New companion, new district leader

This transfer is going to provide me with a huge opportunity to love and to serve.  I will have a chance to experience being an instrument in God's hands to help someone experience the healing power of the Atonement.  (Yes, I realize that I've been doing that my whole mission...but this transfer it's going to be a lot more personal, since I *really* want to help my companion, and I'm with her 24/7.) 

 

Sister Ballantyne's wounds are more visible than most people's wounds are.  I want to make sure that she has a chance to grow here.  I think that will best happen if she feels safe and loved.  (Now I see what President Wall meant when he said that I'm an amateur psychologist.)  She is very self-conscious of her typical, human weaknesses.  Ironically, she is no less capable than any other missionary.  In fact, there are many reasons why her unique life experiences and skills make her particularly qualified to help the people of Natchitoches to come unto Christ.  There have been a lot of sweet "coincidences" (i.e tender mercies of the Lord) that have shown both of us that God knew exactly what He was doing when He inspired a prophet, seer, and revelator to assign her to serve in this mission.  Here are a few people that have already benefited from Sister Ballantyne's assignment to Natchitoches:

1.  Jennifer R (a convert of 18 months, from a part-member family)
2.  Kenyuada K (a convert of 13 months, returning to activity)
3.  Nicole (a new investigator as of last night, whose five year-old daughter has Down's Syndrome and uses sign-language to commmunicate)
4. Brother Donaho (a returning member who served an ASL mission in California)

And that's after just four days in the area!  I think that she "must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). 

 

In other news, this is my first transfer of having a district leader who arrived in the mission field AFTER I did.  It's interesting because for the last two transfers, I think that Elder Riendeau looked to Sister Hartshorn and me for guidance and leadership; he respects us.  As district leader, he still respects us, but he is also trying to find his way as our God-assigned leader.  He knows that he has greater responsibilty now, and he takes it very seriously.  Right now, I think he tends to act the way that he *thinks* a good leader would act.  It's a lot like when I first got to the mission field and I would act the way I *thought* a good missionary would act.  With time, I was able to integrate the mission vision into my very being, and now being a missionary is more natural than being a civilian.  I know that it will be the same for him.  The trick is that I want to empower him by sustaining his leadership and treating him the way Jesus Christ would treat His district leader.  (That's an interesting thought, isn't it?)

 

I got a lot out of Saturday's temple session.  I had not attended a temple session since February 2012, when I was in Provo at the MTC.  After 12 months of NOT going, I was able to make so many connections between the things we are taught in the temple and the things that Preach My Gospel teaches us about becoming representatives of Jesus Christ.  It was really cool.  I can see how that one prophet of the church was able to say, toward the end of his life, that he was finally *beginning* to understand the endowment ceremony.  As cool as it was to see my increase in understanding, I don't ever want to go 12 months without attending the temple!