So, Tuesday. My first District Meeting as District Leader. I think it went well. I focused on our purpose as a missionary. I don´t know how many of you know this, but our key indicators changed and now we only report baptisms, people with baptismal dates, people who went to church, and new investigators. So I focused on how from the first visit, we need to be bold and start talking about baptism and going to church, because that´s what the key indicators tell us we need to be focusing on. We also did exchanges with the ZL´s that day, and I got to be with a good friend, Elder A, he was my ZL in Tucuman at the beginning of the year, we´ve done exchanges so many times we´re basically companions. So that was pretty fun. The only interesting thing about that day was that we had to change out their gas tank, carry the empty one like five blocks away and then grab a new one and carry it all the way back. And then we had to figure out how to open it up without any tools. In the end I managed to use an old rusted bike chain to crack it open.
Wednesday. We got done with exchanges early morning, and went back to work. Really rough day, one of those days where all the appointments fall through and nobody wants to accept us. But it´s fine. These days happen sometimes.
Thursday was very interesting. So ok. Here in Salta, there is a very big Catholic holiday called Semana de Milagros, or Week of Miracles. Where years and years ago, there was this huge earthquake and people were praying to these saint and virgin statues and that part of the city wasn´t destroyed, so now there´s an annual pilgrammage where people walk for thousands of miles to the catholic cathedral in salta. So, this is where we come in. We were told that we could go to a service project thursday morning, something to do with food. Ok. We get there.....oh my goodness, this is a huge event here. What we were basically doing was acting as a rest stop for all these pilgrims. There was a whole bunch of people making sandwiches and handing them out with water, and there was also a station for people to get medical attention for their feet, where there were people washing feet with this water mixed with a weird brown substance. We had to refill the water bins when they were used and then dumped. We also saw lots of guys our age who were becoming catholic priests, wearing like wizards robes or something. All in all, rather fascinating.
And then Friday was the special conference with Elder Mark A. Bragg, a seventy who´s in the area presidency, doing a mission tour. It was very good, he´s very cool and taught some great things in the conference. At first there was a meeting for leaders in the mission, and I´m district leader so I went to that. It was really good, learned a bunch about being a leader. And then, before the second meeting, everyone got to get up and go shake his hand. And when I get there, he actually stops me and says "Elder Blaylock! I need to get a picture with you" what? how does he recognize me and what´s this about a picture? "I was with your brother in Chile last week in the MTC" So yeah, got to meet a seventy. And he even spoke in Conference in last April. About light if I´m not mistaken. Gave me some words of comfort, showed me a pic of him with Jack. Telling me about how happy Jack looks. It was really good.
And Saturday, we went early in the morning with a member very far away to teach some friends of hers. They are a good family, they just live very far away. It´s very beautiful too. I´ll send the pics later when I can get my camera.
Sunday. Very special. I´ve been very focused on partaking of the Sacrament lately. It was very special yesterday when I took the Sacrament. Also did a lot of introspection, found out a lot of things about myself. Made lots of goals to be better.
So yeah. It was a very long and interesting week. I love all of you. I´m praying for each and every one of you. By name. That´s something that Elder Bragg emphasized in the conference.
Love,
Elder Blaylock
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