Week 22 in Porvenir

Week #84
8/10/15
Ive been here forever! But I love it, and I never want to leave. Villavicencio is the best. Ill begin today by apologizing there haven't been any pictures, my camera got busted, and a member is going to take it in on Thursday to see if he can get it fixed, so hopefully next week Ill have pictures again! 

Well this week was another good one. We didnt get to do so much tracting, but we still taught a lot of good lessons, and found new investigators. We didnt get to work Wednesday or Thursday in our area, so we lost a bit of time there. On Wednesday morning we did our weekly planning with the zone in the chapel, and after our lunches we met up to do an invasion(everyone from the zone goes and contacts/tracts) in Elder Wright´s area. We were able to talk to quite a few people. Afterwards we headed over to the terminal and caught a bus to Bogotá. We got to the house we´d stay at at 9pm and got a pizza from domino´s for dinner. 

Thursday we took off early for a meeting with President Baquerizo, and the training was really inspired. First, he gave us a new vision about how we can work better and achieve more. He challenged all of us to find 2 new investigators daily, which will require effort, but will also be possible. So we are going to focus more on tracting and finding. He also challenges us to baptize more(obviously). We talked about how to plan more efficiently as well, and finally the assistants talked to us about our teaching, and that we should always include baptism in our teaching. It was a really good, inspiring meeting that has helped me to work better. 

I have discovered a new vision for our work. At some point in the mission, all of us became convinced we had to find thru the members, and no other way. Im finding that to be false. It is the best way to find investigators, but you cant force it. What we have decided to do is to tract in the blocks near members that are active in church so when we find somebody who is interested, we have a member who lives a block away to help them get to church and feel better about everything. Im hoping we will be able to find good investigators, and that the members will help us get them progressing. I fell pretty excited to work like that for these next 4 weeks and see how it works.

On Sunday Michell came to church, and he is progressing well towards the 29th of December. Carol, our convert is now the YSA representative in the branch, and is helping us out with Michell. Oscar Franco gave his first talk on Sunday, and everybody loved it, it was so good! I was so happy to see him up at the pulpit and blessing the sacrament. 

Well, I have seem this week that people have their agency. God loves us so much he lets us make decisions, even the wrong ones. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that if we carry out his will, the Spirit can always be with us. I know that if we walk in the light, the blood of Christ can cleanse us of all sin.

Thanks for reading!

Elder Beck