Actual Reassignment Miracles

Hi friends and fam,

It's been awhile! Also, if this is the first email you've gotten from me, it's likely because I got home in March and found your name on a list in my phone of "People wanting to be on email list" ..... sorry about that! The blog's got all the old ones, and in case you don't want these (we all know how spammy Mondays can sometimes get), the google group will not notify me in any way if you hit that Unsubscribe button. ;)

That aside, here are the updates on the Elder Child saga:

The last week of March, I was presented with the same two options as all other suddenly-imported missionaries: Be released briefly and end the mission on the original timeline; or be released, wait 12-18 months, and finish the mission at a newly determined date. My immediate reaction: I wanted to wait the year to return to Peru and not serve during COVID-19. That weekend was April General Conference, and I took my question to the Lord. I received a very clear answer: It was to be my decision, but my motives at that time were the wrong ones. After several weeks of prayer, fasting, and careful consideration, I decided to wait the year, but my motives had changed. What I picked wasn't right for everyone, but it was right for me. Because of waiting, I'll get to spend 24 total months as an elder. The decision was not made to return to Peru, since missionary service is of equal value anywhere. In the ensuing months I've also repented of my desire not to serve during the pandemic, since missionary service is of equal value anytime. After making the decision, I began studying and enrolled in a number of BYU religion courses to prepare for an April 2021 return to missionary work.

Fast forward four months to the evening of Sunday, August 23. I receive an email from my stake exec. secretary informing me that the Church is not dictating the timeline for our return to the mission, that all I'd need was to let him know about three months before my desired date of availability. I was very suddenly presented with a second huge decision: stay with my original timeline, leaving after Winter semester 2021 and arriving for Fall 2022; or advance everything by four months, leaving after Fall 2020 and returning for Spring 2022. My immediate reaction was that it was an entertaining but unrealistic idea to suddenly bump up departure (since BYU's Spring/Summer course offerings are much skimpier than those during the two major semesters). However, on the advice of someone very close to me, I set about praying and pondering. The morning after receiving the email, I started toying with my 4-year graduation plan, making an alternate version for a hypothetical earlier departure. As I worked, miracles began to unfold. Class after class was available, pre-requisites were able to be satisfied, and several extremely last-minute adjustments to my current course load still had empty seats. I was stunned. I started to seriously consider leaving sooner. That very night, before I had even finished writing the question in my study journal, its answer was unequivocally impressed upon my mind by the Holy Ghost. I was to leave after just one more semester. 

Fast forward another couple weeks to Friday, September 11, when my stake president called. The Church mission department had approved my departure request! One of the Twelve Apostles of the Lord had seen my face on a screen and been inspired to temporarily reassign me to the Texas Houston Mission, leaving January 13 and speaking Spanish. I know that this assignment is from God and cannot doubt having seen the hand of the Lord throughout the entire process. Indeed, I feel I could write a whole slew of emails on the abundance of miracles that have led me here. I feel so incredibly, miraculously blessed. I can't wait to resume full-time missionary work in Houston. This is the Lord's labor.

I know that this Church is led by living prophets and invite everyone to watch General Conference this weekend and to invite those that might need a little more peace and comfort in their lives to do the same.

You'll hear from me again in January, then as a set-apart servant of the Lord. Getting released was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but it magnified my testimony of the power and importance of missionary work. I could not be more excited.

All my love,

(soon-to-be-Elder) Eli Child

Re: Reassignment Miracles

LAUGHING!!! Oh, Eli, what will your letter be like after two weeks of being quarantined? Looking forward to more! 333

On Wed, Apr 1, 2020 at 7:35 AM Elijah Child <elijah.child@missionary.org> wrote:

Hey all!

I've got some big news this time around. I have been reassigned to the Alaska Anchorage Mission, leaving May 1. I can't even describe what a huge blessing this will be. There will be no MTC this time around; it'll be straight to the field as soon as the Church rents out an Inuit helicopter. I am to prepare to preach the Gospel in the Canadian language, and it is anticipated that I will serve for a period of 15 lunar months. I expect to be able to tract the frozen wastelands that have never seen human eyes before. The required packing list includes, white shirts, heated ties, dress snow pants, a musk-ox-lined fur coat, and an ax to break the ice in the baptismal font. I feel like the luckiest guy this side of the Arctic Circle, can hardly bear the wait. The bottom line is, "Many are cold but few are frozen."

In all seriousness, I am now sitting in my house in Provo, Utah, with a nametag on and living the quarantined missionary life. There were many moments of uncertainty in the trip, but the bottom line is that I'm just super blessed to be out. The country of Peru is under hard-core lockdown, and very few missionaries were able to get out to start our road to reassignment. Thank you for your prayers; they were very felt during the whole process. I don't know when or where I'll be reassigned, and it's quite possible I'll be home for a whole year. I'm also to be released temporarily in the coming days. Decisions to be made, but I'm feeling super blessed.

Love you all!

Happy April Fools'

still-Elder Child

--
To see all of Elder Child's email, see https://elderelichildinperu.blogspot.com/
 
Elder Child loves to get notes. Please send them to elijah.child@missionary.org.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Friends of Elder Child" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to friends-of-elder-child+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/friends-of-elder-child/CAN9kxWQENZNToi8%3D-dD40saavADeOUKXfFDyCmCe7Vv-HQrQEw%40mail.gmail.com.

Reassignment Miracles

Hey all!

I've got some big news this time around. I have been reassigned to the Alaska Anchorage Mission, leaving May 1. I can't even describe what a huge blessing this will be. There will be no MTC this time around; it'll be straight to the field as soon as the Church rents out an Inuit helicopter. I am to prepare to preach the Gospel in the Canadian language, and it is anticipated that I will serve for a period of 15 lunar months. I expect to be able to tract the frozen wastelands that have never seen human eyes before. The required packing list includes, white shirts, heated ties, dress snow pants, a musk-ox-lined fur coat, and an ax to break the ice in the baptismal font. I feel like the luckiest guy this side of the Arctic Circle, can hardly bear the wait. The bottom line is, "Many are cold but few are frozen."

In all seriousness, I am now sitting in my house in Provo, Utah, with a nametag on and living the quarantined missionary life. There were many moments of uncertainty in the trip, but the bottom line is that I'm just super blessed to be out. The country of Peru is under hard-core lockdown, and very few missionaries were able to get out to start our road to reassignment. Thank you for your prayers; they were very felt during the whole process. I don't know when or where I'll be reassigned, and it's quite possible I'll be home for a whole year. I'm also to be released temporarily in the coming days. Decisions to be made, but I'm feeling super blessed.

Love you all!

Happy April Fools'

still-Elder Child

Miracles in Quarantine

Hey all!

First of all, I'm doing wonderfully. The highly contagious common cold has hit Peru, but not that hard. The peruvian president has ordered us all to sit tight in our rooms for 15 days so this'll be the last you hear from me for a minute.

Margarita and Sara got baptized! It was so powerful and amazing. Super different doing convert confirmations in the baptismal service itself, but it was beautiful. Their testimonies were powerful and very moving. They talked about how they knew that the Book of Mormon is true and that this is the Church of Jesus Christ. They talked about how there had been such a change and how their home had had so much more peace and love since they'd started reading the Book of Mormon.

We got to take the Sacrament to a bunch of families yesterday, and it was a powerful experience.

Loving life, Elder Watts is awesome, miracles are happening down here.

Love you all!

Elder Child

Miracles covered in Bacon Sauce

Hey everyone!

This week was every kind of wonderful, here are a few of the highlights!

Margarita and Sara are getting baptized this week! They're so so prepared. Their story is that Margarita was going through super hard trials and her aunt came to visit her to help her out. Her aunt is a member that lives up north and of course was telling her to bring more of Jesus in her life. She was telling her about the missionaries, her elders. Just in that moment, the elders were walking by. The absolute miracle was, it wasn't even us. It was the elders from the other half of the ward taking a shortcut through our area. They taught the lesson and called us that night like, hey does this street belong to you? And a month later, we're going to the waters.

Lastly, one wonderful Peruvian invention: bacon sauce. It's a mix of mayo and bacon and faith and prayer, and you can put it on anything. You're welcome.

Love you all!

Elder Child

Breakup Miracles

Hey all!

Few quick stories.

Samuel and Cielo are a couple that have been cohabitating for a while. Cielo has been wanting to get baptized for a really long time. This week, they finally decided to get separated, and with all the difficulties that have been going down, he's decided he wants to turn it all around. He wants to get baptized too, the earliest possible, and is preparing like crazy.

On a similar note, Beatriz is getting separated from her partner too and had wanted to get baptized a while back. We're going to work with her.

It's awesome how the Lord is working to prepare people to take the steps they need to for their salvation.

Preparation day last week we went to some pre-hispanic ruins that were unbelievably cool. Quite possibly relics of Lamanite culture, they're from the same time period.

This Church is true. Jesus is our Savior. Invitation for this week: Look up the Bicentennial General Conference Trailer (Fan Made) and reconsider how you are preparing for General Conference.

Love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Child

Companionship Miracles

Hey all!

There was a ton this week, we're going to do our best to hit it all really fast.

First, foremost, most amazing, happy blessed, moment of peace, joy, love, and happiness. These past two months have been pretty difficult with regards to companionship relationship. We're not going to get into details, but it was bad. Wednesday night, we hit rock bottom. Thursday morning, we had a ministration from the Zone Leaders, which had been scheduled even before what happened on Wednesday. The zone leaders talked about being consecrated missionaries and invited us to do something interesting. They had us draw in our agendas a little sacrificial altar and write above it all the things we were ready to sacrifice to fix this companionship and become better servants of the Lord. Then they made us rip the pages out of our agenda and burn them on the floor.

I prayed so, so hard that the zone leaders would receive the inspiration they would need to be able to help us out. I know that others were praying for the same. Our prayers were answered. In the five days since that ministration, we've gotten along quite well and are learning how to work effectively. I testify that prayers are answered and that God is in this work. There are no coincidences.

Funny highlights:

The other day I treated myself to a fine liver-paste sandwich followed by a strawberry-caramel and pig-neck delectable, accompanied by fake tea, sweetened by Stevia. Only the finest for this missionary.

A couple days ago I woke up at like 4 in the morning and started praying. Finished and my comp is like, Amen? I said something along the lines of, I got the wrong hour, didn't I? Rolled back over and went to sleep.

On that happy note, this Church is true! Love my life, the blessings are real.

Elder Child

Baptismal Miracles

Hello loved ones,

One miraculous story.

A few weeks ago, we put a baptismal date with Krismers, the unbaptized 9-year-old of reactivating parents, for February 8. Sunday February 1, we had the pre-interview to prepare her for her baptismal interview. In that interview, we asked her 12-year-old brother, Angelo, how it had gone with his personal question of when he should get baptized. He told us, super quietly, that he'd decided. I asked him, like, what did you decide? I want to get baptized. Super cool. Then, in the same interview, we find out that the third child, Yan, turns 8 ON February 8. Organized two interviews with the bishop, one for the dad to be able to baptize his kids and one for the little kid to be able to be baptized. The interviews fell through and we re-organized to do it Saturday, before the baptism. Both interviews passed, and the dad was able to baptize his three children. Aly also got baptized on Saturday. Sending pictures in a separate email.

Love my life. My testimony has been strengthened a ton of the power of personal revelation.

Elder Child

Miraculous Happenings

Hey friends!

This week was wonderful. A few of the biggest goings-on:

Brucelid got baptized! So powerful, his testimony was so strong when he bore it after his baptism. He is an amazing testament of how much the Gospel can change lives. The difference between where he's at and where he's been is jaw-dropping.

One miracle was that Angelo decided to get baptized. His sister, Krismers, has been preparing for baptism for a while, but he has been really uncertain. We invited him to seek his own personal answer, praying and reading, and on Sunday after Church, he told us that he'd decided to get baptized. He's 12, his parents are members, and his sister Krismers is 9.

Further miracle on top of that: in that same visit on Sunday, we found out that the third child of those parents (who are re-activating) turns 8... on Saturday. The bishop is looking into turning the double-baptism into a triple-baptism and a confirmation, because Yan would be a baptism of an eight-year-old. On top of that, the dad has an interview on Thursday to be able to use his Priesthood to baptize his kids. Powerful, powerful, goings-on.

My area split! There are two elders in San Bartolo. First missionaries to live there since Nephi and Lehi (quite possibly). The members all felt a tremor when they arrived to Pucusana, the other half of their area that's basically untouched by missionaries, but has members, and is ready for some representatives of Jesus Christ.

Love my life, growth is crazy.

Elder Child

Miracles upon Miracles

Hey all!

Sorry for not writing last week. We had some other stuff to do on preparation day and I kinda didn't get internet time.

The updates:

We need prayers for Britzeida, Sandra, Ernesto, and Neto this week. They're all members, and going through something of a difficult situation right now.

Transfers happened, and Elder Maza and I are going to be together 5 more weeks.

Count your blessings: Sunday we didn't go to church or leave the house the entire day for legal complications, because it was elections and voting is mandatory here.

Brucelid is getting baptized this week! This baptism has strengthened my testimony of the level to which the Gospel can change people's lives. He has changed to an incredible level.

Feeling the support of prayers and angels here. This Church is true, and this Gospel is real.

Elder Child

A week very full of miracles

Hey all!

This week was every kind of eventful. The summary.

San Bartolo is getting missionaries! My area right now is more than quadruple the size of a quite large area, and it's going to get split in transfers in two weeks. This is a huge blessing, because we've been responsible for two congregations up until now. We've had to burn tons of time house hunting though, haha. President and Sister Richey came to Church yesterday in the family group to announce the change.

This week we had a visit from a 70, Elder Mathias Held. It was so so powerful, and I learned so much. The topic was learning from the Holy Ghost, and boy have my prayers changed since then. It was a great reminder of how we're not the real teachers, the Spirit is. In that meeting was also announced that Elder Holland is coming to Lima! The mission is ... a little bit excited.

Laugh of the week: Baby Angry. A couple of people we're teaching have a four-month old that didn't smile much when he was born. His father, inspired by the classic phone game of birds vs. pigs, then nicknamed him, and it stuck. To this day, I do not know what Angry's real name is.

This week, my testimony has been strengthened so much of answers to prayer. I've been feeling the strength of my prayers, and the strength from the answers of other people's prayers. Prayer is real, this Church is true, and I am so happy to be here.

Until next week,

Elder Child

Miracles, 2020 version

Hey all!

Couple highlights from the week. Ena and Adrian have a wedding date! They´ve been taking lessons since March, she´s a reactivated member and he wants to get baptized. They always come to church, he has a testimony, and the only thing that´s been in the way is the ring. We passed by the night they called us just to celebrate and put the baptismal date for the next weekend.

Brucelid moved apartments! He´s also wanted to get baptized for forever, but has been living in different rooms of the same apartment as his ex-wife, but now he´s moved and we´re dreaming in white.

Yesterday at Church, a woman showed up we´d never seen before. A member snagged her and introduced her to us. Turns out she has three children that are members, had been wanting to learn more about the church, moved here about a year ago and didn´t know where to find the chapel. She ran into an old friend, who´s a member of the ward, who gave her directions, and we have an appointment tonight. Miracles.

Funnily similar story: The other week, we were booking it back to the apartment with 2 minutes to arrive, and this woman greets us with the world Elderes. That never happens. Even the members call us hermanos or hermanitos. A few days later in our planning, we put the plan down of: We´re going to pass by that one house where she called us élderes. We passed by, turns out she also moved here a year ago, hadn´t been able to get in contact with the Church, and has two brothers who are returned missionaries. The people are being prepared.

Right now I´m focusing on learning to be more patient and loving the miraculous growth that´s possible in the mission. Love, love, love my life. The Book of Mormon is true, and this church is the Church of Jesus Christ.

Your happy Peruvian,

Elder Child