Monday, May 2, 2016

Getting better

Thanks for all of your fasts and prayers for my back. It is getting better. I feel good. Hermana Obeso reads radiographs and she looked at mine. She said it all looks healthy. The zone also had interviews with Presidente Obeso. Anyway, we know that this all went down with my back because of the weight of the backpack (which was normal, the same amount of weight all of the other missionaries use), not the best posture, and a whole lot of stress. Presidente just talked to me about stress. He just helped me with that. The muscles of my back were, ugh, I don’t know how to say this in English, like flexed a lot? Because of stress. And so that put strain on my back. So Presidente basically told me my special assignment right now is to just chill out and enjoy life to the maximum. Sounds great to me!

I just want to over emphasize how OK I am. My back is getting better.

The hermanas in my district made me a banner with a kind note on it and Mosiah 24: 12-17. It is something so small. But it helped me so much. I just felt loved by my Father in heaven, so grateful for the kind gesture. Wow, that meant so much! Ministering angels are people too.

Our zone leaders are literally our next door neighbors. There is just concrete wall that separates us so we chat all the time. Haha. Elder Davis has some primary songs that are mixed up and sound pretty gangster. It makes me laugh so hard. We had divisions with our zone leaders (Elders Davis and Garcia) and district leader (Elder Smith and Elder Salazar) this week.

This week, Elder Hobbs cut my hair. This time, I followed the cutting length suggestions on the box and they were way short. So that scared me to death when he took a picture of my hair and showed me.

I’m now 10 months old in the mission. Woot, woot.

So before I start talking more about my back, I want you all to chill out. It is all good. But I imagine we have shared a lot of the same thoughts. At the beginning of this week, my back hurt a lot (it is improving a lot!), and I was thinking about if I would have to go home. I was bummed out hardcore. I read Doctrine and Covenants 6:32-37. As I read, the Spirit punched home the phrases "no temáis, no tengáis miedo, y no temáis." "Don’t fear, don’t be afraid, don’t fear." God wants me to be at peace. Everything is part of His plan, and all will be well. Hearing the lyrics to I Know That My Redeemer Lives comforted me too.

With all of the time I have been in the house, and reading Jesus the Christ, it has been totally awesome. Yesterday I bore my testimony in church. Now as I talk about Christ or read about Him in the scriptures, I feel a deeper relationship with Him. Like I know Him as a person. My testimony has been growing.

To help cope with stress better, I started a study and told God that I was going to make a plan to help. I told Him that I was thinking of praying or reciting a scripture or singing a hymn to help. Then the Spirit reminded me of an activity I saw in the Adjusting to Missionary Life book that would help. It was a testimony to see God is helping me in my plans.

Yesterday in fast and testimony meeting, Elder Hobbs also bore his testimony. He said that if we are feeling discouraged, angry, hopeless, frustrated, or anything else, we just have to do the things to that will help us feel the love of God. I felt the Spirit very strong because I have been frustrated with my own weaknesses. I thanked him after.


Elder West

A micro