Transfers are here! After a quick three months here in La Cruz, I’ve been transferred up north 20 minutes to the big city of Tumbes! They say every missionary puts in their due time in the Zona Tumbes at some point in their mission, and I thought “my time” was going to be 2 or 3 transfers in La Cruz and then maybe head back to Piura. But it turns out that I’ll probably be up here for at least 6 months total in el norte. I will be replacing my “father” in the mission, Elder Bayona, as a zone leader for Tumbes and my new comp is going to be Elder Thompson from Colorado. Elder Thompson is one of my best friends that I’ve made in the mission and I’ve known him since day one in the mission field back in my Sullana days. We’re pretty pumped to be together. As fun and exciting as transfers are, I’m pretty dang sad to leave my area here in La Cruz. I’ve met so many great people here and made some good memories in my time here. I think it’s also going to kill me a little to not be able to see the beach each day. :( It’s going to be back to the busy city life…
Apart from getting our transfers, this week was pretty eventful. On Tuesday we had a little miracle. In the afternoon we were walking to an apartment that we had scheduled, and while going down the busy street we heard someone call us from the other side of the street. We headed over to talk to the guy who looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t remember his name. We started talking to him, and he introduced himself as Frank. He said he regularly attends church here in La Cruz. After a little small talk we asked him how long he has been a member, and he told us that he was baptized in Lima over 10 years ago but he seemed a little unsure. We started to ask him questions from there like who were the elders that taught him, what ward he attended, and even how he was baptized. He couldn’t seem to remember the details of his baptism, so after we finished talking to him we gave the bishop a call to verify if Frank is even a member. After looking through the records of the churchgoer bishop couldn’t find any records of Frank. It made sense that he didn’t have any records because when we went back to Frank’s house to give him the newsI first showed him a painting of the baptism of Christ to verify that he was baptized in the same way, and he said he was. I then showed him a picture of the confirmation, or receiving the gift of the spirit, and he told us that he never got that part of the baptism. So we figure that Frank was either baptized and never confirmed, or that he was baptized into another church and his memory is a little fuzzy. After hearing the news he told us “Well, if I’m not in the records of the church I want you guys to baptize me as soon as possible!” Elder Quispe and I just looked at each other and smiled. So, we’re gonna look this week to make sure that Frank actually doesn’t have a membership record and id he doesn’t his baptism, or re-baptism, is going to be next week! This was definitely a little miracle for us and an answer to our prayers, as we’ve been praying hard these past weeks to find someone who has the desire to be baptized. The Lord doesn’t always answer our prayers in our timing or in the way we expect but he always answers if we ask with faith.
On Wednesday I got to do a work visit with mi padre (my trainer) in the mission, Elder Bayona. Bayona goes home tomorrow, so this week we wanted to do a work visit this past week as a final goodbye, and to remember the good old times together. It was so cool to work and be together again after more than a year has passed since we were put together and I could talk basically nothing in Spanish. I have learned so much from Elder Bayona and consider him a brother and one of my best friends ever. As
we sat together teaching a lesson to a little old lady on Wednesday, I just reflected on how cool it has been to know Elder Bayona, and hoe never before in my life would I have expected that I’d get to be best friends with a 24 year old from Lima, Peru. I’m going to miss that man a ton. Tomorrow the mission loses un gran misionero.
Saturday and Sunday all the missionaries were invited to attend the sessions of our stake conference of Tumbes. There was a member of the Seventy from Equador that presided over the conference and also our mission president, President Vega, and his wife showed up and gave talks. They each talked to the stake about implementing the Preach My Gospel manual so that the members and missionaries can work more closely together. It was really good and what this stake needed to hear. Hopefully we can start to get a little more help from the members around here. Remember that missionary work isn’t limited to those of us who wear the ties and the name tag! Sharing the gospel should be something we are all engaged in. Let’s all look for more opportunities to share what we have with others around us. I promise they are there if we look!
Well that’s all for this week. The mission is treating me well and I am loving this adventure I’m on. I’m out here learning, growing, and having life changing experiences every day that I can’t get anywhere else. Hasta la proxima semana fifones.
Avanza Su Verdad!
(Also shoutout to Elder Randall! He’s heading out of Tumbes to go open up a new area and to train a newbie. He’s gonna kill it.)
Elder Bailey
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. “ - Matthew 11:28-30
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