Weekly Letter: September 14-20, 2010

So, yeah, we´ve had a bunch of rain these last few weeks. I have been very well aware of the hurricanes in Veracuz and Tabasco Mexico. It sounds like the latest one in Veracruz was pretty strong and left quite a few people homeless. It´s interesting because many of the Elders here have homes in Veracruz or Tabasco. There´s a joke here that if you´re not from Utah, you´re from Veracruz. Elder Gamez would be an exception to that, but his family lives in Tabasco, which is just south of the state of Veracruz in Mexico, so I figure it´s close enough.

So basically, I thought the rainy season would have ended by now, but it still shows not sign of slowing, basically every afternoon, it rains, many time really strong. Actually more than a few people here expressed their concerns about the Bicentenario celebration in Zócalo (that was in our Zone, but, of course, we couldn´t go.) that it would be rained out. However, things remained more or less clear that day. It rained a little at about 5 or 6 in the afternoon, but it wasn´t strong and it didn´t compete with the celebration at 10:00 that night.

But yeah, ¡Happy 200th, mexico! We as elders weren´t able to do much work that night, so we got together as a Zone to have....basically a barbecue, but in a Mexican way. It was a great opportunity to interact, especially because we knew by then that the cambios (transfers) were going to be the following Monday....which is today.

Anyway, I´ll give you the news right now. I have been changed to my second area. We´re to report to Camarrones for the changes, I´m going to have lug all my luggage, and then from their, I´m going to Toluca Centro. Everybody here tells me one of three things when I tell them this: It´s far away, It´s really cold, or It´s far away and really cold. So I guess I might be going somewhere really far away, and might be a little cold. Anyway, they tell me there are a lot of mountains there, so I´ll try to take some pictures on the way.

I´m going to be received by Elder Chavez. He´s going to be senior comp even though he only has 5 months. When my companion was talking on the phone about the changes he at first didn´t want to tell me the news. When he told me that he had less time than I did I started to worry and I asked him who was senior. He told me that Elder Chavez was. Actually, I found it a relief that I wasn´t going to leave my first area in the mission as senior companion. Everyone was telling me that that was going to happen, but I didn´t feel right about it. I was worried, more than I should have been. I feel that I have more to learn from another area as junior companion, so I´m thankful that the Lord is giving me the opportunity to serve in this way.

I also believe that it will be a chance to grow in my humility. Even though I don´t want to think about it, that fact of having a Senior comp that has less time in the mission as you do can be a sting in pride. I have seen many people that have felt that way and I never wanted that to happen to me, because I know that if I´m in that situation I need to learn from it, and I can´t do that if I´m too prideful. As I mentioned earlier, my first reaction on hearing that news was relief, but I´m ashamed to say that I did focus a little in that he had less time than me. However, I soon turned to the Lord and asked for the help to accept this assignment and support my new companion. (who probably just became senior companion in this change with me and needs my support in being such....just as I would need help in his situation) Right now I can honestly say that all my feelings of jealousy or pride that could have overridden me have disappeared miraculously. How great miracles the Lord can work within a person when he is willing and to change!

I also am really excited for my companion who got raised up this change. (I don´t like using that term, but it´s what all the missionaries say here.) It came from the many changes that our mission president made in the mission this change. Before this change, in one of the districts in a zone, the junior Zone Leader doubled as district leader in his district. The district here in Plateros was one of these districts. Now, the two Zone Leaders in Puerta Grande are equals in their station, and there is another district leader aside.....i.e.: Elder Gamez.

I have two very quick, and funny comments about this. One, is that he brought this on himself. I mentioned earlier that he really renewed my faith in this area in Plateros, that I had been bored with and had thought there couldn´t be much success here. One time he said "It can have a lot of success, I think it can even be an area of leaders" in the mission, the leaders don´t have much time to work with people, but manage to still maintain a good or higher-than-average level of success(Puerta Grande that baptized more than 20 this change is a good example of this). So when he became the district Leader, I told him "It´s a great area, I think it can even be an area of Leaders." He, however, (who didn´t like the idea of this new calling) laughed very weakly, and said, "I guess I brought this on myself." I assured him that it was simply revelation.

The second thing that is funny comes from the fact of my history in companions. Elder Javier, right now, is still in Lerma, as District Leader, Elder Childers (before he left today) was in Clavaria Camarrones...as District Leader, and now, thanks to the changes, Elder Gamez is still in Plateros, but as District Leader. Man! I really feel sorry for this Elder Chavez, he´s going to have less time in the mission that I have right now and he´s going to become District Leader, too! (if my history continues in this direction.)

So yeah, I was really happy to hear about that. Elder Gamez didn´t like the idea very much, but he´s willing to work in that calling, and as I said before, I feel he already has been shaped into being the District Leader that is needed right now

Well, it looks like I´ve run out of time. Thank you all for all your prayers. Please help me with this new change. It will definitely be a change.

Cariños,

Elder Blackham