Transfer News

Olá familia e amigos,

Another quick week! 

I'll get right down to it and begin with the most exciting update: transfer news came in last night and I am going to start speaking Portuguese full time! Am I super excited? Yes! Am I also incredibly nervous? Oh you betcha! I know that Heavenly Father's got my back, though, and that the Gift of Tongues will come if I work hard and devote myself to it!

My new area will go from the current Lehi Gateway and Willow Park Stakes to the "Portuguese North Area," which basically means I am moving from half of a city to half of the mission.

Big change.

I have come to love the folks in my current area and can honestly say I will miss it here, especially as I have only been here a handful of weeks. I am so excited for the opportunity to meet and serve with Elder Romero, though, and begin doing this work that I know will be a big help as I continue to work toward making it to Brazil!

As far as my physical health goes, I am happy to say I am doing much better! My illness turned out to not be a reaction to my flu vaccine but rather a poorly-timed infection. I was able to get some antibiotics, though, and am back on my feet!

I had the opportunity to do exchanges for the first time in my mission, which basically means I traded companions with another Elder and got to work with him for the day. This actually happened twice during this past week, and I was able to work with Elder Snyder of Southern California (one of our Zone Leaders) and Elder Albritton of Kentucky. They are both great men and great missionaries, and I was able to learn a lot from the both of them.

One thing that I learned during my time in exchanges is that some of the most success happens when an inspired plan is made, ironed out, and then gets thrown out the window when all is said and done. I say this because during my second exchange, I spent a good chunk of time in the morning planning what I wanted to happen in my area while this other Elder was working with me. As we were doing companionship study, I got a prompting to visit a friend we had been teaching just down the block. 

Elder Vess and I hadn't been able to talk to him in a long while because of plans falling through left and right. Elder Albritton and I walked over there, knocked, and to our surprise he answered and asked if we could share a message with him! We were then able to have a great talk with him!

I think this experience has a message that we can recognize in our lives: sometimes it's not about FOLLOWING the plan, but just MAKING it. When I made those plans in the morning, I thought I was being directed by personal revelation. When all was said and done, however, those things took a backseat to the work that actually ended up being done. Were those initial thoughts and impressions illegitamite? No! I'm certain that was Heavenly Father's way of seeing if I was willing to listen to His words and follow them even if it wasn't what ended up needing to happen. Think about a far greater example: Abraham and Isaac. God didn't want Abraham to kill his one and only child, He just wanted to know, and for Abraham to know, how far his love for his Father in Heaven extended. These experiences, where we prepare ourselves to endeavor down a path that ends up being a dead end, not panning out, or being downright bizarre, are just God's way of showing us that we are willing to let him be our lives' navigator.

I hope life is treating you all well! I've appreciated all of the emails I have gotten and look forward to hearing more about how life is going for you! Thank you thank you! 

Boa noite,

Elder Lindsay 

1. Elder Snyder and I after exchanges.

2. A blurry picture of fireworks that have been happening multiple times a week a few blocks from us.