Hey Family!
So Just before I began this email, I read over some information that the mission office sent my companion and I about transfers this coming monday and apparently I will be leaving the great city of Fort Collins to go back down to the Denver Metro area. I have some mixed emotions about this-I have truly loved the people here and had some amazing experiences. It will be hard to say goodbye. But at the same time I am hopeful for the future and I see many growing opportunities on the horizon. Part of moving down to the Northglenn area involves a new assignment from my mission president that will require a lot of new responsibilities on my part and while such assignments can be daunting and overwhelming, I'm optimistic about what I can learn from it.
I'm going to be saddened to say farewell to my companion Elder Carpenter. He was awesome. I learned so much from him. I know President Ely was inspired in putting us together. And I feel a little spoiled and selfish becasue I think I took more from our time together than he did, and I didn't really bring a whole lot to the table, but in any case, it's been a fast and joyous 6 weeks.
One of the Sisters in our Zone is going in for surgery on Monday. She is an awesome missionary from Tonga and has a big heart, but if you could all include her in your prayers in the next week I know the Lord will hear your petitions on her behalf. Her name is Sister Ta'Ai (Pronounced "Da-i").
I know this is pretty embarrassing to admit, seeing as I am a missionary and all and should have a grip on spiritual things, but this past week I have had an epiphany in relation to understanding how the Spirit works. It's hard to believe it's taken me this long to figure it out, and granted I have just scratched the surface in terms of fully understanding it, but I can't think of a more valuable lesson I have learned in my life! I was in a lesson teaching an investigator this past week when it happened. She had asked a question about the three degrees of glory and why we needed them and why the traditional heaven and hell was not sufficient. As my companion tried to answer her question I did something I should have been doing my whole mission: I stopped trying to think about what to say and I LISTENED! I strained to hear the Spirit and I payed close attention to her body language, applying a training my misssion president gave a few weeks ago. I noticed in her expressions that the scriptures my companion was trying to use to help her understand weren't helping her. There seemed to be a deeper concern. When it came time for me to speak I don't even really remember what I said, but I felt thoughts and impressions flow into my mind and words come out that I have never considered. I hope nobody misunderstands this-I wasn't prophesying or anything, but it felt kind of the way you would feel if you stood in front of an enormous audience to speak and your fear choked your thoughts and bound your tongue, but a little microphone in your ear gave you the words you needed to say and you just repeated them. That was probably a bad analogy but I don't know how else to explain it. It was awesome though! We ended up tying everything back to the Book or Mormon and whether it was true or not and helped her to understand that gaining a testimony of it would help her to answer her own question. Very neat experience.
This past week we have been teaching members of the ward a lesson out of Preach My Gospel, and more specifically on the first principle we teach investigators: God is Our Loving Heavenly Father. This was a great chance to learn as we prepared for each lesson. As we taught I noticed what an incredible concept this is that there is a God, that we are His children, but most important, that He loves us. I have thought about what this understanding can do for someone. Could you imagine if everyone in the world knew they were sons and daughters of Heavenly Father?! This world would be an amazing place! What confidence and self-esteem everyone could gain from knowing this. Maybe that's why we learn at such a young age to sing that sweet hymn "I am A Child of God". I'm so grateful for this understanding. It has brought solace to my soul in times of need. To know that we can call upon our Maker in times of distress or hopelessness and to know that He will hear us and give relief is the most useful understanding we could ever gain. I am so grateful to know this, and to help others learn this. They don't know what they're missing. I encourage you all to consider those around you who struggle to know who they are and to use the key of knowledge you have to unlock the blessing of heaven to them. There are many who look for truth and are kept from it only because they know not where to find it.
Love you all. Write back!
--
Elder Cabrera
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