Heyoo,
As a missionary I have found out really quick that
things can change for the worst in an instant.... Our 4 Fechas
(baptismal date people) all fell this week. 2 of them we found out were lying about being married cause they really like missionaries
passing by and all the missionaries stop coming by cause they are Con
Vive (with living) so they felt the need to lie to us... Pucha.... That's
kinda sad.... And the 16 year old, Eli. We found out she has some....
worldly problems.... she doesn't want to give up. Pucha X2... And Jessica
doesn't want to give up smoking... So this week was dedicated to finding finding finding. On Thursday
we spent 9 hours walking and touching (knocking) doors, talking to
people in the street, talking to people in the Feria (a 2 mile long giant Chilean garage sale. It's actually pretty dope) and trying to find
new investigators... Missionary work can be tough at times. But life is
good. We are working super hard.
As a mission we have a ¨vision¨and in the past with our
other president it was to baptize baptize baptize!! And some missionaries
did it at all costs, sadly. Even if some of the people weren't ready.
Missionaries were so worried about their ¨numbers¨and would try to have
as many baptisms at the end of 2 years as possible. Yes, the people here
need to enter into that ¨door¨of baptism but we need to make sure they
are going to stay on the path. A lot of missionaries in the past would
have a ton of baptisms but only about 7 percent would still be active at
the end of their mission... Very sad...
Coming into the mission that
was not my goal and seeing all these Elders who just wanted to baptize baptize kinda was hard for me. I made it a goal to have GOOD converts in
the church that will grow up and be Bishops and Relief Society
President and raise their kids to do the same. And with our new president came that vision to have GOOD converts. And work with the
members so our converts will have a friend in church and stay on the
path! I'm not worried about the quantity of my baptisms. If I end up with
6 baptisms but all of them are converted into the church, I will be more
than pleased with my 2 years spent here. Obviously I'm going to try and baptize as much but make sure that they are ready!! Sorry I just wanted
to share that little message with you all haha.
I love being a
missionary. I remember honking at the 2 Elders in white shirts walking
in the streets and now... I'm that Elder that the people honk and wave at
:) It brings a smile to my face every time. It's a small reminder of why I
am here on the mission. I hope all is well back home. Lots of bad in
the world, but please stay close to the church and help the members,
Menos activos, and investigators come a little closer to Christ cada
dia. I love you all so much and thank our Heavenly Father for such an
AMAZING group of family and friends in my life. Life is good.
Elder Paxman
2 comments:
So sorry all your baptisms fell through. So sad when people who have the opportunity don't understand and embrace the joy that could be theirs. I know you are doing a great work and that you are helping people even though times can be rough. I love your approach to baptisms. Just remember, "Your success as a missionary is measured primarily by your commitment to find, teach, baptize and confirm people and to help them become faithful members of the Church who enjoy the presence of the Holy Ghost." (PMG p10) It's your commitment that matters. You are doing that. Also glad you are adhering to the advice on page 10 of PMG: "You should not, however, become discouraged; discouragement will weaken your faith." Proud of you. Keep on doing this great work. Love to You, Grams
Elder,
I love your attitude on getting people into the water. It is so important that they are truly converted. Only they can really know it is true. All you can do is give them the opportunity. It is so important for members to accept the opportunity to socialize with them and help them make the transition. This is an age-old problem all over the world. I love you Elder Paxman, and I am very proud of you for making a difference in people's lives. Thank goodness you are never alone!
G-Pa Cable
Post a Comment