David's Mission to Lima Peru Central

This week we got a new Zone leader, Elder Bean from, Burley Idaho, as well as a new district leader, Elder Thompson from Canada.

I don't know if you've heard those names before, but they were both with me in Rimac, so we're pretty good friends.

I had another lovely sick day this week......so that was fun......I think it was a stomach infection.....but it's all better now....I think....hahahaha no, really though I'm doing fine now!!!

All in all......it was actually a pretty uneventful week. Although we did have some pretty great numbers!

Anyway....

I suppose you've all been wanting to here about the changes, and the verdict is........

No changes.

But that's ok.

THE WORK MUST GO ON!!!!!

One immediate benefit of me staying here in Jorge Chavez is that I got to see Enmanuel's baptism! In fact, I got to baptize him!

We were a little worried at first, because only Him and his family had shown up...but eventually the bishop and the other elders came too.

Enmanuel certainly helped me to learn that the gospel is for everyone. That appearances are deceiving, and in the end, unreliable.

Enmanuel had always come across to me as very indifferent (like most 16 year olds), and even though I knew he was an essentially good kid, perhaps I simply thought that the church just "wasn't his thing".

When he accepted the invitation to read, I smiled, already expecting disappointment the next meeting.

When he actually did read I thought: "Maybe he read, but I'm sure he won't want to keep all these commandments" yet one after the other he agreed to keep, remember each and every one of them far better than any other investigator I've had the privilege of teaching.

Enmanuel consistently taught me the lesson that we as human beings are downright terrible at gauging who someone really is. Maybe that awful co-worker is trying her best, maybe that rude man who insulted you is hurt far more by the fact those words came out of his mouth than you could ever be, and that person that offended you? maybe they're just as disappointed in themselves as you are.

That companion you don't like, maybe he's going through some stuff a lot harder than you've ever had to deal with.....maybe he's trying to improve just as hard as you're trying to deal with him.

I need to give people the benefit of the doubt more. Especially my companion.

While I don't condone his actions, or the wrongful actions of anyone.

I invite all of you to see others as Christ would. No one's ever entirely right.

We're all imperfect beings trying to reach a perfect goal, we're bound to fail sometimes.

I love each and everyone of you, and I thank you for the love and care you continually show for me.

Thank you,

Elder Winn