June 29, 2011

June 29, 2011 - Week 3 of Transfer 12


Those were some good emails from home! I love getting the weekly update. I'm sorry I didn't comment on your attending Elder Dick's homecoming talk, it just slipped my mind. I still think it is just completely weird that he is home and you have met him! Confusing... it is coming so fast for me. Before I know it my 18 month mark is coming and then life is right around the corner. Its scary how will I balance everything? Schooling, a calling, a job, marriage, eventually a family! Baby steps, I don't even know why I'm writing about his right now. None the less I love Elder Dick, he taught me alot and we had some great experiences together.

I can't even begin to tell you the full details of this past week. It was just too intense for me. It all started five minutes after I finished writing my email last week. I was here at the mission office and a landlord called the office with a few questions on mission rules. After visiting with the missionaries who live in this man's home everything started to unfold. It took close to four days but finally we got to the bottom of things. Friday night Elder Bertolino and myself were out until 1:00am and had to wake up the following morning at 4:30am to take new missionaries downtown for there temple trip. Never in my life did I think I would be dealing with things of this nature on my mission, its quite sad. But now the situation is looking brighter and a group of eight missionaries who I dearly love are on the road to repentance. A few of them also had plane tickets home and one missionary President is dealing with his in field representative (IFR) to see what we can do to have him stay. I don't mean to share such a negative story but this has been the majority of our week and I have learned alot.

Early last week I was completely focused on chastisement and work ethic in my studies and I didn't know why but I was enjoying it. Then it turns out a few days down the road that was exactly what I needed, amazing how the Lord is always working with us. I am not going to lie it was pretty scary sitting down with a 800 pound former bouncer and rebuking him with sharpness, it was depressing, I love these Elders. The Lord is preparing me to be a father I can tell. What an important role to play, raising one of the Lord's children in this crazy society! But I'm learning and I'm grateful to President for teaching me. I'm really starting to understand the doctrine behind dealing with disobedience and rebellion.

So we found the true problem of why we the number of baptisms for the mission are hitting a extreme low, disobedience and a lack in our work ethic. The Lord is humbling-us and I hope we are learning the lesson. He brings us low before he can bring us high. So besides all this negative news there is alot of good going on as well. These past few weeks we have been extremely busy with trainings. Yesterday we had a training here at the mission office for all new missionaries and trainers (Elder Bertolino ran) and another for new District Leaders (which I held). This Friday we have our monthly 6 hour Zone Leader Council (that is mandatory in all missions, the same for all these trainings), then July 4th we have a mission activity at the Taylorsville Institute (to keep us out of trouble) and the following day we have a Leadership training for all District Leaders and Zone Leaders. Right now the stress levels are high.

Despite all this craziness and the time that was taken away from us to proselyte, the work still moved forward. I feel like the Lord understands and drops all these tender mercies into our lap. This past weekend we had the baptism of Kaden Robinson and it worked out perfectly, everything just came together for Saturday. This week is exciting so many new people we will be working with, so many lessons scheduled! We will be baptizing weekly this transfer which is such a blessing and next transfer even more. It is quite stressful having to have a "model area" for the entire mission and still have to deal with everything else! I had another wonderful moment with the Flores family. They made us some really spicy Mexican food to thank us for what we do and while we were eating dinner, Rudy was basically bearing his testimony. He was telling us that when we walk into his home the spirit enters in before us and they can feel a difference. I know its true, its nothing of myself or Elder Bertolino but simply the calling we hold at this current time. As he spoke I kept saying to myself, "Your going to miss this, enjoy it". I will, never again will I be this in tune and be blessed with so spiritual experiences. I love my mission and I'm excited to say one day that I didn't waste a minute of it. My time is precious and my mission will never be given to me again.

Much love, Elder Pizzey.