Elder Matthew Willardson
Guatemala City South Mission 8-31-2013
Our
family enjoyed our recent Mother’s Day phone call with Elder Willardson.
He has been working hard as a zone leader and he enjoys the opportunity to work
with many different elders, sisters, members and investigators. We were
able to share family news and also hear about his many experiences in the
mission. Elder Willardson is looking forward to meeting two new nieces when
he returns home later this summer! In the beginning of May, Matt was
transferred to a new area called La
Cuatro de Febrero in Guatemala City. His new companion is
Elder Chucos, who it turns out he has worked with before in another part of the
South Mission. With this new assignment, Elder Willardson will be serving
in a stake that is to be re-assigned to a different mission, beginning in
July. Due to the creation of the new Guatemala Coban Mission, the
boundaries of all the other missions have shifted and Matt will end up serving
his final months in the Guatemala East Mission, under a different mission
president. It was difficult to say farewell to the president Matt has
served with for 22 months, President Larry Stay. He wrote in a recent
email, “Thursday was
a sad day for me because it was my last interview with President Stay. Starting
July 1st, he will no longer be my mission president because the zone I am in
will be part of the East Mission, and not part of the South Mission. He thanked
me for serving with him during this time, and for leaving behind a lot of
things to help rescue our brothers and sisters. President Stay is one of the
best men I have ever met and has been an incredible example for me. I think one
of the biggest reasons why I was called to this mission was because he would be
my mission president and I could learn so much from him. He has given me of his
time when I’m certain he has almost no time to give with all of the
responsibilities he has. I know that he has been called of God to direct the
work here, and I have loved feeling the Spirit every time I am with him.”
Another
recent experience has taught Elder Willardson an important life lesson. A
sister in the ward announced that she has given up on her testimony and left the
church. Matt expressed his sorrow for the break-up of her family, “I felt really sad as she explained
to us how her life in the church used to be, and how now none of it is a part
of her life anymore. I can’t imagine one day not even thinking about opening up
the Book of Mormon or going to church, or even having faith that through Jesus
Christ and His Atonement, I can come back. How sad would it be to let anything,
big or small, that someone did or said, affect my relationship with Heavenly
Father. I never want to let anyone get in between me and the gospel, because in
the end the one who really decides to leave the church is oneself.”
Elder Adam Martin
Brazil São
Paulo
Elder
Adam Martin will
celebrate his 21st birthday on the 22nd of this
month. It looks like barring any emergency transfers; Elder Martin will
be staying in the São Paulo Interlagos Mission when the mission gives up
territory to form a new mission on July 1st . He seems happy
for that. He is also happy that the work is going so well in his
area. He reports, “I baptized Larisa, the cousin of a recent convert last
week. She was the golden investigator [I told you about]. I also baptized
Daniela this week. She studies the bible a lot, and upon learning about the
D&C and Pearl of Great Price, read them both in 3 days. That was
great. I have basically baptized or will baptize a good chunk of my
teaching group. I would like to keep my teaching group big. . .” He
then goes on to inform us of some of the ways he plans on doing this: “I
am already teaching an English class [on] Saturdays, asking for referrals at
lunch, knocking doors, and visiting all recent converts.” Elder Martin has been
training Elder Quispe who is bilingual for both Spanish and Portuguese.
His Visa has come through so Elder Quispe will be leaving Jardim das Rosas and
going to Argentina where he has been called to serve. We don’t normally celebrate
divorces, but Elder Martin reports, “, , ,the divorce of one of our
investigators came through, so he and his soon-to-be wife will be baptized soon
( by odd coincidence, it looks like 22nd of June will be their baptism) so I am
way excited.” Another two baptisms will be the perfect 21st
birthday gift for Elder Adam Martin.
