Hi Everyone!
Well, I got a surprise at the transfer meeting, I didn't go to Denver like I was expecting, and instead I had a short 45 minute drive to my new area, Grand Junction! It's neat because this is where I started my mission, in exactly the same Spanish branch and area as before! It's cool to be back and to have things be full-circle, end where I started and see how much has changed!
Mom had a question about whether or not I was back to full-time spanish, and to answer the question I definitely am, probably more so than ever before on my mission! My companion is Elder Medina, and is straight from Sonora Mexico. He's been out a while too, and his english is pretty good, so we switch off days speaking nothing but spanish and then nothing but english. It doesn't make much of a difference though to speak english some days, because we're out teaching in spanish all day and I feel almost immersed. I'm completely fluent at this point, I was sitting at a carne asada last night (like a mexican style BBQ party) and we were all sitting around laughing and joking and I realized that everyone was talking super fast and sloppy and unrestrained and understood everything they were saying and could do the same! It was one of those moments where you feel weird because it feels like you shouldn't know what's going on but you do. :) It's strange, sometimes I realize that I'm a missionary and it throws me off a little bit, to think that I'm actually here and actually have the name tag and am actually speaking Spanish and preaching the gospel! I love it though and wouldn't trade it for anything!
This week was a neat testimony builder with the priesthood, starting with a call on Thursday (my second full day back) from one of the sisters in the ward saying that she'd burned her face at work and was in the ER at the hospital and needed translation and a blessing. We rushed over immediately and went into the room, and saw the sister on the chair almost convulsing from the pain. She works at a restaurant and was cooking some meat, and she threw some into a pan with boiling oil and the water in the meat caused the oil to explode and she was burned all over her neck and face. The splotches of oil had left dark marks all over and a couple were starting to swell, and the poor sister was having a hard time keeping herself together. We translated for her and the doctors came in and gave an IV for the pain, and as soon as they left we gave her a blessing. To my surprise she asked if I would do the blessing and my companion the anointing, but I did and there was a sweet spirit as we administered the blessing and the whole atmosphere in the room changed. The pain left, the burns seemed to become less severe, and the medical processes went smoothly. She calmed down and was able to talk normally and even laughed a little bit, and left the hospital within an hour.
That same night, a nephew of the lady we'd given the blessing to had a really bad asthma attack and went to the hospital as well, and they called and asked for a blessing too. We went to the house because the doctors had stableized him and given him a machine to help him, but we left another blessing and again there was a calm feeling afterwards. The next day one of our sister missionaries asked me for a blessing because she'd been sick, and I felt impressed to promise her that her sickness wouldn't affect the missionary work she was doing. She recovered quickly and didn't miss a beat, it was a great testimony for me of the power of the priesthood.
The work in the Branch is going great, we have enough people now to start considering making it a ward! Things have changed a lot since I was here but it's only gotten better and I'm excited to work here! I love my mission and I love the people, I'm so glad to be able to work and serve the Lord for these last few week! I intend to make them my best yet and to rely on the Lord for His blessings.
Have a great week!
Love,
Elder Damon Janis
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