This week has been so crazy that I feel like I have barely had any time to sit down and think! I’ve settled down in my new area here in Tablazo, Tumbes, and I really love it here. My companion, Elder Thompson, and I are having a blast together and working super hard. It’s been a little bit of an adjustment being here as a zone leader because I feel like we barely had any time to work in our own area. There’s a lot of additional things that we have to get done for the zone that can really take up some time. It’s a big change for me because I usually love to be going 100% all of the time and working to better my proselyting area, but now we have a few more responsibilities to handle. Overall though, I really love it here.
The only downside I’d say of this area is the apartment. When I got here last week I was blown away how the Elders were living before me, ha ha. There is not really a working sink, the toilet is missing quite a few pieces, the dresser doesn’t have any drawers to put our clothes, and the lock to the main door doesn’t work (just to name a few of the problems). Despite all that, the biggest problem of all is there is hardly ever running water to shower, wash dishes, flush the toilet, etc. The only choice we have is to use our buckets of fresh drinking water to do a ll those tasks. So this week I got to work to make some repairs, ha ha. The only problem is there isn’t a local Durk’s Plumbing Supply around here ;). I also called up the owner of the building to let her know about the water problem, and said if we don’t get the water we need soon, we will be leaving. I think that scared her a little, because the next day she showed up bright and early with a plumber to see what the problem is, lol. We’ll see what happens. So, I’d say the room has been our only challenge this week. Overall you just have to be grateful to have a roof over your head. Even if it’s just a few sheets of tin. ;)
On Wednesday, Elder Thompson and I, Elder Jones and Elder Barreto (ZL’s in Poyango) took the 6 hour bus ride down South for a little 2 day stay in Piura for the mission leaders conference. Those two days were absolutely a blast. The conference was super good, and we learned a lot of new things to share with our zone. We all got to hang out the whole time with one of my favorite Elders in the mission, Elder Jones. Elder Jones was an AP for six months and now is up here in Tumbes finish his mission. He’s from Mountain Green, and is the funniest dude ever. We literally just heard story after story from his life before the mission and also stories he’s had on his mission, where I was just dying laughing. Elder Jones is a great example to me of someone who has decided just to live life and enjoy every moment. He is the man. I also got to go on a little work visit while we were down there with my hilo (son), Elder Huarcaya. He’s also a stud and we went to visit a few of my converts that live in what is now his area. It was way fun to be down there in Piura to see lot of people that I haven’t seen in months.
The weekend was just about the only time that we had to work in our area. Of those short few days, we saw a lot of miracles. We are teaching some really cool people who are really close to baptism. One middle-aged lady named Olivia, is getting baptized this Saturday. Her son Josue was baptized a few years ago and now is serving a mission in Brazil. According to Elder Thompson, Olivia didn’t really want anything to do with the church for a long time, but now seems to have been influenced by her son’s good example, and now wants to be baptized. We are super excited for her. There’s a lot of other great people that we are teaching that I just don’t have time to write about them all. I’ll try to talk about them in the next few weeks.
This Sunday I gave a talk inn our ward on enduring to the end. I shared these classic scriptures found in 2 Nephi 31:
17 Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.
18 And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive.
19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.
20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
All of us who have been baptized and confirmed members of this church are now on this “strait and narrow path”. We all need to be striving each day to keep the faith and stay true to the covenants we have made with our Savior. One way that we can do this is by small and simple means like daily scripture study, daily prayer, and participating weekly in partaking of the sacrament. If we are constantly doing theses small and simple things, we will always stay on this covenant path. One thing that I’ve been thinking about lately pertaining to our hopes and dreams, is that we always need to have our values and actions in line with our goals. That is as true for our lives as it is for the gospel. We can’t have our goals and dreams be one thing and our actions say another. If we say we want a higher score on our test in school, we need to be studying. If we want to be better in our sport, we have to practice. In the same way, if our goal is eternal life with our families, we need to be doing the things that will take us there! We always need to have our value system in line with our goals.
Los amo!
Avanza su Verdad!
Elder Bailey
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