This has been a great week. It started off with intercambios, which is when missionaries exchange companions for a day with one of the zone leaders. I was able to learn so much from one of the Hermana leaders, Hna Rasmussen! (I am pretty sure that she has a mission blog online.) It was a bigger relief than I thought it would be to speak English, and we shared some spiritual experiences that have motivataed me to reach my potential as a missionary.
Up to the day of exchanges I think that I was getting into a bad mind-set with the quality of my Spanish. When you are with a latina companion it is easy to compare yourself with her Spanish, which is really unfair. And I realized this during the day with Hna R, because I felt so inspired to see another NorteAmericana reaching out to the people so simply and easily - and she was touching their hearts! Often times I feel thta I cant exactly seve as I would if I could speak as well as a native, but I am seeing that this kind of thinking is wrong.
The big thin that Ive been pondering about is how I can give my all to serving the Lord. Hna Rasmussen and I talked about this a lot during our day, and she gave me a talk to read called, ´´The Fourth Missionary'' by Lawrence E. Cambridge (a past mission president). He gives four levels of converted missionaries. Each example has imperfections, hopes, and dreams, but only one truly seeks to lose himself in the work. This Fourth Missionary not only gives of his might, time, and talents (things given to us by the Lord), but of his heart and will (things God does not yet own). For two years he chooses to put his dreams and desires on a shelf in order to do the Will of the Lord. In returen for this complete surrender, the Lord is able to make this missionary into something else - more like the Savior.
I love this quote by CS Lewis:
(In the perspective of God)
''Give my all. I dont want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work: I want You. All of you. I have not come to toment or frustrate the natural man, but to kill it. No half measures will do. I dont want to only prune a branch here and another there; rather, I want the whole tree out. Hand it over to me, the whole of it, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turnthem all over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will shall become your will. My heart, shall become your heart.´´ (Mere Christianity)
The great challenge4 of this life is more than just enduring. We are to strive to be like Christ, which means that we must also surrender our will to the Father. It is easier said than done, but as in all things, Christ is our Exemplar.
Did Christ lose anything from submitting Himself to Heavenly Father?
He only gave Him the green light to make Himself (Jesus Christ) into something more than He was.
´´If you surrender, if the Lord wins, you win also.'' (Matt 16:26, 1Cor 2:9)
If this is the case, is giving of our will and heart really a sacrifice at all? Deep stuffs to consider!
I would like to write more about mine and Hna Chipunavi´s investigators this week, but I have run out of time. I am so sorry for being lame in writing about the people we teach!!! Next week will be better for sure!
Love you all!
Hermana Arroyo
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