Dearest friends and family,
I started writing this letter a couple of days ago on the
bus but it started sounding negative so I decided to scrap it, start over and
write a few words this week about friendship. I remember last year when we got
into the “winding down” part of senior year nearly everyone was stressed and on
edge with end of year activities. One day information about Prom Court
nominations leaked and I overheard in the halls a “whaaaat? Her? She got
nominated? I mean…I love her, but no, not her…” A proclamation of disapproval and
disappointment regarding a prom court nominee from a supposed “good friend” one
breezy Friday afternoon. I didn’t understand and found myself chuckling a little
as I watched this stress bring out the predatory instincts of two “friends.”
What I took away from that experience is an awareness of genuine friendships in
life where the friends want, and find joy in, the success of another. Successes
are a reason for both to rejoice and be happy...a moment to sit back and say “wow,
good for you, I’m really proud…you did a great job and really deserve this.” And
I realized there are friendships that we sometimes find where success of one
drives the other crazy and quickly surfaces raw, jealous or other negatives
emotions and frustration. I’m sure you’ve seen this play out in real life and can
relate to what I’m trying to say.
I bring this up as a long-winded introduction to a topic
that has been on my mind lately: the mission has been an amazingly powerful
catalyst in helping me appreciate and seek genuine friends.
Elder Cuevas and I got called to Quito twice this week. The
first visit was to get his visa paperwork squared away and the second visit was
for “verifications”, where the mission leaders and President Murphy verify his
progress as a newbie and give us trainers tips in how to be more effective trainers.
It was an edifying series of meetings. I remember when I arrived, just 10 months
ago, before getting in the car to go to the bus station and heading off to the
coast, I asked President Murphy when I would see him next. It was a comfort to
be around him and to receive his instruction…a comfort that if any problem should
ever arise, he would be there and able to help. In this week’s meetings I
picked up on a little of that from the newbies and it brought back a lot of
feelings of my own arrival.
All in all, verifications went well but, by far, the best
part was getting to spend time with some of my best missionary friends. We got
into Quito around 8 and made our way to the “La Luz,” the area of Elders George
and Moon, and went to work with them for a few hours. We got some chocolate
milk and bread and made our way back to their house for lunch. It’s so comforting
talking with someone who completely understands and shares my exact same feelings
on so many topics, which is why Elder George and I get along so well. We talked
about how sometimes missionaries become like robots and forget about everything
that mattered to them before leaving, including their family, friends, and interests
and how some even seem to lose their personalities. We reasoned God made us
with differences for a reason and those differences are often a necessary tool
to be able to do the things He wants us to do. We also decided that sometimes
our family members are the ones who most need our help and it’s our duty to be
there for them as well. I guess the gist is that we just want to be the best
missionaries we can be and that we want to grow and improve; we want to weed
out the negative character traits we brought to the mission without changing so
much that we lose the positive character traits and who we were before coming
out here. Makes sense?
As we were talking and laughing, all of a sudden Elder
Castagno walked in! He was getting his visa renewed as well and had traveled
down from Ipiales. Oh wow, I can’t even describe the joy we felt in seeing one
another: it was all hugs and smiles and laughter the rest of the day and well
into the night. These are exactly the types of genuine friends I was talking about
in the beginning of my letter. Friends I want to see succeed and who want to
see me do well.
I am grateful for your friendship as well. Know that I’m
happy, healthy and staying positive while enjoying many new genuine friendships
here in Ecuador. Have a great week. I love and miss you all.
Love,
Elder Ericksen
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