here we go again (transfers)

Dear Family,

This week, we had another cieling-cement-pouring service activity. Unfortunately, this cieling was about 6 times bigger than any other I've seen filled in my mission. To make things more difficult, the staircase we had to walk up was obstructed by a low cieling. It was a little rough to duck while carrying a 60-pound bucket of cement on my shoulder, trying not to spill it or drop it. Nevertheless, we got about halfway done before we had to leave and the paid replacements showed up to take over.

The call came on Friday night: I'm leaving Cajamarca. Tomorrow night I'll be taking an all-night bus back to Trujillo for the transfer meeting on Wednesday. My new area is in my old zone (Zona Central), but in a different ward - it's around downtown Trujillo (Barrio Central). It looks like I'll also be training a new missionary, which means we'll have to learn the new area together. Luckily, I'm somewhat familiar with downtown Trujillo, but I have no idea what the ward boundaries are.

Yesterday was one of the best Sundays in my mission. I could only think of a couple improvements. We left our room at 7:30 to knock a couple of doors and walk to church with the investigators who we had offered to accompany. The first one was a family we recently began teaching, and the mother answered the door and motioned toward her still-in-pajamas 5-year-old, asking if it would be alright if they came late. We said "sure" and went to the other investigator we had planned to meet up with. We knocked her door, and her mom said that she was still asleep, but (unfortunately) invited us in to wait while she woke up her daughter. Time was already scarce, so we ended up getting to church 15 minutes late - they had just closed the door for the administration of the Sacrament. However, as we were walking there, we met up with another family of investigators on their way to church alone. So we waited for the Sacrament to finish and entered. Throughout the course of the testimony meeting, the rest of the people we had invited to church showed up. There were three families of three (mother, father, and small child), another father of a family, and two women. A few members took a moment in their testimonies to tell me good-bye and publicly thank me for the work I did in their ward; I wasn't expecting that (mainly because I had only mentioned it to a couple people), but I took a moment to bear my testimony, too. I love bearing my testimony in front of large groups - I guess that's just something I've grown into on my mission.

In Elders' Quorum, there were three investigators and two recent converts - and I think that equalled the number of active elders present. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my last Sunday in Cajamarca. There a few people with baptismal dates for this coming Saturday and others for the upcoming Saturdays. We've been teaching a couple (and their 4-year-old daughter) who aren't married, and they want to join the church so much that they continue to ask if they can't get baptized before they get married. They desire it enough that they are willing to get married - the only question is if they have all their documents and those recent enough. We invited them to set a date for June 21st to get married and baptized on the same day (so that I could celebrate a wedding even though I won't be there for Justin's), but they haven't confirmed it yet. Unfortunately, I won't be here for it at all; but Elder Iverson will send me pictures, at least.

Anyways, I'm not upset about being called to a new area. I still don't know what it's like to be in one place for more than two and a half months, but I'm content with what we've accomplished in Chontapaccha. I'm not sad to miss the baptisms, either: I got to see people develop their testimony right before my eyes. I saw how they showed their faith and passed through their trials with diligence. It was almost unbelievable. There were investigators who wouldn't come to church unless we called their cell phone and came to pick them up, then just a week or two later they would be seated in the chapel before we showed up. There were some who had endless questions and could never come to a conclusion about the truth - then a prayer was answered and they came to love the truth with almost visible devotion. I've learned how to teach more clearly and simply and have come to love the work even more. An old companion counseled me that Cajamarca always seemed to him like a place for growth; looking back on the time I was here, I'd have to say he was right. This transfer marks the end of another chapter in my mission, but another one is starting right up. I know, no matter what, that the Lord is going to build me as I strive to build His kingdom on the earth.

Love,
Elder Withers