Great learning opportunities...June 15, 2015

What a whirlwind of events and such great learning opportunities!  We started off the week working out a huge problem that was caused when a missionary decided to have a FHE the night before he left and was out until 11:00.  We get a phone call daily about something else he did in his area before he left.  Thank heavens he is in his house now and his stake president can deal with him!  We had a couple meetings with our stake president so that he can help us out as missionaries work better with members and so that they have a little more confidence in us.  This week we were very busy doing surprise checkups on a couple houses and some exchanges.  I do have to say that this week I learned how to control all the stress that was piling up and by the end of the week I just laughed when something new came up because it seemed to never end.  We are the farthest away from the mission home (6 hour bus ride, 1 hour airplane) and 22 missionaries in our zone (biggest in the mission) and it is has been interesting to say the least.. :)  One thing that happened that impacted my experience as a missionary was actually really sad.  We received a phone call from one of the mission counselors saying that one of the District Leaders in our zone (who is young, super obedient, trainer, and about to be a zone leader) had gotten involved with a girl in his ward.  We really didn't believe him and said we would look into it but we were really just shocked.  We are in the same building as them so we asked some of the people in their ward if they have noticed anything between them and not much was said but that we should continue to look into it.  After lunch we went and did a checkup on their house to see if they had really passed notes, given gifts, or called and we found nothing.  They got home and we did an interview with them and they told us everything that was going on before we were able to ask and asked some questions and came to the conclusion that a joke was being played, the missionary didn't have anything to do with the girl, and was a big mistake.  In the night while verifying with my companion, he told him everything.  What had happened was that he was in an exchange and went to the bathroom.  They were left alone in one part of the house and they got talking that they both were cute, had similar interests, etc.  He then asked if she would kiss him and then said no that it was stupid.  He never kissed her but just the thought of him doing it still doesn't make sense.  I have learned that it is really hard to trust in some of these missionaries and that we all make the stupidest little mistakes but they end up being things super hard to finish.   If he would have just told us at the beginning it would have been a whole lot better.  I felt very dumb because we just hadn't done our part to verify what was really going on.  Even worse, we have been slipping with small things like getting to bed at 10:30, or having new investigators.  It is exactly like life.  The more we procrastinate our repentance, (have a true repentance and telling it all in one visit) we will begin to slip farther and farther until it is too late and things turn bad.  Just like Joseph in the Old Testament when presented with sin we should just run away and forget what happened so as not to fall in temptation . I hope you all have a wonderful week, that all of your wildest dreams come true, and the Lord blesses you according to your obedience to his commandments and covenants.

Love, Elder Slack