A bunch of Lasts.....and one first! Zone Leader.

Well I've been transferred..after 4 and a half months in Cosquín, They sent me to a city thats about 5 hours in bus away from Cosquín. Its called Rio Cuarto, its the second biggest city in the mission, its big like Cordoba! It seems really cool so far. Im also going to be a zone leader here! Its sad that I had to leave Cosquín, I had gotten really close with a lot of people there, and Ill miss elder Mooneyham, we had been there together for a long time. He was a good comp. My new companion is from Brazil, his spanish accent is pretty funny. He seems cool so far but I don't really know him yet. This is his last transfer...he will be my 3rd companion who has finished the mission while being my comp. Its usually not a good experience because some of them get lazy in their last transfer but I think this one will be good. 

The last week in Cosquín was another one without a baptism, sadly our best investigator francisco had a hard time accepting the word of wisdom. He knows its all true, he told me himself but he told me straight up "I want to sin a little bit more, ill change later". I tried to help him understand the importance of our choices and how it impacts eternity, but he doesn't want to change yet he said. He smokes weed and does some other stuff too and doesn't want to change right now because its hard. We have been working with a lot of people who have that attitude lately. 

We had a lot of lasts this week...the last thursday night english class with the youth (they were really sad that one of us was going to be leaving), we had our last district meeting for district "La Coca" with our area, La falda, and capilla del monte. It was also the last time we would see elder manzanete, from brazil who finished his mission today. I took a last picture of the mountains, skipped a few last rocks in the river. I gave my last testimony in church, and took a bunch of pictures with all the members afterwards. I also visited a lot of them that afternoon and yesterday. Its really sad to say goodbye! Its probably the worst part of the mission. A lot of them made me promise to visit them when I finish the mission so I told them I would visit them in November! Hopefully that works out. 

I wanted to spend as much time visiting people as posable during my last two days, we were never in the house and when we were I was cooking banana bread that I wanted to gift to some people, so I didn't pack until the last second. It was awful, last night I was up packing until 2:30 am, went to bed and as soon as I closed my eyes it seemed like the alarm was going off at 5:30, we had to get to the terminal to be in cordoba by 8 am. They didn't tell me that I was going to have to buy my own bus ticket to Rio Cuarto...its not fair because some missionaries got transferred within the city and basically had to pay nothing, but my new area was 3 hours away the ticket was expensive and I didn't even have enough money so I had to borrow some....

This is a scripture I have been sharing with a lot of the people this week because we are all sad about the separation..its in Alma chapter 17: 10 And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted.

11 And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.

12 And it came to pass that the hearts of the sons of Mosiah, and also those who were with them, took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites to declare unto them the word of God.

13 And it came to pass when they had arrived in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, that they separated themselves and departed one from another, trusting in the Lord that they should meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken.

Saying goodbye sucks! Its one of the saddest things, but I really like these scriptures. They are saying that if we trust in God and continue on with what he asks us to do, we will be blessed with success and also we will be able to see these people again! If not in this life, we will all be there together in the celestial kingdom if we try our best. 

Also, like I was saying last week, life passes so fast. The last scripture in the book of Enos made a big impact on me...27 And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen.

More than anything I want to hear that when I die! I hope I can do everything God wants me to do so that I can have that blessing..

I love you all! Hope all is well! 

Love, Elder Christensen