On wednesday we had my first mission leadership council! It happens at the beginning of every month and all of the zone leaders and sister leaders from Pucallpa, Tarapoto, and Moyobamba fly in, which is super fun to see friends that have been off in other cities in the jungle! There we present our zones results for the month, discuss the challenges and successes and as a council come up with solutions. Then President and the AP's give trainings so it basically lasts all day--it was pretty awesome. On thursday we had a work visit with the sisters from area Secoya, Hermana Rodriguez and Hermana Blackmore. Hermana Burrell went to their area and Hermana Blackmore came to 9 de Octubre with me. She is so so sweet and awesome! I think I got to help her a little bit with some of the challenges she's been facing so it was cool to have my first work visit and help the hermanas and set goals with them also. Later we had to visit the sisters in Secada and the next day we had to take the sisters in San Juan to the clinic, so they've been keeping us pretty busy this week.
I'm loving loving loving our area, it smells bad and there's literally a river of garbage and yet to me it's the most beautiful place ever. As far as work goes, were kind of trying to resucitate the area because we recently just split it and there weren't many people being taught on what is now our half, but it definitely has a ton of potential. Our investigator Laura is getting baptized on Saturday, got postponed for stake conference and she is stoked! She was telling us yesterday that people were saying bad things to her about the church and so she started having doubts, but then she always grabs her Book of Mormon and the spirit testifies to her that it's true. She is an exscellent lady and extremely prepared.
On Saturday and Sunday we had the 9 de Octubre Stake conference, which was so fun because I got to see everyone I love so much from Las Colinas ward. All the members and my convert families were in church (that's a victory here in Iquitos with the 30% convert retention rate) yay!!! I got to see me and Hermana Centeno's recent converts the Torres Amias Family and Guido and Betsi and the kids. I am filled with so much love for these people, honestly. When I got there saturday night at the stake center Guido and Betsi were waiting there with the kids and the girls ran up when they saw me and it was so so sweet!! Mi leche!!!!! haha They were super sweet and gave me a stuffed turtle and a really really cute turtle necklace and earrings...love 'em so much! That was an awesome 'I love my mission' moment.
So not going to lie, I was starting to feel a bit burnt out. Coming to a new area always exhausts me I don't know why. Like the thing is I have such huge desires to serve with all my might and I try to but sometimes we try to run a little bit faster than we can. After running on full speed for months and months and months it starts to wear down on you. I talked to Hermana Burrell (who has 14 months so she knows what I'm feeling too) and we were kind of on the same page. We'd been a bit more sluggish the last week walking a bit slower, walking past people without talking to them and it had affected the spirit. We really got to talking in our conmpanion study and we both simultaneously received the same revelation through the Book of Mormon in our morning studies: Faith, Patience, and Diligence. Like honestly I was reading the end part of Alma chapter 32 and it kept repeating the words faith patience and dilligence and I thoughbt back to a district leader of mine that would always make me repeat that when I was having a difficult time "Fe, Paciencia, Diligencia" and I would kind of just do it robotically like 'yeah whatever, Elder" but then up until this moment I don't think it ever got through to me. If I don't have faith we aren't going to have miracles, If I'm not dilligent we won't find people to teach, and If I'm not patient I'm gonna burn out. It was excellent for us and now thats our new motto "Fe, Paciencia, Diligencia". I love the Book of Mormon, it is such a source of revelation, inspiration, and it feeds a weary soul. From that moment we jusat worked to have the spirit and that made all the difference. When we study well in the morning, the spirit accompanies us the rest of the day and we find the energy and power source to do so far beyond our own capacity. We're feelin' good now, ennabling power of the atonement.
Haz lo justo!
Hermana Benyo
1. 9 de Octubre on the river
2. Me and the tree of life
3. Me and the Itaya River
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4. At stake conference with converts Guido and Betsi (they gave me the necklace and earrings I'm wearing, they are super cute, love 'em!)
5. Me and Hermana Burrell at my first monthly mission leadership council
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