Donde estan the sister missionaries?

What a week, so much happened I don’t even know where to begin.

All right I’ll start with Tuesday. Tuesday we taught a new investigator Paola. She’s super awesome, she’s read all the way through 1 Nephi 10. It’s so awesome she understands everything and loves the book of Mormon. She went to church the first time yesterday and she loved it! SCORE! 

Wednesday was flippin’ BA-NANAS YA’LL! I can’t even begin to describe it. It started off with us doing errands for President and Sister Prince with some glasses that a missionary ordered from here in Bugalagrande. Then we had interviews with investigators in Andalucia for baptism. The sister missionaries came down from Zarzal to help teach. They went and taught Paola with us and they taught forever! After 2 1/2 hours Elder Chamorro and I started slapping each other hard and then saying, GOT IT! Little mosquito don’t worry, hahahah (I am assuming this is a Colombian thing?) When the sister missionaries were done we realized that it was 8. We were all like crap there’s no buses that go to Zarzal at that time. So we made our way to Tuluá which is the zone south of us. We asked them if they wouldn’t mind staying with the sister trainers in Tuluá when we were in the taxi going there, in response Sister Deleón started to giggle and said she had splits with the sister trainers that night. Elder Chamorro and I were like OH NO, CALL THEM NOW. We called them to find out that they were already in Zarzal waiting for our sister missionaries. There are no buses at that hour to go from Zarzal to Tuluá. And they didn’t have keys to the apartment in Zarzal either. Elder Chamorro and I are now freaking out. We sent the sisters to the other sister missionaries in the Tuluá Zone and told the sister trainers to pay the taxi to get here fast, 70 thousand pesos and an hour and half later they arrived safe and sound at like 10:30...yikes. However everyone was freaking out saying where are the sisters?! Everyone is all right now, just a typical Elder Lyle moment WOO! 

Saturday was crazy as well it was the last day of the mission for Elder Chamorro. In the morning he packed lunch for Andalucia then we had to go south to Tuluá to pick up a pack followed by a quick trip to Zarzal so that I could baptize an investigator for the sister missionaries. We arrived at the chapel as the people started moving from the sacrament room to the room with the baptismal fount. I arrived in time to change my clothes faster than I have ever changed them while someone else is getting baptized, run out the door and baptize the girl. It was all so smoothly done, however as we all know I am not capable of being smooth and well I had to slip down the stairs after the baptism almost knocking over all the newly baptized people opening up my knee and lay sprawled out on the floor at the bottom of the stairs, ha-ha-ha-ha. Just another perfect Rawly moment. Elder Chamorro quickly picked me up and we ran so that I could change back into my normal clothes.... tie and suit pants, then we were off back to Bugalagrande to catch the last bus. We had arrived and entered and left the chapel in less than 7 minutes. It was an epic record.

So honestly, even though it’s crazy, I love my life its SUPER BUSY. 

I’m currently training a new zone leader Elder Rodas. He’s awesome and from Guatemala. He’s super cool, kind of miss Elder Chamorro but Elder Rodas and I will be great companions. 

Today was our first day together. 

We had to wash the clothes so we put together the washing machine and well the tube went all snake on us when we left the house so when we got back we found our neighbors quickly sweeping the porch (we both live on the second floor) there was incredible amount of water that was pouring out from underneath our door and would continue to flood them in their house. Yeah our house is DRENCHED. Never a dull moment here folks. 

I love my mission if you couldn’t tell, really…

So this week I receive a new mission president. It made me think a lot about the beauty of change. Sometimes we confront change with anxiousness. We don’t know how it will be; we don’t know how the future will treat us. How will this change my current circumstances and so forth. The truth is we are very accustomed to change in this life, just that change is so constant, that well, were used to it. 

Think about the huge difference in between summer and winter. It’s enormous in some parts of the country such as Medford, Oregon, where I’m from. Some people prefer winter to summer however the truth is both are very important and vital to the world we live in. If we didn’t have winter after summer how would we have frozen water reserves in the mountains to sustain life in the dry summer? The truth is the change that we have in our life is very necessary. Here after they harvest the sugar cane they burn the field, something that was so green before and now burning, smoldering, blackened and ugly. However it is necessary. The burnings is what gives the nutrients to the new crop. Without the burning the new crop would not be as fruitful or delicious.

If we want the best of our lives we have to accept all the changes in our lives. 

The ups and the downs. 

The good and the bad.

Because it is in the best of the best we are going to feel the best

And it is the worst of the worst that will prepare us even better for the good to come.

I love you all 

I challenge you all to do the following

PLEASE WRITE ME ONE EXPERIENCE ABOUT THE PAST CHALLENGES I’VE GIVEN YOU.

If I don’t know you that’s fine. I would honestly just like to hear about it to know that I’m not talking into thin air.

LOVE YOU ALL
ELDER LYLE