Transferred to New Area - Welcome to Yacuiba!

                                                                                                         January 9, 2018
Hi Everyone!                                                                                  

Yesterday was transfers and my new area is......................Yacuiba! It is pronounced Jah-quee-va, and it is the border with Argentina. We had about a 9 hour bus ride to get here so that is why I didn't write yesterday. I am really excited though, it is a beautiful place and change is always fun!

My new companion is Elder Perriton. He is from Draper, Utah and this is the first time there has been two gringo missionaries here in who knows how many years, so we have gotten a lot of strange looks already. He is from my group and is really cool. He plays the guitar and sings so I think we will have a good time!

 

 

 

 

 

It was hard leaving Lucero! Of all my areas I think it was the place I grew closest to the people and there are a lot of members and converts I will miss a ton!

Saying goodbye...
 

 

 

I will miss all the missionaries in our District!

Sadly, Alan didn't get baptized this past Saturday. His friend got back from the mission yesterday and he wanted her to be able to be there. But he is really ready and hopefully I can get some pics of his baptism and send them next week!

This week there was not the best week for Santa Cruz. There was a giant conjunctivitis epidemic going around (like pink eye but 4 times worse) and yours truly got infected on Wednesday.

On Thursday I went to our District meeting looking like the Hunchback of Notre Dame with one of my eyes swollen half shut, but now I am completely recovered so no worries.

 Also on Monday night and Tuesday it rained like never before and quickly turned into a natural disaster here. Several of the canals flooded and many houses were flooded, some people up to their ankles, other people up to their waist, and in Guapilo up to their chins. It was really devastating, but we were able to help some people bail water out of their houses and everything is back to normal now.

Today I was reading in the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 9 and read about how Christ will be the one who judges us and decides whether or not we are worthy to return to the presence of God. As I was reading and pondering, I realized that in that moment He will be judging based on one standard: How have we shown gratitude in our lives for what He did? He gave His life for us so that we might change and become like our Heavenly Father, and every day our choices can either reflect gratitude for Him or show that we have forgotten what He did for us. I hope we can choose this week to show Him we are grateful each and every day by repenting and serving those around us!

Love,

Elder Harris