Elder Aidan Rich : "They had given themselves to much prayer and fasting..."

This week was complete insanity on so many levels. We had a Zone Conference to start off the week which is where several zones get together and listen to President Obeso speak. It was such a spiritual experience and I learned so much. President Obeso is changing up the way that we work as a mission and it has already made us so much more efficient and effective as missionaries. The trio split up right after and Elder Arp left for another sector and Frausto and I returned to Ovejeria.

The next day we had Zone Council which is where our entire Zone gets together and sits around a big table and talks strategy. It was another spiritual feast and Elder Frausto and I left with ¨Cualquiere Animo Po!¨ (Lots of excitement!). We started a fast immediately and didn’t even go home for our hour break, but worked all through the day and night as well as the next day, and 48 hours later we have 4 people who have accepted the invitation to prepare and be baptized, and about 4 or 5 more ready to take that step. Just so you know, that is kind of a big deal. To have one person accept in a week is considered an accomplishment.

When we told the Bishop what we had done and who had accepted, he started laughing and then saw that we were serious. He started to cry and said that those people had talked to many missionaries but had never wanted anything to do with the church, and one of them is his grandma. Oh and side note, our Bishop served here in Osorno and was companions with my next door neighbor, Dennis Larkin. Small world or what?!

I love Ovejeria. I love the people. I love teaching the Gospel and watching people’s faces as they come to believe it. I even love the dogs that try to kill me and keep me quick on my feet.

I also love all of you. May God bless you all.

Elder Aidan Rich