Well this week was great. We did not make a trip to Potrillo this week because Tuesday we had Multi-Zone conference in Formosa. From Ibarreta we are about three and a half hours away and so we have to contract a ´´combi´´ or private van company to take us to and from Formosa. So they start in Las Lomitas, which like four and a half hours away from Formosa, and then they make their way down to pick all of us up. We told the van guy to pick up the Elders in Las Lomitas at 4-4:15am but at 2:45am the van guy called me to inform me that there were Indians cutting the route in between Las Lomitas and a town called Campo and that he wouldnt be able to get to Las Lomitas. Long story short I was making calls between the van guy and Las Lomitas trying to resolve the problem until finally at 4:30am, the elders in Las Lomitas found a taxi to take them to where the indians were cutting the route and then they crossed it on foot and the van picked them up on the other side. We all got to Formosa safely and had an awesome multi-Zone conference. President Franco talked for like 20 minutes and then had all 40 missionaries there answer the question, ´´What wouldnt you know or what wouldn’t have happened if the book of mormon didnt exsist?´´. Then we sat there for 2 hours while every single missionary bore basically their testimony of the book of mormon, it turned out to be a very powerful experience and built my testimony of it. That also gave me a lot more desires to really ¨search¨ and ¨study¨ the book of mormon and to be continually growing my testimony of what it teaches.
Afterwards, I had president and sister franco sign my flag and watched a video that their kids sent to us. It was overall a great day. I am now super excited to get to know President and sister Patania who will be getting here July 2nd. The rest of the week was pretty normal.. nothing too notable to mention. Our Enlgish class is becoming pretty successful. Oriana, a 16 year old girl, has been bringing her friend, camilia, and yesterday she came to church. So that is super awesome! Also we did divisions with Fontana and I was with Elder Rodrigues who is from the south part of Brazil. And he is super strong!! I forgot to take a picture with him so you’ll just have e to take my word. But he is super cool, he has 7 months in the mission and has a pretty Brazilian accent but talked pretty well.
My birthday turned out to be nice. I am glad it was on a Sunday cause it was a lot more calm and we weren’t out walking all day. But They ended church 15 minutes early and we ate birthday cake that the youth made for me at mutual on Saturday. Super nice of them.
Then at the lunch appointment , the sister that made lunch made me a cake as well so I had a lot of cake on my birthday yesterday! I mean the cake here doesnt even compare to cake in the states but I accept their kindness and thoughtfulness toward me.
To tell you all the truth I hit kind of a rough patch this week. I think it has been a combination of not seeing success in our efforts to the fact that this is my 5th transfer in Ibarreta. I think I am falling victim to ´´the routine´´. For example, the cano family we have been working with since March is starting to get..... disanimated?...or discouraged I think would be the correct word. They havent been to church in 2 weeks and we havent been able to pass by. I have noticed a bit of laziness come into my daily routine. My prayers have fallen into a bit into a routine as well and just feel like Satan has been working to throw me off. It has been really interesting honestly. The closer the cano family has gotten to baptism, the stronger I have felt the temptations and influence of the devil on me and on them. It brought the famous Mosiah 3:19 scripture to mind which reads,
For the anatural bman is an cenemy to God, and has been from the dfall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he eyields to the enticings of the fHoly Spirit, and gputteth off the hnatural man and becometh a isaint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a jchild, ksubmissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
I must yield to the holy spirit in order to overcome. I enjoy the mission for these experiences and for these reasons. I dont think I would be able to learn some of these things without it. I hope you all have a great week. Congrats to Logan for becoming old!! I knew you could do it
Corbin Keicher
