How are you doing?? I hope that you all have had great weeks and that everything continues to go well! Well, for me here in Tupiza, it has been a week of ups and downs. I'm going to start with the ups and end with the downs so I can share a few thoughts. Well, our investigators this week have done really well! I would like to focus on Magali and Jherson this week :) We have been teaching Magali for a small amount of time and she is the sister of an active member. A little over a week ago, she accepted a baptismal date for the 5th of May, and she has continued progressing really well. She is reading the Book of Mormon, attending seminary, and making a big effort to prepare herself for the Cinco de Mayo date. She is awesome and I look forward to keep working with her :) Now, Jherson. Jherson is an amazing investigator that has been taught for a long time by the missionaries. If you remember from next week, we were planning on having his baptism this past Saturday, and we are happy to say that his baptism happened without any issues. We're so happy for him and hope that everything continues to go well with him :) Due to a work problem in Villazon, which is over an hour away, he was not able to be confirmed, but we look forward to next Sunday to have his confirmation. Everything should go well there :) Other than these two, Elder Ordoñez and I worked hard with the other investigators that we have. We are very happy with the progress that we have had here and look forward to the fruits to keep coming here. However, I will sadly have to continue the work here with a new companion. If you remember last week, Elder Ordoñez had been sick for some time, and President Montoya finally made the decision to do something about it. So, this past Saturday, Elder Ordoñez was sent back to Cochabamba to receive treatment there. Originally, when we got the news on Thursday, we thought it would be a temporary stay there, but we received news on Friday that he was expected to bring all his things, not just enough for a temporary stay. I would be lying if I said that I didn't experience a few negative emotions with this news, and I would like to share my thought on that today. The first thing that you should know is of my love for Elder Ordoñez. He is an amazing Elder and it has been an absolute pleasure to work alongside him here. It was devastating to watch him slowly degenerate with a suspected parasite and it hurt even more to watch him leave behind everything that we have done here because of this sickness. I feel sad, frustrated, and a whole other array of emotions, but I also feel an unbelievable sense of peace about it all. Yes, I wanted to stay with Elder Ordoñez, but I know who is in charge and that everything will be okay. Elder Ordoñez needs to be in Cochabamba, I need to be here, and none of this will stop the grand purposes of God from rolling forth. I know that he is in charge and I know that everything will be okay. Elder Vergara (my new companion from Ecuador that is currently in Potosi) and I will continue the work and everything will be okay. Now, for you guys, sometimes we will be frustrated by the seeming randomness of our lives. Sometimes things will happen that go against our personal "perfect plan" that we have. This is frustrating and hard, but I invite you all to remember who is really in charge. Just to clarify, it is NOT you ;) God is at the helm of this journey and everything that happens really and truly has a purpose. Remember this and keep an eternal perspective, and I promise that your daily struggles and frustrations will become easier to bear and you will find yourself happier in all that you do. I promise :) Well, I look forward to starting a new transfer with my new companion, Elder Vergara. He should get here either tomorrow night or Wednesday morning and I look forward to working with him here to continue the work of God here in Tupiza. Please keep Elder Ordoñez in your prayers as he will be in the hospital regularly to figure out what's wrong. I love all you guys and hope that you are able to have amazing weeks! You are amazing and I hope that you never forget it!
Elder Wynn
The America Branch
The America Branch
Jherson's Baptism
Saying goodbye to Elder Ordoñez at the bus terminal :(
Love you so, so much!
Love,
Elder Wynn
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