Wow what an amazing busy week. I have never
traveled so much in my life. We started off the week with zone conference on
the island of Terceira and then flew to the other island in the Azores where we
had another zone conference. They went incredibly well! It was so amazing being
in the Azores one last time on my mission. I love those islands with all my
heart--partly because it was an area that was super hard for me and I struggled
a lot. It is through the struggles we really find out who we are.
I have never been with President and Sister
Tavares so much, basically from Sunday night until Thursday afternoon
nonstop. Being in the airports with them is something really special. We got to
talk with them about their lives and what they’ve learned and experienced. They
are the wisest people I know and I have such great love and respect for them.
When we arrived in Lisbon it was Wednesday night
really really late. So President and Sister Tavares told us to just sleep in
the mission home for that night. Being in the mission home is one of the best
experiences because I feel like I'm back home. Just being able to walk on
carpet is something so amazing to me! We talked to President Tavares that night
and then woke up the next day and headed to Lisbon for our last zone conference.
It was a little bittersweet being the last big training I will do as a
missionary. To be 100% honest I cannot believe that it's all wrapping up, it
doesn't feel real. I feel like this is my life and everything I know but I just
have to keep on going with one goal in mind--to bring others unto Christ.
This weekend we worked in our area but we also
helped missionaries in other areas with their investigators. Next week is my
last transfer and I am super excited to get back out in the field again!
We worked with our investigator, Madalena, a
lot this week. She was so excited to be baptized but unexpectedly her mom said
that she couldn't be baptized. But Madalena is a fighter and we talked with her
mom and moved the baptism back a couple of weeks to develop a relationship and try
to explain the things that we’ve been teaching Madelena. We're super excited
for her progress and the amazing member she will become.
I want to share one of the sweetest moments of
my mission. When I arrived in Mem Martins about 8 months ago I was given a
question by my old companion that he got from President Tavares. The question
is simply, “Why did Jesus ask that the cup be removed from him?” At first the
answer seems simple but the more you look into it the more you realize that you
don't have the answer. You don't understand exactly why he said that. President
asked the question of the Mission a little time ago but only a few have gotten
it. It was such a big desire of mine to understand it or get the answer. I
started studying with a lot of excitement months ago and it was super hard to
find. President Tavares told us that it was not an answer that you're going to
find in a scripture or book but it is something that the spirit of the Lord will
reveal to you when you are ready and have studied everything you could study.
It was Saturday morning and we were in a park doing some contacts and
I was thinking a lot about this question and my study about the atonement of
Christ, and it hit me! The spirit was so strong I almost started to cry out of
excitement! I knew that this was the answer and that it had been revealed. Of course,
I will never tell you guys because you are going to have to receive it for
yourselves. But I can testify that because of this question/answer that the
atonement of Christ means so much more to me.
Christ means so much more to me and I feel that my relationship with him
is so much stronger. Above all, I feel like I know Jesus Christ. I have seen
and experienced that through diligent studying and sincere regular prayer and
meditation that the Lord will give us answers.
I'm super excited for the future and for my
future study of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I want to take what I learn and turn it into good and live with God
again. I love you all. It's been a great week and I'm ready for another one!
-Elder Herrmann
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