Connor needs a maid!

This is his companion at their desk.

They wear coats indoors because there's very little heating.

Nov 4, 2013

Hola, hola, hola!

Thanks for all the emails! I get a lot more of them than my companion. His family doesn´t write him :/  They´re not members and I don´t think they really support that he´s serving a mission. I´m super grateful to read about everything. :) I know . . . I need to send more photos . . . it´s in the back of my mind.

The two packages you sent for Christmas and my birthday arrived a week ago, no joke! They´ve been sitting with my food waiting to be opened. Odd how it came so fast.

Last week, we had a zone capacitation with President Rappleye where we were all given red booklets titled "Adjusting to Missionary Life" It´s the coolest thing ever! It´s all about handling stress and has ideas for handling physical, social, intellectual, spiritual, and emotional problems that come up in the mission life. This is EXACTLY what was needed with all these new missionaries! Life as a missionary is super different, and sometimes I feel like a broken robot and it can get really rough. It´s an adjustment! I´ve been improving little by little as I´ve made little discoveries, but this capacitation that we had was the finishing boost. I feel awesome! My perspective is different. It helps as well that I can communicate in Spanish more confidently.

 

Several of the tips in the red book help me a ton, several of which I had to figure out on my own. For example, it took about 3 months to figure out what this book says 3 different times: not to worry about things I can´t control. It´s got a little part about talking to strangers, and another about learning from mistakes. It´s all stuff anyone can learn on their own, but it´s so awesome to have it written out! To quote another elder "This is what I needed this whole time!” To end the segment on stress, President Rappley read Section 122 with us. So powerful! Everything in this life is for your benefit. Believe it! It´s true!

 

President Rappleye also talked about leadership. I´m convinced that the best advice on leadership in the whole world is in D&C 121 (I think it starts at verse 42) all the way to the end of the section. The section describes two types of leaders, or rather, the qualities of two types of leaders. One type is very common in this world, and they can find lots of success that way, but the other type is the only one that can lead in the Kingdom of God. The other type is more difficult to be, but ultimately, it functions so much better! I encourage you to read those verses and discover it for yourselves :D

I want to include more of the little bits and day to day things in my emails.... but what to say......

I set a letter for Tommy on an ATM and forgot it there... oops...

There are also lots of drunk people in the streets, but it´s a lot worst in some other sectors. My MTC companion is in a town that is just packed with drunk people.

 

Sometimes dogs follow us (have I mentioned how many dogs there are? There are a TON!) Yesterday a dog tried crossing a busy street to follow us and got slammed pretty hard in the head by a car. I thought for sure it was going to die, but it just got up and ran back to its home. Dogs bark too much and I will never own a dog. Ever. ;)

 

I´ve taught some really crazy people. I love how logical the church is. A lot of people just talk about all sorts of stuff without purpose or point, trying to sound wise. Yesterday we taught someone who brought up the Holocaust, murderers in Africa, the Pope said there are extraterrestrials, all sorts of dramatic, shocking stuff that didn´t really point anywhere. It makes me a little sad because I know that´s how many false churches preach. They´re just super dramatic and get people hyped up with emotion, shouting and ranting about things that are shocking, convincing those who listen that the Holy Spirit is manifest when people are freaking out with emotion and blabbering in "tongues", but that´s not how it works! God has order and reason in his church! Everything he does is to help us become like Him.

Love you all,

the church is true,

and Chist is our savior.

-Elder Connor Christopherson