A Blessing in Disguise

Welp, the trade to the Guatemala Antigua mission fell through yall. The CCM had a trade package finalized with me, Elder Gergetz, and Elder Godfrey, with a couple first round picks but I heard that there was an issue with our medical records and that the Guatemala Antigua mission declined the trade. Just kidding jaja, unfortunately I tested positive for COVID last week along with Elder Gergetz and Elder Godfrey, two other elders from my previous district 7C. Let’s just say it was a big let down at first, but I definitely learned that the Lord works in mysterious ways and that trials happen for a reason

Last week on Thursday after the temple, I started feeling sick. At first I thought it was just a cold because all I was dealing with at the time was a runny nose and a minor sore throat, but I started feeling worseThursday evening. I went to see the doctor at the CCM and took a COVID test. I got a negative result,  but the doctor suggested that I move to house 1 which is the house for the missionaries that are sick.. I was shocked to see that Elder Gergetz was already living there, he tested positive that same day, apparently NGL tho the first few days at the COVID quarters were miserable after the first day, our WiFishut off so it was just one of those days where you just sleep and try to read and study for the whole day, knowing that your district is outside going to class, having gym time together, etc. Definitely a long day for sure. 

Since I only had to spend a few days at first in the house since I was negative I was so eager to get out, no offense to Gergetz but I was trying to get back to the grind of classes and most importantly being with my district again. The doctor came by on saturday morning to give me a new covid test and I tested negative again. I packed all my things and left the COVID casa to move back to my old house. However I only had about three hours of freedom. The test  the doctor gave me was only 70 percent accurate, so I had to take the official COVID test that is approved by the government of Mexico before leaving for Guatemala. AND GUESS WHAT, I tested positive, along with Elder Godfrey…

I hit rock bottom when I found out that I got COVID. I was all ready to leave for Guatemala the following Monday but the rule is that I would have to stay an extra week at the CCM to recover and hope that I test negative during my next covid test. That meant I had to say bye to my district early, my friends, my teachers, and most unfortunately go back to house 1. YIKES.

However, I actually had a blast in house one. Even though I was down at first. I had a blast jamming to disney music and other arrangements with Gergetz and Godfrey. The WiFiturned back on when I moved my stuff back, and there was also a working computer with access to the internet jaja.I learned that Quarantine can be fun with homies. I was able to take naps, have jam sessions, read the scriptures, have companionship study, more time to study spanish,play foosball and UNO. My district came to say goodbye to us on the street in front of house 1. It was really nice to see them and shoutout to Hermana Baldwin and Christensen for the letters and for supplying us with treats during quarantine. 

On Monday we finally got out of the COVID casa.. The doctor said that we would receive a new district and be paired with those in the 3-week spanish program.. As soon as I got out of the house I started singing the Kanye West song Ghost Town, specifically the line that goes like  “I FEEL KINDA FREE AND NOTHING HURTS ANYMORE I FEEL KINDA FREEEE.” We were able to see the hermanas in our district on Monday morning because they hadn’t left yet. All the elders left for Antigua on Monday morning at like 4. We were able to go to breakfast with the hermanas which was awesome because it was kinda lonely without the gang. 

We then had to get new living arrangements once again and move to different houses. I believe that I have lived in 4 different houses this past week so that's been insane. We got assigned a new house and a new district filled with Latinos. Let me just say that I love my new district. Even though I am hoping I’m only going to be here for one more week, I had a blast with them.  They were so welcoming and so nice to me. I am grateful that even though I got COVID, God has given me the opportunity to speak Spanish with experts before my mission in Guatemala. 

All of the missionaries in my new district are from foreign countries. They are all from Mexico except for Elder Adames who is from the Dominican Republic. It's been awesome to talk to Elder Adames because he speaks Spanish super fast and he uses a lot of different words that aren't used in Mexico, so I have been adding them to my vocabulary. I can tell from my new district that they have strong testimonies of the gospel and that their emphasis right now is to be involved in the Lord's work. Just being in a class filled with only Spanish speakers has helped me to learn so much more about the language. I have been teaching my new district English as well since they only know a few words in English here and there while they have been helping me expand my vocabulary as well.

Since I am in the three week program for this week I had the opportunity to teach a lesson for 25 minutes for the first time in Spanish. It was pretty fun tbh because we got to meet a lot of people from different parts of Mexico City which was an amazing experience for sure. Making new friends and meeting new people is always a blessing. I got to go to temple again with my new district today so cheers for having three temple visits at the CCM so far….It was definitely an awesome experience because it helped me feel connected to Christ. Visiting the temple again definitely was a pick me up from the events of last week. It helped me to feel motivated to arrive in Guatemala hopefully next week and start helping others to receive the blessings of the temple in their lives. 

I am very excited. I hope to leave for Guatemala next week. Being on your 7th week in the CCM program is definitely weird and I felt senioritis at times this week. We got our flight plans to leave for Guatemala city next week so pray for me and so that I get a negative and dip out of here. 

For my spiritual thought this week I would like to share about SURPRISE SURPRISE trials…I’ve learned that the way I respond to trials can have a great effect on whether they become roadblocks in my life or expressways to learning and growth. When I anguish over difficulties, the experiences only serve to weigh me down. But remembering that these trials are part of the great plan of happiness helps me to see them as opportunities to grow and learn.

As children of a loving God, we accepted our Father’s plan to obtain a physical body, gain earthly experience, and qualify to return to His presence and enjoy eternal life. In fact, we “shouted for joy” at the chance to participate in this “plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8, 16). Here on earth, there is a lot of joy, but there are also times of trial, misfortune, and grief.

A common misunderstanding among members of the Church is that if we strive with all our might to live the commandments, nothing bad will happen to us. We may believe if we are living the righteous lives everyday or if we live the Word of Wisdom, we will never get sick. But the truth is that bad things may happen to the best of people. We live in a world of instant gratification. We want fast food, quick loans, and instant solutions to our problems. However, the Lord may ask us to show our faith by enduring some problems patiently. Today, we may not be able to grasp all the reasons for our challenges or the opportunities they will give us to grow. We may have to learn line upon line. As we patiently endure in righteousness, He may reveal to us greater understanding about our trials and the purpose of them in our lives.

I invite you guys to remember to turn your hearts and seek Christ in your lives when you have trials

Have a great week and I HOPE to talk to you guys next time from Guatemala

Elder Flores

Highlights

• I had the opportunity to give my first English lesson as a missionary to my new district since they hardly speak English. We practiced with the alphabet first, numbers, items in the room, and then conversations. It was awesome because it helped me to grow  stronger bond with them
• We also sang as a choir again “As Sisters in Zion” and “We’ll Bring the World his Truth”. Apparently the CCM recycles the same songs for the choir so that was interesting to find out
• Got to hang out with the homie Esteban this week he was shook to see me not leave for sure
• I also had the opportunity to meet new missionaries this week while playing volleyball which has been awesome even tho I miss the homies in 7C
• I crashed Hermana Garcias zoom class this week, since our time with her finished she started the process over and received a new district, but the cool part is that I ran into Hermana Mckenna Fleming from BYU at the zoom meeting!! That was definitely awesome, it's a small world fr