Hi
everyone!! It is so remarkable how quick the time is going! I can't believe
that tomorrow I am officially finished with my training! I am going to miss my
companion, Elder Letelier, but am excited for the new chapter! My new
companion`s name is Elder Loporena, and I will be able to tell you a little
more about him once I get to know him, but I know he is from Texas, and has
family from Mexico. So he is "Latingo" which means he speaks both English and
Spanish which will be a blessing!
This
week I have been thinking a lot about the things I have learned and about
the experiences I have had. I am so thankful to have been so blessed to
have Elder Letelier as my trainer. He has helped me understand how important it
is to be able to give everything you have from the heart and to always seek
improvement. It is really strange to think of events that have happened
over the past three months here in Uruguay but I feel like they happened
years ago. I am really grateful for the things I have been able to learn and
of course, there have been some rough times but looking back I can see how
much I have grown and changed. I realize that everything that has happened
has been for my benefit. I
had the opportunity this week when we were contacting to find a man who spoke
to us entirely in English. It was really strange to see that I struggled
thinking in English and had a hard time trying to say what i wanted to because
I was so accustomed to think and answer questions in Spanish. Thinking
about this experience I realize that it shows how much I have progressed and
changed in regards to speaking Spanish. It is something incredible to realize
that when I first got here, I could understand very, very little Spanish. Now I feel weird speaking or thinking in anything other than Spanish. I can
testify that this is how all things are in life.
Before, I really didn't like change (even now I struggle with it.) I liked
being comfortable in my routine and knowing that I could do the things I was
doing. But now as I realize this, I understand how dangerous this can be. The
truth is that we need to have changes in life. We need to be able to stretch
ourselves, have trials, and cry in order to grow and to have a fullness of joy.
I love looking back, I can see where I started, and how far I have come. I know that this is how it will be when we are called to stand before Heavenly
Father again. It will be something incredible to understand how much we
have grown and learned. We will be able to understand that everything
happened for a reason. We are who we are today because of all the
experiences we have had. I promise that if you work to do everything you can
each day to be able to be just a little better than you were yesterday, you
will be able to one day look back and see how much you have changed. We are
here to learn and improve, but this can't happen if we don't change or accept changes when they come. It can seem scary at first, but I know Heavenly Father has His plan in motion. He will help us through all things. We just need to be
humble, have faith and love, and help others out along the way.
Quote
of the week: ¨Caminar en la senda del discipulado requiere práctica, cada día,
poco a poco, gracia sobre gracia... Lo importante es que no se den por
vencidos, que sigan intentando hacerlo bien. Con el tiempo, llegarán a ser
mejores, más felices y más auténticos.¨ Elder Uchtdorf MissionaryWork: Sharing What is in your Heart
Scripture
of the week: 2 Nephi 31: 20 (favorite scripture of Elder Letelier)
--
-Elder
McDonald
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