Listen with love

Dear family and friends, 2-28-11

I`m feeling so wonderful, thank you everyone for your prayers and love. I`m feeling absolutely healthy and well and it helps so much with the work when your healthy lol.

You asked for what a normal day is for me. Well, I wake up at 6:30 and start by doing my exercises. And then depending on the day I take a shower either first or second and then we go each breakfast which always is 3 pieces of pan, some hot water and some ecco, sugar, and soy milk to make a warm yummy drink. At first I was like this is cafè but they served it in the CCM here and I don`t know what it is but it’s not coffee but its good. Then at 8:00 I do personal study and right now I`m going through D&C and you can`t believe how many sections are just mission calls its crazy! Then at 9:00 o`clock we do companionship study and then 10:00 o`clock we do language study and my companion kind of learns English. Lol. Depending on the day we either go work from 11-1 or we have service, planning for the week, or different things, and then 1 o´clock we eat lunch and right now for my first 2 transfers at 2 o`clock we study the lessons which is really helpful and then at 3 we go to work! We have people we go see and teach and to contacts in the street along the way. Then we return at 8 o`clock and have dinner plan at 9 and then get ready for bed and sleep! That’s a day!

I just want to talk about one family we are teaching right now, its Fam. Ortega. I think I`ve talked about them before but they are just a wonderful family. We have been trying so hard to commit them to baptism and the first time they just couldn`t except it and so we just laid back on the stress of it. We really want to baptism them this weekend because transfers are next weekend and they have attended church 2 times each and they were there as a family yesterday and just love when we come and visit. They are just a wonderful family and are really investigating, which is good and bad because they look online at a lot of things that aren`t true. So we are answering their questions, and it’s been great teaching them and we had a FHE with them tonight and going to talk about the atonement and try once again to commit them to baptism but who knows. I know one day they will get baptized, they are great.

We had a baptism yesterday and that went great, a little girl who is 9 and it went wonderful and was confirmed Sunday which was great! Her name is Daiana! and we have another baptism this weekend with a mom of a family that is completely members except her so it will be completing a family which is great! Besides that we have been working with some others too.

Now for my words of wisdom! ;-) I had the great opportunity this week to have a training from the area authority here who is Elder Nash, he is such a wonderful man, he is from Seattle, Washington but has been here for the past 4 years. And he is doing this for our entire mission and it was last Wednesday for probably half the day. He talked about when we teach to really listen and ask questions to them. Let the spirit teach them and when you truly listen you will know what to say. He showed a video of Elder Holland who said this (it’s in “Preach My Gospel” as well) "if we listen with love, we won’t need to wonder what to say. It will be given us-by the spirit and by our friends." I think we can all apply this, not just to teaching but to when we listen to our family or to our friends when we listen with love we will know how to best help that person and we won`t have to wonder, it will be given us. I`ve noticed that in my teaching, when I listen instead of worry about what I have to say next in Spanish I have more words that mean something then just a straight up lesson. It’s not a lesson it’s the gospel for someone to learn and come closer to Christ. So listen with love. I also have one more thing I want to add, Don`t give up when things are hard. My expression is a lot of people want to give up and not take off the jersey! They want to do something great without having to work for it. I was looking at my name tag one day and just thought of when I wasn`t going to be able to wear it anymore and got sad. Because I have felt like I have wanted to give up and it would be easier to go home now, but I wanted to go home and not take off the name tag. Remember why you’re doing something and it becomes easier. I`m going to be so sad when I have to take off my name tag, just after 3 months it means so much to me and my name is Elder Corbett. I don`t have another name, and it’s a wonderful feeling! So remember don`t give up!

Thanks everyone for your support and your prayers they are so helpful to know I have an army of people behind me that I know you are thinking about me and supporting me. Thanks you everyone!

Con Amor,

Elder Corbett