La Semana Loca‏

Hola!

This has officially been the craziest week of my mission. Elder Silva and I were super excited on Sunday and Monday because it was about to be our first full week of work without anything to interrupt us. Then during our studies we get a call from president that he wanted an interview with Elder Silva, not with all of the zone but only Elder Silva. Then we get a message that he needs to bring all of his luggage as well. I knew what was going to happen but Elder Silva thought he was in trouble. So after our zone meeting we go to the stake center and wait for President LaPierre who is doing other interviews. Then he walks out and takes Elder Silva with him and they put his luggage in the car and Hna Lapierre drives away. Then President LaPierre looks at Elder Silva and says "You are my new assistant." Then they came and told me, and president talked about how the mission was going to take a new direction especially in terms of leadership and that Elder Silva is the man for the job. He then told me that I would receive Elder Acevedo from the office (he was the secretary of visas and things like that) but not until Monday at the council of leaders in Posadas. Then he told us both that as leaders we just need to be ourselves because he has called us to be us and not someone else. So Elder Silva left for Posadas and I was left with the whole zone and put in a trio with the other Elders from our zone.

We worked in their area on Wednesday which was way good! At the end of the day they hadn´t planned very well, so we had no appointments and there was like no one in the street. I half wanted to just go to the apartment early with the excuse of talking about the divisions but the Spirit told me to just work. So we did and we clapped this giant red house and out came a woman who was about 65 and her two kids and one of her daughter in laws. They told us that their husband/father was a member of the church but after his death 15 years ago not one missionary had passed by their house. We taught them what their father had believed about eternal families and I told them God had sent us to their house so that they could become an eternal family and live with their father and husband again. The Spirit was powerful. They all accepted to be baptized and we went in the house and prayed together on our knees and then we left them with a powerful and sweet spirit. I felt very blessed to have been a part of that experience and to have listened to the guidance of the Spirit so that we could help this family begin to heal these wounds that had been untreated for 15 years.

Friday we worked in our area and found a whole street that was hidden on the border of the area that hasn´t had missionaries for a long time and we found some very prepared people! But for Saturday and Sunday I was scrambling like crazy to figure out how we could work in both of the areas so I organized divisions with 6 different people to pull it all off. In the afternoon and evening I was with Renson and he said we should go visit all of his family to invite them to church. So we did and I took advantage of the time to ask his family how they felt to have him preparing for a mission. His grandparents cried as they expressed how proud they were and his mother also cried as she described the example and spirit he has brought into their home. Afterwards he told me he realized how much was expected of him and I told him that he was going to be the light of the family that would help them all be strong in the gospel. It was a very incredible experience to see the blessings that one faithful member of the family can bring to everyone.

After all of these crazy divisions I went to the leadership council and it was incredible! We talked about working as one with the members and I am way excited for our zone meeting tomorrow! We have an awesome mission!

Yet again the Lord has put me in other situations to stretch my talents and abilities, but I know he has put me in the perfect place, just like always. I love being a missionary so much! I truly can´t describe the joy I experience every day. I love you and thank you for your examples!

Con amor, Elder Hawk