High on a Mountain Top

August 27, 2018

This past week flew by, which was rather unexpected. We were able to see a little more success and tender mercies as we went along, and a bit of a hiccup a little after, but I'll get to that later.

Our preparation day was pretty darn boring, but that happens sometimes. Not much occurred Monday evening, just some unsuccessful finding.

Having a car made the trip to Lleida for district meeting a whole lot nicer and cheaper, but it still took a large chunk out of our day.

On Wednesday we had our video call interviews with President Galli. An interview via video call wasn't as awkward as I thought it was going to be. Later that day we went over the Restoration again with a recent convert named Jhoselin. She is doing just fine. It helps that there a lot of girls her age in the branch. We also got a hold of a member list for the branch in La Seu so we can start confirming whether or not people still live there, and if they do, why they aren't coming to church. Other fun fact about Wednesday: I drove a car for the first time in a year and a half! It was a little awkward at the start, but I think I've readjusted.

On Thursday evening we experienced a little miracle. We parked in La Vella and set out with the intent to knock on a couple doors that we had on record for people who had potential interest in the gospel. As we were walking along one of the more main streets, I noticed a lady staring at us a little confused while talking to her daughter. As we approached her, I slowed down a bit and heard her say "Han cambiado?" So, to clear up the awkward standoff that we were having, I said hi. It turns out that she recognized us as missionaries, but was confused because she knew the elder who was here before me and didn't know that he had already left. Essentially, she was going to meet with the missionaries but they lost contact, so now we're back in contact! We'll have to see where that goes. On top of that, one of the doors we knocked on happened to belong to a mother and her two teenagers, and we are set up to stop by on Wednesday and see if they're still interested in our message. We're not sure how much they've been taught, or if they've been taught at all, but they knew who we were and we had them as a point on our map. 

Towards the end of Thursday, Elder Dransfield and I were steadily getting more and more congested and tired. This is where the hiccup comes in. We woke up Friday morning with some 24-hour bug that put us out of commission for the day. At the very least, I can say that I was able to catch up with my journal and get some well-needed rest. We're feeling much better now.

On Saturday we had a video call with Isabella, our friend with a baptismal date set for September 22nd. She doing just fine. We read a little bit with her in the Book of Mormon, confirmed that she's doing all that she should be doing, and did some follow-up in regards to how her family feels about her getting baptized. There's a potential issue with her mom, but things should be fine. We're trying to make sure that everything about this baptism will be kosher. I've seen some baptism drama before and it's not a pretty thing, so hopefully this will be better.

Elder Dransfield gave a good talk on Sunday, I spoke last Sunday...it's just your typical small branch scenario, I guess. I really appreciate the Southwicks and what they are doing here. Due to our current situation, we have started studying Ch. 9 of Preach My Gospel to see if we can get any new ideas to find in the area. We're also seeing what can be done online to help us out. We're still trucking along out here in Andorra!

Elder Dransfield and I decided to hike up a trail that we discovered during the week so (1) I am physically drained because the majority of the hike was walking straight up at a 89° angle and my body has not done anything like that in a good minute, and (2) some fun pictures will be sent out shortly.

I heard that school is starting again on Tuesday. Good luck to all of those who have to deal with that! I am fortunate enough to put off that terrible feeling for one more year. Woo! 

Elder Jensen :)