July 4-10
Zone conferences and lots of activity this week! We did four multizonas in four days with our kids, driving to different edges of the mission to be with the missionaries closer to the areas where they serve. There are few traffic lights or stop signs throughout the city in Montevideo but it felt even more loose out in the smaller cities. We drove through beautiful green countryside with cows speckling the grass and spreading out among the clusters of tall, straight trees. They say there are more cows than people in Uruguay and that definitely appears to be true! There are lakes and rivers that cut through the green spaces and make things look so idyllic.
This week was a really good opportunity to meet all the missionaries one by one. Because they were split up in smaller groups, we could do a group conference together and then shake their hands and meet them as they went in to eat lunch. Our kids were able to take part to and do the whole mission tour! We did a little PowerPoint game with everyone with six different family experiences and the missionaries had to guess which kid the story was about. We shared a bit about the story of our family, and then the kids “Love One Another” and “I am a Child of God” with us in Spanish and Chinese.
I shared with them one of my favorite symbols of the waves of the sea representing the words of the Lord. “His words never cease” (Moses 1:4) and his voice is like the “rushing of many waters” (D&C 110:3) We are all like stones on the edge of the ocean. It is only when we choose to bring ourselves to the water and immerse ourselves in the words of Christ, hear His counsel, and follow Him in our lives that we are polished and changed. We all are stones on the shore with jagged edges, but the Lord takes our willing heart and over time changes us to become smooth stones. The water makes us something different altogether. We become disciples where the word of the Lord is written on the “fleshy tables of our heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3).
President Orgill, also known as Stu, has been teaching a lot this week about diligence and our missionary purpose. We taught last week about setting meaningful goals where they were reasonable and could be accomplished. President Orgill shared 2 Nephi 9:17 and how one of the most stunning characteristics of God is that he executeth all his words. He perfectly does what He says! When we set goals that we commit to, and work with faith and diligence to achieve, we can work with the Lord partnering with Him to see miracles in the lives of those we are teaching. I loved seeing him in action teaching about the faith and diligence that is necessary to really fulfill our missionary purpose. The Lord wants us to work hard, but diligence is more than that. It is receiving tasks and assignments from the Lord and then doing everything we can with our efforts to complete the task. When we are committed in our efforts, the Lord can magnify and expand our efforts. I know we will see miracles in our mission as we are committed to giving the Lord our best effort.
On our preparation day, we did some exploring around Punta Del Este with the family. It is a touristy beach town with lots of yummy gelato, shopping, and stretches of beach. We took pictures at the famous “El Mano” (“the Hand”) statue and walked along the waves. My favorite part was going to Punta Ballena to see Casapueblo, a beautiful white house built by an Uruguayan artist overlooking a rocky cliff and coastline. It was such a perfect spot for a hike.
