January 13, 2010

Dear Family,

I apologize for these short letters that I keep sending. Last week we did not have much time and this week I also wrote a letter to Cami (thanks for the reminder mom, it had been a while). I wrote Cami today in the train, I have been trying to find time wherever I can to write some people, because we never have any time in the piso to write anyone. So I will send that letter off tomorrow and Mike, her counselor, already wrote back saying he got it and will give it to her. So that´s great!
Sounds like the ward conference went well. I loved the insight on the parable of the ten virgins. I am sure that that will come in handy some time.


I have spoken in church 2 times in the past 3 weeks. Both times on the topic of missionary work, a classic topic as a missionary. I am realizing that I need to do more to study the language. I am understandable and can talk to anyone and understand almost everything, but my grammar and vocabulary aren´t the best. I really need to crank down on the hour of study that I have every day and just make the most of it.



Lately I have been realizing the obvious, how weak I am. I set goals every weak and it is so hard to do them. In theory, being a perfect missionary is easy, you just do it. But when it comes to diligent action every minute of the day, it is soooo hard. I am not depressed or anything, but I am just realizing that I lack a lot from being the missionary I hope to be at the end of the mission.

I am also realizing that to be a great missionary, you have to have the ability that no man is born with, and every women thrives on, that is, the ability to multi-task. I just can´t do it. I just have to get in the habit of moving fast every day so that I can not waste one single minute that is needed to do something. In the morning I have to hurry and exercise, get ready, eat and start studying. Medio Día I have to eat and study Spanish for 30 minutes, and when we get home, we have to plan and then hit the sack. There is no time to do the area book, clean my desk, or write in my journal. The journal isn´t something required but it is something that I want to do and have after I am done.

These are just examples of things that regular time doesn´t allow, but are needed to be done, during other times of the day. Also known as the need to multi-task. I am trying to do this and am getting better but still am far away from where I should be. It is a process just like everything else in life, and I am glad for the opportunity to focus on the most important things right now and hopefully form some habits that will benefit my life forever. The hard part about the process is that it is very slow. But it works and the Lord will make me into the instrument He wants me to be if I let Him, and observe to do according to all the law and turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, in other words be strictly obedient in all things.

The blessing are waiting and I just have to do it all. It is hard that I can´t just focus on one thing as a missionary, because all the things that I have to do are important and I have to do them all, or the area suffers, people don´t progress, or I am not happy. I just have to put my shoulder to the wheel, forget myself, and carry on. You can be assured that I shall do my duty and do my best out here. I love the work and surely there is nothing betting than representing Jesus Christ and proclaiming His gospel on a full time basis.

Thank you for your love, thought, and prayers. They are much appreciated.

Love,
Elder Driggs.

January 7, 2010

Hello family,

I would like to assure you that I did not forget to write you this week. It is just that yesterday, the sixth, there is a holiday here in Spain called, Los Reyes Magos, where it is like Christmas and the children get presents from the kings or wise men that come to every house. The Spaniards celebrate this one a little bit more than Christmas as it is an original holiday, and Christmas is an American, as they say. So with this holiday being on our normal preparation day Wednesday, the mission made a change to have us work on Wednesday, as it was a national holiday and a lot of families were home, and have today be our preparation day. Cool huh!


I loved Los Reyes, the holiday. There were parades all around the country where every one in the parade would throw candy out into the public. That actually was all they did. The people in the parade would throw candy and everyone would try to catch as much as possible. We were in Valdemoro, one of our pueblos, that is actually very city like, while this parade went by. Let me just say it was like a goldmine. Every single family that lived in Valdemoro was out in the street with all of their felatives having a great time. I loved it. We caught some candy and contacted 12 families afterwards. Hopefully, we can teach a lot of them.

Here is the newsletter mom.

Newsletter

Well this Christmas and new year season has been wonderful. I love the feeling I get as I celebrate these more common holidays, along with a couple other uncommon ones, in a country very far away from the U.S. I love being in a country where every country of South America is represented. It was especially different as I was walking home on new Years Eve with huge fireworks whistling and bursting through the streets. If these had been the normal fireworks that we are accustomed to in Utah, (if you remember, the ones that don´t shoot in the air, have no power, no risk, nearly no sound, and are in simpler terms….no fun), then it wouldn´t have been a problem. But as my companion and I were walking home this cloudy, drizzly New Year´s Eve, the memories of all of those WWII movies came quickly to mind, and I felt as if I was in the middle of a historic battle where there were grenades going off every 2 minutes. These Fireworks really are that bad or good, however you want to look at it. And as people never go to bed on this crazy night of the year, it was a little rough going to bed as the sound of machine guns and explosions were clearly heard from within our room, into the wee hours of the morning.
As we start a new year in the service of our common Savior, I would like to share with you one of my favorite Christmas quotes, that I hope will bring you gladness, courage, desire and hope for a brighter and even better year. Short and simply it has been said; ¨WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM!¨
I hope and pray that all of us will seek the will of our Father in Heaven and our Perfect Savior Jesus Christ, as we labor this last time in His ripe vineyard. May we always be wise and learn to come to know a little bit better this year, the Messiah.

I am sorry that this week is a little short, we have to run to a lesson and catch a bus and train. Thank you for the birthday wishes, and I feel your love. I know I am in the right place trying to do the right things, and I love it. I hope you all are doing and feeling the same.

I love you all and pray for you often.

Love,

Elder Driggs

Have the best week ever, and feliz año nuevo!

December 30, 2009

Dear Family,

I would just like to thank you for the wonderful opportunity it was to talk to you on Christmas day. It was so enjoyable to hear 4 wonderfully familiar voices…and one not so familiar. I was very surprised and laughed a lot to hear that my sweet, little brother Mark ¨Hit PUBERTY!¨ HAHA, oh the things that I am missing, haha. Well, other than having a huge, hairy, ape living in your house, it sounds like things are pretty…normal, so that´s good.

As for the gingerbread house, I loved it. We took it over with us on Christmas day, but did not have time to do it. So we went back on Sunday to have lunch with them, after which we had a splendid time, celebrating Christmas with them, in a different way. They loved it. Gina, Naomi, Romina, and Sammy (a recent convert from Peru who got baptized about 10 months ago) all helped me get the frosting made, and melt the sugar. It was very fun, and when we actually starting frosting the house and putting the candy on, the girls were so happy. They thought it was the coolest thing ever, using American candy (eating it as well) to decorate a gingerbread house. Before we had to leave, Gina said the house was so cute, when I kept having the thought that it was incomparable to the houses that we make at home. It´s okay though, they just don´t have the practice yet, not to mention that the girls basically did all of it. They also loved the chocolate rocks. So thank you for that wonderful idea. I had a fantastic time with it!

Nothing is really new. Don´t worry about me and Elder Dawson, it is a change, because, as I am noticing more and more, Elder Carr was an excellent missionary. He had a special love in everything he did, whether it be talking to someone in the street, interacting with the members, or just us talking between each other. He had a love for Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father that transferred to every facet of the work. He was an incredible example to me, and has shaped the way that I work and love everyone I come into contact. One thing that I loved is that he always smiled when we were talking to people. I loved it.


Before I leave, I want to tell you that I had a very spiritual experience last night. First, I have been praying a lot lately to have the discernment and spiritual intonation, I guess you could say, to communicate the exact words and the Holy Ghost that can help people keep commitments that will bring about repentance and baptism. Last night, I finally recognized that I can do it. I can rely on the Holy Ghost and do all of the above.

Obviously it is not me in any of this, because my overall goal, is to employ the Holy Ghost to touch the hearts of the people we teach. But I received a confirmation last night that I can have confidence and trust in the promptings of the Spirit, and He can touch their hearts. I love being worthy to have this gift, where I can really just focus on the needs of the investigators, and let my love for them, and faith in the Holy Ghost, speak the words necessary for them at the time. I definitely am not there, but I realized and received the spiritual confirmation that it is happening. This has been a hard process for me, learning how to feel the promptings, and how to react to them. I have just begun and still have a lot to go. But I love it.

So the experience, was talking to a man of 45, with whom we have had a lot of lessons with and he was telling us, basically, that his life was so bad right now that he did not want to meet with us during the week because he can´t give us the mental attention that the subject requires. I understood because his life is really complicated right now, but after listening for 15 minutes of him telling us that he just wanted to come to church and not commit himself to doing a lot during the week. He said that every time he gets close to the Lord, by doing what his right, his life gets worse. I could tell that this was a sign that the Devil is fighting for him not to join the church, but he did not have that perspective yet.

After listening I told him that this was the time in his life that he needed Jesus Christ and His church the most. We read Ether 12:27, and invited him to prepare to be baptized so that he could really focus on getting an answer. He agreed that if he received an answer he would be baptized, and said that he would keep his commitments, having faith that they would lead him to getting an answer. He believes the Book of Mormon is true and that should be enough, but he wants more. We shall handle that later.

I love you all, I did not do justice to the story, but it was a great moment, and am working hard to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost always, so I can have more experiences as such.

I love you sooo much!!! And have the best week ever.


Quote of the week…a man (or women) never stands taller than when he is on his knees.

Love,

Elder Driggs