Leaving Los Volcanes! (6.27.11)

After seven months in Los Volcanes, Im leaving. Im headed to a small town really close to Chillan, the city Im already in, and I hear that it is a small branch named Coihueco. Im pretty excited to be in a small town and branch because I never have been. My companion is named Elder Rasmussen. When we went to go play paintball a few weeks ago, we played with the zone that I am heading to and he was there on the bus. He was sitting by himself and I decided to sit by him and he was really quiet. We talked a little bit but he was little timid and I was thinking that it would be cool if I could get to know him more. Well, now he is my companion!

My talk went well, I think! I spoke on retention and I split it into three parts. The first is what the members have to do to help the converts and less actives. I took it from a talk from Elder Ballard and he says that they need to do three things- 1)Be an example 2)Informal teaching, and 3)Integrate. The second part was what the members need to do to stay active themselves. I spoke on not critisizing leaders and to just live to always have the guidance of the Holy Ghost. The last part I spoke on was of why we do it. I said that we need to do it because we love them. I shared some examples and I closed with the example of Chirst washing the feet of his disciples. It says in the first verse of the chapter that he ¨loved them till the end.¨ I repeated that a few times. I was happy that I was able to talk my last Sunday because it was my way of saying goodbye to the ward! Los Volcanes is a great ward and Im really grateful that I was able to serve there.

We were at lunch last Friday and we got a phone call from the zone leaders. They said that we needed to go to the hospitol to give a blessing to a man and they gave us his name. They didnt give much information but we were going to go after lunch. I got another call a little bit later from the other zone leader and he gave me the full story. It was a man who was suffering from depression and was in the hospitol because he went to the third story of the mall and jumped to commit suicide. He lived through it and was in the hospitol unable to move. We went and gave him a blessing and he wasnt able to talk but just able to barely move his head up and down and move his eyes. The Spirit was strong as we gave the blessing and it got me thinking the rest of the day. I was thinking of how it would be without the knowledge that I have of the Gospel. If I was depressed, where would I go? The Gospel of Jesus Christ heals if we are willing to accept and act.

Love yall!
Elder Gregory