains, etc.). *They will have 17 new missionaries coming in the next change that they are busy getting ready for.

I didn't change areas so I'm still in the Zone of Xalapa and the Zone Leaders didn't change either so they're still Elder Heaton and Elder Goodman. 

The President and Assistants split up the conferences and interviews normally, but this change we're not having any zone conferences because Elder David A. Bednar is coming at the end of the month and we'll have to figure out how to get every missionary in the mission to Xalapa and find places for them to stay a night. It'll be hectic, but I'm confident it'll be worth it as well. 

The secretaries weren't invited to the leadership conference this time around, the only reason we were in the picture is because we stopped by to drop off materials and ask the Zone Leaders for baptismal forms.

*This is a continuation of last weeks letter: In brief details that I remember: 1.We taught the deacon because I had to be in Coatepec (another area) for a baptismal interview and then our lunch appointment got cancelled so we stayed with hopes of eating in Coatepec with the other missionaries so in the meantime a counselor from the stake presidency put us to work teaching a new deacon. 2. The meeting with the relatives is a continuation from this same story. We weren't actually able to eat in Coatepec, but we got back to our area later for having waited. We had no appointment for food and it was Sunday so we couldn't buy anything. We decided to go with a member that we have a good relationship with and it turns out that one of the kids was having their birthday that day so we ate there with the whole extended family. 3. The baptism was simply the right place at the right time. We had just finished a meeting in the church when 2 other missionaries popped around the corner and asked us to help them out with their baptismal service that was just about to go down. So we did.

 

The best part of the week was that we had a baptism and 3 more people that came to church that have a baptismal date on the schedule so things are looking up.

In my studies I wrote 3 little steps that came to mind to help a person have success. 1.Pray always 2. Be patient and humble 3. Know that miracles will come.

I also had an interesting thought about how since everyone is going to be resurrected you could almost think about the Plan of Salvation like this: The reward for keeping the first estate is the rescue from physical death. The reward for keeping the second estate is the rescue from spiritual death. It seems a lot simpler to me when it's put that way.

Love, Elder Finlinson 

Pati's baptism

Leadership conference