Busy First Week

Will in front of the Bogota Temple

May 25, 2009
Hola familia,
Thanks for the letters, support and prayers. It has been a crazy week but a great one. Ha I feel like I have been tired all week because the schedule has been hectic but I am learning a ton and it’s going very well. I think the good old days of getting into bed at 10:30 and getting up at 6:30 are over.

This week was transfers in the mission so Sunday, we went to the mission offices and into President Camargo´s office. We finalized all the transfers and made sure they were all organized correctly. He has a big open up board with pictures of all the missionaries and their companions that says where they are, where they have been and for how long. After that we had to verify all the stats that the zone leaders had sent We then sent them to the General Offices in Salt Lake. They say the weeks of transfers are always a little sleepless and very busy so we were in the office almost all day Monday getting everything ready for transfers. That night we called all the zone leaders and told them who in there zone, had transfers and where they were going so they could pass it on down the line. For most of them Elder Foote called and then said, “Ok I’ll pass you to the new assistant and then I would talk to them for a little bit etc. I think most of them are probably as shocked as I was.

We talk to all of the zone leaders every night and see how everything is going with the baptism dates they have lined up and encourage them to keep working and make sure all the missionaries are in their homes, so we usually get to bed around 11 or a little after each night. Also, there was a group of missionaries going home this week, 2 from the states and 3 from Peru. We made sure everything was lined up for the last meeting and dinner for the missionaries that are going home. We were up at 4 A.M. to get ready and take them to the airport and make sure they got out safely (that was the 2 Americans).

Then, that night we took the 3 Peruvian Elders to the airport to get them sent off. It was nice because my second comp Elder Araujo, was one of them and we got to be really good friends. Only 2 new missionaries arrived, 1 Sister from Peru and one Gringo. The Sister arrived in the morning so we introduced her to the office staff and gave the mission orientation until her comp got to the office. The new American Elder got there that night so we went and picked him up at the airport. He is Elder Atkinson from I think Ogden, so he stayed at our house and then we got him all ready and sent him to the field the next day.

Another day we were up at 4:30 again because Pres Camargo had interviews in Yopal which is about 4 hours outside of Bogota and he took us with him. It was a chance to get to know and talk to President Camargo more than I have in the whole time I have been here because we went in his SUV. So we talked most of the way there and back and I asked him what I needed to do become a good AP and advice and stuff so that was a great opportunity.

Pres Camargo is amazing and he knows so much about the doctrine and how to work with the missionaries etc. He has a great sense of humor and is funny but he doesn’t waste words and he gets his point across quickly. At the interviews while the missionaries were getting interviewed, we were responsible for "training the other Elders" about some things he had told us an hour before, so we just went with it and it went very well. It’s kind of intimidating to train missionaries who are district and zone leaders that have been out longer than me, but I think it all went well. I will do the very best I can with a positive attitude and lots of energy.

Also I have gotten to know the Camargo family a lot better and have been at their house a lot more. Sister Camargo is also awesome and cooks veeeery good. Whenever missionaries arrive or leave they have a meal at the mission home and we are always there so I definitely can´t complain about the food.

As far as the future, this week we have 3 zone conferences and the APs prepare about 40 minutes of presentation for the missionaries. This makes me a little nervous but we have some good stuff prepared and keep preparing. Also in the next month I will be traveling to Cucuta and Barranca to work with the missionaries there. They are both cities they do not generally send Americans to work in. I am way excited because Barranca is like legendary in the mission for its heat (it averages over 105 degrees) and I have heard so many missionaries talk about it so when we had the chance to choose who would be going where, I asked if I could go to Barranca.

We have done so much this week it’s hard to write it all down but I love the stuff we do and trust in the Lord. It’s hard work, but it’s very interactive and I am very involved with the missionaries and very, very busy. I will do the best I can to serve the missionaries here.

Now I will answer a few questions. The mission has 176 missionaries . My comp (the other AP) is Elder Corro from Chili. He is awesome, he is a great singer and really upbeat and we are getting along great. We are practicing the English language and I am helping him but he already knows a ton. Usually when we travel, it will be by plane unless it’s really close, in which case we will go with Pres. Camargo. The office staff is great and they are all Elders from the mission. We live in a normal apartment pretty close to the mission home, just like all the other Elders, so the food, laundry etc is just the same.

Well out of time but I love you all, thanks for all your support and prayers Sorry if this is short. Love Elder B