Highs & Lows

What a Crazy week. Its been the highest of highs, to the lowest of lows and back again. 

 

The week started off pretty well. We had a great PDay chilling with the South Elder before Elder Reidhead would be transferred. We also had a lesson set up with Carlos and a Spanish speaking member to help us out. Well that didn't go so well. In fact, it was one of the hardest experiences on my mission thus far. Due to a strange and sad series of events, Carlos decided to drop us. I was pretty crushed. I'd already come to love the guy and wanted to much to help him out. But Satan has a way of entering into people hearts and turning them away. Elder Heiner had been feeling down already due to some pretty nasty doors and just general lack of success in this area. After Carlos, I was pretty low too. 

 

We got up Wednesday morning, neither having much to say or to do with each other. It was just a depressing day. I felt so helpless in knowing what to do besides pray and read the scriptures. It helped, but the weight of the previous days events still hung heavy over us. I had to make it to a doctors appointment in order to be officially discharged from the Doctors care. On the way there we got a unexpected phone call from the Assistants. Elder Leah would be staying with us for a few days. Most people had expected for Elder Leah to be released from assistant since he's been there quite a while, but instead a new one was called and they became a Tripanionship (3 serving together). We soon learnt why. After my appointment we picked him up and headed back. We went out to work, but were still dragging around our pity party balloons by our heels. Thanks to his motivation we were still able to make a successful evening out of it.

 

The next morning during Weekly planning he addressed us forwardly. President Pitt had sent him to Evaluate the area because of its struggles over the past year. It had picked up since Elder Heiner and I have been together but we still weren't producing much fruit. But Elder Leah wasn't sent to rebuke us. He came to build us up and improve where we'd fallen short. It was still a tough pill for us to swallow, and a very humbling experience, but it also came as an answer to many prayers. Not only did it come at an Ideal time to build us up at our lowest of lows, but I'd been praying for months to the Lord to help make me a more effective missionary. I'll admit, this is the hardest work I've ever had to do. Its draining physically, mentally and emotionally. It makes getting up at 6:30am to work in the cold at the concrete pipe plant seem like child's play. I was in good spirits, but still knowing that I was not achieving my potential when it mattered most. But the Lord Answered my prayers. He just had to bring my low enough to do it. I don't know that if Carlos hadn't dropped us if I'd have been as willing to take Elder Leah's Advice. But I'm glad it all worked out the way it did.

 

Even more so because since we had that meeting, the Lord has blessed us. We went out and worked hard all that day and the day after and I saw more success than I've ever seen. We have 3 new investigators, 3 baptismal dates, 10 Books of Mormon given out, and a list of over 10 people to go back and Visit. This has been the hardest week of my mission, but it has also been my best. Funny how that works. I Know I'm still going to struggle at becoming a better missionary, and with people dropping us and low times, but I know too that the Lord has my back and I can always rely on him. Its built my testimony and given me strength to carry on. 

 

Thank you for all the prayers that come my way from home. I Love each one and need them.

 

Love Elder Sunada