Well this was one of the best weeks in my mission. Tons of work, lots of success, and things just keeping getting better. Still using the dirty toothbrush, My companion is so awesome I love the dude to death, and Life is amazing. Couple of experiences this week.
Two of our investigators are going to be baptized this Saturday! After a long time of not having the support from the family, they finally received the approval and now Cynthia and her sister Andrea are going to be baptized this weekend! It was so awesome when the broke us the news. Cynthia, who is 19, said that she sat her mom down, told her how she felt and bore her testimony of the church, and her mom finally gave her the ok. She was so excited when she told us, and ahhhh I just love seeing the happiness in peoples eyes when they really want to do what is right. Its an indescribable feeling.
Another cool moment was in church yesterday. We brought tons of people who are not members, we had a ton of people who are less active, and all of the members of our ward were supporting us. It was the best Sunday I have had in my mission. There was a moment when I sat down in my seat, took a break, and feeling so happy with the perfect scene before me, just thought to myself, "God spoils me way too much." God really does bless me with so many joys that I cant even start to count them. Ahhh life is just so good.
Something that I have been thinking about lately is what it really means to be a Full-time missionary. Just because I am here on my mission and living in Mexico for two years, does not necessarily make me a full time missionary. I am a full time missionary when I am fully giving all of my time to God. This would include trips to the store to buy food, walking in the street to an appointment, taking the bus across town. If I am not actively engaged in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in every moment, then I would not consider myself a Full time missionary, rather a part time missionary living full time in Mexico. However, when I signed up to do this, I promised God that I would be his servant, at all times. So this week, I tried to understand my missionary calling a little more by applying this to what I do. As I boarded a bus for an appointment we had, instead of sitting down and looking outside the window, I chose to be a missionary. I paid my fee, and then shouted with a loud voice, to a bus full of people, "Buenos dias, hermanos y hermanas!" Honestly, I was a little nervous, but all I needed to do was say these words, and the rest just came out naturally. I proceeded to sum up the message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and why I had decided to leave my home and it with the world. Everyone on the bus looked at me, some smiling, some thinking I was annoying, and one older man staring at me with a somewhat odd smirk. When I finished talking, I went down the line asking if anyone would be interested in listening to our message, and not a single person said yes. I was a little bummed, but proud that I had shown to my God that I am his servant at all times. As a little reward, it turns out that the man who had been staring at me with a peculiar look on his face told me he was a member, after I had asked him if he wanted to listen to our message. He then told me that he had never seen a missionary do what I did, and he applauded me for my efforts.
Although I didn't see any immediate results from shouting to a bunch of people in Spanish on a bus, I was happy to have stepped outside my comfort zone and expanded my capabilities as a servant of the Lord.
I absolutely love being a missionary. And not just a few hours or days of the week, but at all times. There is no happiness like what I am finding here.
Love you all!
Elder Bernal
Inspiration for the Week:
"There is no growth inside the comfort zone."
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