June 18, 2011

Heyyyy!
Hows it going back there in the USA! Well...I am still here in Chile and not much has changed. I had a really good week though and it is looking like this next week should be interesting as well. This week has been full of surprises and miracles, it started off normal but has really just turned itself into a mess. For example we have an Elder in the mission who is a young missionary and is just a great guy, super funny and is just one of those people that brightens up the room. He has been having a lot of health problems and has been seeing a lot of doctors here but nobody has been able to solve his problems. My companion and I were over at President Humphreys house (we had lunch over there with them!) and they came to the conclusion that he could possibly have cancer and that they were going to have to send him home. He will be leaving Monday morning and I am going to be really sad to see him go. Pray for him please. I have also been informed that I will be receiving a 2nd companion and he will be with us for this entire week. The problem with having him around is that he has health problems as well and CANT WALK! He too will be leaving, but he will be leaving in a week, at the end of the transfer. So I have taken it upon myself to prepare the office for him this week and I will be leaving with young men this entire week and hopefully be able to work in the street every day. I will leave my companion Elder Hinojosa here with the other Elder and take off for the day to do work.

Another thing I have really enjoyed this week has been the opportunity to be a District Leader. I got to go work in another sector this week with a younger missionary and we wen in to a house and had a really good lesson. We went into the lesson with a purpose and when we walked out the person we were teaching had accepted a baptismal goal for the 25th of this month. I have realized that the goals that I put for myself as a missionary shouldn't be to have "success", I want to have success but the way I am measuring success is totally contrary to what the world sees as success. I have made it a large priority of mine to help other missionaries progress and have good solid spiritual experiences. I have already baptized quite a bit and know that I will continue baptizing, but I have honestly found more joy in helping others. It sounds so corny but it is the truth, I don't know what happened but I just feel like a way better missionary than I was even 2 weeks ago. I love being out here and I really am enjoying all of the new humble loving missionaries coming in and the interaction I have been able to have with them.

Ok...on a little bit of a less spiritual note. I was on an exchange with another missionary named Elder Lulla and we got to talking about what he did before the missiona and he studied at BYU Hawaii. I didn't really think much of it and then it hit me...I need to go study there. It came to me like a revelation and I dreamed about being there that very same night. I still don't know why but I think it is where I need to go. (for a semester of 2 at least) I know that it is still 10 months away but, when revelation comes, it comes...haha

This morning we went and played basketball with Elder Fischbeck and the assistants (we invited President and he said he will come next week) but, we played for an hour or so and afterwards they invited us over for breakfast. It was amazing , we ate pancakes, eggs and bacon and whit hot chocolate. Also, thank you for the package that you guys sent me. It was a perfect package. I really love the beef jerky and we drank a ton of the hot chocolate this morning. I love you guys a ton and hope that everything is going well! Have a good week and wish me a ton of luck this week.

Yours truly,
Elder Cody Dastrup