Tough Week!

On Saturday, February 6, 2016

I am going to be super honest and say that this past week was one of the more harder weeks of my mission. I have definitely been blessed with not having many bad days or weeks in my mission, but this week was difficult. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I am not the biggest fan of comp changes when I am with a super dope comp like Elder Castillo was. And so after 7 and a half months being with the same companion, the change has been weird and quite a bit different. But that's just part of the mission, plus I have learned to love my new companions too and although its a lot different, we are doing well together. But this week was mostly challenging because I just felt super stressed. I don't know why exactly, but man, I was just not myself this week. We have been super busy, I had a real lack of patience, I wasn't sleeping well, waking up at 4 or 5am and not going back to sleep because just a ton of thoughts started flooding my mind, aggravated (which is very abnormal for me I think) and more. I wasn't able to concentrate in my studies very well. Honestly, just kinda unhappy and annoyed. Still don't know exactly why, maybe because I have had a lot on my plate and a couple things didn't go as planned or how I needed them to and what not. But that's all a part of life right? I have definitely been blessed for not feeling this way much. But I think a big part of it too is how we react to pressure, to stress, to things that come our way. What it came down to after many prayers of simply asking for help and love and patience and forgiveness for letting myself feel that way, what it came down to was me deciding to be happy. Me deciding to just love, to have patience, to count my blessings. I remember on Thursday while driving, something happened and I was about to just be so annoyed or react super negatively. But then I just smiled and laughed and told myself that it is a lot easier and better to take the bad that is thrown my way and choose to deal with it in a positive way and not let it affect my thoughts or actions or emotions. I think a lot of times Satan just wants us to feel so overwhelmed that we overlook being happy or not letting small things be big deals and what not. I know this email is way cheesy/lame but idk, I am just super thankful for the comfort of the gospel and having bad days/weeks but then learning so much from them.

Anyway so on Tuesday we had to go up to Puerto Plata about an hour North to move some sisters who had to be moved quickly because of something that happened that was causing them danger walking home. Elder Castillo happens to be their district leader so he helped us with the move and was able to help/train Elder Gonzalez a bit more with the contracts and the process of closing a house and all that fun stuff. Plus it was way fun being with him after 6 days of being apart, hahaha. Six days was like a lifetime! haha We already had so much to tell each other about. He is loving it out there where he is and he was telling me how he really has to work on his English now because there are so many American tourists out there. He lives like 2 streets from the beach so he comes into contact with quite a few tourists. That makes his area a little hard though.

Training Elder Reeves is going way good. I am testing him a bunch so I leave him knowing everything possible!

On Thursday, it was so cool, I had a meeting with President and two representatives of our phone company. Me and President Castillo were totally comps for the morning haha. I felt so sophysticated hahahaha (even though I totally spelled that wrong.) I was able to answer lots of questions of President's and the two representatives helped us out a ton to understand how we can save more money with the phone plan we have for our mission which is super great and I am way excited about. The meeting helped a ton and like I said, I felt way grown up and cool, hahaha. One of the representatives asked if I was the President before President Castillo!! Haha. She must have been very confused or something. We all laughed and I was like, "Noooo!" And President was like, "One day he will be, one day! Hahaha" I really hope he wasn't receiving revelation and he was just joking ;) They also asked me how much time I had in the position I am in and I said 7 and a half months and President was like, "No... You only have 6 months.." I was like "Ahhh, no President, I have the same time in the office as you in the mission..." And he was like, "No.. That can't be!" But it totally is. So maybe that's why I am still here haha, because he has just forgotten to transfer me these past 6 transfers ;) haha. Just kidding. (But really)

Afterwards, President and I were able to talk a bunch and we explained a bunch of important information to each other and it was cool because we joked around a bunch with each other too. We're solid pals ;)

All right well tough week turned into a good one. Remember to have a good attitude and slap yourself in the face like me if you're ever feeling down/bad for yourself!

Just kidding, In all seriousness, turn to the Lord. D&C 6:36-37 Credit to Dexton Graves for helping me remember this scripture. 

Have a super sick week! Bring someone to Christ. It's the best.

Oh, shoot, before I forget. Carlos is doing good again. We taught the Word of Wisdom and he is way down to follow it so we are stoked on life for that, especially because I never want to walk into my investigator's house again and think he is dead and have to carry him down a sketchy alleyway to the car and drive him to the ER. :D Pray for him and his wife to come to church tomorrow!!