Katie's Mission Blog: April 23, 2024-April 29, 2024-Week 51-David

Hey, yet another week in the life as a representative of Jesus Christ, and all is so well!!

I honestly am a really bad emailer, so I am trying to be better because my mom says I will be mad at myself if I don't get better and actually write like real content and stuff because practically all I write is that life is good. But we had a really really good week! I think I have come to the point where life is what we choose it to be, and that is the theme of the leadership conference we were able to attend was on Wednesday. From the talk, 100% Responsible, Elder Robbins said, "being 100 percent responsible is accepting yourself as the person in control of your life." We are 100 percent responsible to choose happiness by choosing God's plan, and when we do it, we are bound to be joyful! But, with the leadership conference meant traveling to the city from David, or practically Costa Rica. Us and the zone leaders left at 11pm the night before, had a little pit stop when the bus broke down on the highway, and were able to get to the city at 6:30am. It was all worth it to be at the leadership conference and see some of my favorite people in the mission and old companions! I always leave feeling more ready to work, lift, and lead. I think what I have learned more and more about leadership is the need to lift where you stand and to build others up. It truly is another call to minister to the one. I have been able to study from the Savior's ways in 3 Nephi 11-18, and in this BYU speech to come to understand what more I can do to be a better leader. I have come to find that leadership is about the ONE, listening, not judging, and letting the Savior save and solve. We traveled back that same day and got home around 2am on Thursday #roadtrip

On Thursday, I was able to have an exchange with Hermana Alvarado. I have learned the Lord just teaches us by our experiences. We just need to trust Him. He has a perfect plan, and I was shown what I need to do to better fulfill my assignment as an hermana leader, i.e. not judge and just listen! Sometimes that is so hard for me, but I have been working on listening to listen, not just listening to answer back. Hermana Alvarado is so special and is practically a convert (since she was inactive for so long) and she is just the definition of the underdog overcoming every obstacle!

On Sunday, our friend Lis was able to be baptized!! It has been like a month in the making. Her mom is an inactive member and was wanting to plan everything all out, and so it kept getting a little hectic, but everything was able to work out so well! She really is someone so special, there are many people who are just waiting for the truth, just not knowing where to find it. I always like having youth be baptized because they have their whole mortal life in front of them, and to think of all the generations that will be affected after is incredible!

Our area has been having a little bit of a dip in teaching, not a fault in faith, but we just need to really get trusting in the Lord and do all that is in our POWER (DC 123:17). We spent a lot of time looking through the wards records and we are going to go try and find some less actives from some spotty Panamanian directions...like for example, underneath the mango tree after the scary dog, careful. I am not lying. But, God wants His children baptized! So, we gonna be finding his convenio cinco we promised Him we would find, teach, and baptize in this transfer. One down, four to go. We have four good potentials, so we are fasting for them today. If you could include Angela, Marisol, Evelyn, and Yohara in your prayers!! They have all come to church and they know it's true, they just need to take that JUMP of faith. They are so close!!! But, we saw really good progress with Angela and Marisol yesterday. They are sisters of a recent convert, Dereck, and we had invited them to pray. To really pray. To know. And Marisol finally did!! So for now, she is getting baptized the 11. But, we still need a lot of faith. Because my companion is so inspired and said "well you guys are already living the way a baptized member would but not receiving the blessings". I was floored. But it is so true. SO YAY!

Honestly the funniest part of this week was yesterday with Marisol, Angela, and Dereck. I have this flip book with pictures to teach the lessons, and with some pictures of me and my family. They looked at the picture of me before the mission and flat out said "What happened? You got uglier?" Literally CLOWNED out of my mind. I knew it!!! But, with all the weight gained from rice and the sweat that drenches me everyday from head to toe, there is nothing, absolutely nothing I would change about my mission. It has changed me for the GOOD! I love my Savior Jesus Christ. This is His church. The one and only! He has given us this path with the intents for us to follow and come back to our Heavenly home and I am set on getting there.

Front row seat on the way to the leadership conference in the city!!