Mom and dad in Australia huh? Feel free to keep an open bed for me when I´m back, Jon and Leah. How long are you going to be visiting there? What other trips have happened this summer? Oh by the way I just got the wedding invitation for Jaclyn´s wedding. It said my attendance to the sealing would be appreciated... Hopefully I can be there in spirit. But CONGRATS jack!
So a little bit more about us here in Barç. We live in a 4 man piso with Elder Salmon and Elder Haikola. Elder Salmon is from Alabama and he´s training Elder Haikola, quite the large Fin. Yes, he´s from Finland and he´s probably about 6´ 5 and just has no fear about anyone. I´ve tried some pretty weird candy that he brought from Finland. They´re the best though. It´s so much fun living with them. Our ward is a big ward and we meet in the nicest stake center I think i´ve ever seen. I´ve heard that it´s actually the most expensive church building in Europe, minus the temples. Our bishop is a new bishop from about 4 months ago and we´re really focusing on trying to help the bishop and strengthen the ward and the members. I love our ward.This week was definitely a humbling week though. I think Elder Keeler and I came into this area probably a little prideful thinking that we were going to do so amazing and expecting to just see huge numbers from the very beginning. We have for sure had to rely on the Lord a lot this last week. We had pretty much our whole week set up from making phone calls and talking to different members. One visit after the other just kept falling through. I´ve been taught over and over again that this really is not my work, it´s His. All we have to do is do our best and be obedient and have the Lord and His angels do the rest. Every thing that we pass through in this life is for our good and our benefit. It makes me think of the analogy of the beautiful garden bush that was flourishing and growing big thinking that nothing could stop it, until the gardener cuts down its branches and brings it back low to the ground. The bush thinks at first "why would you do this to me? I was growing so big and was so beautiful but now you´ve cut me down." The bush didn´t understand that after being cut down, its roots would grow deeper and it would grow back stronger and even more beautiful than ever. After passing through "the trial" it tells the gardener, "Thank you for loving me so much as to cut me down." Sometimes I forget about the perfect knowledge that God has and His plan that He has for us. He gives us our trials so that we can be even stronger and more beautiful than before. It´s not very fun in the moment, but it´s the best thing that could´ve happened in the end.
The good news is that we still have incredibly prepared people that we´re teaching. Verónica isn´t progressing right now because she found work and she´s been gone for about the last 5 days (typicle trap of Satan. Happens to almost every investigator at some point because it´s so hard to find work and then the first thing they find they take.) and Cristi came to church but left right before we took sacrament because she was stressed and was tired trying to keep track of her 3 year old son. But we know that everything will work out and that they´ll be back progressing and going strong. We´re praying A LOT.
Another miracle is that Patricio, the dad of our miracle family back in Hospitalet, got baptized on Saturday!!! It made me so happy for him and for his family. The children are progressing too but just slower and the mom is being a little hard right now. But I have faith that they´ll all be baptized really soon.
Love you all,
Elder Reeves
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