New Companion, Elder Argyle from Missouri

Transfers are coming so that will probably change things for you, but I hate to see you end a companionship not really being friends.  I was hoping that Elder Correa would be a lifelong friend.  Keep trying and hopefully you can work it out this week.
  

Yes, things ended well. We ended up fixing everything at the end of the change. He had changes and I am with Elder Argyle from Missouri and he is my Senior Companion. Yes, he has been reading his English Scriptures, but he just got changed to Peñaflor in Whitewash and Training as a District Leader. He has a lot of new responsibilities. He will do well. I am really excited for him. Elder Harrah, Elder Ballard, Hermana McQuinn, Hermana Tolk, and Hermana Kioa are training this change and Elder Allan is a District Leader now, so things are going well for them, but oh, well. I´m fine, even though I had my hopes. Things will happen when they happen..... Thanks for everything. I am doing well.

Hi!  I am glad you were able to resolve things and end your companionship on a happier note.  I am sorry you are not able to train this time, but you are right.  There will be a time for it and I am sure the Lord is in charge of what you need and what the members need.  Tell me more about Elder Argyle.  It is exciting that elder Correa will get some new challenges.  I am sure you have had a great impact on his life and have helped him to develop some better habits and missionary skills.  A mission is an individual growth experience and even though it is hard not to compare yourself to others who were in your CCM group, just know that the Lord has His reasons and they will be for your best interest.  I love you, Braxton.

Keep on smiling.  They are developing Google Glasses, which are pretty awesome.  Maybe that will be part of your future career!

I already knew about them, but they need to be careful about the abilities or it could cause a lot of problems.

No I´m not training. I am with Elder Argyle who is my Senior Companion. He has 18 months in the mission and it is his first time as Senior Companion. Elder Correa and I fixed things well and he will have a lot of hard work to do. Thanks for everything and I hope that you are doing well. I am really stressed out right now..... I am going to have to focus in a lot right now because I am basically in charge again and this sector is really hard for me to have a lot of success. I hope that it doesn´t stress out my new companion either. I don´t have pictures of him yet.

Camila had her baptism Saturday and confirmation Sunday. Also the Sister Missionaries had their baptism last week and another this week so 3 confirmations together yesterday, because the one that got baptized last week had to work Sunday, but came this Sunday. Things are really good, but stressful for me. Thanks for all that you do and I will work on writing more. I am doing my best. Thanks for everything. I have to be really humble and accept what the Lord has in plan for me and His will not mine. Thanks for everything and I am going to learn from what comes my way and do my best not to stress out..... It isn´t the easiest thing for me but oh well...

It is something that I don´t worry about right now. I will get to that in the future.

Thanks for everything. I don´t know a lot about him yet. We have been together for about 4 hours. He is the oldest of 7 kids. It sounds like his whole family is members and I know him from the Christmas Choir, because he sings as well. He and I are very similar. He is tall, blond, glasses, blue eyes, likes video games, sings, very similar and things will go very well. It is his 6th sector and first time as Senior Companion. I told him today that I want to use my white tie while he is here with me. Challenging him to make me use it. In other words I am excited to have success with him and help the people come unto Christ. He liked the challenge and it will be good for us. I know that he is going to help me progress where I need it and we will improve and that I will enjoy my time here. Now it is possible that I have 1 or 2 more changes in this sector, but nothing is for certain.

Thanks for everything and I am doing my best even though it is hard to accept what the Lord sends. I know that he tells us no, sometimes and that we have to respect that and follow his plan for us. I am doing my best to be receptive to that and keep improving myself in all things to be more prepared for what he sends me. I know that it isn´t easy, but that it is possible. I know that things will go well. Elder Argyle has 4 more changes in the mission so it is possible that he ends his mission here. Thanks for all that you do for me and always writing.

You don’t need to stress over it.  Just accept it and be happy!  Smile and Twinkle!!!  Congratulations on your baptism!  Did you get to use your white tie?  Who baptized and who confirmed?  Do you have photos?

Accept the fact that this area offers a different kind of success.  How many referrals do you get each week?  I bet it is more than anywhere in the mission.  That is something you can be proud of.  Still humble, but proud. 

Remember when we talked to Clain’s Mission President and he talked about how they used Clain to help remediate Elders who were struggling in the mission?  It sounds like you are training, just not brand new elders.  You are training Elders who might not have gotten the best start or who have struggled along the way.  That is an awesome trust your Mission President has put in YOU!!!  Look at what you were able to do with Elder Correa!  He had never trained before and he had never been a district leader before and now he is getting the opportunity to do both.  You have helped him learn better work habits and live the mission rules with exactness.  If this is the first time that Elder Argyle has been Senior Companion, then you probably have a similar situation to work on.  Help him be exact in keeping the mission rules and set the example he needs.  Make sure that when you leave him that he is a better missionary than he is today.  You have the power to help him grow and change and achieve better things.  If this is his first time being a Senior Companion, then he hasn’t trained another new missionary either.  Set that as one of your companionship goals, that each of you will be better prepared to train a new missionary at the next transfers.  Help each other to grow closer to the Savior through your studies and by putting your trust in our Savior to help you achieve great things.  Set high goals, but realistic ones.  Work hard every minute of each day and pray with full purpose of heart.  Put your trust in the Lord to provide miracles for you.  Start a Miracle Journal where you record the miracles you see each day and I bet if you look back at each day you will be able to find a miracle every single day.  Discuss the miracles and pray to give thanks for them and then work hard the next day to find another miracle in your lives. 

You come from a blessed home and have grown up with all the advantages of the gospel.  Use that knowledge to bring power to the work in your area.  Pray to know which members can help you and pray to find part-member families that you can work with.  Keep working with Camila and Carlos and Jonathan.  Help them stay strong.  Ask if they have any friends or relatives that they could introduce the gospel to.  If you can get them involved in friend shipping, it will help them to stay strong in the gospel.  Work smarter, not harder!  Pray for inspiration to know how to make your area successful.  But know that your greatest success will be in building up your companion to be the most amazing missionary he can be during his last six months of service.
  

I know. Thanks for everything. We are starting teaching the mother-in-law of Jonathan and working with her to help her a little at a time. Thanks for everything and I am planning things out to help them be more successful in their lives. Thanks for all of your help and it will work out well. Thank you for always supporting me in all that you are doing. I appreciate all that you do and I love you and all of the family at home supporting me. I really am enjoying the work and looking to have more success.

I am really happy about Camila. She had been investigating the Church for 5 years and we were the right Missionaries at the right time for her.

No need to worry about the future.  It will take care of itself!  But I know you like to know about cool things that are going on.
  

I am glad you have a lot in common with Elder Argyle.  One thing that will be a challenge is the oldest kid/youngest kid thing, but probably not too much.  You don’t play the part of youngest kid very well.  You were willing to let Clain hang on to that role and you almost act like another oldest child, except you are still our most spoiled child!  Maybe you could add singing a hymn together to your daily routine. It can really help to bring the spirit to the work.  You could even sing on the street and hope that people will stop to hear your message. 

He probably will end his mission there, so help him to be successful while you are with him and maybe he will get a chance to help another missionary be successful in that area as well.  For sure you want him to have a great relationship with Carlos, Camilla and Jonathan so that he can continue to support them after you leave. 

Let your competitive nature go for now and work on humility.  It is hard to accept the Lord’s will in our lives, but that is really the only gift we can give back to our Savior to pay for his offering.  We can submit our lives to His will and accept what He wants for us with peace and humility. 

I know I have learned a lot of humility here in the mission. Many missionaries now talk about how they think that I am really humble in how I act. I really am grateful for what comes my way even though at times it is hard to accept the things that do not come the way that I had hoped for or expected. Thanks for everything and I am doing my very best. Can you look up a name in Facebook sometime? Names omitted here.  Thank you for all that you do. I will let you know how everything goes and if there is anything that you can do for me. I appreciate everything and I am out of time in a couple minutes.

That is great that you are teaching the mother-in-law of Jonathan.  That will be a way to keep him actively involved in the missionary discussions.  I am happy for you. 

I love supporting you and writing to you and watching the amazing things that happen to you.  We don’t always know why things happen, but we know there is a reason for it.  Maybe you are the right missionaries for this lady as well.  And how many more are out there that you need to find.  Accept that there is a reason you are still here and work to make those miracles happen.

It is tough to be humble and accept things.  Missionaries judge their success by things like training and being Senior Companion, but those are not the measures the Lord uses for success.  He looks on your heart and He knows if you are serving humbly and with love or whether you are looking for worldly measures of success.  Think about Elder Argyle and how he must feel after being in the mission for 18 months and never being a Senior Companion, a Trainer, a District Leader, a Zone Leader or an Office Elder.  Help to build up his confidence and skills.  Help him to see that there are other ways to measure a man’s worth. 

I always felt sad that Clain didn’t get more Leadership Responsibilities in the mission, but then when we talked to each of his mission presidents they gave him some of the finest compliments for being willing to submit to their desires and help struggling missionaries to be successful ones.  I was so proud of the service he had given and his willingness to submit to Heavenly Father’s will and his Mission President’s will.  Clain served in some of the most difficult situations and with some of the most difficult missionaries and he continued to serve with a smile and without complaint.  He helped to build them up and keep them on task and help them to find success and happiness in serving.  Others may not see what you are doing and I suspect it will not be something that is talked about in the mission, but your role will be just as important as other missionaries who are training.  Accept it and do your best to make a difference in Elder Argyle’s life.  Love him and serve him and really get to know him and help him.  I am so very proud of you!  Hang in there and just be happy!  Give up your stress to the Savior and serve with peace and understanding. 
 

I know. Thanks. I am out of time. Talk to you next week. Sorry. Time is getting to be hard to get to everything, but I am doing my best.

Yes.  I will try to find each of these on Facebook.  It is exciting to have a way to keep in touch with them in the future.  I am glad we have that.

Please have an awesome week and take some photos and send to me next week.  I will look Elder Argyle up on the poster from Christmas.  At least I will know what he looks like. 

You have always been such a competitive child and being humble and teachable is the opposite end of the spectrum.  I am glad you are learning and that your actions show your humility.  Read your Patriarchal Blessing and find peace in the promises it contains.  You are doing a great work on yourself, your companions, and your investigators and on the members.  Keep your chin up!  We are so very proud of you and never ever disappointed in you.  Your heart is clean and pure and full of love.  The more you love and serve, the happier you will be.  Your opportunities to lead will come.  You still have 2/3 of your mission left.  Make every day the best.  I love you so much. 

Do you have any temple days coming up? 

Who baptized Camila?

A friend in the ward that is Guillermo´s best friend. Guillermo is the husband. It went really well. I´ll send pictures from my camera this week.

Okay.  That is neat.  It is great to have a friend who can serve and that will give them a connection for the future to stay strong.
 

I will look forward to the photos.  Have a super, spectacular week!  I love you so very much. 

Love always and forever and ever,

Mom