So What We Go Out

Chile coastline

Well, I know I talk about my companion's injured feet all the time, but this week they really...hit the road hard man! He's upright and mobile! That's right - his feet healed up enough for us to go out into the streets and talk to people all over the place.

We've been on it too. We've been organizing ourselves, praying our guts out, talking to anyone we come across. My scripture studies have been good. I've been practicing bearing a heartfelt testimony and being spiritually prepared to give it. I'm even exercising in the freezing winter mornings. In short, I feel awesome!

There's only one problem: we can't find anyone to teach.

With Elder Call.

It's no joke. We have had other companionships of elders come into our area to help us out and the results are the same. Nada. Zilch. Zero. We even have worked through a list of all those in this ward that need the priesthood still, but the guys on this list either don't live here, aren't home, or their address doesn't exist.

In fact, since we have been following the Mission President's new guidelines, our numbers have not only not improved, they have gotten worse. It's not the instructions' fault, and it's not our fault. It's something else. Weird.

But the work continues! While pretty much all the answers this week have been "No," I think doors are starting to open, and I hope to see the fruits of that.

For instance, Pablo (the man with the rough childhood that I helped find while on an exchange in another area) got baptized this week! What a treasure to know that I helped find him!

In other news, the ward family home evening the other night debuted a new hip-hop prodigy. It's a lovely four year old girl who treated us all to her rendition of a Wiz Khalifa hit. Here's a few of the memorable lines that she sang: "So what we get drunk. So what we smoke weed. We're just havin' fun, we don't care who see. So what we go out. That's how it's supposed to be. Living young and wild and free." Since she sang in English, I don't think anybody knew what she was singing.

with Elder Contreras and Toffee Peanuts

Comic relief for an otherwise challenging week(s).

But you know, missions are not supposed to be easy partly because Christ's Atonement was never easy. If we want to help in the salvation of others we must learn to take upon us a tiny bit of that burden. I hope I am up to that responsibility. 

I know that God lives, Jesus is the Christ, miracles exist, and that His Church is on the Earth today and this is it.

Love, 

Elder Connor Nef