My companion Elder R. transferred this week to a city 10 hours away called Calama and Elder S., a newbie from Utah, will be my companion! The mission is so weird in that you are literally glued to someone 24/7 for 3 months and two seconds later it splits you up to never see them again—just to start the cycle over and over again. Good thing married life isn’t designed to be like that!
As for investigators, they should be returning from their summer vacations soon, and one told us that he wants to take a break from us to make a decision to see if he wants to keep going with us or not. I asked if he had prayed, which he had not. Well there you go! You can’t just brush off eternal truths and the gospel as something that really doesn’t matter without at least trying to ask God if it is true. I tell my investigators that the people who are always fighting about religious views in a war of words and opinions are never looking up to God, who is waiting with his arms open for them to ask him.
During lunch the other day with our mamita, we heard little chirps coming from the makeshift shed. Her hen's eggs had hatched! "Yay! We are going to have fresh chicken in 8 months", she exclaimed. I like meat, but when I see those little chirping peeps my heart becomes vegetarian.
The subject of death has been prevalent with the people I’ve talking to lately. Some tell me there is nothing after this life--that people are in limbo, and that all the sinners are in hell! Well, I was listening to an account from a man in Utah who lost his family in a car accident 6 years ago Christmas Eve, and he explained that death is like a boat that carries the person farther away from the shore, silently shrinking every second until it disappears on the horizon. The second the boat disappears from our sight it appears--growing larger ever so rapidly to those waiting on the other shore. Life does not end here—it continues and it is a wonderful place. We see our loved ones again.
Heavenly Father really does have a plan for us at every stage. My biggest fear of death is not that I won’t ever see my loved ones again, but the painful time we will have apart. But if I have learned anything on my mission it is that when I keep myself busy in the work of the Lord, time flies.
Have a great week!
Everything is awesome,
Elder Phillips
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| Off he goes to Calama! |
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