TO THE YOUNGEST BRO

This was mailed 13 March, so we're posting it as if it were 15 March. Other side of letter will soon be typed in so you can finish...

"SENIOR COMP"

FAMILIA

Okay, so for the quick family update...My head is overloaded. I swear the only reason I'm still going is because someone loves me up there. Simply the fact that we've had so much success so far is testimony of that.

I was left with a pretty tough teaching pool of almost all potential investigators. 25 of them. All people who, in reality, had a lot of potential to progress, but that we just hadn't been able to get to last transfer. So I've been under such pressure to "bring forth fruit," and prove to myself, my leaders, and especially, my new-and-very-new-to-spanish-work companion. On top of that pressure, (well, mostly the DESIRE to prove myself to the Lord, no, more to myself. I know the Lord has placed me in a position where I can help a lot of people. He knows I can do it.) Yeah, on top of that pressure is driving, (knowing where we're going, what we're going to do there, and how to get there) keeping track of all the changes in the work, (who's ptrogressing, who's not, who's got the potential,) being obedient, teaching my companion as much spanish as possible asap, listening to the Spirit, and probably the hardest: taking all the variables, and making an executive decision as to what to do about it all. The I can't really think about it much on-the-fly because I have to pay attention to the road. As long as I don't stop to think about how much I'm really trying to handle, through the kindness of a loving Heavenly Father, it usually ends up working out all right. Oh yeah, and I can't forget to mention that every day is basically a miracle as all the works I have in my head flow out in understandable spanish. My vocabulary, and my ability to speak have grown exponentially as I exercise my faith and open my mouth. And because I have to do almost all teaching and communicating. I am SO excited to look back at the end of the transfer at how much I've grown and overcome.

If there's anything else that's been an immense help, it's the faith that my companion and I have shown in being as obedient as possible. Elder Mose is fresh out of the MTC enough to still have the amazing baptize-the-world excitement. Through following the promptings he's had to basically talk to EVERYONE that looks like they might speak spanish, has really led to a lot of success. So much so that the ZLs told us not to tract! We have so many to focus on already, and plus, I'm not sure where I'd even go to find a bunch of spanish-speaking apartments. I've really enjoyed also being able to do everything I wish Cole had done to orient E. Mose quickly. I'm not so sure if it was the best thing to do though. Honestly, I've given him a ton of freedom. We're a companionship. So we're going to use both of our strengths to be the best we can. Rather than just doing it my way, and that's that.

I wish I could say I've really enjoyed being sr. comp, (or the opposite,) but I really haven't been able to think about it long enough to make a decision. :D I like Elder Mose. He's pushed me to my full potential when it comes to teaching the lessons, and though I find myself exhausted most of the time, I'm growing at such an accellerated rate. I am thankful for the opportunity to see truly what miracles and answers to prayers can come by living as righteously, faithfully, obediently and humbly as we can while serving the Lord. That thought alone seriously thrills me. And I've already been a witness to how good it can be.

WELCOME HOME OLIVIA!!!
Wow... she's already home right now... that's nuts.

With amazingly much love,

ELDER SEAN