Hello Family!
This week has been quite the roller coaster ride for this missionary. I was for sure tested this week on how prepared I was to take on new responsbilities. Last week right before we left to go to the computer shop to email my companion Elder Arrieta was saying that he was stuffed up and had a bit of a head ache. By the time we had finished all our errands for the day he was exhausted and said he needed to sleep off his sickness and we would just get to work on Tuesday. Well the condition only got worse everyday ntil on Friday we went to the doctors in Iloilo City and found out he was suffering from a severe asthma attak and acute sinositus (sp?). So now he is on a milloin medicines and it looks like he won't be able to work until this weekend. That left me to lead the area after only two days of work. I had only ever been to any one investigator or member's house once so far and had only met about half of the investigators in my area. What didn't help as well was the fact that the other senior companion in the apartment had a training all week in Iloilo so I was left with his trainee and my sick companion all week and trying to get work done in both areas. I was about to fold! It took alot of prayer and scripture study to get my attitude in the right place to trust the Lord that I could still come out on top. I feel like I did a really good job though and I actually had good success the past few days. Despite all the things that happened we still were able to manage to get 5 investigators to attend church and still have a good investigator base. I felt like this week was going to be a HUGE failure as last week no one came to church and I didn't know the area at all... but the Lord really blessed me and the area and I was so happy on Sunday morning when our investigators and lots of our returning less active families were there.
I am going to need another experience like that this next week because I won't even be in my area for the majority of the week. Tomorrow I am leaving to go to Iloilo again and won't be back until Saturday evening because of my Zone Leader Council. Then after that I have a leadership training for two days and I go on splits with the AP's another day. So I am kinda worried what will happen this next week with no one to visit our members and investigators over the next 6 days. I am confident though that the Lord will provide again and I will be happy again next Sunday. Dad wanted me to report a bit on my responsibilities as a Zone Leader. I am basically the middle man betwen the District Leader and the AP's. The District Leaders are the ones that teach and interview the missionaries in their District Meeting every Tuesday. They are also the ones to collect numbers for the missionaries in their districts as well. As a zone Leader I just take that info and pass it on up the chain. We also teach a zone meeting every month to set goals as a zone and to conduct interviews with everyone in my zone. So there are two districts in my zone and 18 missionaries (including Elder Arrieta and I). We are also required to go to Zone Leader Councils in order to report the progress of our zone to the Mission President. So that is what I will be doing this week when I go to Iloilo. Basically I am still just a normal missionary but I have to do lots more reporting. Like every Sunday night we get called by the AP that is assigned over our zone and I have to report on how the zone is doing and he gives me announcements I need to distribute to the zone.
This week has been a fun week of really relyng on the members for help. The members were really responsive to the fact that I needed people to work with me and wach over Elder in order for the work to progress. I got really close to alot of the members that way and I was able to form some good friendships here so that I don't always complain about leaving my old friends behind. There is this one family that I am already really tight with. The Second Counselor in the branch presidency helped us out alot and he has the cutest three little girls. They love to run up and give me a big ol hug when they see me. They are also geniuses! They showed me one of their little puzzles they like to play with and let me try. I sat there for like 30 minutes trying it and then finally the little 5 year old felt bad for me and solved it in about a minute. I was put to shame! I will have to get some pictures to show you all next week. With all the craziness of this last week I forgot to take any pictures. Sorry.
I am way excited for this next week and all the challenges that come up. I feel confident that the Lord will help me again and that the work will progress no matter what. I am doing great here and I am way excited to be in Molo again this next week even if it is for just a few days. That place is the promised land for me... just so special. I felt like I left my family behind again when I transferred from Molo. So I am excited! Love you all!
Elder Lowry
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