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| Munoz Family |
So, Elder Guzman is officially home. He was a great comp. We worked, and we both got to know ourselves better. I think we both helped the other come unto Christ and to know more about Heavenly Father and His love for us. I hope he is doing well and continuing on the path he was on
SO. on P-Days we always get emails back from President. On Monday he said, among other things, "Good luck with your new assignment. It will be a great learning experience." So I was trying to think what that could possibly mean.... Monday night, after we got back to the pension, I got a call from President King. Usually the Assistants call the Zone Leaders who call the District Leaders who call the missionaries who have changes. President King calls missionaries when they move to Senior Companion, District Leader, Zone Leader, or something special like that. So when I got a call, I thought, "Woah! I´m going to move to senior comp! or something like that." But no. "Elder Moffat, I´ve prayed a lot about this, and I would like to call you to be the next mission secretary." And then he went on to tell me of how he received the impression to call me, and all the pressure I´d be under to keep all 180+ missionaries legal in Chile--visas, passports, carnets, etc.-- along with doing a lot of other office stuff. But he thinks I can do it. So that was pretty cool. And judging from past office elders, I have big shoes to fill. A lot were ex District Leaders and ex Zone Leaders and I was able to work with some of them, and they were just spectacular elders!
So, I´m the new mission secretary here in the office in Maipú. I just ordered my international drivers license, and yes, I will be driving all over Santiago. The van (automatic) or the truck (stickshift!), depending on what´s available. My comp is Elder Gimenez, from Argentina. But he speaks pretty good English, too, and we´re getting along great. He was the old Mission Secretary, and this change he´s "training" me on all the stuff I need to know how to do. So really, there are 2 secretaries this change. In the office, there are basically 3 positions that are filled by the Elders: Secretary; retention/references/pedidios; and medical/pensions. But there are always 4 Elders. The next one leaving and the newest one have the same position and are comps, and the other 2 are comps. For Example. I´m with elder Gimenez, and we´re the secretaries. Elder Wharton is the references guy, And Elder Wheelwright is the medical guy. Next change, Elder Wheelwright will be with his replacement, and I´ll be with elder Wharton. The change after, Elder Wharton will be training his replacement, and I´ll be with the new Medical guy. and my 4th change in the office, I´ll train my replacement, and then I´m out. So I have a pretty good idea of where I´ll be for the next 6ish months. We wake up, get ready, all that, personal study from 9-10, then come into the Office and start working. That can be on the computer, that can be going out and doing legal visa stuff, that can be going to the Area Office over in Providencia (Santiago East Mission), or doing a bunch of other necessary things. Usually (I´m told), we go out and start working in the sector around 6 or 7. Yes. in addition to all the office stuff we have to do, We have a proselyting area with our ward and members and investigators, and all the normal missionary stuff. AND. this change was special. because President King changed which sectors the Office elders worked in. SO Elder Gimenez and I had to whitewash a sector--meaning we´re both new to the sector. and it was Elder Fuhriman´s sector! My Trainer!! it´s pretty nuts.
So this week, for example, we have sent in 8-10 visa applications, I went to presidents house to help with a presentation to the new Latin missionaries who just got to the mission that morning, I also ate lunch there, we met a few people from the ward, Maipú, in the Maipú stake (HEY can you get the address of Brother Silva´s family?!? I´ll go visit them if they´re in my sector!!), I went to the Area office, bought some things in the distribution center, taught some lessons to some really friendly inactives, and today, Saturday, we had P-Day. We went to the "feria," or the street market, and it´s NUTS. lots of people, lots of types of people. yeahhh...... but I bought 2 Mate cups, a bombilla (straw), some yerba, 2 ties (200 Pesos/50 cents each), and some comfy wool slipper things. oh yeah. cheap, good stuff.
So that´s what´s going on here in my life. yep. I hope you all are doing well, and that all your camps and trips and all that go well!!
AND LUKE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!! 9 years OLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But I´d like to share a scripture with you that I read this morning. Mormon wrote his son, Moroni, and said, "I am mindful of you always in my prayers, continually praying unto God the Father in the name of his Holy Child, Jesus, that he, through his infinite goodness and grace, will keep you through the endurance of faith on his name to the end." I hope you´re praying for me, and I hope you know that I am mindful of you always in my prayers, praying continually that God will bless you and help you keep going in the faith forever. That is my prayer. and I also know that all over the Book of Mormon we find things we can relate and apply to our lives. I hope you´re reading the Book of Mormon and not shrugging it off as something that you should do, but don´t always do. I hope you realize it´s something you need to do. So, as a missionary of Jesus Christ, I invite you to read the Book of Mormon and treasure up the words of life.
I love you all,
Elder Cole Moffat
