Another week of awesomeness and missing real cheese and peanut butter, but none the less, a good week. Solid investigators and my first zone conference! Which was close to nothing like I thought it would actually be.
So here's the thing, and what I'm going to spend a lot of my time talking about, is how cool it feels to help welcome in a new era of the mission. Something I've spent a lot of time thinking about, and something I hope all the other missionaries can think about. So, before I got here, with the old president, the mentality was very different. Baptize. Baptize. Baptize. Don't spend a second longer with anyone than you need to because that time can be used to find someone else and baptize them. And because of that mentality, the mission had great numbers. The numbers of baptisms go way up, and so does the number of less active converts. We were getting people to the gate, as Nephi puts it, but missionaries weren't helping them past that. And the members and leaders here are converts themselves of only like maybe 3 years. So, there is really no hand off to help these new souls who just got baptized to help foster them and get them truly progressing. Many have a very, very small perception of the gospel and as soon as they have 3 assistances to church they're baptized, and once that missionary leaves the area, they're forgotten. Now welcome in President Wilson, who lays down rules that turn some missionaries world upside down. Rules like, they need a legitimate way to get to church every week, and if under 18 need to have the signatures of both parents (yes, even if the father is in China because that question was asked in conference) which takes away a huge number of baptisms since a lot are kids under 18. The other is having to go back and write down the contact information of all converts within the last 2 years (yeah, that's a lot of people) and also the missionaries taking lead on new convert lessons. We also need to focus efforts on strengthening the ward and leadership and working with the members. Why?
Because I'm not here, and anyone else on a mission isn't there to just baptize. We are here to help build Zion and establish the Lord's kingdom on the earth. I read Jacob 5 the other day and loved verses 71- to the end, that talked about the servants laboring and helping the branches become strong and bear good fruit. We don't build strong branches of the church just by baptizing, we do it by helping in all aspects. We retain, reactivate, and baptize all at once. It's a cool mentality, and requires a lot more strategic effort and a lot more revelation and patience. Not everything I do will I be able to quantify with numbers. But in the end, if Zion down here in Paraguay is a little stronger, and my converts really do get a grasp of what this gospel is about and stay strong and are able to one day enter the temple, then all is well!
Everyone, whether in this life or the next will be saved and have the opportunity to be baptized. But, not everyone will receive exaltation. Build Zion, and build stronger branches and wards. Help good fruit grow, full time missionary, or members.
Love the letters and hearing from you guys! I'd love to hear from more of you. Let me know if anything crazy happens in the news!
Much love, excitement and energy!
Suerte! Les Quiero!
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