WOW! I loved talking with all of you. That was a highlight of the week. It is wonderful to see how you are all doing so well and that you are all very happy. I´m happy too! I love that I have a family that is so supportive and loves me so much, know that I appreciate everything that you do... including that Mom and Dad still wrote me last night even when we had just talked a few hours earlier, thank you mom and Dad!
This week, two new missionaries were sent to our ward to open a new sector. It was something completely unexpected, one of the assistants called me during the lunch hour and told us that we needed to get everything ready for two new missionaries that would be arriving in Sicuani at about 8 oclock at night, they also said that we would be splitting up our companionship, and each of us would be taking one of the new missionaries. My companion took a brand new missionary to change and I took an Elder Vasquez that was transfered from the mission columbia Barrancia for health. It has been was fun showing them the sector, it is always exciting when you get to learn from another missionary. Everyone teaches in their own specific way, and it is fun to see the way that these people bring the spirit into a lesson. Elder Vasquez is very good at inviting the spirit.
Elder Vasquez and I had an interesting experience teaching a man and his family that I think i told you about yesterday. Rarely have I had a moment to argue with someone during my mission, but as I was telling you yesterday, the Lord sometimes asks us to speak forcefully to people who reject gospel truths. This man needed to be burned (with love) a little and have his eyebrows singed... the spirit moved me to speak to him, but the words that I spoke were not my own. Nobody rejects a true testimony, because it is a conviction that one receives from the holy spirit, and the holy spirit testifies of all truth. I love that many times when all the information seems to be confusing and the doctrine difficult to understand, the spirit helps me to feel that what I am saying is true, and that makes all of the difference.
Mom and Dad maybe just for you... your discretion. Many times here I feel like it is difficult for the missionaries to find themselves with the spirit, or that there are so many concerns for living in a third world country, and dealing with people and missionaries from another nationality that there are problems with obedience or with concentracion on the mission. This has been very frustrating. The other day a missionary was talking with his family in an international call box and I was looking out onto the street... I asked my Heavenly Father what he thought of the situation, and how he viewed the circumstances that I was in. A few distinct impressions came to my mind. The first was " This is your mission, if I had wanted to send you to another place where the circumstances were different I would have done it, don´t think that I dont appreciate your efforts or that they are ´not good enough´, I put you here because you are the best I have for this place" The other feeling that I had had to do with my patriarchal blessing, which tells me that with time i will be able to associate with people who are committed to the standards and principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I feel that the Lord is very pleased with my work, and that he only asks that I keep trying to be better.
I love you all!
Elder Neff
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