We received a letter in the mail from Andrew that was sent on July 31st. So we now know it takes at least 3 weeks to receive snail mail to or from Mexico.He had only been in the CCM for about 2 weeks at this point. Here are a few excerpts from the letter:
"It's still weird to think I'm a missionary. I'll walk down the street and see 2 elders with tags and think,'Oh cool missionaries!' then I realize I'm one of them. It's really cool. For me it's still almost unreal to think I won't see my family or friends for 2 whole years. As of right now it just feels like I'm at a little church camp and will be back soon. I think that's why I haven't been super homesick.
So 2 nights ago I felt like I should read my patriarchal blessing and my setting apart blessing. I noticed a lot about the importance of family throughout my mission. It said that my mission will be difficult and that thoughts about my family will bear me up. It also said to bear testimony often because I'm not just needed in Mexico, but home as well. Here's a little bit of my testimony in English then a bit in Spanish (not perfect Spanish but its the general idea.):
I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father, that he loves us enough to give us families. I'm realizing now how blessed I am to have grown up in the church and to have grown up in America. I know that Heavenly Father answers prayers, that we can receive personal revelation in our day. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that this is where I need to be. It won't be easy here, but I'm representing Christ and he didn't have it easy at all. A cool thing I heard from my zone leader is 'make the sacrifice now', these 4 words have been in my head a lot lately. It applies to the MTC and to the whole mission. In the MTC we have the option to study/do classwork/ and speak in Spanish...or goof off and play hacky sack like 5 people in my district are right now. Make the sacrifice now. Learn the gospel, learn the language and how to work hard so that when I get to the field I can hit the ground running. This is a serious thing. We are messing with other people's salvation right now and I can't afford to waste my time here at the MTC. It's just selfish to mess around here and cost someone's eternal salvation. Also make the sacrifice and go on a mission. Your decision to serve will bless the lives of many.
(Spanish Testimony) Yo se que nosotros tenemos un Padre Celestial. Yo se que oracion es muy importante. Oracion puede contestar nuestras preguntas por medio de sentimientos, las escripturas, o las palabras de los profetas. Yo se que El Espiritu Santo es la mejor maestro. Yo se que Nuestro Padre Celestial tiene un plan por nosotros, y mediante este plan las familias peuden ser junto por eternidad. Yo se que en la mision yo represento Jesucristo. Yo se que el poder del sacerdocio es verdad. Yo he visto el poder del sacerdocio en mi vida. (2 days ago we gave Elder Colby a blessing. The Mexico City medical clinic said he had plantar fascitis. With this injury usually you don't walk for close to a month. We gave him a blessing and now he's healed.)
Haz lo Justo (Choose the Right)
Elder Finlinson
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