He delighted in me

Friends and family, this week was weird.

So, on Tuesday I and Elder Halliday (the two of us trainers) were together because we didn't have companions. We worked in Cementista for a couple hours then received a call from the oficinistas telling us to come to the mission offices, so we left. But then we overshot the stop for the offices and ended up in Mendoza Centro, so we waited for a while for the train in the other direction and returned on that. But then we got to the offices and there was nobody there. We called the pensionista and he told us that plans changed (which they didn't tell us at all) and we had to go to a hotel to check in because we would be staying there for the night, so we took a taxi and came all the way back to that other stop that we had gotten off at before. We joke that we listened to the Spirit in getting off there, but didn't listen so well after getting off. We met the other trainers at the hotel and we were told we could do whatever we wanted for three hours until turning in for the night, so we dispersed. Then we all received calls telling us that plans changed again and that we were to dine with the Mission President immediately. Goodness, plans changed so incredibly much, so quickly. But the dinner was wonderful, and the newbies we dined with are great. The food is always delicious in that house.

The next day the newbies had their training clinic, and then we did the same street contacting game I had to do my first day, in which the new missionaries talk with the trainers as if they were normal people in the street. Only the missionary's trainer would accept the invitation to learn more, so it works out. My new compañero es Elder Aguirre, de Buenos Aires también. He's an incessantly smiley person and laughs a lot, and is generally a very happy missionary, which makes my job a bit easier. Obviously, the fact that he's a latino makes my job a heap easier, too, and I am grateful for that. Actually, all the missionaries in this group are latinos, so I didn't even have a chance to get a gringo as a companion.

For the rest of the week we worked hard, searching out people who had said we could pass by and share a message. Literally nobody let us in all weekend, and we crossed off many names of people who actually don't want anything. We also dropped an investigadora who we never encountered again after the first wonderful visit; every time we pass they just purposefully turn on extremely loud music, or, if we're really lucky, tell us that she's not there, which I don't really believe because she's a stay-at-home mother. *sigh* Mortals. We've also talked with many people in the street who were walking very slowly, but when we started talking with them they accelerate obviously and say they don't have time to talk; we tell them that's fine, and that we can walk with them, but they just keep using the same void and dead excuse, "I don't have time." Apparently they are so rushed that they don't want us to interfere with their walking by... talking... because those interfere with each other.... Whatever.

One of the only lessons we managed to teach was to an investigador that I believe I've mentioned, named Pedro. It's really rough teaching him, because he tries to teach us by telling us the stories of his life, also trying to prove that his life is the hardest and that for that reason only he can really understand God and His miracles. Oof. Just about every time we teach him we have to be extremely blunt because he doesn't understand that we "are not sent forth to be taught, but to teach the children of men the things which [the Lord has] put into [our] hands by the power of [His] Spirit" (DyC 43:15). This time we were talking about John 3 which says that except a man be born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God, and we had to tell him with extreme force that without baptism he would not inherit heaven. I'm still not sure he understands, because his pride is a strange brand that appears very much like true, pure piety. But then, the devil can appear as an angel of light. But we're probably going to drop him because he doesn't really seem to want anything to do with us except subjects for his excessively repetitive lectures on the power of God in his life and how his life is the hardest of any. *sigh* I'm really sad about that, because he seems to have very powerfully the gift of discernment from the Spirit, but it is corrupted by his unwillingness to change. As the scriptures say, if gifts are not used well, they will turn into condemnation (like in the Parable of the Talents). It reminds me of the scripture in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4: "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." That doesn't apply perfectly because Pedro is by no means a Son of Perdition, but that scripture doesn't only apply to that extreme. It applies to all who have the pride to say that they have learned enough, and they need no more; and, by that logic I also fall under the condemnation of these verses at times, which is una lastima. But I guess the difference is that I recognize my fault. I fear he might continue blinding himself for a long time, and it will be even more painful for him to extricate himself later on. But thus is the mission, and I signed up for this. We'll try to help him how we can, but the choice has to be his, and we'll wait on him.

Then, last night, I randomly lost the top half of my vocal range (including my normal conversational range), despite the fact that I didn't do anything strenuous with my voice. But hey, now I'm stuck in my lower range and I sound more macho, so what have I to complain about?

Regarding the fact that I'm training, I still feel quite inadequate, especially in my understanding of the words of others, which some people poke fun at, at times. But I'm still praying every day for forgiveness for my immense shortcomings in all their forms. I'm getting better step by step, I know, but I'm impatient. However, I do know already that this responsibility of training a new missionary is from God, because I cannot grow nearly this fast as compañero menor. I also take comfort in Psalm 18, which says:

4 "The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
6 In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
...
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.

...
15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay.
19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

He moves, upsets, and destroys the very foundations of the world just to help me. Because He delighted in me. I declare to you all that the things I teach to the people here are the truth, directly from the Eternal God; and I am so glad to be here sharing it.

Con amor de Argentina,

Elder Hill

Fotos:

• "Ojo de Pez" efecto
• Los nuevos entrenadores - ¡una de esas Hermanas gringas tiene un traslado menos que yo! (y Élder Dye no sabe cómo usar mi cámara)
• Élder Halliday
• Yo y Élder Aguirre 
• Yo y Presidente Panzacchi
• Estrellas (la amo a mi cámara)
• Élder Pepsi enseñándole a mi compañero