It´s been another exciting week here at the CCM, and it also is the mark of my halfway point here - three more weeks and I´m Provo bound! But as for life here, the Spanish is coming along well, and I´ve been putting a lot of effort into using different tense and throwing myself at las escrituras and recorded Spanish lessons to learn how to handle more realistic Spanish. The Spirit continues to manifest and testify as it will, in ways big and small, strong and soft. My companions and I are all getting much closer and working out differences that now seem far behind us. I was able to give another blessing this week to an Hermana in our district. My first time doing a blessing of comfort and it gave me a strong witness about the service power of the Priesthood. This made me all the more stoked to head out into the mission field. Gym time has been filled with ultimate frisbee as well, which makes every day that much more enjoyable. And our P-day Eve party last night cemented my tradition which has spread around the CCM. #leavingmymark #yolo-swag #ridiculous-aspects-of-youth-
The main highlight of this week, of course, was General Conference, which we were able to view in its entirety in English (thank goodness, I ain´t nearly that good yet). The most important points, in my humble opinion, were the LDS World Reports afterwards where they did a special on the CCM (look it up!) and Elder Valenzuela´s talk where he talked about the CCM. Needless to say, cheers erupted from the otherwise quiet congregation of missionaries when it showed up, but otherwise I was able to get a lot from Conference. I came into Conference with 5 different questions, all basically centered on How could I become a better missionary, with emphasis on being Christ-like, loving others, teaching skills/styles, and utilizing the spirit. In the end, all my questions were all answered perfectly, and I wrote an extensive answer to each in my journal, from which I´ll share a few thoughts now:
President Monson mentioned that Christ was the ultimate teacher, which I realized means both in style AND method (for example, having charity and boldness, and using parables/stories and deep, provocative questions and statements). Thus emulating him becomes our ultimate goal as a Missionary in more ways than one, as Elder McConkie talked a lot about. President Eyring said that God has devised a plan to save each of his children, and promised us that the Lord will give us, if we ask for it in prayer, the same feelings of love for others that He has for them. This is a mighty powerful tool for anyone, but especially a missionary. Additionally, the concept of patience and time as a constant that we must both endure and rely on in learning and teaching was conveyed to me by many speakers. The Love of Christ and the reciprocal drawing near that he does as well serve him was also very prevalent to me. Elder Ballard mentioned praying for missionary opportunities, which I must admit completely slipped my mind, at least in that explicit of terms. Elder Maynes compared life to an endurance race, which with cross country experience behind me brought up a whole host of metaphors and connections, like spiritual stamina and toughness, pace and rest, and many more that I didn´t even get the chance to write down. Elder Holland and Uchtdorfs talks were great, as usual, and gave advice and perspectives on topics that I could easily encounter out in the field, and there were many other spiritual gems that I picked up from almost every talk.
All of this was cemented by Tuesday night's devotional, which was a recording of a talk Elder Holland gave to the Provo MTC. It was a great experience, coming both post-conference and at my literal halfway point in the CCM. The biggest point he made is that we are to come back different forever after our missions. I had never considered that as explicitly as it was stated, and it was great to review my life before and the person I was, who for all intents and purposes I thought would be the same person as when I finished. So, I considered all the things that would be better, and all the things I would add to the personality I already have developed. It was a moment for reflection and pause, and has fueled more diligent work efforts here in the CCM.
And so, I barrel on, hoping to pick up as much as I can know before I´m thrown to the wolves. Thank you, as mentioned in Conference several times, for the support, love, and prayers from all of you. As only one Elder of many missionaries, I will do my best to take that genuine and precious sentiment and divine responsibility as far as I can.
Thanks to all,
Elder Martin
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