Then Thursday came. We got up early got all spiffed up, got to the chapel early. I practiced a little bit with the choir (because they decided to put mics up at the last minute, so we had to see how it sounded with the mics...LAME). When the meeting finally started I was so tired, yet as the meeting got going I was filled with energy and excitement to hear an Apostle of the Lord speak to me. The choir I was in sang "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus" and it was fantastic. A number of people spoke, then Elder Christofferson stood up and first told us that as a choir we sang the best of any group of missionaries he had seen in the world. I cried a little bit. I was so nervous that the song was not going to sound like we would like it to sound, but apparently he was thoroughly impressed. What a miracle of faith that was.
He didn't really prepare a message for us, he simply wanted to answer any questions we might have had that he could answer for us. So, as a result we discussed the meaning of a testimony and conversion. In short, someone may have a testimony but may not be fully converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I never thought of it like that; often times we believe that the two come hand in hand, yet they do not. For instance, someone may say that they know that the Book of Mormon is true, but if they have a problem with the knowledge of living prophets, or do not pay their tithing, they are not truly converted. He told us that one easy way to know if we have been truly converted to the gospel if the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. If we have Him as our constant guide/help, it is evident that we are living in a way such that we are blessed to have a member of the Godhead dwell within us, to guide us, inspire us and comfort us.
Before leaving Nicaragua, Elder Christofferson made a statement to the Mission President about the mission. He said that he is content with the work that we are doing, and that we need to simply continue baptising families. He also said that when he walked into the chapel, he could feel the Spirit very strongly and that upon seeing our faces he was stunned. He said that there was a glow about the missionaries, and some of them truly shined. Something like "sus rostros brillaron", i.e. their countenances shone. It made me happy thinking that our mission made so much of an impact on him, hopefully he saw a bit of light in me too! :)
This week we have hit a milestone in the mission. We have baptized 68 families as a mission (282 baptisms). That is amazing. We have the highest amount of families baptized per mission in all of Latin America, quite possibly the world. I was AMAZED. We have been wanting this goal since October, and we have achieved it. Now I'm just finishing up some reports for the mission and making sure that they can be updated easier. But, OH MY GOSH. I was working on some reports Sunday evening and I noticed something odd...so I opened almost every single monthly report since June 2009. Upon reviewing the information I realized that every single month had problems with formulae, with numbers from the mission, and that every 3-6 months the entire format would change. I started thinking about how I might POSSIBLY be able to get around that problem, and I realized that the only way to do that would be to go through the baptismal registries that we have in another room (the dungeon) of the office. And, due to the limited time left (changes are next Tuesday), I am forced to just enter the poor information into the reports. Oh well, they just want them done, and I guess I'll finish them with the information that they have so graciously given me.
Well family, friends, countrymen, students.......I love you all so much. Thank you for your support and your love and prayers. I love this country, I love this Gospel, I love my Saviour and I know that He lives. I love the Book of Mormon and all of the wonderful stories, revelation and doctrine that is contains.
Until...well, Saturday! (hopefully I will actually get to email this Saturday)
