Week 96: I am your father!

Well, this week has been fun.  Starting off,  we went around with Elder Socop so that he could say goodbye to everyone.  Then Tuesday night we stayed the night at another companionship's house so that I could go with another trainer to the trainers meeting.  And we had to be there in San Salvador at 8 in the morning.  So we woke up at 4 in the morning and grabbed the first bus out of town.  Literally, the first bus that left in the morning.  And then we got lost in San Salvador.  We took the wrong bus and ended up on the wrong side of town.  Thankfully, we saw another bus that went back to the right side of town, and got on that bus.  We got to the trainers meeting a bit late, but at least we got there!

At the trainers meeting we met our new companions and received a bit of training from the assistants and from President.   My companion is called Elder McDaniel.  He's from Hurricane, Utah.  He's a really great guy, and we're getting along well.

We've been working a lot the last few days.  So far we've been able to put a baptism date with a family of four.  We're planning on getting them married and baptized on September 17th.

Well, time's up for today.  Have an awesome week!

Love,

Elder Colton West

El Salvador, San Salvador East Mission

The elders (missionaries) of the Usulutan 1st Ward at at
service project the day before changes (8.23.16)
Companion: Elder Socop in the grey shirt next to Elder West

Elder West with his new trainee fresh from the CCM (MTC)
Elder McDaniel from Hurricane, Utah

Week 95: Who's your daddy?!

So I have a super huge announcement to make...  I'm gonna be a trainer!!!  Well, I was already finishing the training of my companion Elder Socop, since he's in his second transfer in the mission field.  But now I am going to receive a new missionary fresh out of the MTC!  Or in unofficial missionary terms, I'm going to have a son!  It's a really big deal for me.  I've wanted to train since... pretty much forever, but God has had other plans for me.  But now I finally get to live that goal of being a trainer.

As far as I see it, training is the biggest responsibility that I have ever had in the mission.  And that's exactly what the assistants told us in the trainers meeting last week.  We set the foundation for the whole mission of these greenies.  As the scritpures say, 

"Verily,verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." (John 5:19)

No pressure, right?  But I suppose it's just preparation for some not too distant day when I'm married and have a child.  That's what I've figured out in these two years: the mission is boot camp for the rest of life.  It's not easy in any way, shape, or form, because that would defeat the entire purpose of the mission.

The good thing is that I've learned to be much more adaptable.  And much more patient.  Now I understand a bit more why the Lord was so insistent with me that I should go on a mission, despite all of the times that I had said that I did not want to go.  I never could have learned many of the lessons that the mission has taught me.  Patience, charity, service, humility, faith, losing the fear of rejection, how to talk to people I've never met before about something they've never heard of before...  All of that and so much more.  The sacrifices that one makes to serve a mission are so heavily outweighed by the blessings that it's not even worth it to try to compare them.

I am eternally grateful to God for never giving up on me, for working with me until I finally got to the point of listening to Him.  And believe me, it was a very long process.  But here I am.  And it has made all the difference.

Have an awesome week everyone!  Next week I'll tell you about my new missionary.

Photos: this week there are none.  I haven't wanted to carry my camera with me this week.  Things got a bit interesting down here.  But I'll send photos next week!

Love,

Elder Colton West

El Salvador, San Salvador East Mission